Lonely Planet Best of London 2020
by Lonely Planet
Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Compact, photograph-friendly guide built around short entries, maps and itineraries that let you plan London in blocks of time. Most value comes from quick 'see or skip' calls, themed walks and easy-to-scan transport tips — handy for trip-planning sessions. Main limitation is surface-level treatment: expect few long essays, limited cultural analysis, and repeating-format blurbs that trade depth for usability. Best used as a practical reference during logistical planning rather than a cover-to-cover read.
Read this if...
- •a volunteer trip leader organizing a 3-day alumni reunion in London who needs ready-made, timed routes and clear 'see-or-skip' guidance to put together a low-friction itinerary for a mixed-age group right away
- •a parent arranging a long-weekend family visit with young children or older relatives who wants short walks, nearby food and restroom notes, and concise attraction blurbs to cut down on on-the-ground decision fatigue
- •a newly relocated expat with two free weekends before starting a new job who needs compact lists of museums, short off-peak walks and map-friendly itineraries to plan quick exploratory outings without reading long histories
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when you hit an area-by-area section that offers only brief blurbs rather than narrative — boring if you wanted deep cultural essays or sustained storytelling
- •annoying if you prefer long-form travel writing or memoir: the guide's checklist/list format keeps anecdotes minimal and often functional rather than evocative
- •frustrating if you need exhaustive academic history, primary-source detail or in-depth neighborhood sociology — the practical snapshot style skips those layers
Lonely Planet: The world's number one travel guide publisherLonely Planet's Best of London is your passport to the most relevant, uptodate advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Gallery hop along the Thames, explore dark history and glittering crown jewels in the Tower of London, and sample real ale in historic pu...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:easy
Audience Fit
- a volunteer trip leader organizing a 3-day alumni reunion in London who needs ready-made, timed routes and clear 'see-or-skip' guidance to put together a low-friction itinerary for a mixed-age group right away
- a parent arranging a long-weekend family visit with young children or older relatives who wants short walks, nearby food and restroom notes, and concise attraction blurbs to cut down on on-the-ground decision fatigue
- a newly relocated expat with two free weekends before starting a new job who needs compact lists of museums, short off-peak walks and map-friendly itineraries to plan quick exploratory outings without reading long histories
- you'll likely put it down when you hit an area-by-area section that offers only brief blurbs rather than narrative — boring if you wanted deep cultural essays or sustained storytelling
- annoying if you prefer long-form travel writing or memoir: the guide's checklist/list format keeps anecdotes minimal and often functional rather than evocative
- frustrating if you need exhaustive academic history, primary-source detail or in-depth neighborhood sociology — the practical snapshot style skips those layers
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
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Why recommended
appears in About United Kingdom.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
No verified recommendation proof available yet.
Appears In
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How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.