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Summary: Rick Steves' Great Britain and Ireland 2000
Review: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK, especially if you are traveling to Ireland. I would have returned the book to Amazon.com, but I was so disgusted with it that I threw it away while I was in Europe. It was filled with misinformation and it lacked essential data. Mr. Steves has either never visited Ireland or doesn't understanding traveling there. According to him, there are only a few sites in all of Ireland to visit. Find a good travel book that tells you about the real Ireland, the many unspoiled hamlets and the wonderful people that populate them, the centries old relicts and the abundant outdoor activities, of which his book said nothing. His comments about Irish Catholics were also offensive. Even the chapter on London was full of errors.
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Summary: First trip Guide to Great Britain
Review: I brought several books on my first trip to GB 3 years ago, and Rick Steves' was by far the most helpful. I supplemented my 2 week trip with Daytrips (which has great info on nearly all other cities of interests when travelling by rail). I'm not too fond of Rick Steves' hotel suggestions, but his ratings on what are worth seeing are on the money with good practical advice. His Mona Winks is an essential supplement for museum-going. Highly recommended for England and Scotland (did not go to Ireland).
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Summary: A Very Good Helper and Sidekick
Review: I just returned from two weeks in the UK: visiting London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cotswolds, York, and South Wales. This book has excellent coverage of London, York and the Cotswolds -- with just a bit about Stratford and nothing on South Wales (although it has a whole chapter on North Wales).The book had almost everything we needed for the places that it covered. Great advice for London -- seeing all the right places, getting acclimated on your first day by walking down by Big Ben and Westminster Bridge, using the tube and the buses, etc. We took the recommendation for the Lime Tree Hotel in London, for example, and found it quite good for us. The featured area around Victoria Station turned out to be an ideal area as a base for London sightseeing. We probably wouldn't have visited York if we hadn't read the chapter on York in the book. Similarly, the Cotswolds information was very helpful. He's not a fan of Stratford but I think he's overly negative about it. I didn't find the restaurant recommendations very helpful (except for the one for Caffe Concerto in York -- which is a great place for lunch!). I think it's tough to provide good restaurant recommendations in a guidebook -- better to ask at the hotel or TIC when you get there as they can provide more current and personal recommendations on places to eat. I took a couple of other guidebooks along -- but this one was in my backpack all the time while the others remained in my suitcase. The others just weren't as helpful or useful. It's the difference between just getting the facts about a place vs. what this book gives you: advice and recommendations. Next time, those other guidebooks will just stay home!
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Summary: Quick, easy, and funny!
Review: I planned a trip to England and Ireland using Rick Steve's books (last year's edition and this year's edition) and the Lonely planet books. The combination was great. Rick Steve gives you a very up to date selection of places to stay, things to do and the prices you'll pay. He also included lots of internet addresses. I organized the whole trip over the web with no travel experience! I had to use the old edition to start planning because the new one wasn't available at the time I started planning. I invested in the second updated version a month before leaving and some things had changed! This guide wasn't as comprehensive as the others, but it was full of good usable information. I wouldn't even try traveling overseas again without one of his guides.
Rating:
Summary: Quick, easy, and funny!
Review: I planned a trip to England and Ireland using Rick Steve's books (last year's edition and this year's edition) and the Lonely planet books. The combination was great. Rick Steve gives you a very up to date selection of places to stay, things to do and the prices you'll pay. He also included lots of internet addresses. I organized the whole trip over the web with no travel experience! I had to use the old edition to start planning because the new one wasn't available at the time I started planning. I invested in the second updated version a month before leaving and some things had changed! This guide wasn't as comprehensive as the others, but it was full of good usable information. I wouldn't even try traveling overseas again without one of his guides.
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Summary: Don't use this as your primary guide
Review: I used this book, along with many others, during my trip to Scotland this year. The book is very fun to read and gives interesting recommendations; however, Rick Steve's books are not for those who want to explore an area deeply. He tends to give you the "whirlwind tour" along with the occassional interesting off-the-beaten path site, but doesn't give you the deep detail on every site you might be interested in. If you are spending significant time there and want to get deeper, I would use Rick's guides, along with Eyewitness Guides, when planning the trip for the broad outline only (and leave them at home), and then use Fodor's and Michelin's Guides to get deeply into the areas you want to explore (and take them with you).
