Amsterdam, Bruges & Brussels

Best ways to improve this book:

Perhaps the demand isn't there for it, but I wish you had a Belgium book. We spent a couple of days in Liege with side trips to Aachen, Germany, Spa, the 3 frontiers, etc. Also Ghent, Ostende, Leuven. As I'm sure you know, so much more in Belgium than just Brussels and Bruges! We ended up having to buy Lonely Planet for this trip.

Mary in Milwaukee, WI USA 06/04/2008

Ask the locals to update your text. In fact the best way to get around is to ask the locals. They will help you read the train and bus schedules. In the Netherlands, English is spoken everywhere. Don't just stand there, ASK.

Dug Waggoner in El Cerrito, CA USA 05/12/2008

Add Ghent to the book.

J Mason in Powell, OH USA 05/12/2008

We are avid followers of Rick's travel books. We've used 4 of them very extensively on our European trips. This one we felt was one of the weakest in terms of accuracy & updates (museum tours not corresponding to exhibits, etc). Chez Leon should be changed from a recommendation to an "avoid at all costs".

Winston & Suzie in Seattle, WA USA 05/11/2008

These additional excellent,reasonable restaurants:Meneer Pannekoek, Raadhuistraat#6.. .DePrins Cafe, Prinsenstraat#124Cafe,prinsengracht#124..Lust,Runstraat#20,De Twee Griecen, Prinsenstraat#20,which was absolutely fantastic..a lamb chop dinner came with % lamb chops! We carried your book with us daily on our April'08 trip and it was a really super trip...many thanks for all you do

Clint Robins in needham, ma USA 04/25/2008

Make more mention of the fact that very few places accept credit or debit cards from non-Dutch people. Only the museums and one or two shops did, with minimum purchase requirements. You're basically forced to carry cash, and with all the warning signs posted everywhere about pickpockets, it's disconcerting as a tourist to have to carry cash around (even with a money belt).

Mary in New YOrk, NY USA 03/23/2008

would it be possible to include some of the other Dutch cities (Rotterdam, Haarlem) in this book?

Craig Oren in Cherry Hill, NJ USA 03/21/2008

I think adding a section on Maastricht would be a great idea - a wonderful town, and if traveling to or from Belgium or Germany it may be directly on the traveler's path. I preferred it to Haarlem, although I like Haarlem as well! Would be nice to have guidebook info as the Rick Steves guides are the best way to travel in my eyes.

Gary Hilliard in Dover, DE USA 01/10/2008

There are so many restaurants out there it is hard to determine where to go. More examples would be good (especially near Leidseplien) or a good restaurant guide website to determine where you would want to go. Don't forget to describe what is the difference with Brasseries and Tea Rooms. For Americans, remind them that you need to ask for the check and if the restaurant requires reservations, typically that means you have that table for the night, the eating experience is not like that in the U.S.

Mark Adams in Maple Grove, MN USA 11/12/2007

Re the Aalsmeer Flower Auction (p.244 in 2007 edition): for drivers it would be helpful to include the Dutch name used on road signs (Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer).

G.Harms in Dallas, OR USA 11/03/2007

Add the Pink Bear Bike Tours (Miki also has a small B&B that she operates near her bike garage), and delete Nathan and his non-tour.

George Cody in Franktown, CO USA 10/28/2007

In belgium, include Wittamer as a must stop for pastry lovers and include Pierre Marcolini for chocolate lovers

Marianne Hendarman in Moorpark, CA USA 10/26/2007

I got lost trying to find the Hotel Egmond. I missed the turn off for the bridge and couldn't find the turn off. The sign for the Hotel Egmond is very very small and on a very obscure street. I was saved because we were there on a Sunday with little traffic and I met a bicyclist who had a GPS who was able to guide me to the hotel.

Tell people when they are looking for the Hotel Egmond to carefully watch for the correct bridge turnoff and ask for directions. There sign is too small to see. The directions on the website appear to be clear, but do not match the confusion because the turnoff street signs are too small to see.

Roger Goppelt in Cottage Grove, Wi USA 08/22/2007

We loved the book- used the walking tours and really had a blast however a more detailed map of just the recommended walks would have been helpful.

