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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book - Great Photos - No Brainer
Review: For background information I have travelled to Russia (in a cold October) and I own 20 Eyewitness books but I have never visited St. Petersburg. I confess that up front but all I need is the book to do the review, since I have used many DK books elsewhere. I love these books. I really like the Paris book, Rome, and the one for Prague, and Stockholm, and South Africa, and .... The new India book is exceptional and it works well for Moscow and St.Petersburg. You get all the detailed material similar to other great travel books plus you get great visuals. On a cold day back here in the USA (or Canada) or elsewhere, have a glass of wine and sit in a nice chair or in the garden on a warm day and read this book. For a moment you will be back in traveling. The photos are that good. These are the best all round travel books and are very good for cities. As I said, the photos and descriptions and the cutaway drawings are excellent and more than make up for any lack of small detail. But there is lots of detail here. The book includes the history of the city and many details on the art, art galleries, parks, culture, historical figures, cutaway views of historical buildings, and many other things of interest. The history is summarized at the beginning of the book with historical time lines and cross referenced to the culture and political figures. A solid effort - lots of stuff to see and absorb. It has the other things too such as maps, accommodations, transportation, and the rest. You will be (very much) pleasantly surprised with the depth and quality of this book and it makes a nice souvenir to refresh your memory when you get home. Again just great colors and photos.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book, replaced by a newer edition.
Review: Greetings, This book has been replaced by a newer edition (published at a cheaper price!). Look up 0789497271, or look under "Our Customers' Advice" above. It is still a great guide for your journey of Discovering Russia. It is always best to get the most current guidebook, as attractions, hotels, restaurants and transportation options do often change--AND THEN VERIFY THAT INFORMATION! Marc David Miller, Discovering Russia, New York
Rating:
Summary: A good book, replaced by a newer edition.
Review: Greetings, This book has been replaced by a newer edition (published at a cheaper price!). Look up 0789497271, or look under "Our Customers' Advice" above. It is still a great guide for your journey of Discovering Russia. It is always best to get the most current guidebook, as attractions, hotels, restaurants and transportation options do often change--AND THEN VERIFY THAT INFORMATION! Marc David Miller, Discovering Russia, New York
Rating:
Summary: Does a good job overall
Review: I just returned from three months in St. Petersburg, and I found this book to be mostly useful. The maps and descriptions of museums and major historical sites are quite good. The sections on food, drink and gifts are well done, but very brief. The recommendations for travel outside of St. Petersburg are also good, Repina is particularly beautiful in the summer. As a student, one major problem I had with this book was the restaurant section. For the most part, the establishments recommended were either foreign run or clearly catering to foreigners, and rather pricy for a student on a budget. I could have found phoney western food on my own, I would have appreciated more native choices in town. I found it worthwhile to combine this book with the Lonely Planet travel guide, as that book gave more complete background information on more varied places, including better places to eat. In short, this is an excellent book for a casual traveler, but it needs a suppliment for a longer stay.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best Russian travel guides available
Review: I studied at Novgorod State University, somewhat outside St. Petersburg, last summer and needed a really good guide to the city to map out where to go during my limited off-time (hmm... that would be what a travel guide is generally used for, eh?) I did a LOT of browsing in stores and was really enchanted with Eyewitness. Their guides are usually the best ones, but I especially enjoyed this one. Reading it before I left really excited and prepared me for what to expect, and is still interesting to look through. One of the best features, in my opinion, is a "what to buy in St. Petersburg" section, which includes pictures and ideas of neat Russian stuff to buy and give as gifts (or keep for yourself). This was helpful to think of things ahead of time to give to people, or even let them choose themselves. Also a great feature is the section on Russian food, which includes pictures, so you know what the stuff actually looks like. There's naturally a detailed guide to the city and sections devoted to museums and shopping. It's very simple to navigate through, if you're looking for specific references, e.g. bookshops or anything pertaining to Tchaikovsky. There's notes on historical spots and significances, as well as a detailed street and metro map, accomodations and dining guides (with prices and directions), information and tips on traveling to other spots in Russia, day trip ideas, basic safety info (pictures of Russian police officers and cars, codes to street signs, etc), Russians terms and pronunciations, as well as any other pertinent information and "Stuff you'd never think of but really need to know" about travelling in a foreign country. This guide probably costs a little more than most (I actually bought mine for full price in the store, I liked it so much) but it is TOTALLY worth it. This is the perfect companion to plan a dynamite trip in St. Petersburg.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful pictures, great background make this guide a must
Review: I travelled to St. Petersburg in November 2002 and found this guide to be of great assistance in planning what I wanted to see, getting background information and in follow-up reading after I returned. The pictures are beautiful, and the background information is extensive and helpful in understanding what you are going to see. There are extensive maps and diagrams to sites such as the Hermitage Museum and background information that was very helpful. For example, I read about the top sights in the Hermitage so I could be sure to look for them in my quick guided three hour tour. I also knew something about the murder of Rasputin before I toured the Yusupov Palace where the murder took place. The one drawback is that the 1998 publication date makes this book not very useful in information on new hotels, restaurants or prices. For example, there was nothing about the relatively new "Vodka Museum" which is near St. Isaac's cathedral, where my friends and I had a fun visit. Compare guidebooks and I think you will see that this one is by far the best for detail, pictures and general information. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Ideal for a short visit or for travel planning
Review: If I was taking just one guide, 'Eyewitness Travel Guide to St. Petersburg' would be my first choice. Although it is starting to age (published in 1998) it is a good visual and historic guide to St Petersburg, with enough color photographs to both inspire and guide you. As other reviewers have noted, this book is ideal to use to review with a tour guide the sights and areas that you want to see because of its diagrams, pictures and suggested itineraries. It is also ideal for the cruise ship visitors who will be in St. Petersburg for less than three days, as the photos give a good appreciation to the visitor of what there is to see, especially in a limited amount of time. The history and art sections are reasonably good for a guide book. The restaurant and hotel suggestions are a bit stale, and the pricing is out of date (although the range of pricing is still reasonably accurate).
Rating:
Summary: Does a good job overall
Review: Just returned from nine days in St. Petersburg. Utilized three guide books while there. This book was by the far the most useful. Given the significant language barrier, the maps and pictures were a tremendous help. The cross-referencing very worthwhile. I have not utilized this publisher for guide books in the past, but certainly will again. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: Just returned from nine days in St. Petersburg. Utilized three guide books while there. This book was by the far the most useful. Given the significant language barrier, the maps and pictures were a tremendous help. The cross-referencing very worthwhile. I have not utilized this publisher for guide books in the past, but certainly will again. Highly recommended!
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