Rating: 
Summary: A "how to" on planning and getting the most from your trip.
Review: All you need to know about planning your iteniary and nothing you don't. Good, honest, reliable information. I customized my book by adding tabs at all the places I planned to visit. I had nearly worn my copy out before I even left for my trip!
Rating: 
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.
Rating:
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.
Rating: 
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).
Rating:
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).
Rating:
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!
Rating:
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!
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.
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.
Rating: 
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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