Books Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2008
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - For Rick Steves sycophants only
This book is typical Rick Steves. He has preordained that only certain places are worth visiting and has therefore excluded all others. It is true that his coverage of the Rhine and Mosel valleys is the best of any English-language guide book, but his omissions are many. He completely avoids any mention of the many castles and palaces in Bavaria, save the overly popular Neuschwanstein and a handful of others. Gems like Eisenach's Wartburg Castle, Coburg's Schloss Ehrenburg, Gotha's Schloss Friedenstein, and Kempten's Residenz are given a miss. Could it be that his guide books only cover the places his tours visit for obvious personal financial reasons? If you are a Rick Steves groupie, then feel free to buy his books. But if you want to see the best of Germany, read Eyewitness Travel Guides, Lonely Planet, or Rough Guides, and decide for yourself.

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Rating: - Great guidebook for Germany!
We used this guidebook for a week-long driving trip through Baden-Wurttemburg and Bayern (Bavaria). The recommended hotels were fabulous, and the descriptions of tourist stops were accurate. Had it not been for this book we would have missed some of the best stops on our trip. Use this book and get out of the cities! You'll discover the REAL Germany.

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Rating: - Rick Steves rules!
Having traveled through Germany and Austria with Rick Steves a couple of years ago, I was happy to purchase this book for a friend who is going this year. Rick's books cut through the crap and let the reader know which sights are worth seeing--and also how to get away from the tourist traps and into the authentic heart of a country. I wouldn't dream of going to Europe without Rick!

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Rating: - Wonderful stuff except.......
Wonderful detailed info. Interesting off the beaten track stuff but sometimes you want to see the usual tourist stuff too.
But we no longer stay at the hotels listed because we found one a bit too cheap and a firetrap in waiting.