Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2005 [Paperback]

Rick Steves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2005 | Series: Rick Steves

Who but Rick Steves can tell you how to take the Do-It-Yourself Dresden Baroque Blitz Tour or the Short and Scenic Black Forest Joyride? With Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2005, travelers can experience Rick's favorite destinations in Munich, Bavaria, Baden-Baden, Rothenburg, Wü rzberg, Frankfurt, the Rhine Valley, Kö ln, Nü rnberg, Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, the Danube Valley, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Innsbruck, and Hall-economically and hassle-free. Completely revised and updated, Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2005 includes color maps and photos, opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights; friendly places to eat and sleep; suggested day plans; walking tours and trip itineraries; clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot; and Rick's newest "back door" discoveries. America's number one authority on travel to Europe, Rick's time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Germany and Austria have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique travel experience.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Steves preaches a low-cost, low-to-the-ground style that not only saves money, but gets you closer to the real Europe, the way Europeans experience it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 558 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing (January 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566916755
• ISBN-13: 978-1566916752
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,616,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably accurate with caveats, September 23, 2005

By 

R. Chwalek "riesling addict" (Tacoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2005 (Paperback)

Ricks book on Germany was, for the most part accurate and useful. I had booked my trip and planned my itinerary before I had purchased the book so I mainly utilized the dining, shopping, and points of interest information. Rick was dead on about skipping Mainz--I should have--but didn't and wasted 2 perfectly good days in Germany. However, I feel Rick was totally wrong about skipping Rudesheim, inasmuch as I had the best time partying with the natives in the beer gardens along the Drosselgasse, and the Asbach cognac factory tour and tasting was neat too. Combo gondola/chairlift/river boat ride package from Rudesheim to the Germania monument then to Assmannshausen to sample spatburgunder and back to Rudesheim for 9 euros was a bargain and great fun too. Rothenberg was more of a tourist trap than I imagined, but Rick's book got me some incredible discounts at the store he recommends. A very useful book to have, but not the only one I would use !

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very specific travel type, July 25, 2005

By 

Jennifer P (Gainesville, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2005 (Paperback)

This book is decent, has some good tips (like which places you can get tickets in advance, like Neuschwanstein). Only bought in because several coworkers recommended it...otherwise would've just bought a different one. It's great if your tastes match Mr Steves', but if not it won't do you too much good.

The first and worst assumption is that if you're going to Germany or Austria, you will of course be visiting the other. Another assumption is that you will not wish to use train very much at all...Europe is famous for having a thorough public transportation system, and not taking advantage of it seems to me like missing out on part of the experience of being in those countries.

The book does have its moments though, and gives very thorough information about each of the areas and activities it mentions. It's definitely worth a peek if you're not sure where you want to visit.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very uneven, but sometimes useful, January 3, 2006

By 

Yakfish (La Canada, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2005 (Paperback)

I agree with the other reviewers, who objected to Steves' dismissal of Rudesheim and Heidelberg. It's particularly arrogant of him to include nothing about them in the book. I visited both and enjoyed them, particularly Heidelberg, and I'm not a Disneyland/Hilton kind of traveler. He has some good nuggets of info. For example, we tried to get a room in Dresden on the spur of the moment, and the tourist office had nothing within 10km of town. But an agency listed in his book, renting private apartments a stone's throw from the Frauenkirche, had some very nice, reasonable units. That alone was worth the price of the book, but overall I think Steves is a little too sure that he knows the one and only right way to see Germany. Take another book with you, too.