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Summary: The Standard for Europe travel books
Review: Europe Through the Back Door is an invaluable book for travelers who want to experience the real Europe with real Europeans, instead of the sanitized versions offered by tour companies and big hotels.Rick shows you how to enjoy your trip more by spending less money, by getting closer to the locals. You won't be disappointed. In my trips to Europe, Rick's advice led to life-changing experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life. This book is also economically packed full of the kind of useful, practical advice honed through 20 editions. (Trust me, the guy knows his stuff). Thanks, Rick, and keep up the good work!
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Summary: A traveler's best friend
Review: I found this book to be very useful. First of all, this isn't a guidebook. This is basically a how to travel book. It shows you how to travel the back door way. In other words, travel as a guest rather than as a tourist. It's unfortunate how many tourists are happy to be herded into tourist ghettos to be stripped of their cash. This book shows how to avoid that, and how to enjoy Europe as the Europeans do. Also this book gives good advice on how to travel cheaply. I particularly admire Rick's philosophy of travel. He advocates socially responsible travel, getting to know the local people, and experiencing what's unique in each country. On the down side, Rick tries to be humorous, but a lot of the jokes are too corny. However this doesn't bother me too much. In the second half of the book, he gives some recommendations for back doors into Europe. He covers all of the Western European countries. The back doors are little touristed spots which really breathe the magic of Europe and reflect what tourists expect to see before they go. After reading these, you won't be able to stay away from Europe. I just felt that I wanted to visit all of the places he recommended. At least visit one of these places, and I'm sure you'll be impressed with his skills for finding those perfect places. If you're interested in a guidebook, you might want to buy one of Rick's country or city guidebooks. In those, he goes into detail about the sights and places to stay. If you're interested in some strategies for travel, and in recommendations for some very special places to visit, pick this book up.
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Summary: The best reference for post 9/11 Europe
Review: The Rick Steves guides are more update to date than other guides. It's clear in using the 2003 and 2004 editions that Rick has recently updated the books . Other guides seem like fact checked revisions. Rick's books give me info that only someone that has "been there" and "done that" RECENTLY could provide. Besides all of this, Rick is one heck of money manager. I was sometimes thrifty and sometimes not, but I always felt I got my money's worth thanks to Rick 's advice about what's worth it and what's not.
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Summary: THROUGH THE BACK DOOR TO THE FRONT OF THE SHELF
Review: I AM NOT A WEALTHY PERSON BUT MY WIFE AND I CAN AFFORD 3 TRIPS A YEAR TO EUROPE. WE HAVE DONE PACKAGE DEALS, BUS TOURS AND ON OUR OWN. I HAVE READ PRODUCTS BY FROMMER'S, FODOR'S,MICHELIN,BAEDECKER,LONELY PLANET AND LET'S GO.RICK STEVES GRABS MY CLOSE ATTENTION IN ALL OF HIS BOOKS BUT NONE MORE THAN "EUROPE THROUGH THE BACK DOOR." I HAVE A WEALTHY FRIND WHO WILL ONLY STAY IN 5 STAR HOTELS AND WILL NOT VENTURE ANYWHERE ELSE. WHEN RICK SAYS PORTOFINO IS FOR THE RICH AND FAAMOUS AND TAKES YOU TO THE LESSER KNOWN SPOTS ON THE CINQUE TERRE, MY FRIEND IS APPALLED.I FEEL SORRY FOR MY FRIEND BECAUSE HE MISSES THE TRUE SPIRIT OF TRAVEL.
WANT TO KNOW HOW TO PACK? WHERE TO GET INFORMATION? WHAT TOURIST TRAPS TO AVOID? HOW TO CALL HOME? WHERE TO STAY? THE FIRST PART OF THE BOOK IS LOADED WITH EASY, READABLE, INFORMATION.RICK IS OPINIONATED BUT NOT CONDESCENDING. I CONFESS I UPDATE HIS BOOKS ABOUT EVERY THREE YEARS AND ALWAYS GET ONE THE YEAR I AM TRAVELING TO A PARTICULAR DESTINATION. GUESS WHERE I GOT THAT IDEA FROM!!
