Europe Through the Back Door 2009

Favorite discoveries or tips:

Bathrooms were not the problem I thought they would be. I'm glad I read this book before I went, and I kept change for the bathroom, but found places to go without having to pay. Just so many good tips from this book and I read it last, just 2 weeks before I left. I took photos of my hometown, house, family and postcards from my area, they were great conversation starters on the trains and at breakfast. I even took a mini atlas to show my new friends from Australia or Taiwan where Kansas is.

Kris Berger in Whitewater, KS USA 07/29/2008

*** and ~~~ in Tuscany! These were really wonderful towns within a couple hours of Firenze; ancient to modern architecture, accessible walkways through the streets filled with friendly, bustling Italians. These are two warm and authentic places, filled with great food and wine... and hardly a tourist in sight! I've googled them both and was not surprised to find hardly any non-historical information available. Yea!

Andy Royer in Vashon, WA USA 06/11/2008

Yes Olivier Hickman' wine tour. Olivier.hickman@wine-uncovered.com Nyons Farmer Market on Thursdays.

Theodore in Morro Bay, CA USA 05/06/2008

If this is in any of the books already, I apologize, but anyway, the best tip I can offer travelers in southern Europe, i.e. Greece, Turkey, Ukraine, parts of Italy, etc, is to drop a just a couple of bucks on a couple rolls of portable toilet paper. Just because there's a toilet does NOT mean that toilet paper will be provided. As you can imagine, this can really make your day miserable if you don't have any and there's none around you can buy quickly.

Erik Anschicks in Chicago, IL USA 11/25/2007

While reading this guidebook, I noticed that Rick refers to "open jaw" airline tickets. I assume this is flying into one city and leaving from another. He says this is a cheaper way to travel to Europe. I wonder what it is cheaper than? I have looked and done quite a bit of research and can find no airfares cheaper than flying in and out of the same city. If Rick is refering to buying two (2) one way tickets, then an "open jaw" ticket is cheaper. Otherwise, purchasing a round trip ticket in and out of the same city is much cheaper.

[Editor's Note: As we say in ETBD, you may save enough in ground transportation costs, extra hotel nights, extra meals, etc. to more than make up the difference in a slightly higher air fare. But you're right, it's not always cheaper. It pays to do the research and make an informed decision as to which flight would be better for your particular trip.]

Steve Burnside in Rio Rancho, NM USA 10/10/2007

The EBTD 2001 Edition book provided me with good preparation for my first trip to Europe in April, 2001. Mindful of the good info I received from the book, I have shared my 2001 edition with several people considering or planning a trip to Europe. In the meantime, I have been blessed to be able to go to Europe each year since then. Recently I read EBTD 2001 through again for the first time in a couple of years. Wow - I didn't realize how much things have changed in the last 6 years after 9/11/2001 and with the ongoing European Union process. I think EBTD 2001 will be, for me, in the future a useful guide to 'how things used to be.' However, its clear I need an updated version of this valuable guide!

Jana Wallace in Grand Rapids, MI USA 09/04/2007

Europe through the Back Door was great and helped us plan a 12 day trip to 3 countries. My 70 yo mother, 20 yo niece and myself went "backpacking" through Europe and road the rails. It was a trip we will never forget. We couldn't of done it without all of your help and advice. Make sure you take some Euros before you go, my mistake, my mother paid for the first three days there because it was over Easter holiday and there were no banks open until the following Tuesday. I did pay for the hotel at Walter's, luckily he took travelers checks!!

Lisa Sutton in Franklin, Oh USA 08/06/2007

Hi! I'm a huge Rick Steves fan, which makes me like everyone else who visits this site ... but I'm also a writer/editor at The Aspen Times newspaper in Colorado. I wanted to share with you my review of Rick's books that ran in this weekend's edition of The Aspen Times Weekly at this link: http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070602/ASPENWEEKLY03/106030063/-1/ASPENWEEKLY I've been to Europe three times now, and consider Rick Steves' books an indespensible part of my travel experience. So, thank you!

Naomi Havlen in Aspen, CO USA 06/02/2007

You can change kilometers to miles by simply multiplying kilometers by 6 and then dropping the last digit:

100 kilometers x 6 = 600. Drop the last zero and you get 60 miles. Close enough to the actual 62.5 miles to give you a very good idea of distances between towns or the speed of your car. Again:

50 kilometers x 6 = 300. Drop the last zero and you get 30 miles (versus actual 30.25). Try it again:

40ks x 6 = 240. Drop the zero to get 24 miles (very close to actual miles).

25ks x 6 = 150 for 15 miles

20ks x 6 = 120 for 12 miles

When you get used to it, you'll start multiplying 6 x 4 to get 24ks (for 40ks x 6 minus the last zero).

You can do this in your head while driving and chewing gum and screaming at the kids to keep quiet because you're talking on the cell phone and listening to the radio and read a map, etc.

For what it's worth, a Frenchman taught me this in the 1960s when I lived in Normandie. Cheers x 3.

