Customer Reviews

Rick Steves' Europe All 80 Shows DVD Boxed Set 2000-2009

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What a great value! :) This guy's a nerd but you gotta love him! He gives a great in depth cultural and historical representation of each country he reviews! He's gotten less nerdy in his newer films and finally gotten rid of those HUGE glasses so that's good. Comparing the Rick Steves' Europe Box Set to the Rudy Maxa "Europe to the Max" box set, this one definitely wins because Rudy Maxa doesn't include Greece or Spain and this one is by far more thorough. If you don't care about Greece or Spain, you may want to see those as well for a less in depth tour. Although these are great and in depth at times it gets a little long winded. You'll get all 80 Rick Steves' Europe TV shows and specials on 12 DVDs with outtakes, interviews -- and a bonus 13th DVD with Rick's most popular lectures.

# Italy Cities 7 shows, 3½ hours * Venice: Serene, Decadent and Still Kicking * Venice Side-Trips: The Best of Veneto * Milan and Lake Como (WS) * Florence: City of Art * Caesar's Rome * Rome: Baroque, After Dark * Naples and Pompeii (WS)

# Italy's Countryside 6 shows, 3 hours * Cinque Terre: Italy's Hidden Riviera * Siena and Assisi * Tuscany's Dolce Vita (WS) * Italy's Great Hill Towns (WS) * Italy's Amalfi Coast (WS) * The Best of Sicily

# France 8 shows, 4 hours * Paris: Grand and Intimate * Highlights of Paris: Eiffel and Monet to Crème Brulée (WS) * Normandy: War-Torn Yet Full of Life (WS) * Provence: Legendary Light, Wind and Wine (WS) * French Riviera: Uniquely Chic (WS) * France's Alsace * Burgundy: Profoundly French (WS) * France's Dordogne (WS)

# Austria & the Alps 7 shows, 3½ hours * Vienna (WS) * Vienna and the Danube (WS) * Salzburg and Surroundings (WS) * Alps of Austria and Italy * Alps of France and Switzerland * The Best of the Alps: Switzerland's Jungfrau Region * Great Swiss Cities (WS)

# Germany, Benelux & More 7 shows, 3½ hours * Munich and the Foothills of the Alps (WS) * Germany's Romantic Rhine and Rothenburg (WS) * Germany's Black Forest and Cologne * Berlin: Resilient, Reunited and Reborn * Belgium: Bruges and Brussels (WS) * Amsterdam and Dutch Side-Trips * Little Europe: Five Micro-Countries (WS).

# Scandinavia 4 shows, 2 hours + bonus extras * Copenhagen (WS) * Denmark beyond Copenhagen (WS) * Oslo, Bergen and the Fjords * Stockholm and Helsinki * Bonus Interview * Outtakes * The Steves Kids in Europe

# Eastern Europe, Israel & Egypt 8 shows, 4 hours * Prague and the Czech Republic * Czech Republic Beyond Prague (WS) * Poland: Krakow, Auschwitz and Warsaw (WS) * Budapest: The Best of Hungary (WS) * Slovenia and Croatia * Surprising Bulgaria * Israel * Egypt

# England & Wales 8 shows, 4 hours * London: Mod and Trad (WS) * London: Royal and Rambunctious * Great Side Trips from London * Northwest England * South England: Dover to Land's End * Heart of England and South Wales * North Wales: Feisty and Poetic (WS) * England's Bath and York (WS)

# Ireland & Scotland 6 shows, 3 hours * Dublin (WS) * The Best of South Ireland (WS) * The Best of West Ireland (WS) * Belfast and the Best of Northern Ireland (WS) * Scotland's Islands and Highlands (WS) * Edinburgh (WS)

# Spain & Portugal 7 shows, 3½ hours * The Majesty of Madrid (WS) * Highlights of Castile: Toledo and Salamanca (WS) * Sevilla and Andalusia (WS) * Spain's Costa del Sol * Lisbon and the Algarve (WS) * Portugal's Heartland * Barcelona and Catalunya (WS)

# Greece & Turkey 7 shows, 3½ hours * Athens and Side Trips (WS) * Greece's Peloponnese (WS) * Greek Islands * Istanbul (WS) * West Turkey * Central Turkey * Eastern Turkey

# Travel Skills & Specials 4 shows + 2 specials, 4 hours * Travel Skills Special, Parts I, II & III (3 shows) * Rick Steves' Europe: The Making Of (WS) * Rick Steves' Iran Special (WS) * Rick Steves' European Christmas Special (WS)

# Rick Steves' Lectures & Tour Experience This bonus DVD (not from the TV series) includes Rick's popular European Travel Skills and Travel as a Political Act lectures -- plus a trip across Europe with a Rick Steves tour group.

