What do you think?
Rate this book
Rick Steves Germany 2017
You can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling in Germany.
This guidebook takes you from fairy-tale castles, alpine forests, and quaint villages to the energetic Germany of today. Get the details on cruising the romantic Rhine or summiting the Zugspitze. Have a relaxing soak at a Black Forest mineral spa or take an exhilarating summer bobsled ride in the Bavarian Alps. Flash back to Berlin's turbulent past at Checkpoint Charlie; then celebrate the rebirth of Dresden and its glorious Frauenkirche.
Rick's candid, humorous advice will guide you to good-value hotels and restaurants. He'll help you plan where to go and what to see, depending on the length of your trip. You'll learn which sights are worth your time and money, and how to get around Germany by train, bus, and car. More than just reviews and directions, a Rick Steves guidebook is a tour guide in your pocket.
This guidebook takes you from fairy-tale castles, alpine forests, and quaint villages to the energetic Germany of today. Get the details on cruising the romantic Rhine or summiting the Zugspitze. Have a relaxing soak at a Black Forest mineral spa or take an exhilarating summer bobsled ride in the Bavarian Alps. Flash back to Berlin's turbulent past at Checkpoint Charlie; then celebrate the rebirth of Dresden and its glorious Frauenkirche.
Rick's candid, humorous advice will guide you to good-value hotels and restaurants. He'll help you plan where to go and what to see, depending on the length of your trip. You'll learn which sights are worth your time and money, and how to get around Germany by train, bus, and car. More than just reviews and directions, a Rick Steves guidebook is a tour guide in your pocket.
943 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 28, 1993
210 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
Rick Steves
570 books693 followersRick Steves is an American travel writer, television personality, and activist known for encouraging meaningful travel that emphasizes cultural immersion and thoughtful global citizenship. Born in California and raised in Edmonds, Washington, he began traveling in his teens, inspired by a family trip to Europe. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in European history and business, Steves started teaching travel classes, which led to his first guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door, self-published in 1980.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
September 3, 2016
When I first picked up a Rick Steves book from the bookstore shelf I was unimpressed with its newspaper-thin pages, black and white print, and lack of images.
Now I’ve used three of Rick Steves’ guides (“Naples & the Amalfi Coast”, “Italy”, and this one I’m reviewing, “Germany”) and it’s hard to say enough good things about these books. I now understand that, if they lack the full-color photo-filled flashiness of Eyewitness or Nat Geo travel guides, it’s because his books are filled to the brim with useful info and the newspaper-thin pages and dense text on each page are the only way he can pack it all into one volume that still fits in your daypack.
Rick Steves’ philosophy on travel is essentially identical to my own, and he lays this out in much more eloquent language than I could in a one page explanation that’s actually an excerpt from his book “Europe Through the Back Door”. The entire excerpt is worth quoting but to keep this review from getting too long I’ll just include a few highlights: “In a way, spending more money only builds a thicker wall between you and what you traveled so far to see… time after time, you’ll find the best acts are free and the best seats are the cheap ones… A tight budget forces you to travel close to the ground, meeting and communicating with people… If you don’t enjoy a place, maybe you don’t know enough about it. Seek the truth. Recognize tourist traps. Give a culture the benefit of your open mind. See things as different, but not better or worse… Globetrotting destroys ethnocentricity, helping us understand and appreciate other cultures. Rather than fear the diversity on this planet, celebrate it. Among your most prized souvenirs will be the strands of different cultures that you choose to knit into your own character.” I couldn’t have said it better, especially that last sentence, which in my experience is absolutely spot-on.
Perhaps the best part of these books is his detailed attention to logistics that you don’t always find in other guidebooks. How do I get from the airport to the city center? What is the bus and ferry schedule and how late does it run? When I arrive at a certain attraction, where do I buy tickets and which ticket is the best bargain? Which tour companies have the best guides? Rick Steves gives honest evaluations of tour companies and tourist attractions, pointing out both the good and bad (and as you might guess from his philosophy above, he steers you away from the tourist traps). All of those things that make you waste time as a traveler, wandering aimlessly, looking for an entrance, exit, ticket counter, bus stop, etc, are covered. This Rick Steves book provides so many details that I sometimes feel I know where to go as if I weren’t a tourist, and in that way it saved us countless wasted hours trying to learn to navigate the various public transits and tourist attractions. In my last trip, in the one city I went to for which I didn’t have a Rick Steves guide, I really did feel a little bit more aimless (by not knowing where to buy a train ticket, for example). I found that I missed Rick Steves’ guidance almost immediately.
