Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2004 (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Vienna is a head without a body..." (more)
Key Phrases: rooms into three categories, museum pass, vaporetto stop, Cinque Terre, Mark's Square, Sleep Code (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Steves preaches a low-cost, low-to-the-ground style that not only saves money, but gets you closer to the real Europe, the way Europeans experience it. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Want to know the best route from the Potzdamerplatz to the old Brandenburg gate? Looking for the best gelateria in Florence? Stumped on the proper pronunciation of "Where's the bathroom" in several languages? Find the answers and much more in one compact guidebook — Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2004. Completely revised and updated, this is a one-stop shop for all the information any traveler would need to know in several major European countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and more. Rick Steves, America's number one authority on travel to Europe, shares the real deal on travel to Europe, so there's less left to guessing and more time spent enjoying the journey. Rick's tips include: sticking to a budget; smart packing; planning ahead for visiting major sites; personal safety; avoiding tourist traps; and finding Europe's "back door" attractions. With Rick Steves as their guide, travelers can delve into European culture, make friends with the locals, use the color maps for independent navigation, and experience everything Europe has to offer. Culled from Rick's bestselling European city and country guides, Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2004 is an essential item on any European traveler's checklist.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1264 pages
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing; illustrated edition edition (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566915325
• ISBN-13: 978-1566915328
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,569,136 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just like American Express... Don't leave home without it!, January 9, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Milwaukee, WI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rick Steves' Best of Europe 1998 (Serial) (Paperback)

I traveled through Europe last summer with the '97 edition of this book, and found it to be the best travel guide out there - and several jealous travelers, who either forgot, lost, or never knew about the book until they arrived in Europe, envied mine, echoing my sentiments.

Rick has a great philosophy towards travel: see the world through the "back door." He thinks a traveler can have a much richer travel experience if he meets and interacts with the locals, living as they do (or living with them, in quaint pensiones and B&Bs,) eating where they eat (or better yet, eating with the locals they meet along the way) and seeing the world with an open mind. I agree. This book lists some of these great (and budget-friendly) sleeping and eating establishments.

Better yet are Rick's 'what to see' recommendations. Like all the guidebooks out there, he gives a description of the top tourist sights. But what sets this book apart is two things not found in other travel books: Rick gives his opinions on each sight, and recommends many other lesser-known sights.

Rick isn't afraid to tell you if seeing or doing something is a waste of time; on the flip side, there are sights that he says you'd be crazy NOT to see. If my time was short in a city, I'd be sure to see Rick's "must-see" sights and skip the rest - I never felt as though I missed anything, and had a wonderful experience.

Secondly, Rick recommends lesser known, out-of-the-way (and not so out-of-the-way) places. It was in these places that I often got the best "feel" for what a country was truly like, as these were the places that locals frequented. I remember lying on a beach in Cinque Terre, Italy (one of Rick's favorite "back door" towns) talking with my travel companion. A Milanese man on the next beach towel over asked us how we found out about his favorite vacation spot - he'd never heard anyone speaking english there before! (Although we found the town to be full of Rick Steves followers!) We had a wonderful time there, met many locals, and truly experienced Italy.

This is a fantastic guide book - friendly budget hotels, yummy places to eat, descriptions of Europe's "must-see" sights, places you'd be better off not seeing, and back-door towns where you can really meet the locals and learn about each country's culture and individuality. Don't leave home without it!

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gotta have it...., November 28, 1999

By A Customer

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

Of several books we lugged to Europe recently, this one (actually a 1997 version bought off a sale table) was by far the most useful! At first I was disappointed by the lack of photos and snappy graphics, but once I started reading it aloud in our rental car, we were all laughing out loud and were hooked. We used several of his recommendations for laundromats and hotels, where we bumped into other Rick Steves devotees following the same advice. Some of the hotels he recommends may be full due to his good word, but ask there for similar accomodations and they may point you to an equally agreeable place - we did this in Interlaken and found a the wonderful Hotel de la Paix. Now we are planning another trip to Europe and are stocking up on Rick Steves' latest books to take along.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2000, April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rick Steves' Best of Europe 2000 (Paperback)

Though it is perfect for those seeking direction for a fist-time trip, this guide is not the only book you will need when travelling to Europe. The guide is very focused on what Steves' believes are the best spots to visit, which is fine if you share his tastes. However, if you decide to be adventurous and stray from the book's prescribed list of locations you will find yourself in need of additional guides and maps.

Also, the number of readers that are devoted to Steves' guide is so great that many of the places he mentions are overrun by people following his book. Steves' best kept secrets are not secrets at all to the thousands of people who have read his book. Therefore, you may have considerable difficulty obtaining reservations in his recommended accomodations. And, you will most likely run into many travelers with the same book following the same itinerary as you are.

Despite its shortcomings, this guide is ideal for those who want to start planning their first trip to Europe. Europe is a large place with lots to see and for those who find choosing an itinerary overwhelming, Steves' guide is a great place to start. It is very helpful in suggesting must-see locations and travel routes. However, after determining your basic travel plan, be sure to purchase more thorough guides for the countries you plan to visit; this strategy will enable you to be more spontaneous and adventurous in your travel while ensuring that you see Europe's essentials.