5 comments about Rick Steves' London 2008 (Rick Steves).

1. Rick Steves includes great tours in the book.
   He also finds great cheap eats.
   I love his guides.



2. Rick Steves gives the best advice for travel. We have always used his books and we were never disappointed in the recommendations he makes. Would not travel without the advice from his guide books.



3. ...where my family of 5 stayed for 7 days. We took a DK guide book, Frommer's guide book and this one. We favored Steves' book so much that by the end of the week we were carrying only this book and didn't bother looking at the others. For any future trips I will invest in Rick Steves' book first and only.



4. If you have bought a Rick Steve's travel book, you know what to expect. This looks great, is easy to read and well indexed.



5. This was a great book for maximizing our time in London. It is very thorough and a great resource that covered all aspects of our travel. I wish I had read it more thoroughly before we went, but it was great as we traveled. Next time we will avoid more of the lines and get our museum passes and discounted tickets where Rick recommended.

5 comments about Italy (Eyewitness Travel Guides).

1. I love this book. My husband is stationed in Italy. We have been living here for 2 years now & this is my favorite travel book. Our 4 year old loves looking at the pictures while I read to him. It make our trips that much better when he is excited to see the sights as well. It's quick & easy to look up what you want & has great info. I would recommend this book to anyone planning a trip to Italy. However, if you are only going to visit one or two places a more specific book may be need.



2. I must say that this guide was exactly what I needed, but also I must confess that another thing came up since I have been traveling to Europe for some time now. I didn't realize or wasn't even thinking about travel insurance?? I mean we all have insurance, that covers us while we are in the US, but not for traveling abroad. I recently planned a second trip to Germany, but wasn't sure if my insurance company policy would take care of minor details in my policy for things I am not sure I have thought about. I am not saying I might or might not be covered, but I need peace of mind when it comes to my family. I then called my HR to find out general things about traveling abroad and "What would happen if" scenario's. I wasn't going to read my lengthy policy, even if I did I wouldn't understand the legal double-talk anyway not being a lawyer and all.
   
   My HR told me everything would be ok, and I shouldn't worry. But some thing in the back of my mind said call again and asked the same questions to see if the results would be the same from another Representative, to my surprise, it was. Ok then, not feeling a warm feeling of confidence in my HR responses. I didn't have much time to keep doing the research, so I looked up travel insurance and started to focus my attention on getting some basic package to cover me and family while we were abroad. There are a lot to choose from, but again this became confusing. So I came across www.securemytravelonline.com which had an aggregate of different well known insurance companies. I choose AIG with a basic plan and the rest was history. Also I didn't know you can insure your travel and luggage also in case of theft, flight cancellation etc. I thought I would share something from one avid traveler to the next. Overall a GREAT Guide and I have bought another copy for my friend.
   
   Take care.
   Carl>



3. The Good:
   - Beautiful pictures, drawings and maps highlight all the major attractions in Italy
   
   - Book is organized by region, and is relatively easy to follow along
   
   - Loaded with interesting facts about Italy, each region and each main attraction. This includes history, tips and useful facts.
   
   - Nice touchs like 2 pages of common Italian words/phrases, breakdowns on everything from how to read a road sign to the Euro currency.
   
   The Bad:
   - Cumbersome to read - reads like a text book
   
   - Hotel recommendations are difficult to use. Not a big deal, because I prefer Trip Advisor for my hotel recommendations anyways.
   
   - Limited info on where to eat
   
   - Limited "candid" info on where to go, what is worth your time and what isn't. I've read Rick Steve's website, and I like how he tells you candidly what you should see in Italy given X number of days. That is helpful and is missing from this book.
   
   The Verdict:
   Loaded with useful info and beautiful images, this book will prove a good resource while on your trip; however, don't count on this book to help you fully plan your trip. It will give you some ideas to get started, but for finalizing trip details, I'd recommended reading Rick Steve's website, Trip Advisor, etc.



4. Great guide with tons of valuable information. Just returned home from a 2 week vacation covering several cities in Italy and this guide helped us appreciate everything we were seeing by giving an explanation and history about everything. The maps are great and it was nice having advice on good restaurants to choose.



