Best of Europe 2012 Book
Guidebook 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.
I wish Dublin, Edinburgh, and Copenhagen were still included. My son is visiting those three cities and it would've been great to have them in the book with all the rest of the popular cities of Europe.
Marilyn in Metuchen, NJ USA 11/13/2011
Hotel Cluny Sorbonne was centrally located. None of the outlets in the room worked for our laptop. The management was unwilling to resolve the problem. The room had a great view of the city and was clean, however it was small,the paint was peeling from the walls. We regularly had someone attempting to enter our room by binserting their key in our lock both in the morning and evening. The elevator will hold 2 small people and their carryons. If you excede that size bring Crisco and a shoe horn.
Jeanette Hemmen in Seattle, WA USA 09/09/2011
Yes. In order to get in to St. Marks Bascilica you first have to get in line with your back packs and then when you go through they tell you when to go to drop them off and then you come back to the line. The directions in the book did not make sense.
Tom in Elm Grove, Wi USA 07/10/2011
number for ordering tickets for the Last Supper is not correct..
Jeanette in Cincinnati, Oh USA 10/16/2010
This is not a correction, but a clarification. Please reconsider recommending the Travelodge Central in Edinburgh as a place to stay. This is not a hotel. It is a hostel, costing about $200 a night. We stayed at the Travelodge for one night in mid-August during the Edinburgh Festival. From the moment we walked in the front door and spoke to the person at the reception desk we were disappointed. As our time there progressed our disappointment deepened and finally we felt we had been cheated. You can tell the character of a company by how it acts when consumers have few if any choices, and the Travelodge, compared to the Hotel de Cardinal Rohan in Strasbourg mentioned above, showed itself to be an opportunistic company without character. I will list a few of many examples, during only a one night stay. I will say up front that I do not believe the obvious busyness the Festival brings to Edinburgh was either a cause or an excuse for the inadequacies that follow. First, it is the only hotel during our 2 1/2 week stay in Eupope that required prepayment. Once we got there we knew why. It was also the only hotel that would not store our luggage when we had a delay between checking out and leaving the area. We were told that the train station had lockers, which meant that we would have to carry or roll our luggage up and down the streets of Edinburgh to get to the station or pay for a cab to help us get the bags there, hoping that there would be availability during what must be the busiest time of the year in Edinburgh. Once in the room we experienced several substandard things. The room itself, as mentioned in the Scotland book, was sparse, so we expected that, but the room was deficient in many ways: one bathtowel and one hand towel for two people, no remote in the room to watch what little television we do on trips ("We don't have enough remotes for every room to have one"), no hair drier in room ("We only have so many, so I'll check to see if we have one you can use" - they did). There was one major and I believe potentially dangerous aspect to the Travelodge's policies and "service" - the lack of a phone in the room. Not only does this mean you cannot contact the front desk for anything you need, then having to go down to the lobby for every question or request, but, as a physician, I have a deeper concern. What if there were an emergency? How does a customer get emergency help? In certain conditions, such as a heart attack, a stroke, or hitting one's head on the shower wall, minutes matter regarding treatment. Especially for the size of the hotel/hostel, several minutes would go by before help could even be summoned.
Lawrence J. Hergott in Denver, Co USA 08/18/2010
Hallstatt Austria no longer has bike rentals. The Post and the Hotel Gruner Baum listed in Best of Europe 2010 stopped renting bikes "a long time ago" according to one employee.
Kathy Hoffman in Alpharetta, GA USA 08/15/2010
Hi Steve, I was a tour director in europe and I love your books, as they are so informative!! was just wondering if you should mention that ATM's are not called ATM"s in europe ? my italian friend ,who visited here and was used to the word Bancomat, did not know ATM was our American word for it, you see , that could work in the reverse too. Thanks.
Emmy Sweda in Lombard, IL USA 07/08/2010
In Lauterbrunnen, the Coop grocery store has moved. It is now located next to the Bank Elki(?) on the street behind the train station.
Joe Hansen in Cape Coral, FL USA 07/05/2010
Best of Europe 2010, page 616 states that the Eurorail pass is not good in the Czech Republic. I do not believe that this is correct.
