Best of Europe

Favorite discoveries or tips:

The GVB office was wonderful! The woman who helped us even remarked that she wished all of the customers she had were like us. I guess that should be attributed to you, because we read your book and did our homework before we stepped into the office.

Stacy in Freiburg, BW Germany 06/04/2008

After spending almost six weeks visiting six countries in Europe last spring, my husband and I can't wait to go back. We planned our entire trip around your suggestions of things to see, places to stay, etc. and have to say that we were not disappointed one bit. Everything you suggested was right on! Thank you! My husband and I are both over sixty, but we traveled by train hauling our luggage, used public transportation exclusively, and walked an average of five miles a day in our adventures. The only change we will make next time is to take a taxi to the hotel in the little towns with cobblestone streets. The larger cities like Paris, Rome, Munich, and Vienna had adequate public transportation where we could get to the hotels with luggage rather easily. But smaller towns like Haarlem, Delft, Rotenburg, and Salzburg were much harder for getting to the hotels. Walking on cobblestones was hard enough on our feet, ankles, and knees without pulling suitcases. Next time it will be a taxi in those little towns! I think this might be a good suggestion for your other "more mature" travelers.

Joyce and Dean Keefe in Gresham, Or USA 05/13/2008

Not so sure that Versaille is a 'must see' on my list any more due to the level of difficulty involved in seeing it. A) It's a substantial train ride outside of Paris, B) the crowds are scary, even early in the day (yes, we bought our Paris Museum pass simply to avoid the lines and considered it worth it just for time management!) C)there appears to be very little real thought given to how best to move the enormous quantities of people through this venue in the most effective manner (we were directed to corridors that were closed off, doors that were locked?) D) there is nothing onsite to cater to visitors in the way of simple restroom facilities, much less more inviting things like a place to grab a snack, have a cup of coffee while enjoying the gardens, etc., as at most other French/European venues. It is as though the organization that runs Versaille really doesn't want to encourage visitors after all.

This overall impression was not improved when my traveling companion (already horrified by the crowds) paid for an audio-guide that wound up not working. When we turned to a uniformed attendant to explain the problem (the audio-guide doesn't even begin until the 2nd floor, something no one thinks to point out.) we were not allowed to retrace our steps to get a replacement, but were directed to a door around the corner to go downstairs. Of course, when we reached it, that door was locked. After this misdirection happened twice, my friend and I gave up and settled for sharing one audio guide between us. When the tour was complete and we were once again on the ground floor, we explained the situation, asking for a refund for the non-functioning audio guide. We were refused, and not politely. We were advised we should have come back to get a replacement when it first stopped functioning!

In complete contrast to my unfortunate experience at Versaille was our visit to Paris' Musee D'Orsay. This wonderfully remodeled old train station was obviously designed to attract repeat visitors and we were immediately impressed simply because it was so organized. Using our Museum Pass, we spent a couple hours during the morning, left and had lunch and went shopping, then returned for their evening hours to even more space and freedom to move about due to reduced crowds. Not only that, but for the evening hours, there were what appeared to be art history students stationed throughout the museum in front of a number of exhibits prepared to go into some detail explaining the significance of a particular work, usually in more than one language! What a treat!

Mary Freelove in Wiesbaden, Germany 05/04/2008

EATING IN BRUGES: We found a nice sandwich shop in Bruges, just down the street from the Chocolate Line. Venice Corn sandwich bar (Mariastraat 15, 8000 Brugge, tel 050 612 512) has delicious, reasonably priced gourmet sandwiches. We had goat cheese with juicy sun-dried tomatoes and pesto on whole-wheat baguettes. Yummy.

Linda Durfee and Paul Henneberger in Morgantown, WV USA and Barcelona, Spain 04/29/2008

We enjoyed your book very much. We looked in it almost every day of our one month tour of Europe!!

Wendy Fox in Saanichton, BC Canada 02/28/2008

Great discovery: On a trip through Vienna in August, my wife and I discovered that our 1st class Select Railpass gave us FREE access to the ÖBB club lounge at the Wien Westbahnhof train station. Not only is was it beautifully air conditioned, two drinks of your choice and a selection of nuts and gummy bears were complimentary. So the question is what other club lounges do a 1st class Railpass provide access to?

