Best of Europe 2009Guidebook corrections:Please note: The following corrections were submitted by readers and have not yet been confirmed by Rick. Check updates from Rick for the latest.  Add 10-15% to whatever prices (museums, Roman pass, etc.) are mentioned in the book. Ferdie Pernia in San Francisco, CA USA 07/26/2008 BIG CHANGES IN FLORENCE (We toured Florence on July 1, 2008) Pitti palace is no longer free and requires a min 10 Euro fee. The Accademia (Galleria dell'Accademia) was 14 Euros per person with reservation and an additional 5.50 euro for an audioguide (i.d. required to loan audioguides). The Bargello (Museo Nazionale) was 7 Euro (not 4) and Donatello's David is under restoration and is face down in the prone position. It is under restoration until the end of '08. steve in dallas, tx USA 07/02/2008 Not really a 'correction'. But Institut St. Sebastian, Salzburg was really heavy with cigarette smoke, even though the bedrooms were smoke free. (And even at that, we kept our bedroom windows open.)We couldn't take the stairs because the smoke filled the hallways so badly. Otherwise, it was a lovely place to stay. Friendly. Heather Cameron in Coldstream, BC Canada 06/13/2008 Amsterdam: 1. Rijksmuseum is only open now until 20:30 (as also noted by another reader) 2. Strippenkaartes are not accepted on trains from Haarlem to Amsterdam Central (we bought a large -45 strip -card for this purpose, only to be told that they would not accept this. Thankfully, the conductor was so kind, she did not charge us for a ticket). 3. There was no mention of the Holland Pass, which is what we chose to buy in lieu of the I Amsterdam card. For some people, this may make more sense from from an economical standpoint. 4. De Vrije Vork is no longer in business. There is another restaurant in that location. Haarlem: The "Die Raeckse Hotel" will NOT honor your discount. The only discount they now offer is 5% off to those who pay in cash. Other than that, as always, we love the work you do and are still Rick fans! Stacy in Freiburg, BW Germany 06/04/2008 in Best of Europe, we followed the directions to get to Hotel Filosoof and found the 'three minute walk' walk from tram line #1, getting of at jan apieter Heijestraat, to be more like 20-25 minuets, depending on how much luggage you are hauling. The appropriate stop for this hotel was tram line # 1, getting off terrie gordon gamble in stanford, ca USA 06/01/2008 2008 Best of Europe The Amsterdam section (Page 932) advises that the Rijksmuseum is open until 22:00 (10:00 pm) Friday nights. Actually it is now open only until 20:30, and includes special programs. Below is a quote from the Rijksmuseum webpage. "The Rijksmuseum is open every Friday evening. Apart from visiting the museum, you can enjoy a varied programme between 18.00 and 20.30 that includes guest speakers, musicians, actors, snacks and drinks. It is worth noting that, unfortunately, the lectures and talks by guest speakers will only be given in Dutch. The admission fee is the same as the normal admission fee (€ 10). The ticket counter is open until 20.00." I loved the unexpected opportunity to listen to the tenor in a tuxedo singing opera, accompanied by a pianist at a baby grand while I was viewing some of the world's most amazing works of art! Serendipity! My guest from the States, however, was dismayed to have only one and a half hours in the museum when we'd planned for three, and was uninterested in the music, but in seeing the paintings behind the performer, and hearing the audio guide comments on it all. That'll teach me to always double-check the website before planning a visit to a major museum or attraction, as Rick suggests!
Mary Freelove in Wiesbaden, Germany 05/04/2008 Yes, Please note that the American Express offices in both Paris and Madrid downtown locations are permanently closed. The only American Express services are at the airport. I wanted to change my AMEX traveler's checks and was disappointed to find this out. In Madrid, check with several banks before trying to cash an AMEX traveler's checks. Some charge a hefty fee. I found that Banco Santander did not charge a fee at all. Some of the entrance fee prices were a bit higher than quoted, I understand this since you have to go to print early and such. Maybe just a short sentence like: "as we go to print, please note entrance fees might be subject to increase" I think that it wasn't so major but it might be a problem for some. Also, in Toledo, Spain it is no longer possible to enter the Cathedral without paying for the museum entrance. Linda D. Chaffee in San Bernardino, CA USA 12/20/2007 PARIS (SEPT 2007) - Metro will no longer sell Museum Pass and they are only sold at the Louvre...the underground entrance (Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall) Karen Canada 10/29/2007 the price to hike on the trail connecting the towns in the Cinque Terra is now 5E instead of the 3E listed in the book.
