Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35586 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

About the Author
Rick Steves is on a mission: to help make European travel accessible and meaningful for Americans. Rick has spent 100 days every year since 1973 exploring Europe. He's researched and written 24 travel guidebooks and hosts the public television series Rick Steves' Europe, now in its seventh season. He also organizes and leads tours of Europe and offers an information-packed website (www.ricksteves.com). Rick lives in Edmonds, WA, just north of Seattle, with his family.

Customer Reviews

Indispensable in Scandinavia
I just returned from a two-week adventure in Scandinavia, where I hung out in Oslo, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. I had a great time seeing the places where my predecessors came from, and I can attribute much of my trip's success to the "Rick Steves' Scandinavia 2005" guidebook. Mr. Steves has created an excellent and portable all-in-one travel resource for this region. It's well organized, and compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket for consultation on the fly. But most importantly, his hotel, transportation, and attraction recommendations fit my traveling desires and saved me time and money.

For example, finding a decent place to stay in a strange country can be daunting, but Mr. Steves' picks came through every time. His three-tiered rating system based on pricing helped me zero in on optimal accommodations: high (fancier hotels), moderate (nice, but no frills), and low priced (hostels and private homes). I stuck to the moderate level, and the book led me to a good night's sleep in each city. The City Hotel and Rainbow Hotel Astoria in Oslo, Hotel Jorgensen in Copenhagen, and Queen's Hotel in Stockholm were all great for a thirtysomething solo traveler on a budget. They had helpful staff, good breakfasts included with the room, and locations close to transportation centers and attractions.

Getting around Scandinavia was made easier by the hints in "Scandinavia 2005." Taking the night cruise from Oslo to Copenhagen got me on a cruise ship for the first time, and watching the shore slip by while enjoying a nice wine and cigar was sweet. I also took Mr. Steves' advice and reserved a couchette on a night train from Copenhagen to Stockholm (a bit crowded with five other people in the cabin, but efficient nontheless). Both methods enabled me to combine travel with sleep to maximize time and kroner savings. And his admonition to rely on walking and bicycling to intimately experience the cities was smart, especially since I lost seven pounds while seeing the sights!

Finally, Mr. Steves' ratings on things to see and do helped me dive into my Nordic roots. He uses a zero to three triangle rating system (three triangles = don't miss; two triangles = try hard to see; one triangle = worthwhile if you can make it; no triangle = worth knowing about). Based on his recommendations, I experienced cool sights like the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Christiania in Copenhagen, and the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. Simple hand-drawn maps helped me navigate the cities and easily find these attractions (along with the accommodations listed above). And the additional information he provided enabled me to prioritize my sightseeing based on distance, operating hours, and price.

Of course, no guidebook is perfect because the information is static and recommendations are based on opinion. Admission prices rise, museums change their exhibits, and a "don't miss" attraction ends up being a bust (like the three-triangle Nordic Museum in Stockholm, mainly because Swedish fabrics and dinner settings aren't my thing). But having the "Rick Steves' Scandinavia 2005" guidebook really helped me to achieve an outstanding travel experience I'll never forget. For that, he gets my highest endorsement.

Only one man's opinion
For my 20-day trip to Sweden and Denmark, I picked up several travel books (Lonely Planet Denmark and Scandinavia, Fodor's Scandinavia, Michelin the Green Guide Scandinavia Finland, Rick Steves' Scandinavia 2003 by Rick Steves, and Frommer's Scandinavia). Out of all of these books, the most consistent and most accurate are Michelin and Lonely Plant books.

I tried hotels recommended by Frommer and Fodor and was very disappointed (mind you, these had stars next to the write-ups). I tried one restaurant recommended by Frommer (w/ a star) and got sick afterwards. Silly me, I tired another (w/ a star) to give another chance and the meal was very mediocre. Same deal with Fodor. Where as Lonely Planet just gave facts about hotels and was very pleased with how things turned out. Hotels and meals matched the expectation that the book gave, so no unpleasant surprises.

I used the Lonely Planet Denmark book so much during the trip, I brought the Lonely Planet Scandinavia book in Denmark.... even though it was $...! It was well worth $....

As for Rick Steves, obviously, he only highlighted what he liked. There were some places that I loved in Sweden and Denmark that he suggest to skip.

For my next trip, I'm only buying Lonely Planet and Michelin books.

Not Rick's Best
While I usually love Rick Steves' books, won't leave home without one, and take nothing else, this book was a disappointment. The directions were very poor so we got lost even on his orientation walks (not generally a time you need a real city map). The accomodations listings were wanting. Though it said you could assume breakfast was included and credit cards were accepted unless otherwise mentioned, this never worked. We found no breakfasts at places that he didn't specifically describe them, and the places in Denmark he listed as taking credit cards only accepted Danish cc's. We found better meals for better prices than he recommended with very minimal effort. Scandanavia is so expensive that saving money (the primary RS claim) is critical, but not easy following this book's suggestions. This guide was so far below the normal RS standard, we were left wondering if RS actually had anything to do with it or if he has bitten off more than he can chew during his success and passed it off to less consciencous minions. The book was helpful on narrowing down what to see, so I would recommend checking it out; just don't rely on it exclusively.