So the logistics are great. I still like to have a second guidebook on hand that focuses on local culture and history. However, Rick Steves does also cover some history in usefully-placed sidebars (for instance, a 4 page sidebar giving an overview of the history of Munich which can be found in the section on Munich) as well as an appendix covering more history. And he covers culture and cuisine at the beginning of the book (for instance, a 3 page guide to the different kinds of wurst you might find in Germany, and in the Munich section, a 2 page sidebar on how to order food and drink at a Munich beer garden).
Like most guidebooks, Rick Steves includes a few self-guided walks. Unlike other guidebooks, he also has some self-guided tours of museums and tourist attractions (like the Residenz in Munich). This is nice because when you arrive at a tourist attraction you will still have some guidance even if you don’t invest in a tour guide or rent an audioguide (which are becoming very common nowadays), perhaps to save money or perhaps because (more commonly for me) you want to do things at your own pace instead of at the pace of a tour group (either slower or faster). You can also find an audio version of many of his guided tours -- as a free download -- on his website. By downloading a few mp3’s and using the map in the guidebook, it was almost like having a personal tour guide right there with us (I must admit that the delivery on his audio tours is a little corny at times, but they're still informative). Or, you can save yourself a little money and instead of buying his book you can download his iPhone app, which features all of his audio guides as well as the maps that go with them. I relied on his app and just his app for one city, but I must say I’d rather have the additional details provided by the book.
As far as I can tell, there is no difference in content between his smaller city books and his bigger country books. For instance, I did a side-by-side comparison of his “Munich, Bavaria & Salzburg” book and his “Germany” book, and as far as I can tell there was no information in “Munich, Bavaria, & Salzburg” that wasn’t also found in “Germany”. Buying the book that’s focused on the smaller region therefore doesn’t gain you any additional details over the larger book. Therefore I think the only advantage of the smaller book is its reduced size and price if you happen to be visiting just one region or city within a country. If you’re touring more than one location in the country, though, I’d recommend just getting the bigger, more complete, and only slightly more expensive country-wide book.
The detailed attention to logistics, the inclusion of history and culture, and the self-guided tours (plus free content found online) are all immensely helpful. You really can’t go wrong picking up a Rick Steves guidebook for your next trip to Europe.
Now I’ve used three of Rick Steves’ guides (“Naples & the Amalfi Coast”, “Italy”, and this one I’m reviewing, “Germany”) and it’s hard to say enough good things about these books. I now understand that, if they lack the full-color photo-filled flashiness of Eyewitness or Nat Geo travel guides, it’s because his books are filled to the brim with useful info and the newspaper-thin pages and dense text on each page are the only way he can pack it all into one volume that still fits in your daypack.
Rick Steves’ philosophy on travel is essentially identical to my own, and he lays this out in much more eloquent language than I could in a one page explanation that’s actually an excerpt from his book “Europe Through the Back Door”. The entire excerpt is worth quoting but to keep this review from getting too long I’ll just include a few highlights: “In a way, spending more money only builds a thicker wall between you and what you traveled so far to see… time after time, you’ll find the best acts are free and the best seats are the cheap ones… A tight budget forces you to travel close to the ground, meeting and communicating with people… If you don’t enjoy a place, maybe you don’t know enough about it. Seek the truth. Recognize tourist traps. Give a culture the benefit of your open mind. See things as different, but not better or worse… Globetrotting destroys ethnocentricity, helping us understand and appreciate other cultures. Rather than fear the diversity on this planet, celebrate it. Among your most prized souvenirs will be the strands of different cultures that you choose to knit into your own character.” I couldn’t have said it better, especially that last sentence, which in my experience is absolutely spot-on.