Maura Tepper in Stamford, CT USA 08/19/2007

Rick, you need to give the Adriaan windmill in Haarlem at least one triangle...a very interesting and impressive sight. If you take the short tour, you can see the mechanism work from the inside, and standing on the outside platform and seeing the blades whoosh by a few feet away makes you realize how powerful the windmill is...it looks so gentle from a distance. And from the outside the mill is amazingly beautiful, especially the view from across the canal. How can you go to Holland and not see a windmill, for goodness' sake? Also, I think the Coorie ten Boom house tour in Haarlem deserves at least one triangle...fascinating and inspirational, and a good complement to what you learn at the Anne Frank House.

George Mole' in Bronx, NY USA 08/18/2007

Rick - we are a family of 4 and these days it's too expensive to rent 2 hotel rooms. We rented apartments online for 1 week in Paris and 1 week in Amsterdam - but it was a gamble. They turned out fine, but I wasn't sure there would even be an actual address when we showed up. Why don't you review apartment rentals or rental websites - I would feel a lot more comfortable if they were "Rick Steves" approved. Regards, Arnie Goldin

Arnold Goldin in Redington Beach, FL USA 08/16/2007

Have one for The Netherlands and one for Belgium, to include Antwerp - well worth a couple of days'visit. (We'd recommend a superb B&B: het Singelhuis (www.singelhuis.be)

Stephen & Pippa West in Exeter, England 08/14/2007

Maps are frustrating, I'd prefer non hand drawn.

Cindy in Shurleff, Wa USA 07/13/2007

Please add information about parking regulations in The Netherlands. We parked our car in Delft and didn't see anything about fees, etc. Then, when we returned, we had a ticket and discovered that there was a parking permit kiosk across the street halfway up the street. We had no way of knowing to look for it. None of the guidebooks gave us a clue.

Dorothy Day in Queen Creek, AZ USA 06/26/2007

Additional guides to consider buying: Amsterdam City Walks, has 50 separate walks around Amsterdam, can be used as bike tours instead. Additonally, the Frommer's day by day looks like a good companion to Rick's book, we got it after our trip but it would have been awesome to have on our trip. (We are giving it to my father-in-law for when he goes over)

Centraal train station does not provide schedules if you go to a person at the counter. I requested it several times and they don't have them. They also cannot provide connection information. If you want schedules use the Deutsche Bahn German rail site ahead of time to get a range of leaving and return times. The NS Dutch Railways (www.NS.nl) site is OK, but harder to navigate, I used the German rail site to figure out the stops and schedules and then verified on the NS site.

In Antwerp, if you are changing trains to get to Brugge (Bruges)--or anywhere really--it helps to know that you most likely will not make your connection. There are no fewer than four escalators (long ones) between trains, that tied with the major construction in Antwerp station. And for Brugge station you need to have your own copy of schedules, everything is currently in major disarray. If this is your first time using the train system in Europe, it will take you some time to get used to it, as reading the schedules is something which someone from the US would not be that familiar with.

Rick glosses over the train system in Europe, saying that it is easy to use. It would be helpful to have more detailed information about getting around by train through the different countries. As Amsterdam shows, there are quirks to each country that can throw new travelers off. A more detailed guide on the train system would be helpful.

Stephen Heverin in Oreland, PA USA 06/19/2007

By far the biggest improvement on our Brugge trip would have been not renting a car. Just have a cab pick you up at the train station & take you to Adornes. Having a car in the city is a negative. I would also recommend June for the month. No lines for anything ever boats, carriages, tours, meals.

Dave Huthwaite in Leesburg, VA USA 06/07/2007

Overall I thought the book was excellent and plan on buying Rick's books for any future trips!

Bill Schmidt in Norfolk, VA USA 05/22/2007

The book is wonderful. Especially the museum information. I knew exactly which paintings I wanted to see.

Evelyn Clark in Montain View, Ca USA 05/21/2007

You might want to explain more about Queen's Day--the pros and cons, especially since it takes place in tulip season. Very crowded and noisy, no public transportation, can't get into or out of Amsterdam. A lot of tourists, especially those on a tight schedule, are very upset by it. We had a ball (literally) though. We had 11 days in Amsterdam and Queen's Day was the highlight--and by the end of the day I could pronounce it in Dutch.