Mike Thompson in Los Angeles, CA USA 10/08/2007 A minor nitpick in the 2008 edition. On pages 250 and 251 it says that the Paris Metro closes down around 24:30, which I take to mean 12:30 A.M. With only 24 hours in a day, shouldn't that be 0030? Ira Joffe in Houston, TX USA 10/01/2007 We used your 2007 book extensively in travels to Eastern Europe (it is still travelling with friends who had an extra 2 weeks). Please add to the Auschwitz-Birkenau info on catching the shuttle bus from Birkenau back to Auschwitz: When finished touring Birkenau, the shuttle bus will be parked in the lot with the other tour busses, go to the parked shuttle and get on. If you don't, the bus will pass you at the shuttle stop where you got off from Auschwitz. Several people were standing at the shuttle bus sign, and the bus went right by us. I asked at the info counter and they said we should have gotten on the parked bus. We would have had to wait another hour, and there isn't anything else to do there once you've toured Birkenau. Walking the 1.8 miles wasn't an option at that point so had to take a taxi for 15z back to Auschwitz. The rest of that chapter in the book was excellent. pam carlson in encinitas, CA USA 09/26/2007 we are planning to visit greece. i am a fan of rick steves....i couldn't find any rick steves book on greece. did i just miss it? [Editor's Note: Unfortunately, Rick has not yet written a guidebook to Greece. It has been on his to-do list for quite a while so check back with us in the future.] Olivia USA 08/03/2007 The all-you-can-eat rib dinner at The Hobbit restaurant in Brugges is now 16E. They didn't make any profit on our two teenage boys! Also, Paris Museum Passes were not for sale in the Metro. Linda Moore in ceresco, MI USA 08/01/2007 The Eiffel Tower does not open until 9:30 AM- most of the prices were low; that's to be expected- everything is going up! In Rome, Restaurant Coco, p 954, was not open; perhaps on vacation but it was quite closed down.(Ostaria da Mario a good second choice) Brenda Paull in Mercer Island, WA USA 07/08/2007 On Page 413-Getting Around Gardens in Versailles, you state that the tram is free with all day pass and otherwise 5 Euros. This is incorrect. The tram is 4.5 euros with all day pass and 6 euros without the pass. On p 319, it is stated that a Paris Metro map is available at the beginnig of the book-it is not there! On p 681, it is stated that a London Tube map is available at the beginnig of the book-it is not there! [Editor's Note: We apologize for the missing Metro and Tube maps. They are included in the Paris and London guidebooks but not Best of Europe. When we adapted the text to use in Best of Europe, we missed deleting those references.] Vinay Malur in Queensbury, NY USA 06/18/2007 P445 of Best of Europe 2007 - Hotel du Parc from Avignon, France, the contact information should be: hotel.parc@modulonet.fr http://perso.modulonet.fr/hotelduparc Shizuka Suzuki in Los Angeles, CA USA 06/02/2007 Switzerland--I just checked the website for Pension Restaurant Gimmelwald (located in Gimmelwald), and it says that the Pension has closed for good. Jessica in Plano, tx USA 05/27/2007 Either the Treasury in Vienna has been restructed, I am reading the guidebook incorrectly, or you may have miscounted the number of rooms in the Treasury. There are 15 rooms, not sixteen. The collection's highligh (10th century crown of the Holy Roman Empire) is in Room 10, not Room 11 and the royal vestments from the 15th century are in the final room (room 15) as there is no 15th room. The audio guide for this site has increased from two euros to three euros. Archie Malcom in McDonough, GA USA 05/23/2007 The Prado has been rearranged, so it was really difficult to follow the self-guided tour. Melissa in Honolulu, HI USA 04/24/2007 -pg. 966 Venice, Italy: The map is no longer free; it's 2.50 Euro. pg. 987-8 Venice, Italy: repeated sentence: "...interior glows mysteriously with gold mosaics and colored marble." pg. 990 Venice, Italy: The combo ticket for the Correr Museum and Doge's palace is now 12 Euro. Cindy in Vacaville, CA USA 03/27/2007 -pg. 245 Copenhagen: The Carlsberg Brewery tour is not free. It's 40kr and includes 2 tastings. -pg. 1142, Amsterdam: The Rembrandt museum is not entirely covered by Museumkaart; you must pay 5 Euro in addition to showing your Museumkaart. -Netherlands: You don't mention that the Museumkaart covers several museums listed in the Haarlem and Den Haag sections. -pg. 1168 Grote Kerk: it's now 2 Euro. Cindy in Hall, CA USA 03/27/2007 The train station in Toledo, Spain did not have any lockers or baggage check. We did not carry much with us that day, but we did have to carry it. Vanover in Chicago, IL USA 02/23/2007 Just make a note when you take a ferry from Stranraer Scotland to Northern Ireland Belfast, that there isn't a train station by the ferry docks. Found many people along with myself standing around looking through our Rick Steves books finding a way to get into town. About 5-10 minute drive from ferry port to town. Tom in Roseville, CA USA 10/11/2006 the jewish cemetery in prague was difficult to find. we followed the directions and the street map in the book, but we missed it. Olive FL USA 10/06/2006 Stavros Melissinos the Poet Sandalmaker in Athens, Greece moved to a new address in 2004 (the 2006 guidebook still lists his old one). It is now 2 Aghias Theklas Street (the corner of Hermou