Peter in Calgary, AB Canada 01/06/2008

FROM EXPERIENCE - London - Always have coins for the bus. We found out the hard way at 5:45 AM when we didn't have any coins for bus fare and we needed to catch the bus to the train to the airport. Fortunately, a very nice local had coins to exchange for bills. VERY close call.

Karen Canada 10/29/2007

Ride the ferris wheel at the Place Concorde in France. A bit pricy at 9E, but it gives great views over the city and is a good break if you've just walked thru the Tuilleries. I had a "Rick Steves" experience of connecting with a local because I rode it alone; they put me in the car with another random person from line who turned out to be French and very graciously pointed out the sights we could see on the ride.

In France, Italy, & Switzerland they will cut you a 100g or 200g slice of cheese so you can try the local products. A lot of them are not imported to the US. I'd suggest telling readers to stop into the shop and get a few of these slices.

At the metal luge near the Neuschwanstein (Mad Ludwig) castle they have a parasailing school that offers flights with a pilot. It was a bit pricy, 135E, but the views over the castle were incredible! We circled the castle a few times and could see 40km into the distance. It's not that scary to do, even a woman in her 60's did it and loved it. The season ends in October when the weather cools and there's less lift for the gliders. Website is www.flugschule-aktiv.de

Mike Thompson in Los Angeles, CA USA 10/08/2007

We found a delicious gelateria in Florence. It has been in operation for six months and is way off the beaten tourist path so only locals were there. It is located on V. le Strozzi, 8/r at the corner of via c. Ridolfi. Robiglio, the owner, doesn't speak much English. This didn't inhibit our ordering at all. His gelato has finely ground nuts and real fruit, not flavoring. He makes granita the Sicilian way, using real fruit as well. The best gelati and granite in all of Europe was right here. Contact: Robiglio gelato, tel. 055 495939

We also found a good stand up cafe near the Santa Croce on dei Benci as you walk toward ponte Gratzi. It is called Istanbul Donor Kebop. We had the best falafel wrap for only 4 euros! Large enough to feed two.

Laurie Arora in Grosse Pointe Park, MI USA 08/17/2007

In Best of Europe, you don't give directions on how to reach Burg Eltz. We had read that it is your favorite medieval castle in Europe, so we checked your Germany book out from the local library and photocopied the section on Burg Eltz. It was SO worth it! While we found the hike to the castle tiring, once you get there it actually seems romantic and satisfying. Please consider including this info in Best of Europe --- as it was OUR best castle experience.

Carly Bean in Moscow, ID USA 07/15/2007

We planned our own Best of Europe in 23 days trip, and it was wonderful! Thank you Rick and staff! Our first stop was Amsterdam, and we tried to book several of Rick's recommended hotels over 6 months in advance, with no luck. I happened to come across a recommendation for Boogaard's B&B so we booked it. It was LOVELY, and only 90 euro a night. We ate some of the best breakfast of the trip, and Peter the owner was incredibly kind and helpful. He even gave each of us little porcelain clogs as a departing gift. I know he is currently relocating to be closer to Central Station, but I am sure his new place will be just as wonderful. I don't know what determines your recommendations, but if "clean, homey, helpful and reasonably priced" are adjectives you look for, please, consider putting Boogaard's into your book.

Carly Bean in Moscow, ID USA 07/15/2007

Any chance of guidebooks to other continents? Your European books are most helpful and fabulous!

Selma Pierce in Salem, OR USA 07/08/2007

In Rome, the restaurant Life has great pizzas and salads for moderate prices. It is in the area between the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain.

Brenda Paull in Mercer Island, WA USA 07/08/2007

Brandenburg, just outside of Berlin, is a jewel and an excellent place to train in to Berlin from. Pension La Rose, run by the extremely helpful Monika, was clean, well-located, had the best breakfast of our whole trip, etc. The food in Brandenburg is awesome: especially Bismarck's (German food and decorated with everything Bismarck) and the fish stand by the river. Also Dresden is a fantastic city, especially the museums at the Zwinger Palace.