David Hancock in Fallbrook, CA USA 03/21/2010
Rate updates (our trip is planned for Oct 2010 and we did mention your book when making reservations) Hotel du champ de mars in Paris Db 98 euro Bkf 8 euro Hotel Plaza Mayor in Madrid Db 110 euro
Rebecca in Sacramento, CA USA 01/12/2010
Vienna: Tram 1&2 no longer make a circular route around the ring road. You have to change over if you want to make the complete circle without heading out of town. There is a seperate Ringroad tram for tourists, but it is not covered by a city transit pass. Schnell and Sauber Waschcenter in Berlin is closed. There is a new laundrette further up the street. Vernazza does have a laundrette. It's behind the internet place. Long walk from the bus stop to the Catacombs of San Callisto in Rome.
Kristen in Gail, TX USA 08/22/2009
Yes. Hello. I recently returned from Rome, where I used BEST OF EUROPE 2008. Excellent book. I have 3 suggestions/questions/comments. First, you might consider adding as an important site the chuch San Giovanni Laterno. (I probably have the spelling on Laterno wrong). My understanding (based on discussions with guides and looking at other guide books) is that it is the most important church in Rome from a historical perspective.
Second, what would be the best "site" to learn more about acqueducts? The importance of the abundance of water to ancient Rome is overwhelming, but is there a tangible site (historical ruins or modern day engineering) that could represent this?
My third comment is more administrative - the Borghese Gallery website would not let me make a reservation independent of buying a ticket. As you poiint out in your book, transportation to the Borghese is not so easy, and I did not want to pay for a ticket at a particular time and then arrive too late to use it. So the Borheses reservation web system did not seem to work at all for me. Plus there were so few people there when I arrived that a reservation was not needed. (I was there about July 5).
Keep up the good work with you books, and if there is any way I can contribute to your organization or become involved in it, I could be interested.
Vicki Zenner
Vicki Zenner in Springfield, VA USA 07/27/2009
The ferry leaving Sorrento for Capri is 7:45 a.m. and not 8:00 as printed. We were lucky enough to catch this ferry and it left on time!!
Perhaps a sentence to say "rather quit breakfast in Sorrento and catch one of the very early busses to Amalfi and have breakfast there". Busses are empty and we went with locals who were going to work!
Joy Decomarmond in Tampa, FL USA 07/02/2009
The Prado no longer offers free admission on Sundays. It is still free on Sunday 2 hours before closing though. Nobody in the ticket line and on the train ride into Madrid seemed aware of this change. Also, the Puerta del Sol was completely covered up and under extensive renovation when we were there.
David Feng in Berkeley, CA USA 06/14/2009
We have the 2009 Best of Europe book and are trying to book museums in Florence, Italy. According to the guidebook you can book online via: "Florence Museums' official website,www.pierreci.it".
However, a through search of this website did not turn up any reservation pages for Florence museums (there were a bunch of museums listed for Rome/Naples though).
Rick's website lists the offical website for Florence museums as: www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/Uffizi
This seems to be correct. Please make correction in next release of book.
Thanks!
Michael Chung in Portland, OR USA 06/11/2009
From the Nice, France, airport to Cannes (Antibes, Cagnes Sur Mer, Juan-les-Pins, etc.) bus #200 is available ONLY from Terminal 1, NOT from both terminals. Plus, if you have a lot of luggage you might want to consider getting the shuttle to the Nice main train station (Nice Ville) and taking the train to your destination.
Bart Brady Ciampa in Vancouver, WA USA 05/11/2009
We ate at the Barsalon Tapas Bar in Brugge recommended in your Best of Europe; while the food was good, the menu and servings seem to have changed drastically from what is described in your 2009 book. You may want to revisit the restaurant for an update of the description.
Bob Kuning in Albuquerque, NM USA 04/08/2009
We had some trouble in Vienna. Tram 2 does not stay on the Ring -- it goes across the Danube Canal to Friedrich Engels Platz. We had to take Tram 31 to get back to the ring. The detour added an hour or so.
Michele Smith in Burlington, MA USA 04/06/2009
I tried to book the Pension Corvinus in Vienna and was quoted 109 e for the Db and 17e for parking, Both signifigantly higher than your book. I thought these guys had a pledge to give your prices or they were dropped from the book next year??
Barb Evans in Lindsay, ON Canada 02/14/2009
The restaurant section on London (on pgs. 629 and 633) lists one restaurant that appears to be closed: Soho Spice Indian restaurant is not in the location indicated in the book.
CW in The Hague, Netherlands 02/02/2009