Rick Steves' Europe: Rick Steves' Best of Europe Guidebook Updates

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Rick Steves' Best of Europe

The 2012 edition of Rick Steves' Best of Europe is now available.

Updates to the 2012 edition

Vienna, Salzburg, Hallstatt

See the updates to our Vienna, Salzburg & Tirol guidebook.

Bruges

See the updates to our Amsterdam, Bruges & Brussels guidebook.

Prague

See the updates to our Prague & the Czech Republic guidebook.

Paris

See the updates to our Paris guidebook.

Provence and Nice

See the updates to our Provence & the French Riviera guidebook.

Bavaria, Rothenburg, Rhine Valley, Berlin

We're sad to report that Günther, a guide at Rheinfels Castle (in St. Goar, on the Rhine) passed away in 2011.

For more, see the updates to our Germany guidebook.

London

See the updates to our London guidebook.

Bath

See the updates to our England guidebook.

Rome

The American Express office near the Spanish Steps has closed.

The Mamertine Prison has reopened after renovation, but is now hokey and, at €10, very overpriced. The fee isn't worth it just to see the small prison cell, followed by three long presentations in various rooms about Saint Peter and the Catholic Church. Skip it.

You can now tour restricted areas of the Colosseum — underground passageways and the third-floor — but they're only available by booking a 90-minute tour at least a day in advance with a private company (tel. 06-3996-7700).

Hotel Due Torri has changed its email address: info@hotelduetorriroma.com.

Sora Margherita, in the Jewish Ghetto, has new hours: June and Aug Mon–Fri 12:30–15:00, dinner seatings on Mon, Wed, and Fri only at 20:00 and 21:30, closed Sat–Sun; Sept–May Mon–Sat 12:30–15:00, dinner seatings on Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sat at 20:00 and 21:30, closed Sun and July.

A new high-speed train connects Rome to Milan's Malpensa Airport and to Florence and Naples. For details, see the guidebook updates for Italy (under "Milan").

For more, see the updates to our Rome guidebook.

Venice

The main post office is now on Marzaria San Salvador, a few blocks toward St. Mark's Square from the Rialto, just beyond the Bata shoe store at #5016 (Mon–Fri 8:30–18:30, Sat 8:30–13:00, closed Sun). Branch offices (open shorter hours) are at Piazzale Roma, behind the Correr Museum, and elsewhere.

The free, bilingual Un Ospite di Venezia events guide is no longer being published. Look for a useful, free booklet called Shows & Events, available at some hotels and online at www.turismovenezia.it (click on "Venezia").

The Libreria Mondadori bookstore has closed.

To reach Santi Giovanni e Paolo hospital, you can also take vaporetto #52 from the train station or Piazzale Roma.

At St. Mark's Basilica, the Treasury and Golden Altarpiece now close 15 minutes before the church (not an hour earlier).

Clock Tower tours no longer run at 13:00.

Ca' Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art has new hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00, closed Mon.

San Giorgio Maggiore's mass is not usually Gregorian, though is more likely to be on holidays (check locally).

Getting to Switzerland: One daily, direct Venice–Basel EuroCity train now runs, in addition to an existing, direct Venice–Geneva departure, adding an option that does not require a change of trains at Milan, though total travel time can still be shorter if you change at Milan. These leave from Venice at about 17:00 and from Switzerland at about 7:00.

Getting to Austria and/or Slovenia: The bus service between Venice and Villach/Klagenfurt, currently replacing a stretch of InterCity train track on daytime routes between Venice and Vienna and Ljubljana, now leaves from the Tronchetto bus station, rather than Piazzale Roma. If you're connecting to/from Venice airport or other parts of Italy, you can also board the bus at Venice's Mestre station, on the mainland.

For more, see the updates to our Venice guidebook.

Florence

Tickets for the Pitti Palace are cash only.

A new high-speed train connects Florence to Milan's Malpensa Airport and to Rome and Naples. For details, see the guidebook updates for Italy (under "Milan").

For more, see the updates to our Florence & Tuscany guidebook.

The Cinque Terre

On Oct 25, 2011, the region was hit hard by flash flooding, especially Monterosso and Vernazza. Many roads and train lines in the area are impassable. If you have reservations in the area, be sure to double check that your rooms are available and that transportation lines are open. For more, see our Cinque Terre News, and for updates on train service along the Ligurian coast, see the Ferrovie dello Stato's news page (Italian only).

Train tickets between the five towns now cost €1.80 each, and are good for only 75 minutes (not 6 hours).

The foot trail between Corniglia and Manarola is closed to hikers. While locals are working to repair the damages from winter landslides, this section of the trail is likely to remain closed through much of 2011 and 2012.

Currently, the Cinque Terre Treno Card is on sale only as a one-day pass (€10 for trail access and train travel; 3-day and weekly passes not available). The Cinque Terre Treno e Batello Card is no longer available.

Monterosso al Mare

L'Antica Terrazza has a new website and email address: www.anticaterrazza.com, post@anticaterrazza.com.

For more, see the updates to our Italy guidebook.

Amsterdam and Haarlem