Customer Reviews

Rick Steves' Scandinavia 2003

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I just returned from a two-week adventure in Scandinavia, where I hung out in Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. I had a great time seeing the places where my predecessors came from, and I can attribute much of my trip's success to the "Rick Steves' Scandinavia 2005" guidebook. Mr. Steves has created an excellent and portable all-in-one travel resource for this region. It's well organized, and compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket for consultation on the fly. But most importantly, his hotel, transportation, and attraction recommendations fit my traveling desires and saved me time and money.

For example, finding a decent place to stay in a strange country can be daunting, but Mr. Steves' picks came through every time. His three-tiered rating system based on pricing helped me zero in on optimal accommodations: high (fancier hotels), moderate (nice, but no frills), and low priced (hostels and private homes). I stuck to the moderate level, and the book led me to a good night's sleep in each city. The City Hotel and Rainbow Hotel Astoria in Oslo, Hotel Jorgensen in Copenhagen, and Queen's Hotel in Stockholm were all great for a thirtysomething solo traveler on a budget. They had helpful staff, good breakfasts included with the room, and locations close to transportation centers and attractions.

Getting around Scandinavia was made easier by the hints in "Scandinavia 2005." Taking the night cruise from Oslo to Copenhagen got me on a cruise ship for the first time, and watching the shore slip by while enjoying a nice wine and cigar was sweet. I also took Mr. Steves' advice and reserved a couchette on a night train from Copenhagen to Stockholm (a bit crowded with five other people in the cabin, but efficient nontheless). Both methods enabled me to combine travel with sleep to maximize time and kroner savings. And his admonition to rely on walking and bicycling to intimately experience the cities was smart, especially since I lost seven pounds while seeing the sights!

Finally, Mr. Steves' ratings on things to see and do helped me dive into my Nordic roots. He uses a zero to three triangle rating system (three triangles = don't miss; two triangles = try hard to see; one triangle = worthwhile if you can make it; no triangle = worth knowing about). Based on his recommendations, I experienced cool sights like the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Christiania in Copenhagen, and the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. Simple hand-drawn maps helped me navigate the cities and easily find these attractions (along with the accommodations listed above). And the additional information he provided enabled me to prioritize my sightseeing based on distance, operating hours, and price.

Of course, no guidebook is perfect because the information is static and recommendations are based on opinion. Admission prices rise, museums change their exhibits, and a "don't miss" attraction ends up being a bust (like the three-triangle Nordic Museum in Stockholm, mainly because Swedish fabrics and dinner settings aren't my thing). But having the "Rick Steves' Scandinavia 2005" guidebook really helped me to achieve an outstanding travel experience I'll never forget. For that, he gets my highest endorsement.

While I usually love Rick Steves' books, won't leave home without one, and take nothing else, this book was a disappointment. The directions were very poor so we got lost even on his orientation walks (not generally a time you need a real city map). The accomodations listings were wanting. Though it said you could assume breakfast was included and credit cards were accepted unless otherwise mentioned, this never worked. We found no breakfasts at places that he didn't specifically describe them, and the places in Denmark he listed as taking credit cards only accepted Danish cc's. We found better meals for better prices than he recommended with very minimal effort. Scandanavia is so expensive that saving money (the primary RS claim) is critical, but not easy following this book's suggestions. This guide was so far below the normal RS standard, we were left wondering if RS actually had anything to do with it or if he has bitten off more than he can chew during his success and passed it off to less consciencous minions. The book was helpful on narrowing down what to see, so I would recommend checking it out; just don't rely on it exclusively.

I am a fan of Rick Steves' guidebooks (and television travelogues), and used this guide extensively on a recent Scandinavian vacation. During the course of the trip I visited Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, and loved them all for different reasons. Steves gives generally good overviews of all three countries (I didn't visit Finland, so I can't pass judgment on that), although I found the book not quite up to his normal standard.

The book has excellent ideas for walks and tours, and his proposed itineraries are fairly easy to adapt to individual interests. I didn't use his hotel recommendations, and his restaurant recommendations were a bit hit and miss as well, although in the larger cities and towns there are quite a variety of eateries available, and I never had any difficulty finding decent food.

I know that no guidebook can be utterly complete, but there were several omissions I found peculiar. For instance, Malmo is a wonderful city in southern Sweden, and is an easy and quick train trip from Copenhagen now that the Oresund bridge is complete. Despite discussion of several even more off-the-beaten path destinations, Malmo is not discussed in the book (except for a three sentence acknowledgement of its existence on p.107), despite it's convenience and charm. These things aren't a huge deal separately, but there are several examples of oversights in this guide.

