Rick Steves' Amsterdam, Bruges & Brussels by Rick Steves

Rick Steves' Amsterdam, Bruges & Brussels Reviews

• 
  Negin

  An excellent guide for a trip that we hope we’ll make someday soon, not sure when!
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  Volkert

  Last summer I returned to my birthplace of Holland, which I had not seen since I was three years old in 1953. After checking out several travel guides, we decided to mainly use this one by Rick Steves. I suppose it helps that I live about 45 minutes from his headquarters and we stopped into his shop a couple of times to pick up travel gear.
  
  We spent two weeks in the Netherlands, staying overnight in four locations, three of which we got out of this book. The book did an accurate job of describing these bed and breakfasts and hotels, and we were not disappointed (although one hotel was a bit of a letdown after we got the best room in the previous hotel).
  
  We stayed near Arnhem, and in Amsterdam, Delft and Haarlem. Based on the book, we enjoyed museums, canal tours, restaurants, walks, bike rides, and we learned how to navigate the airport, the trains and the trams. There is no way you can do everything that is recommended in the book, but Steves and his companions make it very helpful to plan the trip, and to make adjustments in the itinerary once you're on the way.
  
  The one shortcoming is that not enough of the country is covered in the book. We spent a delightful day in Zutphen, looking up family history, and found it to be a town that any tourist would enjoy, but there is no mention of it on these pages. We also considered a side trip to Groningen, but again there was no mention of that region in this book.
  
  Holland may be small, but in our two weeks we discovered that there are distinctive characteristics to each region, and one could easily spend a long time in this country and just barely scratch the surface. Hopefully Steves will consider doing a longer book in the future, because he does such a good job at what he has already covered. (January 15, 2012.)
• 
  Ashley

  Very informative. I will definitely be using tips in my future travels.
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  Ashleigh Harris

  I used this book to help me navigate around Amsterdam. I would highly recommend doing some serious pre-planning with this book before you get there, because the last thing you want to do is waste time trying to figure it all out from your hotel room once you're there. Oh yeah...and listen to the book (and other smart people) who tell you not to drink the water when visiting. I was cheap and didn't want to pay for the bottled water, but I paid for it for like 3-4 weeks of misery when I got back home. I'm sorry if that's TMI, but I'm telling you folks...it is my duty (pun intended) to warn! That being said, this historical city offers a lot to explore. It was gorgeous!
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  Bill

  I used the most recent guide on our five-day trip to Amsterdam this summer, and it was immensely helpful. It gave us information on how to get back and forth to the airport, navigating around the city, and taking walking tours throughout the city. Thanks to this guide, I didn't have that "did we miss anything?" feeling that I often get at the end of a vacation.
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  Nicole D'Amato

  Rick Steves is the travelin' MAN. He brought me to a working class one pot/dish cafeteria style kitchen in Haarlam that was absolutely amazing. Had I not brought this guidebook, there is no way I would have found it. Rick Steves is geared towards all sorts of travelers so this is a great round about reference. Highly recommend!
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  Keith Little

  Great book but a poor eBook translation. On the Kobo ePub version, none of the maps and images can be zoomed-in on. A large part of what make this eBook useful is the handy maps, diagrams, and images that Rick Steves provides. Without the ability to properly view these images, this book is not worth its price.
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  Snsiddiqui91

  Steves does a good job of making you feel comfortable with a place before getting there. Super useful in all three cities - especially in Amsterdam where the streets are seemingly impossible to navigate. He also has useful recommendations for eating and organizing your time. If your trip is time constricted, definitely use his tips.
• 
  Katherine

  Great guidebook. His restaurant recommendation's were especially good. Jon couldn't keep Rick Steve's name straight and kept referring to "Rick James" recommendations, as in "Rick James said this place was good."
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  Kristen

  Great advice on things to see while in Amsterdam etc. His recommendations are good for those looking for main-stream and off-the-beaten-path experiences. If you go to Bruges, check out the little hole in the wall pub recommended by Steves- it really is perfect.
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  Katherine

  Once again, this book had all the tips to make our trip through Amsterdam, Brussels, and Bruges wonderful. Some of my favorite tips that he recommended were renting bikes in Bruges to ride to the nearby town of Damm and a small brewery tour in Bruges.
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  Yolo Yearwood

  Now that I've finished the guidebook, I'm all set to experience the Netherlands in all its glory! Love me some Rick Steves, great book, glad to have it in eBook format so I can take it along on the adventure. Highly recommended.
• 
  Lauren McDonnell

  Completely made my trip to Amsterdam. I love trivia and interesting facts, and Rick’s walking guide to the city was amazing. I’m not great at reading traditional maps, but his hand drawn maps were easy to follow. If you’re planning a trip to Amsterdam, I can’t recommend this book enough.
• 
  Larissa

  Rick Steves is a master at travel! His travel guides are informative, but at the same time quirky and humorous. You can't go wrong with this travel expert.
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  Kipahni

  I am very excited to see how accurate this book is to the places he has suggested and to try another of his walking/biking tours.
• 
  Matt

  Rick Steves has taken me on more good vacations... hope this leads to one more. Good stuff and reference that I'll bring to Belgium.
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  Noel

  Excellent guide to Amsterdam, Brussels and Bruges. Read cover to cover and consulted constantly during a recent trip.
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  Simon Gianoutsos

  This was my first introduction to Rick Steves' travel guides and this is a superb book covering down to earth advice and opinions.
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  Megan

  Great guidebook and info for Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels, I used the 2011 edition and found it very helpful for my trip.
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  Lorri M.

  I'm a big fan of Rick Steves but think a separate book just on the Netherlands would be great. There really are so many more places that could be included.
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  Sally

  Added this to my Kindle Fire before going on vacation. It was great having it along while traveling.
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  Abigail Woodruff

  These are a few of my favorite things...
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  Carol Ann

  So valuable. Really helped us navigate Amsterdam and Haarlem.
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  Allison Ducluzeau

  Excellent book, just the right amount of information to help you thoroughly enjoy a trip to Amsterdam. It was really helpful! Allison
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  Marie Horning

  I love the walking tours. They give the ability to self-pace your tour while learning so much along the way.