Rick Steves’ Germany 2009 offers up the best of Deutschland, from the otherworldly castles of Bavaria to the rowdy beer halls of Munich. Rick covers the must-see sights of Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt, and also includes a healthy dose of little-known destinations in the Black Forest and Mosel Valley. With Rick’s expert advice travelers can savetime, money, and avoid the crowds. Float through Munich’s countryside on a party raft, sample wine in the Rhine Valley, or take a wild ride on a luge—it’s all possible with Rick Steves’ as your guide.
Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers how to take the Do-It-Yourself Dresden Baroque Blitz Tour or the Short and Scenic Black Forest Joyride? With Rick Steves’ Germany and Austria 2008, travelers can experience Steves' favorite destinations in Munich, Bavaria, Baden-Baden, Rothenburg, Würsburg, Frankfurt, the Rhine Valley, Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, and the Danube Valley — 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 number one authority on travel to Europe, Steves' 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.
English Great for planning a brief trip Planning a brief trip to a country as varied and historic as Germany is demanding, but this book has been my best resource. As in all of his books, Steves states his approach to travel clearly: he doesn't cover everything, just the "best" places, the best according to him, of course. My tastes and orientation align with his (interesting, moderately priced travel, including as much local immersion as is reasonable), so I rely on his books to provide the wonderful backbones of great trips. For visiting places other than his "best" I use a more comprehensive guide book, like Lonely Planet, in addition to (rather than instead of) his.
For myself, a traveler with only a few days passing through Germany (on this trip), Steves' approach works well. His recommendations about transportation choices, especially the vast array of train tickets, are especially helpful. I imagine that I will want more detailed descriptions of major buildings and museums once I am on the spot, but his room-by-room descriptions are excellent for determining whether a particular site should be on my itinerary.
-Lynn Michelsohn, author of Roswell, Your Travel Guide to the UFO Capital of the World!
Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers how to take the Do-It-Yourself Dresden Baroque Blitz Tour or the Short and Scenic Black Forest Joyride? With Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2007, travelers can experience Rick's favorite destinations in Munich, Bavaria, Baden-Baden, Rothenburg, Würzburg, Frankfurt, the Rhine Valley, Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, the Danube Valley, Salzburg, Innsbruck - economically and hassle-free. Completely revised and updated, Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2007 includes:
* Opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights * Friendly places to eat and sleep * Suggested day plans * Walking tours and trip itineraries * 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.
English Not what I expected In selecting this book, I indicated I wanted a book about bicycling in Germany and Austria. I did not manage to get a thorough look at the index, but saw some rivers & towns mentioned and assumed that the book would cover the area that I was interested in.... it does not!
Join Rick Steves on a tour of three of Europe's most fascinating countries. Rick Steves' Germany, Austria, and Switzerland 2004 covers Rothenburg and the Romantic Road; Munich and Bavaria; Salzburg; The Lakes District; Mauthausen and the Danube Valley; Vienna; Tyrol and Innsbruck; Interlaken, Gimmelwald, and the Berner Oberland; Appenzell, Murten and Bern; The Black Forest and Baden Baden Spa; Trier and the Mosel Valley; Bonn and Koln; The Rhine River; and Prague. Completely revised and updated, Rick Steves' Germany, Austria, and Switzerland 2004 includes color maps, opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights; friendly places to eat and sleep; suggested day plans; walking tours and trip itineraries; clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot; and Rick's newest "back door" discoveries. America's number one 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.
English As Someone Who Lives in Germany Before I moved to Germany from the States I received this book from a friend of my mother's who had spent a few years attending university in Spain and said that Rick Steve's books were what everyone at the university used. Since moving to Germany this bookhas been great. I carry it around with me whenever we travel because it has so much valuable information.
Some of the other reviews have been extremely negative, but as someone who uses the book on a regular basis and actually lives in the country, I know that this book is great. It is less expensive than others and it gives great suggestions for places to stay. He does spend more time with Berlin and Munich, but considering these are two of the largest cities that have long histories, it only makes sense. The hotel suggestions are great, the last time we were inBerlin we opted to choose our own place that was less expensive. It was neat with all the Bears around (it was called the Bearliner), but it smelled. So, if you plan on travelling to Germany I really suggest getting this book.
In Rick Steves' Germany, Austria & Switzerland 2001, Rick weeds through the endless possibilities each country offers and gives you his personal recommendations in an honest and entertaining style. He highlights the best local sights and activities, friendly places to eat and sleep, suggested day plans and itineraries that mix the famous and not-so-famous, and clear transportation instructions that make it easy to get anywhere by car, train, or foot. Chapters include Munich, Bavaria, the Rhine Valley, Berlin, Vienna, Salzburg, Gimmelwald, and Prague. "The book is designed for travelers with little time and money who want to get the most out of their travels. It is honest and frank about likes and dislikes (as in 'try this, but don't bother with that')."-Swiss American Review
English Don't forget to pack Rick Steves in the suitcase Packing Rick Steves into the backpack is typically a good idea before flying to Europe. His off-the-beaten-path approach is an excellent way to feel more like a temporary local than a tourbus tourist. Thanks to Rick, my mother and I slept beneath feather down comforters in a 500-year-old guesthouse in Rothenberg, chatted with a local winemaker in the Rhine Valley about the eis wine his family has been making for 400 years and much more. However, readers looking for the perfect backdoor experience must remember that any town recommended by Rick Steves is destined to become flooded by scores of Rick Steves readers. To avoid this, we took another of Rick's suggestions by traveling deep into the off season. Overall, this is a gem of a book filled with solid advice written in a laid back style even if the maps leave a bit to be desired. To have the most ofthe book, however, I would again follow Rick's advice by taking the best of his suggestions, but leaving the door open to discover new back doors as well.
Who but Rick Steves can tell you how to take the Do-It-Yourself Dresden Baroque Blitz Tour or the Short and Scenic Black Forest Joyride? With Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2005, travelers can experience Rick's favorite destinations in Munich, Bavaria, Baden-Baden, Rothenburg, Würzberg, Frankfurt, the Rhine Valley, Köln, Nürnberg, Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, the Danube Valley, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Innsbruck, and Hall—economically and hassle-free. Completely revised and updated, Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2005 includes color maps and photos, opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights; friendly places to eat and sleep; suggested day plans; walking tours and trip itineraries; clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot; and Rick's newest "back door" discoveries. America's number one authority on travel to Europe, Rick's time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Germany and Austria have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique travel experience.
English Very specific travel type This book is decent, has some good tips (like which places you can get tickets in advance, like Neuschwanstein). Only bought in because several coworkers recommended it...otherwise would've just bought a different one. It's great if your tastes match Mr Steves', but if not it won't do you too much good.
The first and worst assumption is that if you're going to Germany or Austria, you will of course be visiting the other. Another assumption is that you will not wish to use train very much at all...Europe is famous for having a thorough public transportation system, and not taking advantage of it seems to me like missing out on part of the experience of being in those countries.
The book does have its moments though, and gives very thorough information about each of the areas and activities it mentions. It's definitely worth a peek if you're not sure where you want to visit.