Perhaps the best part of these books is his detailed attention to logistics that you don’t always find in other guidebooks. How do I get from the airport to the city center? What is the bus and ferry schedule and how late does it run? When I arrive at a certain attraction, where do I buy tickets and which ticket is the best bargain? Which tour companies have the best guides? Rick Steves gives honest evaluations of tour companies and tourist attractions, pointing out both the good and bad (and as you might guess from his philosophy above, he steers you away from the tourist traps). All of those things that make you waste time as a traveler, wandering aimlessly, looking for an entrance, exit, ticket counter, bus stop, etc, are covered. This Rick Steves book provides so many details that I sometimes feel I know where to go as if I weren’t a tourist, and in that way it saved us countless wasted hours trying to learn to navigate the various public transits and tourist attractions. In my last trip, in the one city I went to for which I didn’t have a Rick Steves guide, I really did feel a little bit more aimless (by not knowing where to buy a train ticket, for example). I found that I missed Rick Steves’ guidance almost immediately.
So the logistics are great. I still like to have a second guidebook on hand that focuses on local culture and history. However, Rick Steves does also cover some history in usefully-placed sidebars (for instance, a 4 page sidebar giving an overview of the history of Munich which can be found in the section on Munich) as well as an appendix covering more history. And he covers culture and cuisine at the beginning of the book (for instance, a 3 page guide to the different kinds of wurst you might find in Germany, and in the Munich section, a 2 page sidebar on how to order food and drink at a Munich beer garden).
Like most guidebooks, Rick Steves includes a few self-guided walks. Unlike other guidebooks, he also has some self-guided tours of museums and tourist attractions (like the Residenz in Munich). This is nice because when you arrive at a tourist attraction you will still have some guidance even if you don’t invest in a tour guide or rent an audioguide (which are becoming very common nowadays), perhaps to save money or perhaps because (more commonly for me) you want to do things at your own pace instead of at the pace of a tour group (either slower or faster). You can also find an audio version of many of his guided tours -- as a free download -- on his website. By downloading a few mp3’s and using the map in the guidebook, it was almost like having a personal tour guide right there with us (I must admit that the delivery on his audio tours is a little corny at times, but they're still informative). Or, you can save yourself a little money and instead of buying his book you can download his iPhone app, which features all of his audio guides as well as the maps that go with them. I relied on his app and just his app for one city, but I must say I’d rather have the additional details provided by the book.
As far as I can tell, there is no difference in content between his smaller city books and his bigger country books. For instance, I did a side-by-side comparison of his “Munich, Bavaria & Salzburg” book and his “Germany” book, and as far as I can tell there was no information in “Munich, Bavaria, & Salzburg” that wasn’t also found in “Germany”. Buying the book that’s focused on the smaller region therefore doesn’t gain you any additional details over the larger book. Therefore I think the only advantage of the smaller book is its reduced size and price if you happen to be visiting just one region or city within a country. If you’re touring more than one location in the country, though, I’d recommend just getting the bigger, more complete, and only slightly more expensive country-wide book.
The detailed attention to logistics, the inclusion of history and culture, and the self-guided tours (plus free content found online) are all immensely helpful. You really can’t go wrong picking up a Rick Steves guidebook for your next trip to Europe.
April 20, 2015
Dear Rick Steves,
Thank you for being awesome! For doing all of the hard work/research for us, and for making vacation planning fun!
Thank you for being awesome! For doing all of the hard work/research for us, and for making vacation planning fun!
August 15, 2013
I always enjoy reading Rick Steves' travel guides and watching his PBS program and have for many years. I am subscribed to his YouTube channel and see a lot of his travelogues.
This book is about Germany and he covers what you need to know very thoroughly. He not only describes the cities and areas but gives full details on the places you will want to see including hours, prices, how to get there, what you'll need to know once you get inside, etc. He covers the German transportation system well and gives you tidbits of info on how to travel anywhere in Germany and why leasing a car, for example, is better than renting one, all about the rail system (I LOVE German trains!!!!!), and about where to get information, what things costs, and just everything you need to know in great detail.