Katie Ramp in Monterey, CA USA 06/23/2007

I'm not sure where to send this, as it really applies to ALL the RS Guidebooks, so I'm sticking with the most general one. How about selling the books in an unbound, loose-leaf format with soft-sided ring binders? That way, instead of tearing up their books, people could easily pull out the sections they want to use/take and leave the others at home? Binders could also come in different thicknesses, depending on how much people want to take with them.

Ellen in Nottingham, UK 05/17/2007

Vernazza: New restaurant IL BARATO - food very good, inexpensive, good service, house wine cheap and taste good.

Germany: Day travel in Bavaria, cheaper to buy Bayern Ticket 27E up to 5 people than buy point to point. Forgot the name but you can buy same day pass for up to 5 people in the Rhine region for 25E. Amsterdam I love Card - worth buying.

Best train experience: travelling 1st class via Thaly's from Eindhoven, NL to Paris - they kept serving snacks the whole time, with good lunch also provided. Another good experience was the night train (T3) from Venice to Munich - we woke up rejuvenated!

My train experience: first class is most of the time not full. Buy your train tickets when you get to Europe in a train station. It is cheaper and you will know if it has mandatory reservation therefore you can purchase it with the ticket. Why go first class when 2nd class is much cheaper? Buy as as soon as you can. Just got back from Europe, learned the rail and subway system really well. Had fun travelling by train and subway, fast, efficient and cheap. Travel with a positive attitude - it attracts good people.

Follow Rick's advise in travelling light. I am glad I did. Saw lots of travellers having a hard time going up and down stairs in train stations with their gigantic luggage. Washing clothes: there's always a laundry place in Paris, Florence, Rome, Munich. I wore my pants more than once and if need be, I just wash underwears.

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

We did a 6-month road trip in a VW bus and I took lots of notes. I have several corrections and suggestions.

-It would be great if you could mention more camping sites for road trippers like us. Your book was great but we had to supplement with another guide because you didn't mention much camping. I'd like to recommend Camping Huttopia in Versailles. Really helpful English-speaking staff and walking distance to a train that we took into Paris every day. We didn't mind the 10 min. walk and our 20 min. train "commute" every day as it was pleasant and inexpensive. The trains in Paris were crowded and unpleasant. We arrived in Paris every day refreshed and had time to map out our day on the train ride in. Free internet, too! Here's the website : http://www.huttopia.com/

-We also stayed in a campground just outside Rome for just over a hundred Euro for about a week! They had shuttles to the train, a store, laundry, etc: http://www.sevenhills.it/

Cindy in Hall, CA USA 03/27/2007

My fiance and I did a 16 day tour of France, Monaco and northern Italy in late Feb/early March 2007. We logged over 3,000 kilometers on the rental car.

We stayed the first four nights in Paris at Hotel la Bourdannais, 111 Rue de la Bourdannais, near the L'Ecole Millitare. The staff was wonderful and very eager to speak to me in English. The hotel breakfasts were very nice; not to mention convenient. The location was great, just a few blocks from La Tour Eiffel and the Seine River. Boats on the Seine make it easy and interesting to traverse your way to the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral. The boat we took offered a day pass and you could get on and off the boats with ease at different stops.

We were able to get around on the Metro (subway) quite well, although I would not reccomend traveling from deGaulle Airport into the city with 3 weeks of travel luggage at rush hour. We hired a taxi for the return to the airport.

I did do one foolish thing but thanks to Rick's advice, it did not turn out as badly as it could have. I purchased a money belt and was sure to put my passport, insurance card, extra cash, and travelers checks in it.

I placed my purse on my luggage in the lobby of the hotel, about 10 feet from the front door. Chris and I then went into the lounge/internet area for about 5 minutes while waiting for the taxi to the TGV station. When I got back to the luggage, I did not at first notice that my purse was gone as I was holding an umbrella in my hands. It was not until the taxi dropped us off at the train station that I noticed my purse was gone, along with our €210 first class train tickets to Bordeaux!

I also lost my sunglasses, my drivers licence, a favorite comb & lipstick, and my digital camera, which had the photo taken of us at the top of the Eiffel Tour just after we got engaged.

