Best of Europe 2012 Book
Best ways to improve this book:
Very, very well done.
p bax in Vancouver, BC Canada 10/30/2011
This is not in reference to any book, but I think Rick Steves should do a book on Iceland! Or at least include Iceland in one of his Europe books.
TL in PORTLAND, OR USA 10/24/2011
For Self-Guided Walking tours described in Rick Steves guide books, they place numbered circles on the corresponding map indicating points of interest and a little key near the map for the name of each point of interest.
What would be nice is if they also numbered the text headings in the book that describe each stop in detail. That way you can go in reverse. See a point on the map, then easily find the description of that point in the long text descriptions.
Likewise, as you are reading the text descriptions outlined in the Self-Guided Walk, you could see the number and right away jump to that spot on the map. It's just faster and easier for the reader.
This goes for all Rick Steves guide books.
Lindsey in Seattle, WA USA 09/05/2011
We have done five trips following RS' advice & have always used money belts. Once in Strasbourg, France, the wife of the couple with whom we were traveling refused to use a belt. While she watched a "fight" in the square, she lost her valuables from her shoulder purse. We did not even notice that her purse had been picked until an hour or two later. So, in general, I am a believer in using money belts for large sums, passports, etc., especially for women.
For men, however, I think there is a safe and more comfortable alternative. On this summer's trip to Central/Eastern Europe, every shirt and pants that I brought had a HIDDEN pocket with a zipper somewhere. I kept my passport in the zippered shirt pocket and my debt card + money in the hidden zippered pant's pocket. I doubt that these hidden zippered pockets can be picked any easier than a money belt and is a lot more comfortable.
I doubt that women's clothes have these types of pockets, so they are probably stuck with the money belt.
Finally, Americans are not used to pick pockets. In the good ole USA, thieves simply put a gun in our face and take our money. In Europe, guns are not allowed, so the art of picking pockets has developed over the ages, and they are extremely good and innovative at it!
Larry Iversen in Bremerton, WA USA 07/04/2011
I agree with the poster who wished that the "At a Glance" pages were included...saves a lot of flipping back and forth. I will be purchasing the 2012 edition and hope these pages are included in that volume.
[Editor's Note: Due to a limit on the number of pages in the book, we will not be adding the "At a Glance" sidebars to Rick Steves' Best of Europe.]
Terri in Quilcene, WA USA 05/22/2011
Improve GPS capabilities of all RS guides.
Do this by a) including addresses for all things listed (tourist info office(!), suggested parking lot, etc.), and b) Ensuring the name of the site includes the common european GPS nomenclature (ex: "castle" in GPS is "Schloss" in German, etc.).
I live in Germany, and travelling by car like I used to without a GPS is just plain foolish. On foot I have little trouble finding things in RS books using his detailed directions from some reference point (train station, etc.). With a car, I have trouble figuring out where to dump the car on arrival in a city with respect to what I want to visit, how to find the Tourist Info office, etc. With an address - it's a breeze.
Oh, and if you need a college kid here in Europe to do this research, my kid is available.... ; )
Brian in Böblingen, BV Germany 04/18/2011
PLEASE , I beg of you Rick, make these changes to your restaurant maps. Have a key on the restaurant map, that shows the following:
A circle slash sign with the day of the week, like S, M, T, W, TH, F, SA---so I know the place is closed without having to flip back to the page with the description.
Have an L indiciating this place serves lunch only- so if you are looking for dinner that night-you don't waste your time flipping back to description page
Have the page number that the description of the restaurant is on, next to the restaurant listing on the map, this would save time when flipping back and forth between map page and description page.
on the description page for the restaurant, at the end of the description, have the corresponding number for the restaurant map.
This would make your restaurant map much more user friendly. They could also be employed to improve the hotel map
Uno mas pregunta, Could you please include the page number when you reference something else in your book,
Such as Rome 2009---on page 65 under Spanish Steps, you say For more info see Night Walk across Rome Chapter- no page number? Dude, major bummer. I noticed some things in the book have corresponding page numbers and some don't? What's up?
Lo siento, pero uno mas pregunta--what happened to the City at a Glance pages? I loved those, especially once you added the corresponding page numbers for more info on the sights. It gave me a quick glance at the best of the best in that city without going through the whole chapter
Whew! I am done. I've been on four of your tours-Loved them, but now that I've done it without a tour guide, well Rick was with us everywhere we went. My daughter kept asking me where is Rick, hold Rick, why is Rick telling us to go here? You left Rick at the toilet in the Roman Forum? Go back and get him! I doubt I will do another RS tour, unless I was going as a guide. :) I love traveling in Europe so much, I would work for free, working on updating the guidebooks would be fun too! Lucky RS, he makes a living doing something he loves.