I love Europe. And these DVDs are just the fix I need in between visits. Besides making the wait easier for "Europhiles" this dvd set is also great for first time visitors to acquaint them with the different countries and give them valuable information that will save them time, money, and hassle on their trip. Rick's narrative is outstanding. He is enthusiastic, but not overly "perky" (like some of the travel guides out there). He also gives you just the right amount of history and art history, just enough so you know what you're looking at but not enough to lose your interest if you are not a history buff. Rick also comes across as the type of tourist I aspire to be - respected by the Europeans and enlightened, NOT the stereotypical tourist lugging huge bags, visiting every tourist trap imaginable, and ignoring every etiquette. Rick shows you the important sights, but he shows you the REAL Europe, not the one "manufactured for tourists". The camera work is excellent, and Rick visits many of the places you'd want to go and sights within those destinations. There is no better travel companion. This dvd set also features areas outside of Europe such as Iran, Egypt, Israel, and a day trip to Morocco, if you want something more exotic. There are also two of Rick's lectures, one on travel tips and one on travel as a political act. Both are outstanding. I can't get enough of these dvds. I watch them over and over again, never getting tired of them. Rick is truly a pleasure to "travel" with (through watching his shows) and these dvds are truly inspiring for planning your trip. You'll know what your "must see" destinations are after watching these, and you'll have the will power to save up and visit them! And if it's a place you won't get to, instead of wondering what you're missing you'll at least have a great introduction to the place (maybe next time!). I can't recommend these dvds enough. If I could only keep one dvd or dvd set in my collection it would be this one. If you want a small sample of what his shows are like check out Rick Steves' Europe video podcast on iTunes (make sure it's the video one). They are actually very abbreviated clips from his shows (and free!)

My only criticism is that there wasn't more. He spent many hours on Italy, for example, but I could have easily watched three times as much.

He did an outstanding, professional job, yet I felt he gave a good, personal touch, talking directly to me and not giving me a lecture.

I have loved Rick Steves travel books for years & was first introduced to his tv show via a free dvd of his Iran tour. It was so interesting that when I first saw this set, I knew I was destined to have it. Fortunately it went on sale & I was able to justify buying it. These are the programs that were shown on PBS. Rick Steves style is charismatic, very easygoing, he makes you want to tour with him. After watching some of these shows I want to travel even more than I did, as I have only been to one European country. This set is great for an armchair traveler, or any serious traveler. Just delightful. Get it!

Rick Steves has done a very commendable job producing these DVD's. The ones I've seen have met my every expectation. The camera work and production quality are excellent. I am 80 yrs. old with travel limitations. These DVD's will afford me the "virtual opportunity" to visit parts of Europe this winter in the comfort of my home that I otherwise would find impossible. Summing up, a very cost-effective investment!

Rick Steves does an amazing job of transporting you to the various countries in Europe from your arm chair in your own living room. In Rick Steves' Europe All 80 Shows DVD Boxed Set 1000-2009, he covers the food, costumes, brief history, customs, traditions, scenery, and major places to see. He is informative, entertaining, and fun. I highly recommend this product.

I had never seen Rick Steves' shows, only snippets downloaded as podcasts so purchasing the whole set was the only way I could see more of his travel stories and I'm extremely glad that I did. The Italy, France and Germany dvds have become the most popular dvds in our house and are watched repeatedly. Rick's casual manner is easy to watch and we especially love the background information that he and his companions provide, so much more interesting than tv shows that feature expensive accommodation and presenters that obviously travel with an entourage of stylists and luggage handlers. These shows make me want to pack my bag and travel to Europe now.

We received the first box set and there was a duplicate with one of the dvds, we sent it back and received the new one from Amazon and the same thing happened. I went ahead and just ordered the one I needed. This was not a error from Amazon, they were fast at reshipping the new dvd. This was a packaging issue from the dvd company.

I enjoy Rick Steves very much & his shows are so informative & enjoyable, but I ordered this and returned it three times because one or more DVD in the set would not play at all or properly or would stop after one or two episodes & shut off. I cringed as my 2-month old Sony top line DVD Recorder kept trying to find episodes that didn't exist. Amazon was terrific & replaced each set overnight & by 2-day @y request--I felt guilty! The first set Germany, France & both Italy were bad. 2nd set France & Italy's citites were bad. 3rd set, sooo sadly, Italy's Cities would only at first 2 episodes. I need this set to study for "Who wants to be a Millionaire" and I'm dejected they couldn't have better quality control in place. Amazon did everything they could, but their hands were tied & they couldn't send me a free copy of Italy's cities & allow me to keep the defective set. Oh well, somebody somewhere didn't do their job well. Will contact Rick Steves website after my final refund processes. Thanks for trying Amazin.

We have been fans of "Rick Steve's Europe" shows on OPB for years. Now we can travel Europe at will with this excellently assembled set. If you like Rick Steve's and you like Europe, you won't be disappointed with this set!