Long story short, in the future I will always hold or wear anything quick and easy to pick up. I actually feel freer and less of a target with no purse and my lipstick, hand sanitizer, and a comb in my pocket. And thanks to Rick for the heads up on carrying valuables in a moneybelt that you wear all the time.

Deborah Marlene Kearney in Arnold, CA USA 03/09/2007

Thank you Rick for your expertise in European travel. Your guidebooks have carried my wife and I through Italy for 27 days in 2005, and now for 58 days visiting 7 countries in 2007. All recomended hotels and restaurant were wonderful, but the one thing I would like to share with your readers is the value of your DVDs. Not only good for organizing your trip, but wonderful to view and recall our vacations after returning home. My 980 photos are wonderful, but enjoy listening to the "Night Watchman" in Rothenburg, Germany, after being back for several months. Seeing all the sights we experienced on your DVDs is like taking the trip all over again. I just ordered your new 11 show DVD. Keep up the good work.

Jack & Sieni Page in Phoenix, Az USA 12/12/2006

Rick, your guidebook was wonderful and very helpful. We did want to provide you with an update re Prague. In the "Eating" section, we went to the restaurant: u Prince Terrace but it was raining slightly, so it was closed. You might mention that for your readers. We also went to Restaurace Mlejnice: very good suggestion!

Then in Bruges (absolutely wonderful visit), there is a restaurant called The Flemish Pot. We tried to go there on a Thursday, but it is closed. You might double check that and advise your readers accordingly. It looked like a great spot.

Other than these two minor suggestions, our trip and your book was very helpful. Thanks!

Ted Joyce in The Woodlands, Tx USA 11/16/2006

I know that you have a paragraph regarding pickpockets in Paris. It is important to know what a pickpocket might look like. For me, i was naively surprised by the attempt by a group of 3 young girls (age about 12-14) to take my wallet. The attempt was at the Louvre Metro station and took place as i was boarding the train. I think that this is the key point where one needs to be keenly aware of the people around you and what they are doing. If there is any appearance that you have people in front and behind you, go to another door of the train, if possible, and note if any of those people follow you. That is what i did and noted that as entry to the train was being held up, i shifted to the next door to the right, and 3 girls darted with me and started the same delaying tacting in getting on the train. I then put my left hand in my left pocket and felt noticed someone else was attempting to extract my wallet (w/o any cash in it, but still...it did have my drivers license and other things). The person withdrew her hand and her accomplice in front of me escaped quickly as well.

john oconnell in santa rosa, ca USA 10/28/2006

Dear Rick, I just want to say first of all that I have really enjoyed traveling with 'you'. Me and my family recently went on a trip to Europe and we followed your book to the letter. I couldn't have been more happy with the excellent tips you gave us. Stay on hold because when I'm older I want to work for your tours! (I'm 13 now) An Addition i would have to recommend is the town in England called Oxford. It is a small city, but it is only a quick train ride from London. There is plenty of history and shops and things that you would probably enjoy. If you do add Oxford I would also like to recommend the Tower House Hotel on Ship Street in Oxford because it is small, and in the city center just like your other hotels, and also affordable. Just down the (small) street at No. 1 ship street is the News Cafe, which would be a great addition if you put Oxford in your guidebook. Also, i can't remember but I don't think you included Hotel La Serre on Rue Cler in your 2006 guide book. I really recommend it because it is so central and a great location.

Cameron in Salem, OH USA 10/27/2006

I found this great little place in Nerja, Spain that I think you should list. Pepe & Tanya Jimena run a bright and tidy little hostal with a great balcony, which has a great view to greet you and your breakfast with. Pepe and Tanya were falling over each other to help us out and made helpful suggestions for our time in Nerja. Their details are: Plaza Cantarero, C/ Pintada, 117, 29870 Nerja (Malaga), www.hostalplazacantarero.com, tel. 95 252 87 28, mobile 649 75 87 24. It would be great if you would consider putting them in the next version of the Spain guide - it was a little difficult to find accommodation amongst the other places listed. Many thanks!

