How do I choose the right Lonely Planet guidebook for my trip?

Updated

Start by matching the guide to how you'll actually travel: pick a country guide if you're covering multiple regions, a city guide if you're staying in one place, or a regional guide (like Amalfi Coast, Puglia, or Tuscany) if you're focused on one area. Then decide between print and digital based on whether you want a physical book to flip through offline or a lighter option for a phone or e-reader. The shop organizes everything by destination, so browsing by continent first is the fastest way to narrow down.

Step 1: Choose your coverage level

Lonely Planet's shop separates guides into three broad scopes, and picking the right one prevents you from buying a book that's either too broad or too narrow.

Coverage type Best for Examples from the shop
Country guide Multi-city or multi-region trips Italy, Japan, Portugal, Morocco, Vietnam
City guide A single-city stay Barcelona, London, Tokyo, Rome, Paris
Regional guide One area within a country Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, Puglia, Sardinia, Tuscany

If your trip spans several countries in one region — say Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia — look for a broader regional title rather than stacking multiple country guides.

Step 2: Decide between print and digital

The shop lists both print and digital formats. The trade-off is straightforward:

  • Print — works without power or signal, easier to annotate, but heavier and fixed to one edition.
  • Digital — lighter, searchable, good for phone-based navigation, but depends on a charged device.

There's no single right answer here; it depends on whether you'll be somewhere with reliable power and connectivity, and whether you prefer planning on paper or on a screen.

Step 3: Check for special editions

Beyond standard destination guides, the shop carries other categories worth checking before you commit:

  • Best in Travel — a curated list of destinations chosen for the year, useful if you haven't picked a place yet.
  • Gift books — larger format titles suited to browsing rather than trip logistics.
  • Kids' books — aimed at younger travelers, useful if you're planning a family trip.
  • Maps — separate from guidebooks, worth adding if you want a physical map alongside your guide.

Step 4: Browse by destination to narrow down

The shop's navigation is organized by continent, then by country and city. The main regions are:

  • Europe
  • Asia
  • The Americas
  • Australia & Oceania
  • Africa & The Middle East
  • The Caribbean

Each region page groups destinations into countries, cities, and popular picks. If you already know your destination, going straight to the relevant country or city page is faster than browsing the full catalog.

A practical example

Say you're spending ten days split between Rome and Florence. A single Italy country guide covers both cities and the transport between them, which is more useful than buying two separate city guides. If instead you're spending the whole trip in Rome, the Rome city guide goes deeper on neighborhoods, restaurants, and day trips. And if your Italy trip is really a Tuscany road trip, the Tuscany regional guide is the better fit than the country guide.

Quick checklist before buying

  1. Does the guide's scope match your actual itinerary — country, city, or region?
  2. Print or digital, based on your power and connectivity situation?
  3. Is there a special edition (Best in Travel, kids', gift) that fits better than a standard guide?
  4. Do you also want a separate map?
  5. Have you confirmed the destination is covered by browsing the correct continent page?

Working through these five questions in order will usually point to one clear choice.