Rick Steves' Eastern Europe (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: main market square, royal way, upper lakes, Old Town, Eastern Europe, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers the best way to visit Etruscan caves in Central Italy's hill towns, shop for cheeses in Avignon's open-air market, or catch an accordion performance on Amsterdam's city streets? With Rick Steves’ Best of Europe, travelers can experience the best of everything Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland have to offer—economically and hassle-free. Completely revised and updated, this guide includes, opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights, friendly places to eat and sleep, suggested day plans, walking tours and trip itineraries, and clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot. America’s #1 authority on travel to Europe, Rick’s time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.

About the Author

Rick Steves is on a mission: to help make European travel accessible and meaningful for Americans. Rick has spent 100 days every year since 1973 exploring Europe. He's researched and written 24 travel guidebooks and hosts the public television series Rick Steves' Europe, now in its seventh season. He also organizes and leads tours of Europe and offers an information-packed website (www.ricksteves.com). Rick lives in Edmonds, WA, just north of Seattle, with his family.

Product Details

• Paperback: 880 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 5th edition (March 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566918510
• ISBN-13: 978-1566918510
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,395 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rick Steves does it again, May 15, 2007

By	E. Schonhardt - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rick Steves' Best of Eastern Europe 2007 (Paperback)

This is the fourth Rick Steves' guidebook I've purchased for my summer trip to Europe (Europe Through the Back Door, Best of Europe, Italy, Eastern Europe). In general, his guidebooks are very easy to read, and he gives practical information. Specifically, the Best of Eastern Europe gives great information on touristy and non-touristy sites. I emailed a guide he recommended for my trip to Krakow (Andrew). Andrew was very helpful, and I've already booked him as my tour guide for my time there. Rick is right--Eastern Europe is a lot cheaper than Western Europe. Rick's suggestions on lodging and restaurants is really good. He focuses on areas in which you would normally want to visit.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars my whirlwind "Eastern" European honeymoon, October 9, 2007

By	a fellow traveller on this planet called Earth (Anchorage, AK, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rick Steves' Best of Eastern Europe 2007 (Paperback)

I have never written a review for Amazon before but felt compelled to write this one after returning from my honeymoon in "mostly Eastern" Europe.

As another reviewer commented, this book is not so much about Eastern Europe as it focuses on areas mostly East of Vienna but doesn't cover much beyond Hungary. However, I purchased this book prior to my trip as I had seen many positive reviews of Rick Steves' guidebooks but had never used one by him before.

First, the biggest negative - I found Rick's writing to be patronizing and borderline obnoxious. I was almost put off this book because it was difficult to slog past his cynical humor and get to the meat of the matter.

However, this book still gets 4-stars because time and time again, my husband and I found valuable tips and information within this guidebook. We carried this one around with us and pored over it at cafes while the other books languished back in the hotel room. It is now dog-eared and travel-worn and will become a great addition to our honeymoon memorabilia.

Rick's book is full of highly accurate insider travel tips on everything from public transportation, to how to negotiate some tricky situations, to how to take advantage of great deals while avoiding the shady ones.

Bottom line is that if you can manage to get past the self-important tone of Rick's writing, you will find a treasure trove of information in this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for the major cities, March 30, 2008

By	E. Williams (Charleston, SC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I enjoyed this book even though it missed some coutries we wanted to travel to, such as Romania. It was perfect if you want to visit the major attractions and major cities. The walking tour of Auschwitz and Krakow were fantastic. The information was up-to-date and detailed (such as how to use the Hungarian baths in Budapest). We also found the restaurants to be good as well. I recommed the book if you are doing a "whirlwind" trip of Eastern Europe (ours lasted just one month and was 6 countries). For more in-depth country info, you might need a more detailed country guide.