He lists where to sleep and where to eat which is where he and I must part company. I agree with his recommendations for sightseeing and love the maps and the historical info but the man is just determined to have you stay in cheap dumps where you rent sheets to sleep on a bed bug ridden mattress and have a bunch of rowdy, drunken unwashed young people in there with you. I mean the sort of places in seedy neighborhoods with hookers on the street, drug dealers loitering, and drunks peeing on your hotel which is next to a whore house/naked dancing club. He and I definitely do not choose hotels in the same neighborhoods. These places have no one to carry your luggage, no elevators and lots of narrow stairs up to your floor, and no air conditioning. They couldn't pay me to stay in any of these places.
I am convinced that Rick is also a raging alcoholic. Every place he goes, he drinks copious amounts of alcohol and here 98% of his recommendations of where to eat are alcoholic heaven with drinking the main theme and being in a rowdy place surrounded by drunks as your ambiance. Again, I wouldn't be caught dead in most of them.
I recommend this book for the vital info it covers very nicely but take those "where to sleep" and "where to eat" suggestions with a grain of salt. If you don't, you might wind up in one "hotel" he suggests that consists of three big tents where you and 99 others sleep on the ground or on a filthy bare bedbug ridden mattress on the ground. No, I am NOT kidding. It is called "The Tent" (wonder why?) and is just outside Munich. You don't want to know about the the bathroom situation, trust me. Personally, you'll find me in a comfortable, luxurious bed in an elegant Munich hotel with a bath and toilet in the room, room service, bellhops, air conditioning and free Internet. But that's just me.
This book is about Germany and he covers what you need to know very thoroughly. He not only describes the cities and areas but gives full details on the places you will want to see including hours, prices, how to get there, what you'll need to know once you get inside, etc. He covers the German transportation system well and gives you tidbits of info on how to travel anywhere in Germany and why leasing a car, for example, is better than renting one, all about the rail system (I LOVE German trains!!!!!), and about where to get information, what things costs, and just everything you need to know in great detail.
He lists where to sleep and where to eat which is where he and I must part company. I agree with his recommendations for sightseeing and love the maps and the historical info but the man is just determined to have you stay in cheap dumps where you rent sheets to sleep on a bed bug ridden mattress and have a bunch of rowdy, drunken unwashed young people in there with you. I mean the sort of places in seedy neighborhoods with hookers on the street, drug dealers loitering, and drunks peeing on your hotel which is next to a whore house/naked dancing club. He and I definitely do not choose hotels in the same neighborhoods. These places have no one to carry your luggage, no elevators and lots of narrow stairs up to your floor, and no air conditioning. They couldn't pay me to stay in any of these places.
I am convinced that Rick is also a raging alcoholic. Every place he goes, he drinks copious amounts of alcohol and here 98% of his recommendations of where to eat are alcoholic heaven with drinking the main theme and being in a rowdy place surrounded by drunks as your ambiance. Again, I wouldn't be caught dead in most of them.
I recommend this book for the vital info it covers very nicely but take those "where to sleep" and "where to eat" suggestions with a grain of salt. If you don't, you might wind up in one "hotel" he suggests that consists of three big tents where you and 99 others sleep on the ground or on a filthy bare bedbug ridden mattress on the ground. No, I am NOT kidding. It is called "The Tent" (wonder why?) and is just outside Munich. You don't want to know about the the bathroom situation, trust me. Personally, you'll find me in a comfortable, luxurious bed in an elegant Munich hotel with a bath and toilet in the room, room service, bellhops, air conditioning and free Internet. But that's just me.
August 13, 2018
Very useful for my recent Germany trip - used it for Nuremberg, Munich, Bavarian Alps and the castles, Baden-Baden and the recommendations worked in all areas - actual visit, parking garages, walks, descriptions of places, maps, hotels, restaurants; as usual with a Rick Steves guide there is a lot of subjective emphasis on this and that and here it worked really well for me; quite up to date on various issues (eg ongoing construction here and there, prices, hours) and highly recommended for travel to Germany
March 10, 2017
Rick simply does it right, every time. His travel books have just what I want: history, long sightseeing walk suggestions, and quirky places to eat.