Street and Aghias Theklas St). The telephone number is +30 2103219247. Stavros is retired now but his son, Pantelis continues to run the business. Their website is: www.melissinos-art.com Kenneth Lin in Arlington, VA USA 08/08/2006 Please take off Hotel Baia in Monterosso in the Cinque Terre. We just returned from staying there and it was the worst experience of my life. They talked about me behind my back (I understand Italian) about how Asians are a "fucking pain in the ass" which made me turn white as a ghost and extremely hurt. I went up to the room and told my husband about my experience and cried. We did nothing to instigate them and any request was met with attitude and I constantly felt like an inconvenience if I had a question. PLEASE PLEASE, for everyone's sake, take it off your recommendations. Helen Hong in Woodland Hills, CA USA 08/04/2006 We received a 60% discount with the railpass on the Romantic Road bus. The yellow flowers along the road are used to produce biodiesel, the same fuel powering the Romantic Road bus. When you list the SIGHTS along the Romantic Road p515-518, you could reference your detailed Wiekirche church description on page 475 rather than using the ambiguous “see Bavaria and Tirol chapter” You could warn that Bateaux Parisians Siene tours next to Notre Dame gives no RailPass discount, although the BP dock next to the Eiffel Tower does. The Museum Pass in Paris is given in increments of 2-4-6 days. The 4 day pass costs 45-euro. This 4 day pass was a wonderful and convenient way to enjoy many of the attractions in Paris, thank you. The Blue Marlin in Vernazza no longer has laundry facilities. Al Parker in Bozeman, MT USA 07/18/2006 A few. Coloseum entry is now 11 euros. There is only 1 guided tour of St. Peter's a week from the TI (Wednesday at 3), not one every day. Paul Luning in Boca Raton, FL USA 07/08/2006 In Prague, the cheap Kc 8 metro ticket for 15 minutes no longer exists. The cheapest is now Kc 14 for 20 minutes. We found out the hard way because you can still buy a 15-minute Kc 8 ticket from the machines, but didn't know that they were for going outside of the city. We got stopped by an inspector and got fined Kc 500. I almost thought it was a scam (despite the badge and the receipt) and even pulled out my rick steves book and showed them the Kc 8 price. Nevertheless, we paid the fine and confirmed with our hotel that it was legit. Pat in Los Angeles, CA USA 06/29/2006 The Samaritaine Department Store in Paris (across Pont Neuf bridge) has gone out of business Freda Briggs in El Dorado, KS USA 06/29/2006 I was looking into the Romantic Road bus tour from Rothenburg to Fussen, Germany that you recommend in your Europe 2006 book. I wanted more details on some other sites in Germany so I picked up your Germany 2006 book. To my surprise, I found a whole paragraph NOT recommending that bus tour b/c of new owners (pg.90. also 109, 173). I definitely think that paragraph should be included in next year's Europe book but for those of us traveling this year who only have the Europe 2006 book, you should post that paragraph on your website under updates asap!! E. House in Louisville, CO USA 06/06/2006 London: Original London Sightseeing Bus Tour price has increased, I believe to 18 pounds. We still received the Rick Steves' discount. Amy in Memphis, TN USA 06/03/2006 Hotel Weisses Kreuz in Salzburg, Austria has remodeled to add private toilet and shower for each room. The daily rate was higher than listed in The Best of Europe (122 euros a night), but was worth the extra expense to us. We had a large clean room on the second floor with a window that opened to a street so quiet we slept soundly all night. We literally awoke to birds chirping the next morning. The granite bathroom was new and large. Below the guesthouse is a Balkian restaurant, serving large portions of delicious food. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who can climb a flight of stairs. Gay Lynn Auld in Round Rock, TX USA 05/25/2006 The Colosseum (Colosseo) is now charging 11 euros. Alex in Bel Air, MD USA 04/30/2006 The National Museum of Rome (Museo Nazionale Romano) is now charging 9 euros. Alex in Bel Air, MD USA 04/30/2006 The Britain and London Visitors Centre's "Fast Track" tickets for the London Eye Ferris Wheel are just regular tickets. The official Fast track tickets can only be bought directly at the London Eye ticket office, for an additional fee. Not really necessary, though, the line moved very quickly. Kathi Duniec in Charlotte, NC USA 04/30/2006 In Bacharach on the Rhine, the town has, alas, decided to paint one of the surviving towers and opened one of the four sides. It does not appear as described, and the originals are much more aesthetic. I'd consider going on any number of trails that traverse the hilltop for wonderful vistas of the River gorge and the surrounding area. Steve Tubbs in Vancouver, WA USA 04/29/2006 p 137 Location of the Bruge Tourist Information office. The TI in Bruges moved (a little over a year ago) from the Burg to the 't Zand, adjacent to the Concert Hall. Very, very helpful independant staff with free Internet access from the office. [We were there to locate alternative accommodation to that we had booked on a "package" out of London - that's another story - but suffice it to say that we hadn't heard of Rick or his guides then - and, no the dud accommodation is not listed by Rick!]
