Rick Steves' Germany 2012 [Paperback]

Rick Steves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2012 | Series: Rick Steves

You can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling in Germany.

This guidebook takes you from fairy-tale castles, alpine forests, and quaint villages to the energetic Germany of today. Get the details on cruising the romantic Rhine or summiting the Zugspitze. Have a relaxing soak at a Black Forest mineral spa or take an exhilarating summer bobsled ride in the Bavarian Alps. Flash back to Berlin’s turbulent past at Checkpoint Charlie; then celebrate the rebirth of Dresden and its glorious Frauenkirche.

Rick’s candid, humorous advice will guide you to good-value hotels and restaurants. He’ll help you plan where to go and what to see, depending on the length of your trip. You’ll learn which sights are worth your time and money, and how to get around Germany by train, bus, car—and even boat. More than just reviews and directions, a Rick Steves guidebook is a tour guide in your pocket.

Product Details

• Paperback: 912 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 2012 Edition edition (January 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598809881
• ISBN-13: 978-1598809886
• Product Dimensions: 4.6 x 1 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Travel > Europe > Germany

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Abbreviated and Opinionated Guide April 16, 2012

By Nononsense

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is not a comprehensive guide to Germany, but in typical Rick Steves fashion is his opinionated guide to what an typical American traveler would find interesting. This is his mode of operation for all his guides and he has years of experience of taking tourists to Europe to be a good judge of what Americans enjoy. All his guides provide the details for touring on your own, with a wealth of details on sights, transportation, accommodations, restaurants. The Germany guide is one of his weakest, since it ignores large areas of the country including most of the north as well as Heidelberg, which he writes off as too touristy. Nevertheless, for those travelers seeking an introduction to the country will find more than enough information for a very pleasant and enlightening trip to the highlights of Germany. Those with a real sense of German culture, history, and a grasp of the language can find other more comprehensive guides; they are not the target of his book. If you are on a first or second trip to Germany and want the details of where the train station is, and what the interesting sights are and what to skip, and guidance on where to spend your time--this is your guide.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars What's in it is very good, but it omits or undervalues some important sites June 15, 2012

By Mssr. Nomdeplume

Format:Paperback

"Rick Steves' Germany 2012" is kind of like a greatest hits album of your favorite band--yes, it has the best things in it, but it's going to leave out some of the less-popular ones, some of which may be your personal favorites. Steves makes it clear that he is aiming at just the highlights of this beautiful country. On page 842 Steves recommends other maps and guides such as Lonely Planet's Guide to Germany if you feel like you need more thorough details, which is honest and helpful. What IS in his guide, however, is terrific--thorough enough, accurate, and succinct--accurate maps, a nice blend of small B&W photos, the great self-guided walking tours, a minimum of hotel and restaurant recommendations to meet your needs, a (3-triangle) rating system for helping readers evaluate which sights are the most important to see when time is limited, train and bus routes and connections, driving instructions and tips, general information on how to negotiate the phone system, the language, German food and culture, prices and business hours of landmarks and attractions, on, and on, and on. I also like that he included Salzburg as a side trip, which is natural and we planned to do it anyways. There is something in this book for everyone, including those people who want to be physically active in the outdoors, those who just want to be entertained, those who are traveling with chldren, and those brainy ones who want to learn and understand more about the German people, their history, and their culture. And it's written in Steves' gentle, humorous, and often ironic narrative voice. If you're younger and an information junkie, then get the Lonely Planet tome. If you just want info and no photos, get Frommer's. If you need lots of color photos to inspire you but sparse information, get the DK Eyewitness Guide to Germany. If you just want maps to get you from point A to B with no BS, then get Michelin maps and a GPS. Know what YOU want and need. But this guide has a LOT in it, and it's certainly enough to satisfy the first timers with general interests. Being satisfied with a product means you understand its intended target audience and its limitations. That being said, here is an excerpt from page 481:
"Lowlights. Heidelberg--this famous old university town attracts hordes of Americans. Any surviving charm is stained almost beyond recognition by commercialism. It doesn't make it into Germany's top three weeks. Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Rudesheim--These towns are all too big or too famous. Theyr'e not worth your time. Mainz's Guttenberg Museum is also a disappointment." He leaves out towns because they're "too famous"? The Guttenberg Museum that shows us where the modern information age began and made reading accessible to everyone on earth is "a disappointment"? WTF? Speyer with its phenomenal 1000-year-old Romanesque cathedral is also omitted from the guide, as is the one in Worms. Herrenchiemsee, one of the most beautiful sights in the whole country, is similarly absent. I understand his intention to steer the reader toward the best value for the time and money, but I wish he would cover a few more of these historic sites and wonders of beauty and let us make up our own minds about them. Also, take the rating system for evaluating the worth of sites with a grain of salt; they're aimed at a general public with average taste. Neuschwanstein Castle, for example, with its gaudy displays of colors and shiny objects is given 3 stars, certainly qualifies as "too famous" and is overcrowded with tourists, but the well-preserved Roman Amphitheater in Trier, which should appeal to anyone who's the least bit interested in history, doesn't get a single star.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Worthless June 1, 2012

By BrdrCllie

Format:Kindle Edition

I picked it up in a bookstore to find additional information on Munich.
I lived in Germany for 3 years and know it pretty well. 50% of places that are worth visiting for their cultural and historical value are described in this book as "not worth your time". One of these places is Heidelberg.
I don't know what IS worth anybody's time if Heidelberg isn't.
I don't think the author did much research on this town (and this is indicative of the rest of the book).
He describes it as a town that "attracts hoards of American tourists" - it is true that there are many Americans there but this is largely due to a US base stationed in the town.
If you want to take "back roads" and boast that you avoided all the tourists - this is the book for you. With the tourists, however, you will be avoiding some of the most beautiful sights in Germany.