5. DK travel guides (Eyewitness brand) are known for its unique photograpy and pictures. They are printed full-color and magazine-style and the sublime pictures get supreme treatment. The maps are not ideal, but they do the job for some one new to Italy and answers the question of what to see and where to go with a little history and background tossed in. The maps will get you from Florence's Pitti Palace across the River Arno and to the Galleria to see Michelangelo's David, but good luck finding that little bistro in the cobblestone alley. This is a guide for the county of Italy in general and its regions and may lack some depth in terms of detail but for the first and even second time visitor to Italy its great considering its relative small weight and size in your travel case or backpack. Don't expect this guidebook to have that out-of-the-way gallery, or even the celebrated gelato shop directions. This little book covers the most important sites in any given city or region - with lush pictures that DK is known for and short blurbs to match. It also covers general information to the first time visitor covering money, agencies, other basic travel information which can be of great help to some one not famliar to Italy.

5 comments about Rick Steves' Ireland 2008 (Rick Steves).

1. The book if full of Rick's usual great information. I wish the pictures were in color and had captions. There were just tiny black and white photos of places and things that might be pretty, but without a description you have no idea what they are!



2. We have used Rick Steaves books in Italy, Germany, England and Holland and have not been disappointed.



3. Rick Steves' Ireland 2008 is like your brother (your very detailed and analytical exploring brother) writing home with the in's and out's of each city and stop in Ireland. Hitting highlights and lowlights, Rick leaves no Irish pebble unturned for the common traveler. If you have a question about Ireland, it is most likely answered in this book; if not, then Rick has made himself available through his websites if you need further information. It is very helpful to not walk into a new situation unprepared and Rick's Ireland 2008 has proved most helpful!



4. Ireland offers visitors a diversity of memorable places to visit, memorable people to encounter, and memorable opportunities for recreation. Rick Steves is a seasoned and experienced travel writer and in collaboration with Ireland specialist Pat O'Connor has authored the "Rick Steves' Ireland 2008", a compact, 425-page travel guide that is packed from first page to last with informed and informative information for tourists and business travelers to the villages, towns, and countryside of the Republic of Ireland in the south, as well as the cities and counties of Northern Ireland. Of special note is the introductory chapter dedicated to the best use of this outstanding guide for planning a trip whether of short or extended duration, practicalities when traveling, money, sightseeing, sleeping, eating, 'Traveling as a Temporary Local', and 'Back Door Travel Philosophy'. Another special section is devoted to Irish history, art, literature, language, and an Irish-Yankee Vocabulary. Enhanced with appendices on resources; money matters; telephones, emails, and postal mails; transportation; holidays and festivals; conversions and climate; an essential packing checklist; and a sample hotel reservation form, "Rick Steves' Ireland 2008" is an ideal and enthusiastically recommended guide for anyone anticipating a trip to the Emerald Isle.



5. Rick Steve's book is a down-to-earth book that gives so much information to which you can relate. It's a wonderful guide.

5 comments about Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2008: The Travel Skills Handbook (Rick Steves).

1. My daughter will be graduating from high school in May 2008 and I wanted to explore a way to help her experience our larger world. I have never been outside of the USA (except a brief visit to Niagra Falls as a child), so I felt very anxious about how to plan a trip for two to Europe. I researched many tours and resources, from bare bones to pricey "deluxe" accomodations, yet I kept coming back to Rick Steves' books, website & resources. This specific book has been a wealth of information for a novice (plus I'm sure those who have traveled before will still get some great tips). Rick Steves' books, videos & other resources have given me the confidence to make reservations for that first trip to Europe. While I am choosing to utilize a tour group for our 1st European experience, Rick really gives anyone wanting to travel through Europe on their own, a concise, well researched (and well utilized) guide to how to do so on any budget. I highly recommend this guide!



2. Let me state upfront that I am European myself (from Belgium, actually), and that while I've lived in the US for many years, I have continued to spend a fair amount of time in Europe, including with my kids when they were younger. My youngest is now a HS senior, and she and several of her friends are planning to spend a month or so backpacking around Europe this coming summer, visiting my family along the way.
   
   While looking around to get my daughter a planning guide, I stumbled upon this book and I immediately knew I had fallen on a gem. In "Europe Through the Back Door 2008" (690 pages), Rick Steves (of PBS fame) does not pretend to provide a full overview of Europe (there are other books on that), but instead focuses on some not so obvious places. When I turn to the section on Belgium (where I'm from) and the Netherlands (where I have family), I can instantly see that Steves actually knows what he is writing about, and it validates to me the other portions of the book, and I am fully confident that this book will help my daughter and her friends in their planning of the trip, and during the trip itself. Highly recommended!
   