Shaun RIchardson in London, UK 10/22/2006

Favorite discovery: Town of Balloch, near Loch Lomand. Nice beautiful B&B called Gowanlea Guesthouse. Owned by May and Andrew Barrie. May was absolutely delightful with tons of help about sites of the little town. Prices were great. 2 single beds cost no more than 40-50 pounds. her e-mail: gowanlea@blueyonder.co.uk Tele:(01389) 752456 She was kind of us to have a space vacant, after walking around the city for about an hour looking for a place to stay.

Tom in Roseville, CA USA 10/11/2006

i would like to say that mike's car service (as recommended in rick's book) from vienna to prague and back (thru cesky krumlov) was efficient, reliable, and still inexpensive. what's more, they were friendly and gave us their personal attention.

Olive FL USA 10/06/2006

Hey Rick, I just wanted to make a suggestion for the Ireland section. When giving information about making reservations for the ferries between France and Ireland you should let the people know that not only will their Rail Pass get them aboard for half price, but if they reserve a room ON LAND, the room is half off as well. If they wait to reserve a room until after they've boarded, then the room is full price. Just a little bit of info I learned when I was overseas.

Curtis Hettich in Sacramento, ca USA 10/05/2006

Terschelling Island off the coast North Sea in Holland. Very attractive resort town for the Dutch citizens. It is quaint and peaceful, locals are so friendly, we feel so welcome there.

S K Tomczak in Novato, ca USA 09/22/2006

We planned our recent trip to Europe ourselves making all our own reservations, travel arrangements etc,etc. The only "tool" that I took with me was Rick's Best of Europe 2006. I can now comfortably say that this one book helped make our trip an awesome experience. For example, the train stations and subways in Paris can be a very intimidating experience for the uninitiated such as myself. However, while travelling on the train from Saarbruken, Germany to Paris, I took the time to read Rick's information on the Paris train system and it was all we needed. When we arrived, we had to change from the Gare De L'Est station and get to the Gare De Lyon station by subway, then board our southbound train. With the information in his book, we quickly and easily negotiated our way through Paris without any problems whatsoever. I can honestly say that purchasing his guidebook was the single best investment that we made prior to departure and for our future travels in Europe, a Rick Steve's Travel Guide will ALWAYS be with us. Rick, you are the master!

Glenn Budgell in Grand Falls-Windsor, NL Canada 09/15/2006

Leasing a car is a great value and cultural experience if you are traveling for 17 days or more. I've used railpasses as an individual. When traveling with a family, however, driving a leased vehicle costs less and is more convenient. It also gives you a good reason to meet many locals ("I'm lost. How do I find ...?")

My only drawback was I couldn't study my RS book before arriving in a new city because I had to watch the road.

Brad Benson in Spokane, WA USA 08/27/2006

The Snuffel Backpacker Hostel in Bruges rocks

While this hostel only received brief mention in the guidebook I found it to be really great. Very friendly people... in fact, the bartender let me stay at her house one night because she wanted to take me and another guy to Ghent for a music festival. Very Cool People. What I think you should add to the description of Snuffel, however, is that a free walking tour is given my a local flemish man every thursday and possibly tuesday. He is a fun guy who gives a very detailed and interesting historical tour of Brugge. The tour is free if you are staying at the hostel and he likes it if you buy him a beer and have a littel conversation when it is all done. If you do real well the locals may take you to the really good bars.

DaveO in Columbia, MO USA 07/21/2006

Rick, Thank you. My wife and I used your “Best of Europe in 22 Days” itinerary from the BackDoor guide as a springboard for the best trip of our lives. Thank you very much for a well researched book. We exclusively used your recommended ACCOMODATIONS on our trip, and were only disappointed with one. The self-guided tours and intro walks were great. My comments about Best of Europe 2006 are:

Two more walks that I happened upon: hiking up to Jugendherberge Stahleck hostel and then along the ridge heading south from Bacharach; and “urban trekking” in Siena as outlined in Comune di Siena’s “Between Art and Nature”, at http://www.comune.siena.it/ilturista/?lan=ENG.

Your recommendations on approaches to the Eiffel Tower were dead on. My favorite day in Paris was approaching the Tower from Trocadero Square, napping and picnicking in the Jardins du Tocadero next to the fountains, then sauntering down to the Tower full of food and wine. Yum, yum, yum.