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Summary: Not much info related to Northern Ireland
Review: I'm a fan of Rick Steves, don't get me wrong! However, if you're looking for the usual indepth and detailed outline regarding the Northern part of Ireland, you will be sadly disappointed. There are very few pages covering the coast of Northern Ireland (in fact one could count the pages on one hand!). Had I known this ahead of time, I would not have ordered this book. So, this one will collect dust until I gain an interest in travel within Great Britain. I found it necessary to purchase an additional book that contained alot more info on Northern Ireland (Lonely Planet Ireland, 3rd Ed.). I recommend Rick Steves' books and videos however, save yourself some money if you're interested in information regarding travel in Northern Ireland!
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Summary: Rick is a likable globetrotter, but this book's a bust
Review: If you're planning a trip to Ireland, Rick's book is not for you. Sure, he's a likable travel-partner - indeed, a possible travel/drinking buddy - and he does have an easy-going, entertaining writing style, but his take on Ireland is a real disappointment. It's way too limited, offering the Eire-bound traveler only a surface-level sketch of this fascinating, most complex island. More specifically, the edition that I read reduced the island, for the most part, to its major cities (Dublin, Belfast), the Dingle Peninsula, Aran Islands, and the Wicklow region. Tis a pity. Ireland deserves a guide of its own, not one connected to Great Britain. In short, turn to the wonderful, highly detailed Rough Guide to Ireland, Michelin's take on Ireland,the recently published Footprint Guide to Ireland, for far more satisfying and helpful reviews of Ireland. Rick, I have very much enjoyed your "Backdoor" videos, but I must suggest that you return to Ireland. Get off the tourist trail and seek out Ireland's byways (e.g., west Mayo, west cork, Inishowen Peninsula, Connemara, to name but several areas). By the way, when was the last time you traveled to Ireland?
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Summary: Tested A++ in Two Trips to Britain
Review: In both 1998 and 1999, we travelled to Britain using Rick Steves as our primary guide. I have used other guidebooks before: Frommer, Let's Go, Rough Guides, and Lonely Planet. While I admire the detail in the latter two series, I trust Steves only in two important areas: (1) Trustworthy accommodations recommendations (he and his people really do check out the places he recommends) and (2) Useful training in the practical "how to" aspects of travel, such as how to phone home without using your overpriced American telephone credit card and how to take trains and other public transportation. The man is a serious educator: witness his entertaining PBS TV series. He is willing to make himself look like a dork to make you enjoy European travel. On the negative side, Steves' restaurant recommendations are sparse and uadventurous (though this is an area in which no one excels). Also, in selling the areas in which he is most interested, he leaves out large areas of the British Isles (especially in Scotland, where the omission of Glasgow and the Orkneys may take some explaining). In the rec.travel.europe newsgroup, Steves has legions of detractors and defenders. Mere mention of his name sets off knee-jerk flaming responses from people who do not understand him. The simple fact is this: If you follow his recommendations --particularly if you are relatively new to European travel -- you are likely to have a better time. Why? The man is not afraid to be prescriptive (instead of largely descriptive like Lonely Planet). Also, you are not likely to waste as much money, because you will weight your trip more on the side of small towns than large cities.
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Summary: A Must for First-time Travelers to England
Review: My family and I used this book extensively in our 3-week trip to England. Rick's suggestions for lodging are especially apt -- we used them in York, the Lake District (Ellas Crags B&B is superb!) and in Bath. I suggest that you team this up with Bill Bryson's irreverant "Notes from a Small Island" (read it before you go), for a wonderful look at the best of England. Rick has good ideas about where to spend time, and what's not worth waiting in line for. At Rick's suggestion, long before our trip, we sent ahead for tickets to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, and it was one of the most memorable activities on our trip. We also recommend starting your trip in London with an audio tour of Westminster Cathedral -- for a quick history lesson on both London and Great Britain. One note of caution: Rick sometimes underestimates how much time you'll need at different sites -- for example, the changing of the guards takes many hours, even doing it "through the back door" as he advises. Also, if visitors are like us, you will likely want to schedule more time for the art museums, especially the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate British, and the Victoria & Albert.
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