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Reviewed by UK Guest, 5th Aug 2003. |
| Review Summary: Disappointing in terms of facts |
Overall Score: 3/5
 
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Review: We recently visited Tallinn which is a beautiful city with a fascinating history. This book was all that we had to rely on for information and while it is true to say that the history side of the book is interesting and well done, practical facts and figures for the (dare I say it) tourist, tended to be very vague. Distances seemed to be quite randomly set and in some cases the book suggested visits with no indication at all of how long it might take to get there or how far it might be. We walked a long way to get a boat to Aegna Island, the book said we would need to get the boat from "the small jetty by the cafe" and so we not unreasonably assumed that the Pirita area must be pretty small. It isn't, and even the harbour master had no idea what we were talking about. The lack of photographs was disappointing and some basic information on how to get to Riga, St Petersburg, Helsinki and Vilnius would have been a good idea bearing in mind that many visitors to Estonia for any longer than a weekend probably are looking for a 2 centre visit. All in all I don't think I will be trying Bradt again. The author obviously loves the country but seems to forget what it must be like for a first time visitor, he makes too many assumptions based on his own knowledge. The commercialisation and rate of growth of Tallinn requires something less academic and of more practical assistance. Having said all of that, the Old Town walking tour was faultless and very enjoyable and earns the book an extra star. |
Ratings
| Value For Money: |
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3 |
| Review Score: |
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3 |
| Recommended? | |
No |
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Travel Guide Books