Rick Steves' Mona Winks: Self-Guided Tours of Europe's Top Museums (5th Edition) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Tombs and mummies preserved corpses and possessions for the afterlife..." (more)
Key Phrases: audioguide tours, bronze canopy, idealized beauty, Golden Age, Sistine Chapel, Doge's Palace (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Rick Steves doesn't just list where to travel in Europe, he leads travelers through the "Back Door," and reveals how to give every journey an extra, more authentic dimension. Mona Winks is no exception. It's a fun, easy-to-read collection of self-guided tours covering the highlights of Europe's top 20-plus museums and cultural sights, including the Louvre, the Tate Gallery, the Uffizi, the Prado, and many more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 447 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; 5th edition (November 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566913454
• ISBN-13: 978-1566913454
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #143,518 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Europe's museums for dummies, June 17, 2000

By	AH-SAN WONG "book reader" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rick Steves' Mona Winks (Paperback)

When my parents and I went to Europe for the first time, we wanted to visit all the top museums but didn't know how to get started. I got Mona Winks because I love Rick Steves' guide books. I followed the instruction, ripped up the book, and carried only the chapters we needed. My parents (they only speak Chinese) were a little suspicious about it. Our first stop was the National Gallery in London. We went there at the hour that the guide recommended and the museum was almost empty. We went through all the important paintings in two hours, and learned a great deal of art and art history. In the museum, we met a couple holding the same ripped pages from the same guide!

With the help of this book, we visited five other museums including the British Museum, the Louvre and Versailles. We avoided the crowded hours and the expensive local guided tours. This book saved us a lot of time and money, and helped us gain a lot of basic knowledge of history and art of Europe.

After the trip, I mailed back all the pieces from the book and $5.00 to Europe Through the Back Door, and they sent me a new copy! Next time when I visit Europe, I will take the book with me again. If you are an art dummy, this is really the only book you need to tour Europe's top museums. That's all I have to say about this book.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your hip, cool, oh-so-smart personal tourguide, July 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rick Steves' Mona Winks (Paperback)

My wife and I used the "Rome" and "Florence" chapters of this amazing book during our recent trip to Italy. (As the authors instructed, we literally tore those chapters from the book and took only them with us.) Neither of us will ever forget sitting on a piece of broken column in the center of the Forum in Rome, reading the applicable descriptions as we gazed around us at the epicenter of the Roman Empire. We've each read a lot of "travel" books -- guides, travelogues, etc. -- and this is the best hands-on guide to art and history that we've found. This book was recommended to us by friends who had traveled around the world with it; we are really looking forward to tearing ALL of the chapters out as we take future trips with the authors as our guides.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If it's not in this book -- it's not worth seeing!, April 8, 2001

By	C. D. MYERS (Fairfax, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Rick Steves' Mona Winks (Paperback)

Just kidding! But it is certainly applicable to say that if it is in the book, then it is worth seeing. My wife and I have conquered the Louvre, Venice's palace and basilica, Versailles, and most of Florence (minus the Ufizi) with this book. We were very disheartened to learn that we forgot to pack it for our trip to London. The section on Westminister Abbey would have been great. At least we would have been laughing in such a somber place!!!

We've lived in Europe for the past three years, and if we can visit someplace Rick recommends in this book -- we do. He takes a very lighthearted tone throughout, but still gets the important points across. And these are frequently interspersed with poignant and funny vignettes.

And when I said above that we "conquered" the Louvre, I meant it! Anyone that has spent four or six hours on their feet, gazing upwards at paintings that are magnificent, keeps getting lost and coming back to the Mona Lisa and her crowd will understand how frustrating an experience it can be. And can identify with our feeling of success after walking through the Louvre in a short span of time (2-3 hours) and coming away with a sense of accomplishment. While visiting the Louvre broadened our perspective, Rick's narrative put it in a context and in a voice we could understand and enjoy.

I heartily recommend you take the ripped up pieces your neighbor just brought back from Europe, and get over there yourself! This book is a must if you are going to any of the "big sites"!

There's four books you need if you're planing a trip to a European country:

1) This book 2) The Dorling-Kindersly guide for your particular country 3) The D-K guide for your major city of interest 4) A Rick Steves guide for that country, if available.

You're already spending thousands for that European vacation -- spring for another $100 in guide books that will help you enjoy it more!