Jim Pitts in Fort Worth, TX USA 05/09/2007

Just got back from Europe and was amazed at how many tourists were carrying Rick Steves travel books, just like me: Paris, Vernazza, Florence, Rome, Venice, Munich, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bacharach, Amsterdam, Haarlem and Bruges. The Nightwatchman Tour in Rothenburg was hilarious! 90% plus Americans - most if not all Rick Steves readers, we were talking in the square while waiting for the tour to start.

Maricel in San Diego, CA USA 04/19/2007

Barga, Italy is the most lovely European town I've seen in 3 1/2 years of living and travelling abroad. It has only one B&B and a couple of rental apartments within the old walled city. We will stay in the B&B soon and I will give you feedback. Prettiest little Medieval town with the nicest people and awesome food.

Teresa in Mannheim, BW Germany 03/27/2007

The whole first section with all of the travel and packing tips

Kevin in Kamloops, BC Canada 03/06/2007

There was a lot of very helpful information in the book regarding train travel, and in conjunction with the website, i have saved over $260 in rail pass costs. My husband and I intended to "go wherever the wind blows us" and save money----but the two don't go hand in hand. By reading this book, it was really easy to realize that with a small amount of planning (overnight train trips, working around easter in italy, calling ahead to reserve tickets at a museum, etc)we could still go wherever we wanted---and save money in the meantime. thank you thank you thank you!

Michelle Smudde in St. Louis, MO USA 02/15/2007

The 2006 book took us through Italy perfectly. We would like to recommend the Malka Bed and Breakfast in Rome. They took very good care of us and within a stones throw from the St. Peters...

Kimberly Joyce Wood in Asheville, NC USA 11/22/2006

We had a fun exciting time running through Europe. My tip is taking powdered energy drink that you mix in water. My favorite is Zip Fizz. It gets you going quick. So if it's the first day after the long plane ride or mid day that starts to slow you down, grab a bottle of water, add the powder, shake, and drink. It reacts quickly for me: about 20 min keeps me going for at least 6 hours. You can adjust the powder to water mix. I like it in a 20 oz. I passed it along as I went to weary travelers and received great reviews. I am in no way connected to this product; just like the effects.

Kimberly Tropf in Erie, Pa USA 10/29/2006

A few weeks into my trip, I stopped asking "do you speak English?" Either from modesty, or in some cases, because they don't want to have to deal with answering your question, most people will say "no" even if they do know the few words necessary to help you out. I think people appreciate efforts, however bumbling, to communicate in the native language, so I think that "I'm sorry, I don't speak Portugese/Polish/Czech" would be better than "do you speak English?" in sections of the books where some phrases are listed.

Stephanie Manuzak in Pasadena, MD USA 10/22/2006

My wife and I took a week long break from rebuilding our Katrina devastated home in New Orleans by spending a week in Rome. We each studied ETBD 2006 and the Italy guide books and this made our trip a wonderful experience. My favorite tip was to be prepared for taxi strikes. The day our plane touched down in Rome, taxis were striking. Using the tips on train and metro travel, we taught ourselves to get around sans taxis and never used one during the entire trip. Rome's metro was easier than any mass transit system I've ever used in the US. The way we oozed through Roman neighborhoods with the guides' help, we felt like locals! This trip saved our lives. Your made it possible to head back to another great travel locale and continue to rebuild. THANKS RICK!!!

Wayne Brown in New Orleans, LA USA 08/22/2006

One of the first places I looked for in Paris was the Rue Cler and it was by far the best day I had in the city. My sister and I walked down the street and bought ingredients for a picnic and ate lunch under the Eiffel Tower.

Natasha in Anchorage, AK USA 06/20/2006

Each point to point ticket you use must be validated (usually in a yellow stamping machine near the platform) just before you board! It's something that I, as a long-time user of railpasses, have forgotten twice. If you show a ticket to a conductor and that ticket has not been stamped/validated for that day, he/she has every right to charge you a hefty fine.

Alice Winters in Stoughton, WI USA 05/20/2006

We went on a multi country tour of Europe last summer and found that in addition to Rick Steves we copied down useful phrases, currency amounts, much needed numbers, and directions in a small 3X5 waterproof notebook and kept it with our passports in our money belt. It was a lifesaver in situations where we did not want to look through loose papers and needed to ask for directions or order food in German, Italian, or Spanish. It took a bit of writing, but everyone we met thought it was a great idea and many asked to look through it on the trains and planes we were on. It was also helpful if we could not pronounce something we simply showed the phrase to a helpful local who could then point us in the right direction.

Peggie in Washington, DC USA 02/08/2006

I have bought a number of Rick Steve's guidebooks. To make them smaller, lighter and easier to use, I immediately take them to a local copy shop and have the spine cut-off. I then remove the sections I will not need on my upcoming trip, and have the remainder spiral bound. The book now can easily lay flat or be folded in half. The pages I remove I binder clip together and save for possible future travel. I can then insert them in another book. "Keep in Travlin'- smarter!"

Susan Dixon in Tulsa, OK USA 01/11/2006