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The Rough Guide to Cyprus 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) Overviews
The Rough Guide to Cyprus is an indispensable guide to this popular Mediterranean island and this new edition is the most in-depth guide on the market. The author''s recommended hotels, resorts and restaurants represent the best selection for travellers on every budget. There are full details on hiking trails, archeological sites and the island''s famous church frescoes, as well as authoritative features on the island''s rich wildlife, turbulent history and current politics. No other guide covers Cyprus'' history, politics and personalities in as much detail.
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Customer Review
At the time of this review, there is no other up-to-date travel guide for visiting Cyprus. The Lonely Planet's "Cyprus" 2nd edition came out right as the Nicosia/Lefkosia opened in 2003 and contains outdated information on the crossing from the Greek/Turkish sides - their 3rd edition is due out this summer. Regardless, LP will have a hard act to follow, since Marc Dubin has written the single most comphrensive travel guide to a country I have ever read. I just returned from a 10 day trip to both 'sides' of Cyprus and used literally almost every page. I wouldn't have been able to see half the things I did without this guide and by relying solely on the state-run information kiosks.
It was astounding to talk to other travellers who showed up to Cyprus as package tourists and were clueless about the political circumstances surrounding the island. This wouldn't have happened if they had stepped out of Larnaca (or controversially, Ercan) airport without having a copy of this guide, if for no other reason that the author constantly integrates both ancient (Greek) and modern (political) historical information into all his location descriptions. Hn addition, there is an appendix of almost 50 pages of a balanced account of the turbulent history of the island that doesn't point sole blame on either side of the Green line. The guide also gives comphrensive information in archeological, endemic plant/animal species, a range of restaurant/lodging recommendations, and scuba diving. Like almost all Rough Guides, this book is intent in educating people to become investigative travellers rather than consuming tourists.
Note that the author frequently warns that pre-packaged tourism rules Cyprus. However, you can still backpack through both sides of Cyprus on intercity 'taxis' (small vans) in the south and dolmus buses in the north. The author is correct when he says that the conditions in hostels in Cyprus aren't comparable to their Northern (or Greek) counterparts and the island is not a budget destination, but you can usually find a hotel in a town for -45/night - I found locals in every town who were helpful and even outgoingly friendly after a few minutes of conversation.
Champion Work - Matt Ebiner - Covina, CA USA
In June, 2006 my wife and I traveled extensively through all parts of Cyprus by rental car and carried 4 recently published guidebooks. Even with Lonely Planet and DK carrying 2006 copyrights, neither could hold a candle to Rough Guide (Sept, 2005). Marc Dubin's work is not simply that of a traveler writing a guidebook, but like an expert presenting an insightful, informative, and balanced work. It added immensely to our enjoyment and understanding of Cyprus. The highlights section for each chapter provided an excellent overview of each region, and for the first time I found the maps to be even better than the ones in Lonely Planet. The background information was outstanding for presenting a fair treatment of this divided island, with many excellent spotlights on pertinent Cypriot topics.
At 552 pages it is over twice the length of Lonely Planet's 272 pages and DK's 216. Thanks to Rough Guide we found many places which were not even mentioned in the other books, like the secluded, abandoned cave hermitage of Palea Enklistra or the beautifully situated Kelefos Venetian-era bridge in the Troodos Mountains. The photos are still not as superb as DK, and for that reason I would also recommend DK Top 10 Cyprus (more useful than DK Cyprus), with excellent lists and photos of the island's highlights. All in all, Rough Guide Cyprus is one of the best guidebooks for any country that you could ever find.
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