Customer Reviews

Mona Winks: Self-Guided Tours of Europe's Top Museums (3rd ed)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was useful to get the overview of what museums are the most well-known, and the information as to location and opening hours was useful. Beyond that, I can't recommend this book for anyone with a college education and an interest in art. I went to europe with no background in art history, and found the taped headsets in the Louvre and other museums (Musee D'Orsay, the Uffizi, Vatican museum) to be so much more informative, without any technical language or tedious narrative. I would recommend that you save your money to buy a book on the artist(s) or period that most takes you fancy after visiting the museums!

The great thing about this book (and Rick Steves' other books) is that he views Europe as most of us do--not as an expert or an authority, but as an explorer. This book helps you to get to the "good stuff" at these huge museums, so you can spend a couple of hours there, and then get outside and enjoy other sights. It was especially helpful in Paris where you get tours of the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Notre Dame, Versailles and others. You'll also notice a number of other travellers with the same book, laughing at the same observations you will be. Enjoy!

Rick Steves takes the vast museums of Euope and tells you how to navigate them to see the good things and not waste time on the mediocre. The book is a joy to read. My wife and I tear out the sections covering the museums we are visiting so we do not have to carry the entire volume. This is a very entertaining book. -- FJD

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who is planning to go to the 'big' museums in Europe and doesn't know a lot about art. My husband and I used the section on St Peter's Cathedral and had an absolute hoot!! Not only did we enjoy Rick's writing style, but we felt like we had a friend along to point out the highlights and give us a sense of what we were looking at. We've already planned our next trip to Paris around the sections on the Louve, Versailles, and Musee d'Orsay. Buy this book!!! Last note -- I know he recommends you pass over the chapters to other as you leave the museum but I just couldn't bring myself to do it -- found myself keeping them so I can pass on to friends for their visits.

I met some girls in Rome who had this book and wound up traveling around Europe with them for awhile and I swear it was partly because they had this book. No other travel guide will give you quite the insight this book will. You can't look at every piece of art in every museum and have it be meaningful, but this book will show and tell you the best stuff to see and give you a few laughs along the way. Get it!

This book opened my eyes to many of Europe's treasures. I backpacked for 2 months through Europe last summer, and found this book to be one of the best things I brought along. Rick gives a thoughtful, entertaining description of the best works of art in Europe's top museums. As I never took an art history class, this book gave much more meaning to my museum visits. Rick's explanations and descriptions are so personal, it was like having a good friend take me on a tour of the museum. Additionally, to lighten my backpack load as I went along and to make new friends, I'd rip out each museum's chapter on my way out the door and give it to an english-speaking person on their way in. If you don't know much about art and plan on seeing Europe's great art musuems, don't leave without this book.

If, like me, you love travel but do not know very much about art or history and want to make the most of your time in Europe, this book is a must. I found it very useful - I used it in conjunction with Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw's other book "Europe 101" and found the combination to be great. I would certainly recommend "Mona Winks" to anyone going to Europe - my copy is certainly very dog-earred!!!

If you're on a limited time schedule while traveling in Europe - I highly recommend Rick Steves; and this book, done with Gene Openshaw, was one of the most helpful. Take his advice and clip out only the museums you are going to. We did the British Museum and the National Gallery in London. If you follow his maps and instructions you will spend a very productive few hours. His comments are, as per his usual, very honest, very opinionated and very irreverent (i.e., regarding Van Eyck's THE ARNOLFINI MARRIAGE he says: "What strikes us first is the bride who looks like she's about to give birth to a floorlamp"). Serious art scholars may not have much use for this book - but for the rest of us who LOVE art, but need some help - Mona Winks has the history we want