When comparing Lonely Planet vs Wikitravel, the Slant community recommends Wikitravel for most people. In the question“What are the best sites for discovering attractions in your travel destination?” Wikitravel is ranked 2nd while Lonely Planet is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Wikitravel is:
Rather than give you a long list of all possible attractions, wikitravel lists only the most popular/must see spots. This saves you time when picking out quality attractions.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Detailed overview of each destination
Lonely Planet provides plenty of information about the area
It tells you about attractions and restaurants, provides a map, and links you to articles about the area. Under "Survival Guide", you can find information about transportation, the currency, and costs.
Pro Overview of the best/most popular attractions
Rather than give you a long list of all possible attractions, wikitravel lists only the most popular/must see spots. This saves you time when picking out quality attractions.
Pro Doesn't look like a marketing pitch
Wikitravel, true to the format of Wikipedia, doesn't have ads, and the content isn't worded in a way that makes readers feel like they're being pitched to go somewhere by a travel agency.
Pro Attractions are separated into a variety of categories
It's easy/quick to find the type of attractions that appeal to you most because of the way they are organized. "See", "Do", "Learn", "Buy" etc..
Cons
Con Limited exploration features
You can only explore destinations by continent. There are some interest categories that you can also check out, but they don't have a focus on specific destinations.
Con Uncertain how the quality is checked
Con Can be outdated
Con Limited pictures
There are very few pictures of the destination, with none (in most cases) of specific attractions. If you want to get an idea of what the attraction looks like, you'll need to find images on google or other sites.
Con Short descriptions
Descriptions of each attraction are often only a couple of sentences.