Dawnya Brown in Saint George, Ut USA 04/02/2011
It might be time to take a fresh look at some old standbys (Colmar, Rothenburg, Prague, etc.) that have become too popular for their own good. I am not suggesting that you drop these, but rather that you include a section such as "If you like (Name of Town, City) but want something a little less crowded, check out X, Y or Z... I am thinking specifically of Monschau as an medieval village alternative to Rothenburg in Germany. The same could be said for other favored sites. To do so, might even reduce the crowds in these places, making them more enjoyable, as well.
Roy in Auburn, AL 10/24/2010
Consider adding more details regarding the etiquette for dining/paying in each country. We thoroughly enjoyed trying new dishes in each country we visited. But we never felt truly comfortable with the process of ordering, paying, etc. You give some good advice about tipping, but even that was awkward in some places.
Lisa in St. Louis, MO USA 08/26/2010
There are very few, actually, other than the hotel mentiioned above. We use your books "like some kind of scripture" as I have told others many times. Our thanks.
Lawrence J. Hergott in Denver, Co USA 08/18/2010
Let readers know that ATMs in Europe don't offer the option of choosing between multiple accounts. ATM cards for savings accounts will likely be rejected, as the default is to checking account withdrawals only. Encourage readers to consider paragliding in the Berner Oberland. Easy and a spectacular experience.
Let readers using Swiss Pass know that their pass can be validated in a neighboring country for travel into Switzerland, and it may net them a discount on the train ticket into Switzerland. (Stresa, IT ticket to Brig, CH was discounted because they validated my pass in Stresa.) Swiss Pass is AWESOME!
Kathy Hoffman in Alpharetta, GA USA 08/15/2010
I would like to buy a electronic book reader and use the travel guide books on them. I notice that you can do this on a Kindle through Amazon.ca Can you do this with the new IPads by Apple? Is so where would I get the guide books for those formats?
Robby Tranfield in Oyama, BC Canada 08/10/2010
Rick - I always choose your guidebooks over Frommer's, Lonely Planet, and whatever else is out there. I love your style, your recommendations are always spot on, and it's incredibly easy to navigate your book layout. This is why when I decided to spend some time in Iceland this summer, I was hugely disappointed to see you haven't published anything on this unique and beautiful country! Definitely a backpacker and nature-lover's paradise, not for your three- or four-star hotel clientele (unless they just stay in Reykjavik, but then what's the point?), but it would be a welcome addition to you collection. Please, PLEASE have it published before I visit again! Oh, and I am absolutely for hire if you need a writer, consultant, and researcher! Haha!
Josh Smith in Waterloo, ON Canada 05/07/2010
Kindle kindle kindle!
Sarah Groundwater in Vancouver , WA USA 04/19/2010
Plesae please please put on Kindle. - Fast as we're leaving May 8th!
Beth in Trappe, MD USA 04/17/2010
Tell readers to bring their GPS.
Fix the hand drawn maps! They're so confusing. I had no idea what street I was on. Most people I spoke with about your maps all agreed they were confusing and unusable. That's the running joke, "I love his book, he's got great unbiased opinions, but the hand drawn maps are completely retarded."
Lancelot in Alameda, CA USA 09/25/2009
Keep up the good work. Sincere thanks to Rick and his staff who made our trip to Italy a success! Kind regards.
Joy Decomarmond in Tampa, FL USA 07/02/2009
I am very disheartened at the Best of Europe 2008 guidebook. I bought it to prepare for a river trip from Berne to Antwerp this fall; out of 16 stops,the only site you list is Boppard and it gets only half a page. Reading the other sections showed much information, sometimes too much. It would be helpful to have tipping, handy phrases, and more sites listed. To me, the book is a bust. Perhaps you should compile and publish a book on River Cruises.
[Editor's Note: Sorry you were disappointed. We have a detailed chapter on crusing the Rhine in our "Rick Steves' Germany" guidebook, should you be taking another river trip in the future.]
Richard W. Schult in Norfolk, VA USA 06/08/2009
I just completed a 2-week long Europe trip using the excellent "Best of Europe 2009." I would have appreciated an appendix with a few key words in different languages (hello, goodbye, please, thank you). It would only take a page or two and would be enormously helpful.
Michele Smith in Burlington, MA USA 04/06/2009