Lonely Planet Canada (Travel Guide)

Helped us plan our adventures with great tips on things to see as well as Canadian culture.

A great book to buy if thinking of travelling. Plenty of excellent information that is clearly presented. It focusses on the great outdoors rather than cities but is still a lovely book to have on journeys.

It's been quite a few years since we visited Canada and it was just a small part for our honeymoon and we've been planning on returning in the next year for a significant birthday for my wife so this guide will be great for helping to plan it and to use whilst we're there.We've always used Lonely Planet guides for holidays whether short or long and have always found them to be invaluable, however the latest editions are proving to be a bit of a mixed bag as the format hasn't been to my liking for some of the books we've had and others have been more useful. I found this latest edition for Canada to be very good with some information and then lacking in others, especially when it comes to details for some cities and whilst our last trip was only to a few places, it's because I have previous experience that allows me to see that quite a lot of detail has been omitted. I think with this being more of an online age these guides are just that in that they guide you around a country and expect you to fill in the gaps of places you're interested in by looking online.Don't get me wrong, I think this is still an invaluable guide and provides lots of useful information, pictures and a pull out map, but rather than being the full guide these books used to be they feel more like a starting point and something to accompany you whilst you get the finer detail via your PC or phone.In summary, it's quite a good guide and it will serve it's purpose, but we'll still need other sources of information before and during our next trip to Canada.

My last, and only, trip around Canada was in 2004 and that was planned with the current Lonely Planet guide at the time. 20 years and I wouldn't be planning my next trip using that same edition, so with thoughts of a possible trip to Canada on the horizon the fact that this 16th Edition of Lonely Planet Canada (June 2024) came onto the Amazon Vine program was particularly good timing for me.Whenever I've done long haul travel I've been a real fan of Lonely Planet guides which have formed the backbone of my research before the trip and in many cases have accompanied me on my journey. The Lonely Planet guides have over the years helped me find travel gems/experiences that I would never have uncovered otherwise and formed lasting memories that I treasure.Having done a provisional skim of this book before a full deep dive over the coming months I can confirm that this one sticks to the tried and tested formula of Lonely Planet guides - using local travel guides/journalists in the main to present a range of aspects of travel to all things adventure, food and tips and tricks along the way all supplemented with pictures to whet the appetite.You get the usual pull out map in the back too, which is particularly handy for countries like Canada where phone signal (and juice) are not a given depending on how adventurous you're planning on being.I will say that Canada is obviously a vast country and so even a book running to over 700 pages can't really do it justice but as a pre-planning stage guide this is the best starting point you'll get to give yourself of planning the trip you want to make it. Yes a lot of information is available for free online but as a single port of call in a handy size book you can certainly justify the cost and convenience of someone else having put in all the leg work. BY all means supplement this book with your own other research and other sources but as a solid foundation which to build it can't be beaten.Totally worth the asking price and 5 stars from me.The only negative points I can give are that detail on city centre attractions themselves is a little light (even noticed this from a quick skim) and that the text is rather small (to fit everything in). If your eyesight is not in its prime then you may struggle a little with the default font size.

Through the Amazon Vine programme, I was delighted to be offered this new edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Canada. I have been travelling for over 50 years, and this classic guide book series has also now been in existence for over 50 years! I love the ethos of the company: "Since our inception in 1973, we've inspired generations of travellers to discover amazing places and enabled curious travellers to get off the beaten paths to appreciate different cultures and become agents of positive change." That totally sums up my attitude to travelling - and Canada is a country that has long been on my bucket list!As Canada is so vast, this guide is rather ambitious, and runs to 704 pages, so maybe better to read before a trip rather than take it with you. As usual with the Lonely Planet guides, it's packed full of practical advice and information on where to stay and what to see, eat and do, and with the perfect mix of text, pictures and maps. It has a detachable folded map in the back, which could be useful when you don't have access to maps on a phone.The guide is currently sitting in the bookcase opposite my sofa, and I'm finding my gaze constantly drifting towards it - so I don't think it's going to be long before I find myself booking a trip to Canada!