Rick Steves Germany (Travel Guide)

Rick Steves writes great travel books with itineraries and maps. We travel quite often and sometimes find it difficult to figure out what to do. With these books I am easily able to book excursions prior so that our itineraries aren’t full of “I don’t care what we do” or “I’ll do whatever you want”. Or, most importantly, “dang how did we miss that?”

You can't go wrong if you use all the travel info. available on Rick's website, watch his many videos and use his guides for everything "European". Just remember that all his tours are "active", so if you are a more sedate traveler, his tours are probably not for you. Doesn't mean that you cannot avail yourself of all his knowledge and experience traveling. We do it all the time!

I like it

Got this guidebook for a last minute trip to Germany planned with 45 days notice. This book accompanied by the Rick Steves website/Germany forums and you are set. Most of the people on the forum will tell you some of Rick's ideas of "must do" and "Don't bother" are based off of his preferences and they will tell you more information. I also found that this book was in most of our hotel lobbys! I loved that I could look through the book and have a map of the area along with a map of the country and make plans quickly and be able to refer back to them once I was in the country. I used sticky notes for each city we planned to visit and left them poking out the edge so I could easily flip to that city and then highlighted in the book where we were interested in going along with a sticky note of suggestions from the forum. Highly recommend! Apparently, Germany does as well because it was in 3 out of 4 of our hotels!

Rick Steves guides are always excellent, but there is a major caveat. You have to appreciate Rick's approach to travel to really enjoy these guides. There are three characteristics that set these books apart from other travel guides.First, they are NOT encyclopedic, but are selective surveys of the countries they cover. Rick does not attempt to cover the country in an exhaustive, comprehensive way. He selects sights, hotels, restaurants, and other attractions based on the things he believes most travelers will want to visit, and prioritizes them. For example, this guide recommends a trip to Nuremburg, but not to Bamberg. He recommends enormously popular Rothenburg, but not lesser-known but equally lovely Quedlinburg. All this adds up to make Rick's book very much an "on the beaten path" guide. Rick believes that if something is popular, there must be a reason. To really enjoy a guide like this, you have to trust that Rick's recommendations are made based on a thorough working knowledge of the country, and you must be able to accept his judgements of certain popular destinations (such as Heidelberg) as not worth your time. I do find it odd that Rick dismisses Heidelberg as "too commercial and too popular," but provides feature coverage of over-the-top commercialized Salzburg, and it's not even in Germany.Second, Rick makes hotel and restaurant recommendations based on authenticity and value. He doesn't just offer listings with little or no evaluation. He actually considers whether a hotel will enhance your feeling and appreciation of the local culture, and whether it provides excellent services and facilities for its price. Don't misunderstand. This is not a listing of locations for travelers on a shoestring budget, but it IS a listing of places that offer a lot for guests, proportional to price. The same philosophy applies to restaurants and other attractions. This is what Rick calls his "back door" philosophy.Finally, this is a guide that really stands out regarding travel practicalities, and in concise historical and cultural contexts. The practicalities are very good, with suggestions for everything from how to rent a car, to what trains to use, to when is the best time of day to visit an otherwise overwhelmingly popular attraction. For example, most of us will understand quickly that daytime crowds in Rothenburg are going to be enormous. Want to enjoy this gem of a town without the daytime crowds? Stay overnight, in one of Rick's recommended lodgings, and you'll be sure to have a rewarding and authentic experience.Historical and cultural contexts are bare bones, and cut right to the pertinent issues a traveler will want to know. This is not textbook-style dreary history. Rick tells us when this or that cathedral was built, and why that's important to know, all very concisely and with a lively, witty writing style that keeps the reader engaged. While the book pays due respect to history where appropriate, Rick makes sure we understand that his guides are not simply about history and the historical. There are many modern attractions in Germany, particularly in the former East, that are very well covered. The chapters on Berlin and Dresden are excellent.Listings are right up to date, and maintained that way through Rick's network of writers and reporters. Plus, he spends over three months per year revisiting many of these locations to update. Maps are very basic, but they are surprisingly easy to use and always spot-on accurate. Rick knows the frustration of a bad map, especially for someone in unfamiliar territory.Bottom line is this: These are selective travel guides designed to be practical and concise. They are, more than anything, designed to make your trip authentic and valuable. If you are looking for a truly encyclopedic country guide, there are better books.

In the opinion of this frequent traveler, Rick Steves's guides are the ONLY ones you need if you're going anywhere in Europe! In the past, I've bought two or three guidebooks for the same country before I felt like I had all of the information I needed. Once I found the Rick Steves books, I have never bought another vesion of any travel guide again. The Rick Steves guides are so thorough, that the only way you could get better, more complete guidance would be to have Rick or one of his tour guides along with you.Each guide takes you through the country city by city, including what to do before you leave home, what to pack, where to stay, where to eat, and what to see. He'll tell you what sights will need advance booking or reservations. There are walking guides for cities, as well as detailed walking tours for museums, churches, and other major sights. For the history lovers, there are beautifully written sections to educate you about what you're seeing, which makes your experience measurably more meaningful. The information is so detailed that Rick tells you things like, "When exiting the front of the train station, turn to your left and walk 20 yards to the bus stop. Take bus #11 to go directly to the castle." It doesn't get any easier to plan your sightseeing than that! And of course, there are simplified city maps to help you navigate once you get there, usually marked with his suggested walking tour route.Other helpful sections include tips about money, shopping, climate, and transportation. But one of my favorite parts of Rick's books is that he tells you how to really see a place by becoming what he calls a "temporary local." In other words, don't miss the real heart of the country by seeing only the well known tourist hot spots. He tells you how the locals live and how you can have that experience, too.Finally, each book includes a list of survival phrases and words to help you communicate while you're there. As Rick says, and I can confirm, the locals will very much appreciate your attempt to use their language instead of just assuming that they speak English. Don't worry about your pronunciation - just try it!There is so much valuable information in the Rick Steves guides that I'm sure I'm leaving something out. In my opinion, they have no equal!Make sure to get the most recent issue. They are updated each year.