Rick Steves Amsterdam, Bruges and Brussels (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves' Amsterdam, Bruges and Brussels (2008-12-26)
An accurate and clear description of effective and well illustrated travel information getting through Amsterdam, Bruges and Brussels,whether novice or experienced traveler. Excellent presentation of museums and collateral side trips to nearby cities. Succinct historical and current information. A practical common sense guide that mirrors the entire series of travel books Steves' has published.

Good Ol' Rick (2008-11-09)
Rick Steves (and his "silent" partner Gene Openshaw) have established a successful travel-book franchise by writing primarily for on-a-budget travelers. The conversational, reassuring "Good Ol' Rick" tone of the books seems to be intended to allay the anxiety many people feel about traveling in other countries.

The Amsterdam book, like the others, does best with the sightseeing aspects of travel, highlighting the "must-see" attractions and going into detail about what it is you're seeing when you're there. I'm not as impressed with his choices for lodging and meals -- I didn't find it helpful to know, for example, that there's a good snack bar in the Amsterdam train station.

The detailed information about the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum and even the Red Light District proved to be accurate. I find the writing by Rick and his colleagues to be entertaining and (with the one caveat mentioned above) helpful.

very helpful guide to a great region (2008-04-09)
Having just returned from a visit to the Low Countries, we found this guide to be very helpful. Though it does not go off the beaten path, concentrating instead on the major cities, it does cover those cities well, with transportation information as well as hotel and restaurant recommendations which we found reliable. Maps show the metro stops, which is handy, and the book includes walking tours of the cities and some museums. Recommended.

Travel Time (2007-01-04)
An excellent travel guide that is easy to read and filled with low cost alternatives from hotels and pensions to wonderful restaurants and tour options. This was my second trip to Amsterdam and the second time staying in the same hotel that Rick had recommended. One year while in Paris, standing in line at the Eiffel Tower I had noticed that there were several people reading Rick Steves Paris Guide. It was a great conversation starter. My last trip this past October, while touring Germany, the guide said to mention Rick's name while checking into a very comfortable pension and the owner would give a discount. It worked! Thanks Rick!

Thanks Rick (2006-11-03)
Rick led us to some of the nicest places in Brugge. I didn't get to experience Amsterdam (which claims about half the pages in the book), but the information on Belgium and Brugge was great. He has some really excellent B&B recommendations. If you end up in Brugge, definitely go see Scottish Maggie :)