Rick Steves' Russia & the Baltics (Rick Steves' Russia and the Baltics) [Paperback]

Rick Steves (Author), Ian Watson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rick Steves' Russia and the Baltics | Publication Date: January 1998

Because they are the most predictable and best targets for visitors on a first trip to Russia, Steves focuses on the pleasures to be found in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia; Vilnius, Lithuania; Tallinn, Estonia; and Riga, Latvia. For those intrigued by the area, 1998 affords a great time to travel to this fascinating destination. 15 maps .

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Pub (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562613898
• ISBN-13: 978-1562613891
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #878,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rick is Better on PBS., December 16, 2001

By 

"vw73181" (NORTH BARRINGTON, ILLINOIS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rick Steves' Russia & the Baltics (Rick Steves' Russia and the Baltics) (Paperback)

We felt like we wasted our money on this guide. The authors tried to cover too much ground in one book -- in doing so, the reader is left with a feeling that the info is incomplete and inadequate. We did not visit Latvia or Lithania, but we did see some of Moscow and St. Petersburg before taking the Finnish Sibelius train to Helsinki. We also visited Tallinn, Estonia by Silja's wonderful "Super Seacat IV" ferry. (The two of us traveled on our own -- avoiding the tour groups.) Russia/Finland/Estonia is a wonderful trip to for younger and older adults (leave the small kids at home). The title of the book is somewhat misleading, as the authors focus on and cram Helsinki, Tallinn, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vilnius, and Riga into 138 pages. Page 42, "Eating in Helsinki" only received 2/3 of a page (five short paragraphs). The chapter on Tallinn, Estonia is only 15 pages and is sadly incomplete -- as we walked around Tallinn, we wondered if Rick Steves had actually ever visited Estonia.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars ..., its an utter waste of money., May 4, 2000

By 

WP (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rick Steves' Russia & the Baltics (Rick Steves' Russia and the Baltics) (Paperback)

Simply stated, this book borders on useless. If you buy this book and are planning to go to the Baltics, I hope you only want to see the capital cities. There is no mention of the beautiful seaside resort towns, eco-tourism spots which are very popular there, or even the major cities other than Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn. Similarly, with Russia, don't plan on learning any useful info beyond what's written on Moscow & St. Petes. Even the info which *is* presented is so minimalistic that you it would not aide anyone. Advice such as "ask a native speaker to help you get a taxi" isnt exactly helpful, is it? No, and neither are the handdrawn maps. One saving grace with this book: it has good bus information (but the most recent info given is for 1997!). Want a good guide on the Baltics? Check out the "Lonely Planet" guide for this region, which I would give at least 4 out of 5 stars. I hope Amazon lets me "return" Rick Steve's book.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise and perfect, November 6, 1998

By 

Ashley Morris "Professor, man of letters" (New Orleans) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rick Steves' Russia & the Baltics (Rick Steves' Russia and the Baltics) (Paperback)

This book covers the gateway that you'll probably use (in my case Helsinki), the cities you'll probably go to (Moscow and St. Petersburg), and the Baltics. Steves separated the wheat from the chaff, and this tiny guide was all I needed for 2 weeks in Russia and the Baltics. Others may be bigger, but they will have you working overtime to determine where to go, and what to do. This tiny little guide covered everything needed for the independent traveler. The only thing I have to criticize is: whenever possible use trains, not buses.