Rick Steves Amsterdam & the Netherlands Paperback – May 23, 2017

Rick Steves never fails to impress me with his guides. I am planning a trip to Paris and I was so excited to see there was a brand new version of the Rick Steves Paris guide! First of all, the maps are on point as usual. He has the maps divided by the different sections of Paris and he has the different landmarks and metro stations marked on the maps. He even has a very helpful metro map. I got the Kindle edition of this book and usually the printing on the maps can be a little small. Not so here. The print is perfect; I am still able to read everything. Also, I like looking at my Kindle for a map instead of a bulky book. It also takes up less space.The book is packed with great information, such as information on the different neighborhoods, important tips on when to go and what to bring, tips on how to save money and time on the different sites, and so much more. There are also SEVEN different historic walks in this book: Historic Core, Major Museums, Neighborhood, Eiffel Tower, Left Bank, Champs-Elysees, Marais Neighborhood and Montmarte. As usual, each walk includes length of time necessary to complete it, times and hours for each site on the walk, map of the route, and eating suggestions. Any fan of Rick Steves knows these walks are very detailed and a great way to get to know the city. I love that there are so many walks in the different neighborhoods. Paris is a big city and while landing my trip, I was a bit overwhelmed with everything. I have actually been to Paris before, but that was six years ago. My husband and I are planning another trip so I am so glad I got this book. Yes, this book was still helpful even though this will be my second trip to Paris. There are a couple of neighborhoods I didn't get to on my last trip and there are so many things to see in this book that I didn't get to see then as well.This book also has some great suggestions for day trips in Paris, just in case you are staying for a long amount of time. But honestly, you could spend a week in Paris and probably still not see everything. And since my trip to Paris will be during Thanksgiving to see a few of the Christmas markets, I appreciated the section on Paris in Winter.This book has so much that I could probably go on and on. If you are planning a trip to Paris, make sure you get this book!!

This, in my opinion is the only guide book you need when traveling to Paris. Especially if it's your first or first few visits there. The information is exhaustive and fascinating because he doesn't just do the usual attraction information, Opening hours, decriptions etc. All that information is there of course but you also get history, walking tours, personality, humor, and real tips that save money and which other guides don't have. It's like a friend has just returned from Paris and come over for dinner and given you notes and tips. I found his (free) companion audio guides to places like the louvre, and the historical walk through Paris particularly essential.I bought it on my kindle so it would always be on my iPhone, searchable and light weight. It worked well but I think if I go back to Paris I'd get the hard copy to read in my hotel room at night and keep the phone edition for walking around. it would be nice to have both versions.I'm now a total Rick Steves convert. I also recently used his Rome guide which was as invaluable. I'd never travel anywhere again without buying his guides. Before going to Rome I spent six days in Venice, Milan, and Florence without a Rick Steves guide. I did use Rick's audio guides to places like St marks and the Uffizi Gallery, Leonardo's the last supper, and Michealangelo's David etc but since I loved those cities I'm considering buying his guides for them after the fact. It'll give me some hope that I'll return there one day soon.

I love Rick Steves' books. I also have his books on Germany and France. I like travel books that give you GUIDANCE, and his books do just that. This book and my other Steves books give you an idea of what to visit based on how much time you have, which is great if you don't have time to do a lot of research. They help you prioritize. This book and the others recommend self-guided walking tours and also list popular guided tours. But if you want to do the research, the books get you started on that, giving you the pluses and minuses of each attraction. I don't like books that just describe all the attractions and hotels like some other travel books do -- I want guidance and insights. The Steves books also contain useful tidbits you need to know as a traveler, like if the train stations have lockers. Very practical stuff. The language is casual and personal, as if one helpful person wrote all the books. I confess I haven't gone on the trip yet. Hopefully the books are accurate and not "fake news"!

I bought this for my Kindle. So I'm reviewing it as a Kindle guide. I actually found it pretty helpful. Steves has a lot of helpful advice that gives you a real sense of how to negotiate some of the practicalities of France. For example, he had good information about the airport that was helpful to me as I tried to figure out my departure. I had a hotel recommendation, so I didn't use that part of his guide and I ended up eating a lot with friends. However he had great recommendations about bus routes and the metro. He also had great shopping recommendations, including several reminders that the stores in Paris are closed on Sunday. Easy for an American to forget that.The museum information was strong as well. I really liked some of the history he included and loved reading the backgrounds on buildings and parks. He also gives really good advice about the things worth doing and the things you could skip.Overall I had recourse to his book several times on my Kindle, often on the fly, and I found it easy to search and browse on my Kindle. Trust me, that is not always the case. I had another guide that I stopped even trying to use. Glad I bought this book, it came in handy on many occasions. I would definitely purchase another of his guides in future to visit another city or country.