Like a Middle Ages TripAdvisor!

This captivating book details the when’s, why’s, and how’s of travel in the Middle Ages through journeys with individuals, routes, and so much more. The author uses compelling and understatedly hilarious language to recall these accounts and to give “advice” to the reader on how to proceed on their travel in the Middle Ages such as the exchange rate for currency, what to bring, medical advice, traveling companions, and so much more. The author takes care to link travel THEN to travel NOW in a way that drives the points home, we are all travelers and the experience brings the same out of us now as it did then. Well done to Anthony Bale on this gorgeous book. Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for providing me with the ARC. I can’t wait to pick it up when it’s released.

When we think about travel in the Middle Ages, we often think of wealthy nobles or those who went to war fighting in foreign lands. However, that is merely a misconception. Travel was open to everyone, from the wealthy, the poor, the pious pilgrims, and the merchants. Each group had their reasons for traveling to different countries. Still, they all wrote down their experiences to tell future generations about their encounters and encourage others to explore the world, both the known and unknown parts. Anthony Bale has compiled many of these accounts into one comprehensive book called, “A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World Through Medieval Eyes.”

I want to thank W. W. Norton & Company and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this book. I am always looking for a new element to study about the past, especially the Middle Ages. When I saw this title and the concept that it was going to explore beyond Europe, it intrigued me as I tend to focus on medieval Europe and I wanted to expand my knowledge of the medieval world as a whole.

Bale begins by giving his readers a bit of a foundation for understanding the travel guide genre’s origins, the directions as they were understood by those living in the medieval world, and how medieval Europeans understood the layout of the world through the mappae mundi. He also explains the origins of one of the first globes, the Behaim Globe( also known as the Erdapfel, which was created by Martin Behaim who came from a family of merchants.

Every good travel saga needs a starting point and this one happens to begin in England where pilgrims set out for a journey to Rome and Jerusalem. Along the way, Bale introduces his readers to the main cities of Europe, sites of pilgrimage, dangerous passes, and tips like how to understand foreign languages and exchange rates between the different currencies. Once we reach Italy and later Jerusalem, our focus moves away from pilgrimage to exploration and trade. Bale tends to focus on testimonies from pilgrims, merchants, and diplomats to paint a picture of the Western world heading to the East, as far as Japan (Cipangu) and Ethiopia in Africa. He does show some Eastern travelers coming to the West towards the end, but I wish we could see more of those interactions and more female voices in this book.


Overall, I found this book informative and a fascinating read to see how people in the Middle Ages saw the world around them. There were some dry spots along the way, but I think for those who want an introductory book to how medieval Europeans viewed the world through their travels, it would be a great book. If this sounds like you, check out, “A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World Through Medieval Eyes” by Anthony Bale.

A fun and funny walkthrough about life in the Middle Ages. Forget what you think you know! Will be ordering for my library.

What made this capture my attention were the stories of every day people who lived during these times.The whys of why they wanted to travel,the hows and then the end results of their efforts.I was quite fascinated by the mundane details.Certain stories however just seemed added in at random though.It seemed well researched but I was a bit disappointed by the writing.It was dull and plodding at points and I do admit my attention wondered.Other than that it was an okay read.

Much thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy

Travel along with the rich and religious on an uncomfortable pilgrimage in the late Middle Ages. Follow trade routes across Europe and beyond. Meet the adventurous people of this era.
This nonfiction book describes modes of travel, the many political and war issues, multiple languages and currency, churches and relics,and many different purposes of the journey. The author describes these journeys as costly and dangerous citing original source documents. A very nice book for a leisurely stroll through the later Middle Ages. Recommended for every history teacher and curious folk.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was a wonderful way to learn about pilgrimages in the Middle Ages! After reading I feel like I have a better understanding of what it was like to travel during this period of time. I highly recommend this read to history buffs, or even travel buffs!

This is a very informative and highly entertaining book about travel in the Middle Ages. Topics covered include map and globe making, the plague, where dragons are born, how to find the fountain of youth, and Medieval medical advice for travelers (my favorite!)

I loved reading about the spirit of adventure that persists even in the face of danger and death and even though there were numerous obstacles to travel during this time. This book really captures that innate human desire for discovery.

I especially loved the descriptions of the different kinds of festivals and all the different kinds of food. The illustrations were wonderful too, I only wish there were more of them.

This would be a great book to accompany a unit on the Middle Ages or for a writer who is writing about that time period.

Full disclosure: This is not my normal type of read! But I was in the mood for something different, and so I requested an e-galley of this book from the publisher. It did not disappoint! I can't imagine what a treasure this must be for someone into history, as just as a typical nonfiction reader, I LOVED it. Anthony Bale did an incredible job making the reader feel like they'd traveled in time and were experiencing everything as it was back then. I was so surprised to learn about the pilgrimages people made--it was like shining a light on an era that feels rather dark in average history books. I highly recommend this book for anyone, but especially the history buff in your life!

A wonderful and insightful book. My favorite non fiction of the year. Anthony Bale has a way of truly taking you back in time to marvel and appreciate how we lived and what we have now.

History often leaves everyday people behind. Bale has found a window to the past through extensive research of travel as it was known in the Middle Ages. Bale has scoured through endless accounts around the world, church records, personal journals, and has painstakingly compiled a picture of life for the person lost to time. It simultaneously is a marvel of portrait of life as it was and still is. How desire for exploration still connects us and how we should appreciate modern advancements.

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for an ARC of this book.

What a fun history book - it's clear that the author is a serious academic but the writing is light and entertaining. As a traveler, I loved seeing the world through medieval eyes. I loved the sections on India, the Middle East, Ethiopia and China - and seeing how the Europeans of the middle ages processed the experiences they had.

The middle ages tend to get a bad rep, with most people thinking it was a dark, backwards time where people didn't interact with other cultures. This book proves this was not the case. While there was a large part of society that was, for one reason or another, tied to the land they lived and worked on, there still was a significant amount of travel done by those with the ability to do so. The author has set this book up well, starting in Europe and following travelers-many of whom were on religious pilgrimages-as they traveled east, towards Italy and the Holy Land in the Middle East. The chapters are broken up by legs of the journey, with each one described as one may expect to find in a modern travel guide. The last part of the book covered Eastern travelers and their adventures, which I found very interesting. This book was well written and well researched, combining the accounts of dozens of travelers from the middle ages to give an overview of what might have seen during that time.