December 5, 2024
Even 6 years old was a great resource. I appreciate that his books read partly like books with his engaging personal stories and history included. The walking tours in different cities are super handy for self guided, informative walks.
Read
May 23, 2016I'm not the biggest fan of the show, but I love his candor during interviews and his travel writing where opinions are freely expressed. I appreciate that instead of trying to include everything, his travel books have a focus: You have three weeks in Germany, so how do you spend your time? Yes, I know he has a team, but I'm amazed by the detail included here. He answers questions I didn't even know to ask.
April 2, 2013
Great book. Includes not only Germany but Switzerland and Austria too. Planned out my entire two week trip from Koln to Munich, visiting Rhine, Mosel, Black Forest, Switzerland, Bavaria, and Austria. just wish I had all summer instead of two weeks :(
April 7, 2019
Wonderful planning advice, tips and tricks for Germany. Used it as a guide to plan our trip this summer.
August 1, 2017
Rick Steves is a gem, as always. This book provided excellent trip advice for my two and a half week tour of Germany, including helpful info regarding train travel.
It wasn't perfect… In particular, Bavaria, the romantic Rd., Munich, Nürnberg, and Würzburg all have separate sections but offer very culturally similar fare. This would not be a problem, except that they together amount to at least half of the book. My primary base was Wiesbaden outside of Frankfurt, and I would've loved to see more information about the Black Forest, day trip information to France or Switzerland, an expanded section on Bonn and Köln, and more history of the areas outside of Bavaria. Now, I know Nürnberg and Würzburg are not technically Bavaria, but the community feel and walking tours seem similar to Munich. In any case, this is definitely an excellent starting point for any trip to Germany, and the good advice far outweighs the emphasis on Bavaria.
It wasn't perfect… In particular, Bavaria, the romantic Rd., Munich, Nürnberg, and Würzburg all have separate sections but offer very culturally similar fare. This would not be a problem, except that they together amount to at least half of the book. My primary base was Wiesbaden outside of Frankfurt, and I would've loved to see more information about the Black Forest, day trip information to France or Switzerland, an expanded section on Bonn and Köln, and more history of the areas outside of Bavaria. Now, I know Nürnberg and Würzburg are not technically Bavaria, but the community feel and walking tours seem similar to Munich. In any case, this is definitely an excellent starting point for any trip to Germany, and the good advice far outweighs the emphasis on Bavaria.
April 19, 2019
In my ongoing survey of Germany guides, Rick Steves' is probably the most useful and user friendly for the average tourist. Steves sticks to the big cities and big sites; if you're looking for more obscure locations and villages go to Lonely Planet. Steves is best at guiding unfamiliar tourists through the local quirks and making their travel as smooth as possible. He also provides more in depth histories and often room by room guides through the big sites. More than some others he gives you his honest opinion of sites that are not worth your time; for example, his dismisses Heidelberg with a few words. With this guide, no one should be afraid to travel to Germany on her or his own.
September 25, 2017
The book sucks
There is a lot of useless informaton, it's badly organised, hard to navigate, there is no index and the search does not work. If you want to find an info on the small city which does not warrant it's own chapter in contents, you are lost unless you want to memorise the whole book. I have chosen this one because it was an only ebook available, but honestly would be better of just photocopying DK eyewitness pages. There is certainly an open market opportunity here.
There is a lot of useless informaton, it's badly organised, hard to navigate, there is no index and the search does not work. If you want to find an info on the small city which does not warrant it's own chapter in contents, you are lost unless you want to memorise the whole book. I have chosen this one because it was an only ebook available, but honestly would be better of just photocopying DK eyewitness pages. There is certainly an open market opportunity here.
October 25, 2017
I found this travel guide an excellent presentation of what to expect when traveling in Germany. It is definitely designed for the semi-adventurous traveller. The descriptions of the walks that we could download to the app were excellent. If I travel again using the Rick Steves' guide, I would record the walks for the cities where I plan to travel that have not been made into podcasts so that I can just listen and not have to read while trying to navigate a walk - or as sometimes happened just give up.
