Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Colourful Digest Of Places To See In Europe, July 23, 2004
I bought this book to help me plan my trip to Europe and it was so useful, it was the only book I packed to take on my trip. The book covers mainly Western Europe along with Poland, Czech Republic, Hungry, and Greece. The former Soviet Union, former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia are not covered and neither are the islands of Iceland, Malta, and Cyprus. Similarly, of the "tiny" countries, only Monaco and the Vatican are mentioned; Liechtenstein, Andorra, and San Marino are not.The book describes what is available to see in Europe. For each country, about six to twenty cities/regions are discussed and for major cities (e.g. London, Paris, Amsterdam, Venice, etc.) there is more detailed coverage, such as six to twenty sights within that city along with a city map. Usually, each attraction gets about a four-paragraph write-up plus a photograph. A few major attractions (e.g. Louvre, British Museum, St. Peter's Cathedral, etc.) are devoted two to four pages plus a larger diagram. Also, each country usually has another dozen or so pages covering its history and culture as well as a discussion about practical information such as climate, banking, methods of travel, shopping, etc. The book doesn't teach you everything you need to know about Europe (e.g. nothing about foreign languages), or will want to know (e.g. hotels, restaurants, and food have modest coverage). Nor does it include everything you'll do - only places, not events, are written about (e.g. Oktoberfest only warrants a photo). But the book does an excellent job at detailing what popular, famous, interesting, or important places there are in Europe. The pictures and illustrations make the book come to life. The maps help you judge the relative positions of sights within a particular city. The descriptions are usually detailed enough so you can determine how interesting you'll find a particular place. Some people might criticize the book because it doesn't judge how "good" each sight is. However, I find this nice because everyone has different tastes and I like to have the opportunity form my own opinions. If you want to know what is available to see in Europe then this is the book for you.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Going to Europe? Get this book!, April 28, 2003
If you're already a fan of the Eyewitness Travel Guide series, you know what to expect from this book. If this is your first time, let me tell you you'll be amazed with how great and how useful this book is.This particular guide summarizes the contents of over 20 other books by DK, including information for 20 countries in total, organized in the following way:
- The British Isles (Great Britain & Ireland)
- France and the low countries (France, Belgium, Luxembourg & The Netherlands)
- The Iberian Peninsula (Spain & Portugal)
- Italy and Greece
- Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark & Finland)
- Central and Eastern Europe (Czech Republic, Hungary & Poland). This guide contains, for every country, information regarding sites to visit, hotels, restaurants, shopping, museums, travel info (how tos for travelling by train, bus, car, metro, etc). Worthy of notice are their trademark cutaways of castles and churches, maps and street-by-street graphics. The only drawback is that since it includes information on so many countries, some of it might not have the detail you'd expect. For example, the France section has only 73 pages, while the Eyewitness Travel Guide to Paris (another book from DK) has over 350 pages on Paris alone! A phenomenal guide if you're planning on visiting many countries on one trip, but if you intend to dedicate more time to just a couple, you'd be better off getting the specific country/city guides.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Major Sights in Twenty Countries - Amazing!, June 5, 2002
Yes, this is one heavy book. It is more than likely not a guide you want to carry around with you unless you intend to lose a few pounds from the extra weight in your backpack. Otherwise, it is quite a great guide for deciding where you want to take your next vacation in Europe. It is filled with color photography, illustrations and details you wil enjoy reading. It is graphically exciting and visually pleasing. Of all the guides I've seen, the Eyewitness Travel Guides are sheer brillance.
On the inside cover there is a map of Europe and then the pages are color coded so you can find the following countries: Great Britian, Ireland, France, Belgium & Luxembourge, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
So, if you wanted to find the information on France, you just turn the book sideways and look for the yellow markings on the pages. Viola, you are there. If you are dreaming about visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre or want to go see the Hall of Mirrors at the Chateau de Versailles, may I say...they are worth a plane ticket to France. Finding a bottle of Huile D' Olive in the South of France is also something you won't soon forget.
There is also a guide to Europe's Rail Network and the Index is perfect.
After you look through the main spots to visit in each country, there is a section filled with practical information: Visa Requirements and customs, tourist information, personal security issues, climate, banking, communications, directory for embassies, travel information like car rental and buses, etc. Then there is a shopping and entertainment. So where do you want to stay? There is a guide giving the hotel ratings and it is divided up by the areas you might enjoy visiting. Then, there is a guide to places to eat. While finding a restaurant just by exploring can be exciting, there is something to be said for a guide. Unless of course you happen to be traveling with someone who knows the country and I can imagine that is the best way to travel. Is there a lonely Frenchman out there who wants to show me Paris? Sigh
Just kidding, but hey, a fantasy is a fantasy.
So, think of this guide as an overview and then you can select an Eyewitness Travel Guide for the specific countries of interest. They are all excellent although on a first trip to Europe, I'd advice a guided tour so you can enjoy your trip instead of worrying about language barriers, etc.
If you go to Paris, take a tour because I would not drive there if you paid me a million bucks! The highways in Germany are also equally terrifying. Everyone is in such a hurry to get to nowhere. If you want to enjoy your vacation without as many hassles, a tour might be the way to go. There is nothing quite like being guided through the most gorgeous cities in Europe.
This guide is just the start to many adventures.
~The Rebecca Review
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