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Summary: Great for the Newbie to European Travel
Review: I recently went on an amazing life changing trip to Germany. I was in Berlin for 2 weeks! I was so inspired by Europe that I have made plans to go back for an extended period, and also to finish my degree. I have started to prepare for the opertunities of 'student travel' while in Europe and have found this book invaluable. Things that I learned from this book have been confirmed by fellow students just returning from European sojourns! I feel so much more confident setting out on this journey having this in my arsenal. Rick Steves' presents travel in Europe as not only an activity but a mindset and truly as a way of life; which is just as it should be. This is the best guide to get if you are thinking of going on your own, seeing the true Europe, meeting the real people who live there. At the risk of overstating his style, reading this book is closer to reading a Hemingway novel, than a typical quidebook. It paints pictures without superlatives, relates custom and tradition without over-dramatization, and opens minds as well as back doors! If you are seeking a whilwind tour of the major 'commercial' sites, this is not for you. However, if you are seeking a more enriching, personal, and organic experience, follow the advise of this book. It's such a great read that you may want to pick it up just for leisure purposes.
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Summary: How to Get More From Your Trip To Europe, and Spend Less
Review: I like this philosophy for traveling, not all, but a great part. If you want to have fun on your Europe trip, read this book, understand the points it makes, then go. No tour, no guide, all alone or with your "traveling partner". This is the way to travel, and to experience the people and the culture of where you are. Rick does a great job letting you in on some great ideas. He'll also open your eyes as to what to get from your travels, or lose from your travels. If you go to Europe and say once "It's not the way I have it at home", then don't read this book unless you're ready to change your attitude. If you raise your voice louder and continue to speak English, then stay home and don't read this book. If you want the adventure of traveling to Europe and immersing yourself in the culture and people, way of life, and past, then read this book, buy your plane tickets, and get going. All the tools you'll want are in this book. You just add the adventure. Be brave. This is the best story telling instruction book I've read in a long time. Rick gives you all you'll need to get off anywhere in Europe and be able to survive and enjoy. He'll encourage you to free your mind, talk in bad local language with a smile, change money, ride the train, order dinner at the local eatery, and how to just enjoy the life you're experiencing. Remember you go there because it's different from where you live. There is so much information for the traveler here that it's hard to grab 1 or 2 ideas and discuss them. The one thing that stands out is that you'll approach your trip to Europe from a totally different angle after reading this book. Rick, we go in 10 days, and thanks for the help.....
Rating:
Summary: At Home Away From Home
Review: Such a refreshing approach to traveling. Easy, natural, no glitz but a lot of glow. The author has succeeded in making tourism a lovable trait. And helpful? All the way.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book, but not enough
Review: I bought this book before a the Summer in Europe last year. When I got it I thought it was wonderful, and would dream about how much fun I would have when I visited the places he mentions in his book. I ended up making it to a couple of them, but they never impressed me as being as great of places you found on your own. It is a good book, but don't do Rick Steves tour of Europe, do your own. If you buy this book, read it as a companion to another book that offers a greater variety of selection. (Try Lonely Planet my personal favorite) The book is not enough on its own, and needs a companion guide to help make your trip workable. I would read through it again before my next trip - his ideas about packing light, sleeping in trains, and other travel essentials are very highly recommended, but do not use it as your guide book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Guide
Review: This book is mostly about traveling tips, not a guidebook for sightseeing or hotel reservations. Rick recommends getting other books for the specific countries you will be in and that is absolutely true. In fact, you will probably want to leave this book at home after you have read through it. The packing and general advice tips are fairly valuable and worth a read through at least once for new travelers. The rest of the book glosses over the backdoors Rick has found - but only in a summarized version. I would pick out the ones that seem interesting, then get the country guide to that area for more in depth information.
Rating:
Summary: The Back Doors are no longer
Review: Before buying this book, understand that all of the "secret" back doors are known to EVERYBODY that reads this book. You'll find yourself among ETTBD readers everywhere. There's a virtual army of Rick Steve's-toting 35+ "independent" travelers everywhere in Europe. The general travel advice is good - the hints on hostels, trains, packing, etc. are important. Do yourself a favor - get over to Europe with a couple of good maps and just find your own Back Doors.
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Summary: Go to Europe as a traveller - not a tourist
Review: Every guidebook has great advice - the same advice as this book, even - for travelling through Europe. The presumption that all other books make is that you already know where you want to go. Guides exist to help you find what you already seek. But what if you don't know what you want, as I did not? How do you make the best decisions? This book helped me understand the right mindset for the European traveller as I choose my destinations. This is not a traditional guide. In fact, you'll need one of the guides from Lonely Planet or Frommers because a little tourism is part of every visitor's trip. Don't pick just one, however; this is their perfect complement.
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Summary: Europe for 35 and older
Review: I enjoyed his recommendations for dinner and lodging, but some sightseeing suggestions did not appeal to me and my husband. We used the book for our honeymoon trip and I thought some of the tours were slow. If you are in your twenties and love to explore, walk, hike, and love the nightlife, buy lonely planet as a backup.
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Summary: Pure and Simple the European Travel Bible
Review: After reading this book in 1991 I traveled to Europe for the first time. I found it invaluable with respect to planning and packing for a European vacation, but above all else Rick Steves describes a travel philosophy, a mind-set to contemplate and travel by. I credit many of my irreplacable European experiences not to "guidebook specifics" but rather to trying to travel in the spirit that Rick believes in. Since that time Rick's books have become more numerous, detailed and popular, and I have moved to Europe and am experiencing first-hand some of the European lifestyle he describes his books. If you are interested in finding and blending into the multi-cultural European fabric, then fellow traveler...do not hesitate! This is THE comprehensive European travel bible.
Rating:
Summary: Great Start - Could be Better!
Review: I have read Rick Steves' books for years, and like the others, this one contains helpful information. His conversational style and middle income budget make this book perfect for average American, especially the first time traveler. The down side to this book and other Rick Steves books is as follows: 1) the maps are very poor- hand drawn and definitely low tech. Frommer does a better job in this area 2) costs are listed only in the foreign currency instead of following with the approximate cost in dollars in parenthesis. You must constantly dig out the calculator. 3) a lot of the material (whole pages at a time) is a direct copy from the previous edition, making for a repetitive read. That said, I would not take a trip to Europe without this book. I have never met anyone who went to Europe and used his tips and was sorry. However, I have met a lot of people who have used Lonely Planet and Let's Go who were disillusioned. I'm taking this book and Frommer's when I go this summer.
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