Rick Steves' France 2003 (Paperback)

by Rick Steves (Author) "Paris offers sweeping boulevards, sleepy parks, world-class art galleries, chatty crepe stands, Napoleon's body, sleek shopping malls, the Eiffel Tower, and people-watching from outdoor cafes..." (more)
Key Phrases: rooms into three categories, hotel rating system, regional sights, Eiffel Tower, Les Baux, Middle Ages (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Today's tourists are as likely to be toting Rick Steves as Giorgio Armani, tasting the good life without burning through the Kids' college fund. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Rick Steves doesn't just list where to travel in Europe, he leads travelers through the "Back Door," and reveals how to give every journey an extra, more authentic dimension. He shows travelers how to delve into European culture, make friends with the locals, and experience each region's natural wonders -- economically and hassle free. Rick Steves' France 2003 covers Paris, Normandy, the Loire Valley, Burgundy, Alsace, Dordogne, the Alps, Languedoc, and Provence. "It's Rick Steves again, that one-man Euro-dynamo." -- Chicago Tribune

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Product Details

• Paperback: 335 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; Revised edition (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566914639
• ISBN-13: 978-1566914635
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,327,751 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Won't be taking this book with me, January 5, 2003

By A Customer

The descriptions in this books are very good and he makes many good recommendations for sites, hotels, and restaurants. However, I think this book left out a lot of wonderful destinations (such as Fontainebleau, Aix-en-Provence, Dijon, etc.) and lacks the detailed maps that can be found in other French guidebooks. What he does put in this book is very good, but he could have added a lot more to it. I was less pleased with this guidebook than I have been with some of Rick Steves' other books.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Carbon-Copy of the 2002 book for more $$$, June 6, 2003

By A Customer

I was surprised how little new content there was. I returned the book and took mine from last year (2002) and still discovered all new things in its suggestions. Don't waste the money on the latest when it's not the greatest. 2003 and 2002 are created equal. Whoever decided to put out a new book each year so we'd get rid of the old and get the new one is CRAZY! I understand updates every few years, but there was not enough difference to spend $... on.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb for first-time travellers...., January 18, 2003

By	Mr. D. S. Stadler (London, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I haven't seen the 2003 edition (my latest is 2001) but I would be shocked if Steves has cut Dijon out of the book, as it was in previous editions. This is a great starting point for a trip to France, but it's predecessor was a book about the best 2-22 days in France and I think it shows.

A marked problem with the Steves guides is that his guided tours businesses tend to fill up his top-rated hotels in many cities so that guidebook customers cannot get in. I encountered this myself in Bacharach in the Rhineland and in Venice. Frustrating.

That said, he is an excellent writer and the Rick Steves guides, unlike the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide series, do tend to discriminate between the top-flight and the ordinary. Unfortunately the Steves guides also miss things that way. I've never been able to understand why Rothenburg is in the German guide instead of any number of other German cities such as Bamberg or Schwabisch Hall for example, which possess similar ambiance without the touristic hordes. Nor do I necessarily agree with his choices in the Dordogne.

I use the Steves Guides as a starting point, then branch out and do my own research.