Rating: 
Summary: FANTASTIC!!! 5 STARS!!!
Review: In the summer of 2000, I took my first trip to Europe. I was the planner of our group, and I checked out all books my local library had on travel in Europe. They had an old Rick Steves book, and the text was so well-written and informative, that I ordered my own new copy from Amazon.com. I was able to plan a wonderful trip, and his tips were definately insightful. My trip covered six countries in twenty-one days. I am planning another trip this year, and this book will go with me again. I highly recommend this book to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: So very helpful!
Review: In the summer of 2000, I took my first trip to Europe. I was the planner of our group, and I checked out all books my local library had on travel in Europe. They had an old Rick Steves book, and the text was so well-written and informative, that I ordered my own new copy from Amazon.com. I was able to plan a wonderful trip, and his tips were definately insightful. My trip covered six countries in twenty-one days. I am planning another trip this year, and this book will go with me again. I highly recommend this book to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: Gotta have it....
Review: Of several books we lugged to Europe recently, this one (actually a 1997 version bought off a sale table) was by far the most useful! At first I was disappointed by the lack of photos and snappy graphics, but once I started reading it aloud in our rental car, we were all laughing out loud and were hooked. We used several of his recommendations for laundromats and hotels, where we bumped into other Rick Steves devotees following the same advice. Some of the hotels he recommends may be full due to his good word, but ask there for similar accomodations and they may point you to an equally agreeable place - we did this in Interlaken and found a the wonderful Hotel de la Paix. Now we are planning another trip to Europe and are stocking up on Rick Steves' latest books to take along.
Rating: 
Summary: Good second tier reference, but little else
Review: This book is a very good reference if it is your first time traveling to Europe, but is very little more than that. I purchased this book before my first trip and it allowed me to begin to plan a trip even though I knew very little about European travel (Through the Back Door also helps with this). This is a fun way to daydream and spend time, even if you find yourself straying from your planned intinerary when you get over there (Trust me, you will).
This book only got three stars because I did not find it very helpful during the actual trip (10 weeks) for a number of reasons. I ended up visiting a number of the locations Steves talkes about, but always found them less exciting then those I found on my own, his coverage of the larger cities is not very extensive, and the information he provides, although you will think that all of it is excellent prior to your trip, you will most likely find based very much on opinion, and chances are your opinion will differ from his.
The book is also not a complete guide and you will find yourself wishing you had bought that Lonely Planet guide, or thanking God that you had. The information in a book like Lonely Planet Western Europe is much much much more extensive and much better rounded - the only thing it lacks compared to Steves' guide are editorial comments (something I am sure you will have enough of on your own by the conclusion of your trip).
In all, I believe the book is a good second-tier reference for planning your first trip (gets you dreaming atleast), but a book like Lonely Planet will serve you better once there. Trust me, you can get expert opinions from almost anyone who has spent time abroad, and the chances are that their tastes will be closer to your own than Steves are. Best of luck and have fun on your travels!
Rating:
Summary: Good second tier reference, but little else
Review: This book is a very good reference if it is your first time traveling to Europe, but is very little more than that. I purchased this book before my first trip and it allowed me to begin to plan a trip even though I knew very little about European travel (Through the Back Door also helps with this). This is a fun way to daydream and spend time, even if you find yourself straying from your planned intinerary when you get over there (Trust me, you will). This book only got three stars because I did not find it very helpful during the actual trip (10 weeks) for a number of reasons. I ended up visiting a number of the locations Steves talkes about, but always found them less exciting then those I found on my own, his coverage of the larger cities is not very extensive, and the information he provides, although you will think that all of it is excellent prior to your trip, you will most likely find based very much on opinion, and chances are your opinion will differ from his. The book is also not a complete guide and you will find yourself wishing you had bought that Lonely Planet guide, or thanking God that you had. The information in a book like Lonely Planet Western Europe is much much much more extensive and much better rounded - the only thing it lacks compared to Steves guide is opinion (something I am sure you will have enough of on your own by the conclusion of your trip). In all, I believe the book is a good second tier reference for planning your first trip (gets you dreaming atleast), but a book like Lonely Planet will serve you better once there. Trust me, you can get expert opinions from almost anyone who has spent time abroad, and the chances are that their tastes will be closer to your own than Steves are. Best of luck and have fun on your travels!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Give Rick Steves your hard-earned money for this guide
Review: This book is really good. It tells some tips that others leave out, such as: an easy way to remember what time it is when using 24 hour time - just subtract 12! For example, 23:30 would be 23-12 = 11:30 American time! Also, regarding shows in London - Steves suggested booking directly through the website of the show and not through a ticket broker. One website I was planning on booking opera tix through wanted $120/ticket...same tickets, direct, were 45 Euros...good savings tip! I was very disappointed, however, that he did not consider Greece good enough to make it in the "best of" guide. Oh well!
