Customer Reviews

Rick Steves' Snapshot Scotland

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yes, yes; it's all great info and we all love Rick Steves. (Seriously. I've traveled to 13 European countries using Rick's guides and I use no other.) I bought 'Snapshot Scotland' along with Rick's 'Great Britain 2010' because I am considering a GB trip focusing on Scotland. But doggone it, 'Snapshot Scotland' contains precisely the same information as the Britain book. Like, exactly. Carbon copy. The back cover of 'Scotland' says, "This 208-page Snapshot guide is excerpted from 'Rick Steves' Great Britain 2010.'" *****But Rick/Amazon couldn't mention that in the 'Scotland' book description so that I didn't waste my money?***** I'm peeved about that.

No, I haven't traveled with it yet so I can't speak to this issue but in all my travels I've only had one bad experience with a B&B Rick recommended and it wasn't enough to cancel out all the truly insighful, wonderful, spot-on advice Rick gives. Those are pretty good odds. At the price of these guides you can't go wrong. I'm a big advocate of doing all your planning while you're sitting on your couch at home so you don't have to do it while you're burning up valuable travel dollars (time is money) sitting confused on a bench on vacation. Just buy it already. (Unless, of course, you already have GB 2010.)

This book was very light on information and not that helpful. As one reviewer said, it's right out of his Great Britain guide. I found Frommers much more helpful.

The only "snapshot" in this book is the picture of a sheep on the cover. The book is dense and wordy, with very little to jump out at you and tell you what is worth seeing. You will be guided right to the heavily touristed areas where you will pay a lot to rub shoulders with everyone else, but don't touch anything or take any pictures! That's not allowed in the castles this book takes you to. There is a whole other Scotland outside of this book and it's much more fun, vibrant, and FREE! If you went by this book, you wouldn't know that there are dozens of castles, free distillery tours, archeological ruins galore and more. As for practical information, this book is weighted down with phone numbers you don't need and tips that aren't accurate. For example, Steves indicates pricing for a B&B stay is usually around 30 pounds per night. That would have been nice, but it was more like 40-50 pounds PER PERSON. That took a big bite out of our budget since we thought 30 pounds was for the room, not the person. We got the 25 Scenic Drives in Scotland by Frommers book and they are like night and day. Get the Frommer's guide instead.

I won't know for sure until we actually GO to Scotland, but the information provided in the book is much more specific and seems more helpful than the other guide book I purchased.

I have used Rick's guides throughout Europe, this one seems to be light on specific information. I think I will have to buy another guide to supplement this one. I also was disappointed there isn't a foldout map.

Service from this vendor was quick and efficient and for the money I got a gread deal! I love Rick and know that anything he publishes is full of excellent info so the choice was a no-brainer. The vendor....well I am just glad this one had my product at an excellent price. Arrived in about 4 days in perfect condition.

Small size and jam-packed. It has been the primary resource used to plan my trip to Scotland and will be with me on the trip for ready reference. He covers all of the most needed info for the major cities and sections of the country -- what to see, where to eat, where to sleep, how to get there. It is written in an easy to follow, conversational style with enough maps and photos to give me a good idea of what to expect and how to maximize my time and money on the trip.