August 1, 2018
I do not follow the places to stay all that well, and while the food recommendations tend to be safe, they are not all that exceptional. Ususally a good value though. THe thing that is consistently on target for me with Rick Steve's and is true here is that what he thinks you should see is always worth seeing. The romantic Rhine guide was very good. I was also in Bonn and Koln on my last trip, and the guide is not strong for either city--the Rough Guide was best overall for those two cities (both of which are well worth visiting)
January 28, 2019
It was serendipity that I stumbled upon a copy of Rick Steves’ Germany just before my trip to Berlin. Though I’m not the type of traveller who relies on a guide, I appreciated the self-guided tours and tips Rick had for Berlin. This guidebook did a good job of contextualising Berlin’s history. It’s made me want to travel more in Germany. I would highly recommend this book.
September 27, 2017
I only used a few sections of this Rick Steves guide - those for Cologne and "the Romantic Rhine." But these chapters were very helpful in my preparation for my Viking River Cruise. I am confident that the rest of the book is just as useful!
Read
March 16, 2021We used this book years ago on our trip to Germany. I recall Steves didn’t think highly of German food - I thought the food was wonderful. The Lonely Planets guide suited our purposes much better.
June 29, 2018
Love it!!! Thank you Rick Steves, for doing the research we last-minute- travelers tend to forget. Getting ready for Germany in the fall and this book really comes in handy!
August 15, 2022
Good travel guide. A lot of good advice.
May 19, 2023
Rick Steves provides a solid guide as usual, but he missed by not including a single line of text about Regensburg.
January 1, 2017
Rick Steves books are wonderful information to plan a vacation in Europe. I always use them !!
June 22, 2011
Our family has used Steve's books many many times over the years. He generally has great ideas on self walking tours, intelligent, mindful yet simple information, and wonderful inexpensive hotel ideas. My problem is that he claims to visit each site yearly that he recommends, and one of his biggest recommendations in Germany is his "favorite" castle in all of Europe, Burg Eltz. I wish he might have mentioned that over 50% of this castle is currently covered in scaffolding and will be for the next several years. We followed his recommended hike through the mountains (5 star hike!) so excited to behold the Burg, only to find half of it hidden behind scaffolding.
But, that's only the beginning! We traveled to Berlin and had a fantastic time, but once again, he fails to mention that Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the "evocative, destroyed church in the heart of western Berlin" is 100% covered in scaffolding, completely enveloped under walls of construction, and will be for the next 2 years.
And finally, in Cologne, we discovered MORE scaffolding on the Dom.
Steves' should be more careful on his updates. On the other hand, I am totally impressed with how well maintained Germany and its people keep their memorials. Awesome country!
But, that's only the beginning! We traveled to Berlin and had a fantastic time, but once again, he fails to mention that Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the "evocative, destroyed church in the heart of western Berlin" is 100% covered in scaffolding, completely enveloped under walls of construction, and will be for the next 2 years.
And finally, in Cologne, we discovered MORE scaffolding on the Dom.
Steves' should be more careful on his updates. On the other hand, I am totally impressed with how well maintained Germany and its people keep their memorials. Awesome country!
February 10, 2011
I downloaded this book to my iPad (via the Nook app) for our quick week-long jaunt through Germany. I found it very useful and interesting and I wouldn't mind following the recommended guide he offers for a month-long tour. My iPad struggled a bit with the book, but nothing drastic. I blame it on the maps.
The only thing I would say is that Steves neglects most of northern Germany. Since we were in Frankfurt this meant that we were near many sights that Steves did not seem to think were worth noting. He seems to have a preference for Bavaria (southern Germany) but there is older history up north. I also did not think it was appropriate that he encouraged going through the Red Light District as part of Frankfurt's self-guided walking tour. He talks about how the women petitioned for government-sponsored healthcare, which sounds very progressive. But in this world rife with human trafficking I am leary of any sort of glorification of prostitution. Okay, end of soapbox.
I would recommend this to anyone going to Germany for any amount of time. Even the parts I didn't visit were useful and gave me a glimpe into the culture we were visiting.