Rating: 
Summary: Great! But where's Greece?
Review: This book is really good. It tells some tips that others leave out, such as: an easy way to remember what time it is when using 24 hour time - just subtract 12! For example, 23:30 would be 23-12 = 11:30 American time! Also, regarding shows in London - Steves suggested booking directly through the website of the show and not through a ticket broker. One website I was planning on booking opera tix through wanted $120/ticket...same tickets, direct, were 45 Euros...good savings tip! I was very disappointed, however, that he did not consider Greece good enough to make it in the "best of" guide. Oh well!
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC!!! 5 STARS!!!
Review: This book was fabulous. We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Europe. After visiting the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, we found that Rick Steve's Best of Europe was the best reference we had. This book does not try to tell you everything about each city--if you were going to spend a significant amount of time in one city, you might want to look into one his more regional guidebooks. For example, I am sending my daughter to Rome, and she will pack Rick Steve's Rome 2001! If you want to know what is worthwhile, Rick lets you know. We found his descriptions to be DEAD ON CORRECT. Everytime! He even described the people from the hotels--exactly! Rick gives his opinion on many things, which is what sets his books apart from the others. Why cover it all, when what most travelers need is a concise description of the things not to be missed? This book provides great recommendations for hotels and restaurants. We did not go wrong. Caution: the only folks we ran into who were NOT satisfied with his recommended hotels were those who looked for the very cheapest accomodations. If you choose these AND expect the Hyatt, you will be disappointed. Steves always provides a range of accomodations. In general, those costing more are usually better--unless he states otherwise. In our experience, all of his suggestions were good, clean, and safe. And some were quite elegant! All were a great value. Europe travel is different than travel in the U.S. If you want to travel the way we do here, forget this book and go straight to your travel agent. Insist on staying at the Hilton, pick up a few brochures and see only the sights listed in those. But if you want to see the REAL Europe, get any of Rick Steve's books and enjoy. Ciao!
Rating: 
Summary: Rick Steves' top European choices in a single edition
Review: This is the book you need if you're traveling to several European countries in one trip. Rick Steves' Best of Europe excerpts the most important information from the 90 destinations covered in his country-specific guidebooks (Great Britain & Ireland; France, Belgium & Netherlands; Italy; Spain & Portugal; Scandinavia; Germany, Austria & Switzerland; and Russia & the Baltics). That means you get Rick's top choices across the continent in a single, easy-to-carry, easy-to-use, easy-to-afford edition. This book protects your time and energy -- and your money, too. Rick sifts through mountains of time-sapping alternatives, and then presents only the best choices for sights, hotels, restaurants, and transportation. While other guidebooks say, "You can spend a lifetime in Florence," Rick understands you've got one and a half days -- and he tells you how to spend them. And, while most all-Europe books focus on the big cities only, Rick Steves' Best of Europe has a good "Back Door" list of cities, towns, and rural destinations. There's in-depth coverage of London, Edinburgh, York, Bath, Dublin, Dingle, Paris, Provence, Nice, Belgium, Netherlands, the Rhine, Romantic Road, Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Salzburg, Switzerland's Berner Oberland, Italy's Cinque Terre and Hilltowns, Venice, Florence, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo. One of Rick's favorite phrases is "Travel is intensified livingmaximum thrills per minute and one of the last great sources of legal adventure." Rick Steves' Best of Europe will help you get the most out of your European trip -- with maximum thrills per minute!
Rating:
Summary: Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2000
Review: Though it is perfect for those seeking direction for a fist-time trip, this guide is not the only book you will need when travelling to Europe. The guide is very focused on what Steves' believes are the best spots to visit, which is fine if you share his tastes. However, if you decide to be adventurous and stray from the book's prescribed list of locations you will find yourself in need of additional guides and maps. Also, the number of readers that are devoted to Steves' guide is so great that many of the places he mentions are overrun by people following his book. Steves' best kept secrets are not secrets at all to the thousands of people who have read his book. Therefore, you may have considerable difficulty obtaining reservations in his recommended accomodations. And, you will most likely run into many travelers with the same book following the same itinerary as you are. Despite its shortcomings, this guide is ideal for those who want to start planning their first trip to Europe. Europe is a large place with lots to see and for those who find choosing an itinerary overwhelming, Steves' guide is a great place to start. It is very helpful in suggesting must-see locations and travel routes. However, after determining your basic travel plan, be sure to purchase more thorough guides for the countries you plan to visit; this strategy will enable you to be more spontaneous and adventurous in your travel while ensuring that you see Europe's essentials.
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