Jack Kashtan in Sacramento, CA USA 05/21/2007

I wish the maps of the hotels, restaurants, etc included all street names, not just the major avenues.

Regan Turner in Kailua, HI USA 05/07/2007

I would love to see a section on Ghent!

Beth Platte USA 05/07/2007

My daughter and I attempted the Art Nouveau walk in Ixelles. Better siting and numbers of some buildings would have proved helpful.

Marcia Weisser in East Williston, NY USA 05/05/2007

Include The English Theatre of Bruges!

Edward Avila in Blackpool, UK 05/04/2007

Add more driving information. Inform people that, in Europe, you pay for sitting down in a restaurant or cafe and for being served. You can eat very well and much, much, much cheaper by buying food in the wonderful shops and grocery stores. We even bought a coffee pot, ground coffee from a grocery, cups and some sugar and saved about 8 Euros per person per day by making our own coffee.

Dorothy Day in Queen Creek, AZ USA 04/30/2007

BIGGER PRINT!!

Gayle Alston in Ozark, Ar USA 04/03/2007

1) Give a bit more credit to Brussels. We found it absolutely delightful (except for the run-down train station) and could have spent more time there.

2) Change the hand drawn maps to full-color detailed pullouts. We were compelled to always have another map to reference and then try to compare the two. The color maps in the front of the book weren't detailed enough either.

Jon in Cervino, CA USA 11/13/2006

Even though Rick recommends that you dont drive in Holland and Belgium since we rented a car in Frankfurt and then drove to Belgium and Holland back to Germany we could use more driving info.

Jack in Sheboygan, Wi USA 10/27/2006

Can't think of any--we carried it everywhere and saw others using it--Helpful for self-guided walking tours and in museums to see the highlights!

Susan & Milton Martin in Hopewell, VA USA 10/11/2006

Helpful in every way. We are 70 yrs old and our trips outside the U.S. have been with groups until this one. Fresh off the plane we took the bus to the Alsmeer Flower Auction. We used all your transportation, lodging, and eating suggestions. The only other source we used for 9 days was the day trip book you suggested.

Jane Steward in Portage, MI USA 10/11/2006

The walking tours are terrific, perhaps if you would add the same number on the map to the description in the book - that would be an easier reference.

Al Hermansen in Delano, MN USA 09/22/2006

More info as to kid friendly sites (I know - those of us crazy enough to take our kids are in the minority but they can only take so many churches and museums before glazing over....)

Melissa Weikel in La Plata, MD USA 09/21/2006

More accurately reflect cost of average daily consumption of lethal dutch ice cream.

Craig in Dandurand, CA USA 09/09/2006

Books are awesome. I use them so much it annoys my wife and she accuses me of overusing The Gospel of Rick.

Bill Hroton in N. Mankato, MN USA 08/27/2006

I strongly recommend considering the addition of Antwerp and Leuven (and perhaps Ghent) to this guidebook. These are fantastic destinations which are withing close striking distance from Brussels and Amsterdam. Antwerp is the most beautiful city in Belgium and is a joy to ramble about. Leuven is a hip college town just outside of Brussels and has some of the best examples of Flemish architecture in the pedestrian zone.

Courtney in Brussels, BE USA 08/15/2006

Better maps and more resturant suggestions.

Andriana in Sonoma, CA USA 08/10/2006

Tips on how to eat out inexpensively for people who don't want to drop 35-40 euro at each meal. One tip- if you are buying still water (think Poland Spring) at a cafe- buy it in a 1 liter size. That was a better value than buying it in the .20 liter cup size that it comes standard with. Also still water is much cheaper in the grocery store if you can find one.

TK Courtney in Charlton, MA USA 07/22/2006

Add more about Rotterdam.

Jodi de Vries in Kirkland, WA USA 07/15/2006

Dutch driving tips PLEASE. I find driving in England simpler, even though it's on the left side of the street, and the right side of the car. Traffic rules are posted on signs and are similar to US.

John H. Lyons in POMONA, CA USA 07/12/2006

Downplay the Amsterdam as in-your-face counter-culture slant of the book. That reputation is one reason we waited so long to see Amsterdam, because that is not appealing to us. I am pleased to report, however, that Amsterdam did not “box [our] Puritan ears.” Despite all the hype for the Red Light District and coffee shops, we had no problem ignoring them and enjoying everything positive Amsterdam has to offer. It was interesting that several young Dutch people who gave us directions specifically recommended that we avoid the Red Light District.