   Rick Steves has written many other travel books, and one other that I can easily recommend is "Europe 101: History & Art for the Traveler", which is an ideal book for anyone wanting to understand more about European culture and history, but written in a very user-friendly way. Also highly recommended!



3. This book is a fabulous piece of travel literature! I recommend this to any Europe Traveler that wants to travel off the beaten path and experience how everyday Europeans live their daily lives. Rick Steves' personal tone in his writing makes it feel like you're taking another friend along with you on your journey through Europe.



4. Very helpful. My wife was in England and Italy 8 years ago, but had forgotten many of the great tips in this book. Our upcoming trip will be more enjoyable because of it.



5. I found this book very useful, it offered many practical time and money saving tips. The accommodation and transportation strategies were particularly good. However, as an Aussie I found this book very US centric! While some advice was EXTREMELY obvious, I appreciated the opinionated style of writing. Please note that a lot of information covered in this book is also located in Rick's website.

5 comments about Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City's 102 Best Restaurants.

1. Paris is an easy mark for all the hacks in the world. I know, I lived in Paris for 20 years, and read countless
   "guide books" that were nothing more then re-cycled press releases and re-hashed blurbs stolen from other
   guide books. But this author, Alec Lobrano, is the rare combination of a great food and restaurant expert and a great writer. Though it has lots of up to date practical information, this book's real pleasure is as a bed-side literary journey into the heart and soul of Paris' foodie culture. It's the real deal, and I'll bet even Alec's anglophone French readers would agree. Even if you're not planning a trip to Paris, well worth the read for any
   Francophile day-dreamer. It leaves me hungry for more, and I'll be looking for Lobrano's next book, no matter what the subject.



2. I loved this book, and recommend it to any food lover who is either planning or dreaming about dining out in Paris.
   
   Alec Lobrano is a superb writer and a well-seasoned gourmand, who shares his love and knowledge of delicious French cuisine and great chefs in his own inimitable style. He takes you on a first-class tour inside the best restaurants in Paris as if you were his dinner companion, and lets you taste and experience, albeit vicariously, its finest French and international cuisines and the perfect wines to enjoy with each sampling. .
   
   This book reads like a autobiographical novel, filled with charming, and often amusing, short stories chronicling this world famous gourmet's earliest memories of "eating anything specifically described as French, - the éclairs my mother bought at the A&P supermarket in Westport, CT,... long soggy pastries shaped like hot dog rolls" and "heat-and-serve" frozen croissants, to the canned Vichyssoise , French toast, and beef burgundy stews she made at home, to his savory descriptions of his first experience at age 11, in a real French restaurant, Le Charles V, on the east side of Manhattan, which made him "rabidly anxious to get at some more French food."
   
   Lobrano chronicles his first trips to France with his family and his adolescent awakening to the gastronomic joys of French cuisine, - and the development of his palate as he "ascended the pyramid of French gastronomy and discovered some spectacular food at its higher altitudes," and finding in the end - or at the top of his list - that "it is bistro food, or rustic cooking with deep roots in the various regional kitchens of France, that remains the blessedly eternal bedrock of the French kitchen."
   
   Like a chef, Lobrano describes the ingredients, the preparations, the cooking and serving of the most favored, and simplest, meals of the French people, and also takes us out to dine at the most expensive, moderate, and least expensive restaurants where good French food is always served. His stories about chefs and French celebrities are written with an elegant style of one who has been invited to all the best parties in Paris.
   
   Hungry for Paris is not just a guide book for dining out in Paris, but a veritable masterpiece on the history and culture of French cuisine,
   
   This is a classic!



3. I bought this book for a trip to Paris based on a very positive Washington Post review. I bought it to use as a Parisian restaurant guide; I did not find it very useful at all. It is more like a travel essay than a restaurant guide. If you want to experience Parisian restaurants without actually going there, this book may be for you. But if you are planning a trip to Paris and want a restaurant guide, don't buy this book. The author spends a lot of time describing diners who were at the restaurant while he was there. Also, he includes restaurants whose food he found "good" or merely "better-than-average." I had expected to find reviews of 100 restaurants with excellent food -- after all, there are probably thousands of such restaurants in Paris -- but a lot of the reviews in this guide did not seem to be of restaurants the author recommended. I guess to be fair some of the essays are interesting, but I would have preferred more focus on the restaurants and their food, rather than on the author's experiences in eating at these restaurants.



