Planning a brief trip to a country as varied and historic as Germany is demanding, but this book has been my best resource. As in all of his books, Steves states his approach to travel clearly: he doesn't cover everything, just the "best" places, the best according to him, of course. My tastes and orientation align with his (interesting, moderately priced travel, including as much local immersion as is reasonable), so I rely on his books to provide the wonderful backbones of great trips. For visiting places other than his "best" I use a more comprehensive guide book, like Lonely Planet, in addition to (rather than instead of) his.

For myself, a traveler with only a few days passing through Germany (on this trip), Steves' approach works well. His recommendations about transportation choices, especially the vast array of train tickets, are especially helpful. I imagine that I will want more detailed descriptions of major buildings and museums once I am on the spot, but his room-by-room descriptions are excellent for determining whether a particular site should be on my itinerary.

-Lynn Michelsohn, author of Roswell, Your Travel Guide to the UFO Capital of the World!

This book is typical Rick Steves. He has preordained that only certain places are worth visiting and therefore has excluded all others. It is true that his coverage of the Rhine and Mosel valleys is probably 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. Bavarian gems like Coburg Schloss Ehrenburg, Kempten Residenz, Ansbach Residenz, and Neuburg Palace, and others like Eisenach Wartburg Castle and Gotha Schloss Friedenstein 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 Rough Guides or Lonely Planet and decide for yourself.

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.

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!

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.

I love this book! It is very thorough on the major destinations' history and sights. It thoroughly explains things such as how to take the subway, how to interact with the waiter, and how to see the Opera cheaply. It has small black & white photos throughout which help give a feel for a place before you actually get there. He gives very detailed instructions on how to get around, even within a place such as Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum. I will be on an escorted tour but now I know that I could have planned my own trip with this book.

I recommend borrowing one of "Rick Steves' Europe 2000-2007" DVDs from your library to see if you like Rick's style. (Don't miss the "Travel Skills" DVD!) Rick's books and DVDs are clearly aimed at Americans, so others will most likely prefer other guidebooks. Rick has clear preferences on where to go, so if you already know which cities and towns you will be visiting, be sure to use the "Search Inside" feature to look at the Table of Contents to be sure all your places are covered in this book.

When Amazon briefly offered the 2007 version for $4.99, I jumped on it. I cut that one into cities for carrying around while sightseeing, because the sightseeing details are so good, and the history shouldn't change much!

I am disappointed with Amazon policy. My order was shipped at two different times and I was told there wouldn't be a second shipping charge
but there was and I had no way to complain to Amazon.

The tour book is very good. It provides enough detail and much needed opinions of tourist spots. However, I also purchased the map which accompanies the book and was disappointed in the lack of detail.

Preparing for a trip includes a great deal about unknown tricks of the trade. Steves handles many of those issues at the beginning of the book, and sorts out others later in the book.

The introduction handles issues of culture which I had not previously been able to fully grasp. For example, the tipping system of Europe is well explained, use of guides at cities is better outlined, the issue of bed and breakfast as opposed to hotel, and finally how to use the certain shortcuts - hostels, necessary drivers' id's, necessary insurance on rental cars, car leasing, and more.

By the time I have reached page 30, I have some grasp of the culture. And, then off we go from port to town until he has told us "yep" or "nope" to the sights or sites which we have always heard about. Great clues and insight.

I enhanced my reading with two other staples: Michelin and Lonely Planet. Michelin provides greater historical perspective, Lonely Planet provides more cheap angles. If you merged the best of those two guides, you have Steves. And, in a nice size.

And, as he tells you - choose only a few guides. Read them all before departure, but lug only - at best - two. If that be the case, this is one I am taking for the road.