The Zur Krone in St Goar (right next to the Banhof) was the best German cuisine, beer and atmosphere we enjoyed in Germany.

At Mittaghorn, Walter charges 1CHF/5 minutes of shower, and there is no laundry. I would recommend making couchette and seat reservations in the country where the train ride originates. We were told that no couchettes were available from Salzburg, Austria to Venice and from Basel, Switzerland to Paris when we were still in the U.S. and then in Holland. But later, getting the couchettes was no problem.

I appreciated getting printed itineraries from travel or ticket agents to prep us for train changes, platform rushes, etc – your readers might appreciate an overt suggestion to do the same when possible.

Al Parker in Bozeman, MT USA 07/18/2006

I enjoyed your home made tours of the museums instead of the audio guides.

Andrew Freck in Sheridan, Wy USA 07/15/2006

I didn't realize the dome of the Pantheon is open to the sky! I thought it was glass in the middle, but it's completely open to rain, etc. which I thought was pretty interesting... but not mentioned in your book.

Also in Rome, there was nothing really mentioned about the crypt/tomb of the Popes at St. Peter's.

The take-away sandwich restaraunt by the Pantheon was delicious.

Paul Luning in Boca Raton, FL USA 07/08/2006

The best thing we did was to pack light, using only a backpack with wheels. We were easily able to live out of them for a month (one for each of us, plus a small day bag and a "briefcase-like" carry-on for my husband. We used vacuum seal bags, which saved a lot of space for clothes packing.

We were also thrilled with the wide use of ATMs in Europe.

Freda Briggs in El Dorado, KS USA 06/29/2006

Venice: Definitely book accomodations here early if you are on a budget. We did not and ended up staying off the island. It took about 1 hour to get transportation from our hotel to the island. Only good thing was it was cheaper to stay. LEARN TO USE THE PHONE SYSTEM!! If you plan to use the calling cards to call another country this can be confusing, especially since every country is a little difference. I don't have any good tips, except be prepared to be frustrated sometimes. Most people we encountered spoke enough English to communicate. Many of them spoke very good English.

Amy in Memphis, TN USA 06/03/2006

We found that since we wanted to eat from about 6 to 7 p.m. we were able to be seated at recommended restaurants without a reservation. Also, we traveled in May, so it wasn't the busiest season.

Gay Lynn Auld in Round Rock, TX USA 05/25/2006

I haven't left yet. I'm cutting up my guidebooks to take the relevant parts with me and much to my chagrin I find that the books are about half an inch too tall to fit into a quart size zip loc. It would be very cool to make the books the right size for a quart size ziploc. I suppose that depends on thickness and gets complicated so maybe it's not such a great idea, but it would make my life a little easier. Thanks. I'll let you know how it goes over there.

Jim in Mijanovich, NC USA 05/23/2006

I want to recommend the Clarion River Hotel in Treviso,Italy. The hotel is near the smaller Venice airport at Treviso. The town is so worth seeing: modern,clean and very beautiful.

Sherm Brown in San Francisco, CA USA 04/07/2006

When we were in Paris, we purchased the museum pass and used it in Versailles. We didn't purchase any additional passes and just went to wherever we got in for free. When we were making our way back to the Grand Trianon, we came across a bike rental and decided to rest our feet. What a treat! While you are unable to take the bikes in to the hamlet or the small gardens beyond the trianon, we did ride them around the grand canal - beautiful! Closer to the main palace gardens, we still could not go in, but we could still see the fountains and here the music being played. For an hour and 15 minutes, we paid 8 euro each.

Christie in Fort McMurray, AB Canada 04/03/2006

Bicycle Museum in Oudenaarde, Belgium

Carole in Morristown, NJ USA 03/24/2006

Great hotel in Berlin, Germany Hotel Tiergarten Berlin, Alt-Moabit 89, 10559 Berlin Tel: +49 (0)30 399 89 6 info@hotel-tiergarten.de www.hotel-tiergarten.de

Maggie Brogdon in Fitzwilliam, NH USA 03/13/2006