4. Although I hadn't had a plan to revisit Paris so soon..this book made me want to jump on the next plane and visit quite a number of the restaurants Mr. Lobrano talks about. I delighted in reading his descriptive ancedotes before getting down to the "in a word" and "don't miss". Anyone can write a basic review of a restaurant. Mr. Lobrano's style and voice made me feel like he was speaking directly to me as an old friend, as if he were handing me his personal notes and steering me to the places the average tourist would most certainly miss. If I couldn't be so lucky to have Mr. Lobrano accompany me to dinner, I would most definitely savor his suggestions as if he were my guardian food angel over my shoulder! His creation in "Hungry For Paris" is a masterpiece.



5. I just returned home from Paris and went to three recommended restaurants. They were all great and reasonable despite the sinking dollar. I liked trying the house wines which were a great cross-section of wines I didn't know and now I do! I also stopped ordering bottled water. Loved Astier, Bistro Paul Bert, Le Petit Pontoise. Alexander has a website where he reviews Parisian restaurants www.hungryforparis.com. Check it out, because it's also a great resource.

2 comments about Passion on the Vine: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy.

1. Passion on the Vine is a wonderful, enjoyable book to read! Sergio Esposito is a marvelous storyteller and his book is an enjoyable journey through his remarkable life. I highly recommend it!



2. Forgetting the obvious attraction of learning about Italy and an insiders perspective on magnificent wine, Sergio Esposito tells a story like no other. Pick this book up and you will never again put it down.

5 comments about Rick Steves' Paris 2008 (Rick Steves).

1. I've lived in Paris and visited the city on countless occaisions - and I contantly see Americans in their new white tennis shoes traipsing round the city with a copy of Rick Steve. It's obviously a popular guide and does a great job of showing you how to be a tourist in the city.
   
   Buy a different guide book like the Rough Guide to Paris or Lonely Planet and then you won't be in a restaurant with a whole load of other Americans!



2. I bought this book on a recommendation from a friend, and it was the primary book we used once we landed in Paris. We had several other books, too, but they simply didn't have the level of detail and were not organized as intelligently for how you would actually want to spend your day. We left them in our apartment as we set out on our daily adventures.
   
   We have two children, ages 8 and 12, and we wanted to see major sights. But we are experienced travelers who also enjoy getting off the track when possible. Rick Steves gave us insights on both -- how to see things like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame with the least hassle, but also less-known street markets and pet shops.
   
   My only criticism is that the book, like all other travel books I've seen, greatly underestimates the time that one would spend at a place if one really wants to see it. We spent 2x to 3x as long at things as Steves suggested, such as the Rodin Museum and Cluny Museum.



3. Having just returned from a visit to France, we found this guide to be invaluable. Rick Steves may come across as a bit dweeby on television, but his books are remarkable. This one is packed with terrific information that is well organized and easy to find. For instance, he gives you a useful chart of many of Paris's major museums with information about what days they're closed, the hours, etc. There is information about the subway system and transportation as well as hotel and restaurant listings by arrondisement, walking tours of various neighborhoods and museums, and practical information about holidays, language, etc. When we were headed out the (hotel) door and travelling light, this is the book I'd carry. Well worth the price and highly recommended.



4. A great book on visiting Paris. Highly recommended. Rick Steves helps to de-mystify are very large and complex city. I have been to Paris a couple of times before - both times without much preparation. This book will save you a full day lost to confusion. Buy it and read it.



5. We ran into so many people with this book. It made our trip so much easier. We used this as a guide and wouldn't think of going anywhere without one of these!

1 comments about Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris.

1. This guide is just perfect for a foodie. Clotilde not only provides suggestions for all types of restaurants, she goes even further to give information on every food-related aspect of a vacation in Paris. With this book we will now be able to shop the best farmers' markets we otherwise might have missed. We're looking forward to experiencing the different neighborhood streets and markets, each with their distinct characteristics. We also now know the very best bakeries and shops for chocolate, pastries, candy, ice cream, spices, cheese, specialty food items, cured meats, prepared foods, fish, gourmet products, tea, coffee, wine, books, cookware, tableware, and even food shows. There are also great tips on French phrases and customs that will allow us to enjoy our trip to the fullest. This is the only guide of its kind.
   