WHEN I AM DOWN AND BLUE OR CAN'T FALL ASLEEP, THIS IS THE ONE I TURN TO. HAPPY TRAVELS
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Summary: A joke at best
Review: Where to begin? The fact that the information about the countries is scant, or that you SIMPLY SHOULDN'T BUY THIS BOOK! Hey Rick, ever heard of Nice? You know, the second largest city in France? How about ROME?!?!?! Hm, guess not. Now it would be one thing if your definition of a "back door" was smaller, less traveled cities. Yet somehow London and Paris are in here. If you really want to get a comprehensive travel guide, look no further than the Let's Go! guides. They are concise, informative, and umptine MILLION times more useful than ol' Rick
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Summary: Rick is a good travel guide, just not a good WRITER
Review: Rick does an okay job of giving a quick overview of Europe, but sometimes forgets to "just inform" and tries to get all poetic and fancy. His description of Rothenburg does not inform me about the place, just about the wind and the leaves and his acid trip. This book will annoy you with its sporadic bursts of cheap thesaurus prose.. Rick is just not a good writer. Otherwise he does a good job of letting you know of not-so-touristy things to do in EU. The types of things he suggests are walking around and smelling things, sitting down and drinking a beer, buying a chunk of cheese and eating it on a park bench while people-watching. I don't see 18-30 year olds getting much from this book. Younger travellers might want to do more than just smell a place and get tipsy.
His writing tone seems biased; he's opinionated and sometimes makes me feel as if he gets paid to advertise shops and attractions.
Buy this book for a general overview of an Euro Trip, not as a travel guide. For more detailed info, grab a Lonely Planet guidebook.
In an effort to cater to ALL audiences, Rick, as well as oher mass market writers, tries to create ONE book for ALL types of people. Any given traveller will be interested in only 15% of this book, and toss the rest aside. The backpacker will use 15%. The high class big baller will use 15%. The middle class two week vacationer might use 10%. I would prefer to pay more for a book JUST FOR ME. (Mr. Backpacker)
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Summary: A Revolutionary And Liberating travel Philosopy
Review: This book makes you want to go to Europe.Now.Just get on the plane and GO!
I wish I had read this eleven years ago on our first trip to Italy.Since that time I have travelled to Europe on business many times and I have to agree with Rick Steves that no one ever says " every time I go to Europe I pack more".
His travel philosopy addresses peoples fears and insecurities when they are travel..."I won't have a certain piece of clothing,object when I might want it...better take it just in case" or "a less expensive hotel may be dirty ,unsafe...I know this luxury hotel will bust the bank, but its worth it for piece of mind." That kind of thing.Rick Steeves describes clean,charming hotels and pensiones which are centrally located and much less expensive than "luxury" properties. his restaurants are not dives, but great trattorias,atmospheric ristorantes popular with the locals.He is wonderfully opinionated about what to see,when to go...like having a best friend who lives there. No guidebook( and I have read them all) combines such practical advice with a travel philosophy which is positively liberating.This is especially true for older travellers who do not want to backpack,hostel, and who thought they had to stay in the "best" places, and wear a different outfit everyday. Our next trip to Italy will be with one carry-on bag each, staying in Rick Steves suggested family run pensiones and hopping on and off trains between destinations. We feel 20 years younger(and we will be 20 pounds lighter,too)
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Summary: Every American coming to Europe needs Rick Steves!
Review: As the brother in law, cousin, uncle and much else besides of numerous Americans who come to visit us in Europe, none have spoken more highly of a guide to what they really need to see than they do of Rick Steves. If Cousin Ernie had her trip to Europe transformed by reading his books, then one can get no higher recommendation than that! Buy this book before you come and enjoy your stay!
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Summary: Rick does it again.
Review: The only complaint I have about Rick Steves is that the perfect places he discoves on his travels (the ideal example would be Cinque Terre) are immediately overrun. There's no real way to prevent this, and I guess it encourages people to be a bit more openminded about obscure places. It certainly is a testament to his popularity. Which is well-deserved, by the way. This book is full of sensible advice and ideas. The hard-earned travel wisdom of a billion summers with just a backpack and comfortable shoes crystalizes into this book that is required reading for the young (at heart if not in body) about to strike out on their first trip abroad, the practical-minded armchair traveler, and even the seasoned veteran, who will surely learn something new. This and Mona Winks are worth the bit of extra weight in your backpack.
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Summary: Good travel advice
Review: Enjoyed reading this, but didn't buy it soon enough. It has a lot of information on planning your trip, which I couldn't use as I had already made my plans.
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