Andrew Dunn in Adelaide, SA Australia 04/25/2006 Yes. Rick Steeves is a genius! After several European through the back-door trips, we have come to appreciate the brilliance of Rick and to understand his back-door, on-your-own recommendations. Sherm Brown in San Francisco, CA USA 04/07/2006 In your section on Switzerland, pg 1337, you recommend Pension Waldrand in Isenfluh. I attempted to make a reservation there and the website indicates "it is time to say goodbye," and I believe the woman who operated the Pension has decided to close down. You may wish to check into it and add it to your Switzerland updates. Keely in Sparks, NV USA 04/03/2006 In the "Transportation Connections" section for Athens, the website for Olympic Airlines should be www.olympicairlines.com. The link you list takes you to a parent company. I found the right link within that website; I wonder if some people would not. That's all I've got. John Barcus in Dallas, TX USA 03/26/2006 Question is actually on 2005 guidebook to Europe (which I just bought). Since at least 2003 Yugoslovia has been Serbia and Montenegro, and not Yugoslovia. Why do you label your map Yugoslovia? Margaret Kailukaitis in Roxbury, CT USA 03/12/2006 the website www.athosclub.com is no longer valid. The current website is www.a-prague.com, and we did not get any discount for mentioning your name! Pam LaReau in Plano, TX USA 02/13/2006 Dear Mr. Steve, We have used your books for several recent trips to Europe and have found them invaluable. In the interest of accuracy, we point out the following minor discrepancies in the Europe 2005 edition: 1. The common bathroom at the Hotel Saski in Krakow has been exquisitely redone and is now quite attractive. Incidentally, this hotel is one of our favorite hotels of several trips. The rooms were simple but had a European charm that was missing from many of our other hotels. The included breakfast at the adjacent restaurant was one of the best of the whole trip. Purchasing tickets for Aushwitz and the Salt Mines at the hotel was quite convenient. We will stay here again when we go back to Krakow. 2. The Hotel Saski in Krakow and the Express Hotel in Prague both gave a 10% discount for cash payment. 3. Wawel Castle in Krakow is not open 24 hours but now closes (around 5:30 p.m.?). 4. The Holy Family House in Prague is a replica of the original in Loreto, Italy. It contains one brick from the original dwelling. There were reportedly numerous replicas throughout the area at one time, but this one is one of the few remaining. 5. At one point your book refers to Ludmilla as the mother of Wencelslaus. Unless he had a mother of the same name, I believe she was his grandmother. 6. The service at the Two Cats Restaurant in Prague was terrible. While you do discuss service issues in your book, these people seemed annoyed that we were there and we suspect we also got ripped off. 7. The Boca de Veritas in Rome is not accessible 24 hours. It is enclosed behind a gate when the church closes. You can glimpse it through the gate.
We currently do not have the book we used to give you the specific pages for the items referred to above. Again, we found your book invaluable and plan to continue to use them for any future trips. Sincerely, The Boll and Schellinger Families Dan Boll in South Bend, IN USA 02/08/2006 Hostal Helena in Madrid has a new website at www.hostalhelena.com. The "geocities" website listed in BOE 2006 no longer works. John in Dallas, TX USA 01/15/2006 |