My biggest annoyance with this book concerned the maps: there are several maps in the guide, and while they are adequate for general itinerary planning, they are definitely not adequate for navigating on the ground. This is especially true of the maps of Copenhagen: it's an old city, and you definitely need a better map than Steves', or you positively will get lost.

On the positive side, the sights that Steves recommends are generally spot on. From a base near the Radhuspladsen (adjacent to Tivoli gardens and the central train station), exploring the city using the guide (and a better map) was a pleasure. I appreciated his commentary on Kongens Nytorv (although it was ghastly hot inside), the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, and of course beautiful Nyhavn (watch out for pickpockets). His writeups of these and many other places made planning and touring much easier, and really helped me formulate the sights I truly wanted to see. I likewise found his details relevant and very helpful for Norway, where most of my time was spent in Bergen (bring a raincoat and don't miss the floibanen to the top of Mount Floyen).

This is a good book, and I recommend it without reservation. While I don't think it's one of Steves' best, it is extremely readable and excellent for designing your itinerary. If used in conjunction with better maps (especially in Copenhagen), it will get you where you want to go.

Really good book! I took it on my 2 week trip through Denmark, Sweden and Norway this past summer. Although I didn't follow the trip that Steve lays out exactly- this book was nonetheless irrepaceable.
Highlights:
Mountain biking in Flam, Norway
The island of Aero- Denmark
Copenhagen tour, places to eat, etc.
I would definitely recommend this for the traveler who doesn't want to spend a lot of money on the trip, but when they do, they want to make sure it's worth it. This book does a great job with very good write ups about all aspects of a city.

For my 20-day trip to Sweden and Denmark, I picked up several travel books (Lonely Planet Denmark and Scandinavia, Fodor's Scandinavia, Michelin the Green Guide Scandinavia Finland, Rick Steves' Scandinavia 2003 by Rick Steves, and Frommer's Scandinavia). Out of all of these books, the most consistent and most accurate are Michelin and Lonely Plant books.

I tried hotels recommended by Frommer and Fodor and was very disappointed (mind you, these had stars next to the write-ups). I tried one restaurant recommended by Frommer (w/ a star) and got sick afterwards. Silly me, I tired another (w/ a star) to give another chance and the meal was very mediocre. Same deal with Fodor. Where as Lonely Planet just gave facts about hotels and was very pleased with how things turned out. Hotels and meals matched the expectation that the book gave, so no unpleasant surprises.

I used the Lonely Planet Denmark book so much during the trip, I brought the Lonely Planet Scandinavia book in Denmark.... even though it was $...! It was well worth $....

As for Rick Steves, obviously, he only highlighted what he liked. There were some places that I loved in Sweden and Denmark that he suggest to skip.

For my next trip, I'm only buying Lonely Planet and Michelin books.

This book was very helpful in putting together basic itineraries for the Scandinavian countries. However the Lonely Planet book was more complete, and the maps are FAR superior. I actually needed both of them to "guide me" through this area. Sometimes, the Steves' guide provided me information that I could not find in the Lonely Planet guide and vice versa.

I found Rick Steves book very useful. We used it on our trip to Norway. Especially with directions to and fromplaces. The prices were very close and he had a lot of places to do and visit. We saw 2 other couples using this book as well.

Though well-written and engaging, the 2010 version of this book is very narrow in its scope. In Sweden, for example, it only addresses Stockholm, its nearby archipelago, and parts of Southeast Sweden. It ignores the rest of the country, including historic Dalarna, the beautiful and popular west coast, and the scenic island Gotland. Most of the restaurant recommendations consist of very mediocre tourist traps (pizza bars, Irish-style pubs, etc.).

In Norway, it focuses almost exclusively on Oslo, Bergen, Starvanger, and one fjord--while ignoring the other fjords, stunning mountain areas, and other major areas of interest.

If you're looking for a book with limited scope to just the largest cities and one or two other options, this book can be very helpful, including many practical suggestions and recommendations on how to travel economically. If, however, you're looking to get off the beaten path and experience finer Scandinavian cuisine and culture, you're better off with Frommers, Lonely Planet, and/or a Michelin restaurant guide.

We used this book in Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Tallinn instead of booking an expensive shore excursion on our Baltic cruise. Excellent tips and walking tours. We saw and learned things the tour groups didn't cover. also great to find local post offices and internet cafes. We don't leave home without Rick Steve!!!

As always, Rick Steves has a lot of valuable and informative information about the subject. In this case he provides a great deal of useful and timely data for anyone planning a trip to Scandanavia. The guide also is a valuable travel tool to have and use while visiting Scandanavia. Specific information about accomodations , dining and sightseeing are always 'right on the money'. Thanks, Rick!