Customer Reviews

Rick Steves' 2001 Scandinavia (Rick Steves' Scandinavia, 2001)

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

 

 

Rick Steves' Scandinavia 2000 was a very amusing and extremely helpful initial guide for our first trip to Sweden and Denmark. For first time travelers to Scandinavia, this book is great for pointing out the "must-see" sights. The delightful short descriptions of historic sights and his rating system for sights to see is extremely helpful for those on a limited schedule who want the short and skinney on a town's character and flavor.

We used this book primarily for the rating system on what to see and what to skip, but we also were able to check out some restaurants he recommended, and were pleasantly surprised. For those who want more luxurious accomodations, this book is not for you, as it is aimed at exploring Europe on a budget. We did take along another guidebook which supplemented this one, which was more indepth, had better maps (i.e. more detailed, not hand-drawn) and detailed suggested walking tours, however, they did not have the suggestions that were in Rick Steves book about Tourist Information centers (an absolute must when traveling in Europe for detailed maps, city discount cards, etc.), which we found invaluable.

We initially borrowed his 1999 book version from the library and enjoyed it so much, we bought his 2000 version. The 2000 version does not differ really from the 1999 version, but we strongly suggest that you take this guide with you when traveling in Scandinavia as there are a dearth of good guidebooks on this region.

We used this book in Finland, Sweden and Estonia. The Estonia section covered only Talinn, but the self-guided tour hit all the highlights and lets you do Talinn in one morning & afternoon. Sections on the ferries between Stockholm and Helsinki and between Helsinki and Talinn were well done and accurate. However, I would recommend the Silja line over Viking, and also, the cruise to Talinn instead of the catamarans from Helsinki. The cruises are cheaper and sometimes have an overnight in Talinn harbor, which was great fun for us. I would like to see Rick Steves write a more detailed Helsinki chapter, as we spent several days there and found his coverage a little too light. By contrast, his coverage of Sweden was superb.

I live in Sweden and have done a fair amount of traveling around the region. I own several of Rick's books, including his UK book which was quite good for our trip there last month. However, this book is second rate in content and quality.

The book is very thin and leaves out both very significant places and essential details about the places it covers. Scandinavia is fabulous, but this book won't get you too far. Unfortunately I haven't found one that will. ....

The quality of the book is horrible. I was chasing pages down the streets of Tallinn cursing Rick's name two days ago. A tour book should be able to hold together. Carrying it around is really the point, right?

Although I've found several of the Rick Steve's books great, this one is not. I'm staying in Stockholm for four months and the book simply does not cover many things in Sweden. There's very little mention of the archipelago around Stockholm. The treatment of the Stockholm museums is equally weak. I think Sweden desreves a book of it's own -- not folded into a Norway, Sweden, Denmark book where none get the attention they deserve. I have the Rick Steve's Scotland book. That's an example of the treatment Sweden should get. In the particular treatment of Stockholm, I wonder if Steve (or his staff) wrote it from the view of a person taking a boat here and having only a day or two. Beyond a few days, the "Stockholm" portion of the book is worthless.

Great book. Concise. Easily understandable and useful. Wonderful tips for any travel in the back of the book. Recommendations for hotels very helpful. Rated this highly due to practical tips and money saving that ensued.

The best reccommendation he made in Copenhagen was Richard Karpen's walking tours of Copenhagen. Richard is a transplanted New Yorker. He does 4 different tours of Copenhagen (we wound up going on 3 of the 4). Each tour was about 2 to 2 and a half hours. We met him outside the Tourist Office near Tivoli near the HARD ROCK CAFE. The walking was fun, the sights and insights were excellent and the price was right ($6.00pp) When we called Richard to get the details he promptly returned our phone call. Reservations are not necessary.