The only thing I would say is that Steves neglects most of northern Germany. Since we were in Frankfurt this meant that we were near many sights that Steves did not seem to think were worth noting. He seems to have a preference for Bavaria (southern Germany) but there is older history up north. I also did not think it was appropriate that he encouraged going through the Red Light District as part of Frankfurt's self-guided walking tour. He talks about how the women petitioned for government-sponsored healthcare, which sounds very progressive. But in this world rife with human trafficking I am leary of any sort of glorification of prostitution. Okay, end of soapbox.
I would recommend this to anyone going to Germany for any amount of time. Even the parts I didn't visit were useful and gave me a glimpe into the culture we were visiting.
March 4, 2014
I read each version of this book and 2014 is no disappointment. Germany is one of my favorite countries and Rick covers it nicely with information on pretty much anything you need to know. As usual, I do not recommend the "where to stay" section for any city. Cheap dumps. No air conditioning. No elevators. A million stairs. Teeny tiny rooms and pathetic bathrooms (often down the hall). Thin walls. Lots of noise. You get the idea. He even suggests one place that is just 3 damned circus tents with you picking a mattress on the ground (no, I am not kidding- this is exactly what he loves). Toilet is in the bushes. Obviously no ac or breakfast!
He covers some of my favorite cities and areas like Munich and Berlin, covers the Rhine, Bavaria, the Black Forest, Frankfurt, the Romantic Road, Hamburg, and even Salzburg, Austria which is one of my most loved places.
Obviously his places to stay and places to eat are no where near exhaustive but he has a tendency in every country to find places to get drunk so you'll see all the liquor joints, beer halls and wine tours. I can just imagine what his tours are like!
Use this for the practical info on travel, shopping, sights, and museums.
He covers some of my favorite cities and areas like Munich and Berlin, covers the Rhine, Bavaria, the Black Forest, Frankfurt, the Romantic Road, Hamburg, and even Salzburg, Austria which is one of my most loved places.
Obviously his places to stay and places to eat are no where near exhaustive but he has a tendency in every country to find places to get drunk so you'll see all the liquor joints, beer halls and wine tours. I can just imagine what his tours are like!
Use this for the practical info on travel, shopping, sights, and museums.
January 1, 2017
(Rick Steves' travel books all follow the same style and pattern so I am commenting on his general body of work for Europe, this one on Germany included.)
His books are good if it is what you want in a guide, that is, very prescriptive and limited to the more classic tourist locations. So if step by step, turn by turn information is what you want then his work will suit you, but if you want a broad view of a country's possibilities look elsewhere.
Steves' books do provide information on more pedestrian travel and lodging accommodations by tending to emphasize more basic restaurants and hotels which I suppose is a small step in that direction. Yet despite Steve's constant appeal for travelers to "mingle with the locals" in order to explore and make connections with the real culture of a country, his books provide little guidance for making that happen.
For travelers with little experience with a country this book in conjunction with others and can serve you well. I recommend the Rough Guide series as a main source and the use of Rick Steves' books along with others as supplements. A traveler really should read several guidebooks before setting out for a country.
His books are good if it is what you want in a guide, that is, very prescriptive and limited to the more classic tourist locations. So if step by step, turn by turn information is what you want then his work will suit you, but if you want a broad view of a country's possibilities look elsewhere.
Steves' books do provide information on more pedestrian travel and lodging accommodations by tending to emphasize more basic restaurants and hotels which I suppose is a small step in that direction. Yet despite Steve's constant appeal for travelers to "mingle with the locals" in order to explore and make connections with the real culture of a country, his books provide little guidance for making that happen.
For travelers with little experience with a country this book in conjunction with others and can serve you well. I recommend the Rough Guide series as a main source and the use of Rick Steves' books along with others as supplements. A traveler really should read several guidebooks before setting out for a country.
Read
October 1, 2014If my reviews interest you, you should read this in tandem with my review of a few minutes ago of the Rough Guide to Germany -
Rick Steves is very personal - I love his self-guided walks, in fact I just bought Rick Steves France even though I'll be there for only three of my 21 days - it was worth the $9 (Kindle Books - the only way to go for travel) just for the self-guided tour of Colmar. He can get a bit too cutesy for me at times, but I really appreciate his recommendations.
