Provence & the French Riviera 2010

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Found your guidebook on Provence invaluable, it made planning our days so very much easier. Now live in Spain on Costa Blanca and was anxious to buy your book on Spain but see from comments that it does not incude this region. Would love to know when you will consider including Valencia and Alicante region.

Annette Bowen in Alicante, Spain 11/10/2009

drive the cotes du rhone tour again. things have changed. i have been a rick steves follower for years, and i am sure you know that the rick steves towns have become very "on the beaten path". i would recommend uzes and vaison la romaine as more off than on! thanks for the itineray and the chance to provide input.

s. elizabeth in philadelphia, pa USA 10/05/2009

Just keep writing them!!!

Louis in Lorraine, PQ Canada 09/27/2009

I had a little idea: how about making the pages perforated so that they can be torn out and taken in smaller chunks. I did tear out some of the pages and it was much easier to carry those than the entire book. Just an idea.

Pattie Laun in Ellicott City, MD USA 08/03/2009

The hand drawn maps with highway numbers, i.e. D57, are very very misleading! The highway numbers are almost never recognizable until you are past them and turning aroud, say in Nime during rush hour, is an hour affair. One recommendation should you not wish to change the maps is to provide a drawing of what the SignPost looks like and where to find the 'rural' roads displayed. Never travel without your books but even for someone who has driven in Europe for years, the South of France road signs were near impossible. Thank goodness I had made the trip before and could improvise.

David Hultsman in Houston, Tx USA 06/01/2009

Can't think of any. We used it for visiting Arles, Pont du Gard, Uzes, Les Baux, Aqueduct at Bagnol, L'Isle-sur-la-sorgue, Roussillon, Gordes, Joucas, Aix-en-Provence, Cassis, etc. The arriving by car tips were very useful.

Kathy Casey in Barrington, IL USA 03/15/2009

As usual, this book is great and well-updated; I didn't need to travel with another guidebook. Please add the website for TAM bus schedules to p. 243: http://www.cg06.fr/transport/transports-tam-fiches.html. I found it awesome to be able to look up the bus schedules on-line, especially for buses that don't come very often (like the ones to La Turbie and from Monaco to Eze-le-Village). Please list the time to walk from Beaulieu (end of the St. Jean to Beaulieu walk) to Villefranche; the times on p. 299 are unclear (50 minutes from Villefranche to where on Cap Ferrat?). There is a petit Casino grocery store in Eze, although I got a pizza instead of picnicking.

Kyla Gurganus in Ypsilanti, MI USA 01/02/2009

The book is great. I find all the books to be very helpful.

Janet Hellmann in Staten Island, NY USA 11/04/2008

The hand drawn maps are very confusing. Also consider updates for the GPS age...

Debbie Alpern in Crested Butte, CO USA 11/04/2008

Great guide. Transportation section most helpful.

Sanford Lavine in Alameda, CA USA 07/11/2008

We used Paris book and Amsterdam/Belgium book and they were totally up to date. Provence/Riviera book didn't get that care and needs changes. Must be tough to totally do each one every year...thks one may have gotten phoned in?

Paul Lightner in Novato, CA USA 07/03/2008

Add Postal codes for each city. Most of us now travel with navigation systems and it would be very helpful to have the code as it makes the navigation set up much easier. I think there were 6 or 7 Roussillon in our Navigon.

Lisa Valle in Sycamore, IL USA 05/26/2008

In France, gas stations are self-serve. They have an honor system to pay or a gate that raises when you have paid.

Best advice- plan ahead what you want to do. Expect lunch time to be anywhere from 2-3 hrs. closed and certain days closed. Try to route out your roads ahead of time. Expect the unexpected and don't expect too much. Have a low expectation of services, then you won't be disappointed.

Typically in France, small town patisseries and boulangeries where bread and pastries are sold, coffee is available, but it is self-serve at machines. It is good to have small change available.

French people do not have a problem standing too close to others while in line to pay for items, even as close as to touch you. Ex- In a grocery store, a man behind me had one item. He got close up to me and pushed me. When it was my turn, he went ahead and handed the cashier the money to ring him up first. He did not ask or apologize to me. Is this the French way?

Typically in towns that have cafes which are popular for tourists such as Deux Garcons in Aix-en-Provence, Cafe Deux Moulins in Paris Montmartre, or Cafe de la Nuit in Place du Forum, Arles, the waitresses/waiters are short with you and will take your order at their own convenience. You have to be patient with them as there are a lot of customers to serve. You also need to pay immediately when you receive your drink.

In France and Spain, when purchasing a cup of coffee to go (take-out), expect it to be 1/2 of the US size and around 1,20E a cup at McDonalds- cheapest around town, but good coffee

karen in san francisco, ca USA 12/28/2007

In the port town of Cassis, there are many narrow one-way streets. Signs are not very clear to drivers as to when cars are not allowed. During the summer, many streets are closed to construction and repairs. Example- We could not get around to either the entrance or back way of our hotel- it took over 2 hours. Our car had accidently fell down a 6 inch step and it was difficult to back up the car in reverse. Local people were very helpful to guide us out. The famous Calanques boat ride had no written sign posted outside that describes the schedule or what time the ticket window opens up. It is difficult to make plans to do other activities during the course of the day when you are not sure how long and when your particular Calanques boat ride is scheduled. The ride itself was well worth it and my second time around, I would like to rent a kayak or boat to go on my own to stop over at one of the Calanques.

k.m. in san francisco, ca USA 11/21/2007

We totally loved Nice. The beauty was unbelievable! Loved the view from above the city (the little train tour-good) and a wonderful marina just around the corner from our hotel. Great outdoor market, one of the best in our whole trip! Loved the little shops in the quaint older part of town.

Sharon & Leo Marty in Olympia, WA USA 08/21/2007

Check prices on your Cassis hotel rooms. It seems like prices for the hghest season have gone down, at least in a couple of places that we checked.

We were very disappointed in the beaches in Nice, and Cassis. We weren't about to the rent expensive chairs, and consequently, the rocks were a pain. I guess it hard to beat Mexico or Hawaii. That said, I wouln'dt go there for the beaches, period.

Monaco: Please improve the maps around the palace. We had a heck of a time figuring out where to go when we got of the bus at the tunnel.

Cindy in Shurtleff, wa USA 07/13/2007

The only little addition I'd make is that the Beffroi is a belltower and if you are a light sleeper and get a room near the tower, you might go a little bonkers the first night! I learned to sleep through it but the timer was failing and it rang more than one series an hour which ended up just making us laugh!

Terry in Lafayette, CA USA 06/05/2007

A new restaurant recommendation in Antibes: La Marmite. Somewhat more expensive than Le Cafe Jardin but worth every centime for their service and excellent cuisine. We returned there for our last dinner in Antibes and were treated like old friends. There's also a great little place in Nimes called Les Magnolias, discovered on the recommendation of our hotel clerk. Happy Dining, Rick & Co.!

For people who are interested in a less "world class" but extremely intimate art museum experience, the Musee Renoir in Cagnes-sur-mer is not to be missed. The art collection is relatively minor, but the site was Renoir's home and garden, and being there was a privilege I won't soon forget.

Jeri Cary in Juneau, AK USA 05/08/2007

Write about Menton and its famous citrus gardens and quaint old town. The colorful covered market Les Halles was designed by Gustave Eiffel. Menton is an easy train ride from Nice. Tourist office is very helpful with maps and suggested walks. Locals make a yummy citron liqueur de Menton similar to Italy's limoncello.

Karen Woodworth in Athens, OH USA 01/17/2007