On a more practical note, please perforate the pages on the Tour sections so they can be pulled out easily. We find it much easier on the walks or museum tours to have just the pages and not have to juggle the whole book. And if you won’t do that for your loyal readers, at least keep the tours segregated so that we can pull them out ourselves as a separate unit (i.e. don’t have the last page of one tour and the first page of the next tour back-to-back).

Dave in Richmond, VA USA 07/11/2006

Additional books to recommend; all are readily available. "Daily Life in Rembrandt's Holland" by Paul Zumthor. "Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh" by Irving Stone. "Soldier of Orange" by Erik Hazelhoff (true story of 7 fraternity brothers in Leiden during WWII, also a good movie). "Multatuli" by Max Havilaar, published in 1860 on the Dutch colony of Java. "The Upstairs Room" by Johanna Reiss, who was hidden on a farm near Arnhem during the war.

Barb Selis in Glenoma, WA USA 06/25/2006

Better maps. Some things marked on on the map weren't easy to find due to lack of sufficient detail.

Calvin Hilton in Jacksonville, FL USA 06/18/2006

I would recommend adding a section on Gent and perhaps a few paragrpahs on Antwerp. We had visited Bruges two years ago and decided to vist Gent and Antwerp this year.

Although there is less to see in Gent, it appears to me to be more of a "back door" location than Bruges. Because of all of the tourist in Bruges, it has more of a theme park feel than a living city. We encountered no tour groups in Gent. There were a number of groups of local school children and a few sightseeing couples. Gent has an interesting old town center and canal boat tours. You can reach the old town directly by tram from the train station. For those interested in purchasing tapestry bags, the cost in Gent is 30% less than in Brussels for the same item.

We visited both Gent and Antwerp as day trips from Brussels. However, Gent could also be a few hour stop over between Bruges and Brussels or between Amsterdam and Bruges.

Johnnie Guest in st petersburg, FL USA 06/11/2006

The other guidebooks, such as Lonely Planet Best of Amsterdam, and Eyewitness Amsterdam Top Ten, are much better resources for restaurants (take a look at them.)

Laurie Adato in Denver, CO USA 06/04/2006

Rick-- this tourbook, like your others, is terrific. I can't imagine traveling without your wise advice. Thanks for doing such super work.

Noslo MA USA 06/03/2006

It's great the way it is.

Carol Singler in Seattle, WA USA 05/21/2006

We flew in and out of Brussels. Would love to see hotel listings for near the airport there. We stayed at the Golden Tulip, which had free shuttle service and a handy, not-too-overpriced restaurant. But some Rick recommendations would have been welcome!

Ann in Fleetwood, NC USA 05/20/2006

Give more restaurant suggestions that are more upscale

Cindy Kennett in Oquossoc, ME USA 05/07/2006

Add the details highlighted.

How about looking at Antwerp. Joops hotel staff recommended antwerp as well.

Correct prices as they change.

Ajay Gupta in Flower Mound, TX USA 04/30/2006

I wish Rick will add the map on each of his walking tour, complete with the number corresponding to the places in order it is described in the tour (maybe a little dot trails from one place to the other, complete with arrows would work best). It is so much better for us to look at the map and just walk from one places to the other, rather than carrying the book around and reading the description of the tour (turn left, right, etc.. quite confusing when you've got so many people around you). Ideally you'll read the walking tour a day ahead, but with so many things to do, who has time? :-)

M.A. in Plano, TX USA 04/25/2006

The estimated length of self-guided museum tours was too rushed. Unless we speed through the paintings and don't listen to the audio guide, there is no way we can cover the museum.

A good alternative would be to say "1 hour to breeze through, 2 hours if you want to see the major ones, 4 hours for a detailed look."

Sharmila Pandith in Hoboken, NJ USA 04/16/2006

Your guidebooks are the best. I have taken three two-month trips to Europe and have relied exclusively on your guidebooks - I have never been led astray! Thanks.

Dwight Lambert in Grants Pass , OR USA 01/03/2006