   Although comprehensive, I only wish there was more. However, that would probably just require additional and lesser suggestions. If we asked a friend for recommendations, this is just the guide we would want. Unlike most guides, there is not a long list of lackluster destinations taking up space with descriptions of why they are not recommended. Only recommended spots are listed, which is all we really need and allows the book to be a good size and easily referenced.
   
   Clotilde boils down the city to its essence, providing only the best information in a well-organized format. The book is a good size to carry around. There is also more content on Clotilde's blog. We can't wait to put all of this information to good use in a few months when we're in Paris!

5 comments about Rick Steves' Italy 2008 (Rick Steves).

1. I just love Rick's travel books....having used many others over the years, I find his to be highly readable and entertaining, and full of essential information for the unwary traveller. Top marks once again!



2. I bought the Rick Steves' Italy 2008 book several weeks ago, It has helped alot with my preperation for my trip to Italy. I plan on taking it with me, I know it will be very helpful. I have booked hotel rooms and B&B's for our trip, as well as planning our agenda. I know I could not have planned this trip away from a tour group with out it. AJ



3. The book is of average quality when compared to other Italy travel books. It comes with the standard "Rick Steves Advertising" throughout the book. The issue which brought me to return the book was the omission of Sicily from the book. As far as I know, Sicily is still very much a part of Italy and thus should have been included.



4. I have bought about 10-15 guidebooks for an upcoming Mediterranean Cruise and have read each one. This one is my favorite - Rick tells it like it is, I've learned very interesting facts that weren't in any other guidebook. I also appreciate that he reviews from budget to luxury options, so you can choose based on your day's plans - for example, where to eat. Many guidebooks only review sit down restaurants when you might only want a quick panini if you are going to be touring all day. He also offers walking tours of several of the major sites. He lists things to do if you only have a day in one place, which is great for cruisers. There is also a useful appendix. The paper is very thin, so highlighters will bleed through to the opposite page a little bit. However, this book is very compact for the information that it contains. It's 800-900 pages and only about an inch thick. I will actually take this with me and carry it around on my trip.



5. if you're staying in certain cities, it'd be better to get his Rome, Florence and the Tuscany region and the Venice book.
   
   We used the Italy book, it had nice recommendations on food, hotels and such. They were excellent. Had recommended sights. But the tour guide section found in his Rome book were missing from the Italy book. Because you really can carry around a huge book. If I were to do it again, I would have gotten individual books. But if I were to go to multiple cities, this would definetly be the book to get.
   
   On our trip we went to Rome and Florence.

5 comments about Streetwise Paris Map - Laminated City Street Map of Paris, France - with integrated metro map including lines and stations.

1. If you are a tourist this map may be adequate but for finding your way around Paris it is a disaster. Entire neighborhoods are completely left out.



2. This map came with us every day as we walked around Paris. It was very easy to orient ourselves when opening the map because of the colored pictures of landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower. The laminated format is a must with Paris's frequent sprinkles as well as it makes it much easier to handle in the wind than a paper map. While Streetwise does have the Metro stations marked on the street map and does have a separate Metro map showing all the routes, I found the Metro map in Frommer's Frommer's Paris 2008 (Frommer's Complete) easier to read.



3. People stopped us and asked if they could use our map because it looked so much better then theirs, and it was!!!!!!!!!! Won't go anywhere without one of these!!!!!!!!!



4. This map was by my side the whole 10 days in Paris and I pulled it out constantly! I love the lamination and heavy duty construction. The only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is because the most northern, southern & eastern sections of Paris seem to be missing from the map. I would prefer the map to have the whole complete city, including a tiny piece of the outskirts because there were times when I traveled to the outer edges of Paris and the map couldn't help me. But, I will say that the detail on this map is excellent! It was the only map we saw that had every little tiny street name on it which is very important in a crowded place like Paris. I highly recommend it!



5. We use Streetwise maps whenever possible when we travel and find them to be the best we've run across. I love the fact that they are sturdy and laminated and don't fall apart. They are clear and accurate. The Paris map has the Metro/RER insert which is handy when you want to travel light and don't need all the information of the full route maps.
   
   You can't go wrong.