The reason I use the Rough Guide as well is that it is a much more comprehensive guide. For example, I'm staying at Ruedesheim am Rhein - Rick doesn't even mention it - he recommends Bacharach and St Goar. I'm certain they are both excellent towns (in fact I wish now I had booked Bacharach for my upcoming trip), but if he doesn't think a place is worth one day, he doesn't list it - Rough Guide covers many more cities in a given area - cannot beat the match-up!
Rick Steves is very personal - I love his self-guided walks, in fact I just bought Rick Steves France even though I'll be there for only three of my 21 days - it was worth the $9 (Kindle Books - the only way to go for travel) just for the self-guided tour of Colmar. He can get a bit too cutesy for me at times, but I really appreciate his recommendations.
The reason I use the Rough Guide as well is that it is a much more comprehensive guide. For example, I'm staying at Ruedesheim am Rhein - Rick doesn't even mention it - he recommends Bacharach and St Goar. I'm certain they are both excellent towns (in fact I wish now I had booked Bacharach for my upcoming trip), but if he doesn't think a place is worth one day, he doesn't list it - Rough Guide covers many more cities in a given area - cannot beat the match-up!
February 10, 2011
Completely disappointing.
Occasionally Enraging.
Often Amusing.
I found more things in my first 3 weeks here than they cover in all of east Germany. They completely ignore North Germany, and all but diss East Germany. I was sad because we really trust Steves' books; but his underlings are no longer finding the Back Door places. Skip this one, unless you are travelling exclusively to Bavaria, The Rhein Valley or the Romantic Road. Those are the places that I know Steve's goes himself. If I saw him here (dresden) I should inform him he needs to visit some good places.
Even his Berlin recommendations need to be updated. They are so overrun, it's not even pleasant anymore... bad service, worse food...
Occasionally Enraging.
Often Amusing.
I found more things in my first 3 weeks here than they cover in all of east Germany. They completely ignore North Germany, and all but diss East Germany. I was sad because we really trust Steves' books; but his underlings are no longer finding the Back Door places. Skip this one, unless you are travelling exclusively to Bavaria, The Rhein Valley or the Romantic Road. Those are the places that I know Steve's goes himself. If I saw him here (dresden) I should inform him he needs to visit some good places.
Even his Berlin recommendations need to be updated. They are so overrun, it's not even pleasant anymore... bad service, worse food...
May 1, 2014
This is the third Rick Steves' guide that I've read in preparation for an upcoming trip on recommendation from a friend. I chose to also read the country guide (in addition to some city-focused guides from his series) to get an overall picture of what Germany has to offer beyond the usual popular places. These really are excellent books. Information and tips are relayed like a friend would - pointing out major and minor sights but evaluating them honestly. Common tourist destinations aren't spared from negative review just because they are well-known. He also offers some exclusive discounts on attraction passes and local transportation. Only complaint is that the pictures a little small and grainy.
March 7, 2011
Clear, concise and useful information, presented in an easy to navigate and easy to read manner. Some people loath him but I find his hand drawn maps simple and easy to read.
My only issue is his dogmatic decisions about what is worth seeing and what is not - his attitude to Heidelberg for example. He doesn't like the place but I think that limiting his information about this highly-visited city to ONE derogatory sentence just isn't good enough. Many people would have purchased the book with the aim to use it as their primary guide for their entire German visit, too bad if they wanted to visit Heidelberg! Luckily I only borrowed it from the library.
My only issue is his dogmatic decisions about what is worth seeing and what is not - his attitude to Heidelberg for example. He doesn't like the place but I think that limiting his information about this highly-visited city to ONE derogatory sentence just isn't good enough. Many people would have purchased the book with the aim to use it as their primary guide for their entire German visit, too bad if they wanted to visit Heidelberg! Luckily I only borrowed it from the library.
August 14, 2012
This guide book was very helpful as I planned my family's recent 12 day trip through Germany. The advice to include Dresden and Rothenberg kept two amazing towns on our itinerary that might otherwise have been eliminated as we shrunk the trip to fit our available time. The advice to see Neushwanstein castle via the Mike's Bike's tour from Munich was very helpful. The guide also helped us find some terrific restaurants that were local favorites. We read the electronic version of the book, which featured many links to web sites.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews