dina4

I was wondering if any one can recommend the podcast guided tours Rick Steves has for the Louvre, the Orsay, or the Vatican Museum, specifically. He also has them for the forum, colosseum, and more.

I was thinking of downloading them for our ipods.

Any comments?

Thanks!
dina

CAPH52

I can't comment on the specific ones you asked about. But my son has downloaded and listened to the audio ones for Edinburgh and London in preparation for our trip in June. He enjoyed them.

These were not tours though. He said they're more like radio shows.

The thing is, they're free, right? So unless you have space limitations on your IPOD, I'd say go for it!

CarolA

I did the Orsay last year.

It was a nice tour, but very "basic" Seems like it's just half an hour or so? I have to admit the BEST part was by wearing the IPOD it blocked out the "noise" in the place! (It was a very busy day) (I just left the IPOD on music for the rest of the time I was there!)

luvtravl

I used the podcast of the Vatican, the Coliseum and Roman Forum and enjoyed them.

dina4

That's great to hear. thanks!

They are definitely free, so the price is right!

anyone else?

lilaki

hi dina4,

i can't comment about the specific podcasts that you have mentioned. however, i downloaded RS' podcast for versailles last fall and thought it was good.

here are my thoughts:

1. it's free.
2. you don't have to line up at the attraction to get an audio guide (that was a huge time-savings @ versailles)

i'm going to look into other free podcasts for our return trip to paris this year...

enjoy!

macinpv

I used the podcasts for Venice, Rome and Florence - especially enjoyed the Colleseum, Sistine Chapel, Accademia and Uffizi. I recommend them all - even if you do not use other Rick Steves information.

dina4

This is great! Thanks so much for all your comments. I'm definitely going to try some of them this summer!

cathies

We downloaded all of the RS podcasts you mentioned and more. He is a bit corny but the information is good. I agree with CarolA that the Orsay one is pretty basic however the others were better. We particular liked the Forum which started at one end and worked right through to the other end. The Colesseum was also pretty good.

The cost of hiring audio guides adds up after a while and I was happy to save some $. Sounds as though you have a great trip coming up!!

Peter_S_Aus

I find the tone of Rick Steves’ guide books to be pretty flippant, with more than a few errors of fact. Sure, he’s good at detailing costs and opening times for attractions, but the tone of his works I find atrocious. I’d pay for audio guides written by people who are better informed than Mr Steves.

A tiny example from his guide book for Venice – “Venice is built on more than a million wooden piles”. The church of the Salute alone is built on about 1.2 million piles. Sure, there are more than a million piles under Venice, like there are more than a million people living in the USA.

2fun

Hi dina4,
Let me first say that I haven't taken tours at any museums, so I don't have much to compare it to. But the cost is right, it's good information and you don't have to show up at a certain time, or make reservations.

My girlfriend and I used the Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Orsay. I thought the Louvre wasn't that good, maybe because we had a hard time finding where the tour started. We wandered around on our own and then picked up the tour again at the "Winged Victory of Samothrace", she is hard to miss! I liked the Notre dame tour better, along with the Orsay. Next time I go (with husband and 12yo in June), I am going to use Paris Walks for the Louvre and Orsay. I took a walking tour of the Marais district for 10euro with them back in Oct. and thought it was good and well worth the money. When we get to Rome I think we will try the RS Forum, as recommended by others. Have fun!

cathies

Hi Peter, she's asking about podcasts, not guide books. I don't think too many people on this forum would look to RS as the ultimate authority on travel, but his podcasts are ok. My HB teaches Ancient History and had no problem with the podcasts we downloaded. Relax man, it's only a podcast!!

zeppole

Even though peter's remarks were about guidebooks, I think the general caution about Steves delivering faux-information is good to have.

I don't get the comments about the fact that they are free somehow makes up for the deficiencies. First of all, one's time is valuable. But more importantly, it's kind of like eating mental junk food.

People travel for all sorts of reasons, but it seems to me that if you actually go to the trouble of visiting a great art museum or historic site -- instead of just wandering around eating and staring and inhaling -- and on top of that take the trouble to try to learn something by listening or reading, it ought to be accurate and mind-opening. After spending $5000 to make it possible to be in Venice or Firenze or Paris, another $10 for worthwhile information is more the "right price" for me that something dopey that I got for free.

cathies

Hi Zeppole, I take your point about wanting good information. I guess my problem is that it isn't $10 for the official audio guide. The exchange rate is so awful now - Aus $ to euro, that it ends up costing approx A$30 for 2 audio guides at each gallery/museum etc which really cuts into our spending money. For me, (agreed not everyone) I don't mind if the information is slightly less than perfect. I've hired official audio guides that have been less than thrilling at some places, very dry and not at all mind-opening. We both read extensively before we travel and do have a good basic knowledge of each gallery/museum before we arrive, and certainly don't spend our time 'eating, staring and inhaling'. Might just have to agree to disagree on this one!!

CarolA

Having taken both the Audioguide at the Orsay and Rick Steves... No real difference EXCEPT that the Orsay's has more things in it. But the art description of what there was, was very much the same.

That said, just because some of you LOVE spending 8 hours at the museum and think that is the "goal" for others it might not be so a quick Rick Tour might be good choice.

When I took my Girl Scout troop to Paris I had to FORCE them to ONE museum. I admit I used the Rick Steves tour. Length and "depth" was all they could take LOL! (Although one of them says to me AFTER we get to the Louvre that she wanted to see "Impressionism" I pointed out that I had asked a BUNCH what they wanted and just got "NONE". Another adult did take her and girl two to the Orsay)

I realize that "trashing Rick" is a fun filled activity on here, but the truth is that the "trashers" have not even HEARD the podcast but they "know" it's bad??

zeppole

cathies, I think the price is misleading. And I have no problem with people vacationing to eat, stare and inhale. I do it all the time myself. What I was trying to communicate is that for people who actually want something more than a culture-free vacation, and go to the trouble of listening to any educational material, it's good that Peter warned them that Steves has a history of being pretty sloppy.

CarolA, you're misreading posts if those are your conclusions. I never see people trashing Steves for fun. They do it for a serious purpose. And pointing out someone's history of unreliability or shabby quality is not the same as saying this particular podcast is bad. Most people posting here looking for guidance on how to get the most out of a visit to cultural sights are aren't girl scouts.

Peter_S_Aus

I'm going to indulge myself here, because I had a hoot of a time writing a bit about Mr Steves as part of a kind of trip report when I was in Venice at Christmas. I had the benefit of about nine guide books, so it was fun doing the cross checking. Apologies for quoting myself.

"Rick Steve's Venice 2005 contains gems such as “Venice is one of the cradles of the art form known as opera”. Rick Steve is known as the writer of a guide book that has more than a few incorrect statements – like the Bellini “was invented here by Hemingway in 1948” in reference to Harry's bar, and that the present Rialto bridge is the third.
There was a pontoon bridge in 1180, timber bridges in 1264 and 1310 (which sadly collapsed in 1444), so it's actually the fourth. I doubt that the foundations extend for 650 feet on each side as he states – this would take them clean under the law courts, church of San Giacomo Apostolo, (founded in 421, 428 or 540, depending on who you believe, and surviving the fire of 1514, so pre-dating the Rialto Bridge by about one thousand years), and finish up in the fish market. On the other side of the Grand Canal, the foundations would have extended through Campo San Bartolomeo, through the internet cafe, under the Rio dela Fava, almost to the steps of the church of Santa Maria de Fava. He's saying that the bridge plus foundations are three times the length of the Piazza – quote him if you like. The merchants of the Rialto would never have tolerated such disruption, and the architect would never won the design competition.
The arcade of shops, which the travel book writer known as Rick Steve says are to strengthen the bridge, were a later addition – you can see works of art in Venice of the bridge ex arcade. But he's good for the occasional laugh. He brands the area west of the Grand Canal (San Polo, Dorsoduro and Santa Croce) as where “real Venetians” live, and one wonders what the residents of Castello, San Marco and Cannaregio would say to that – maybe they are not real Venetians.
He is mute on the Arsenale, the seat of Venetian military power for near a thousand years, but then, it's a fair stroll from the Piazza.
Mr Steve uses some quaint language, for example, in reference to the Doges, “Many others just put on their funny hat and accepted their role as figurehead and ceremonial ribbon cutter. Most were geezers, elected in their seventies and committed to preserving the Venetian traditions”. Tell that to Doge Dandolo, invader of Constantinople. Maybe Mr Steve does not indulge overly in checking his facts – his book is full of errors.
He does says one very true thing, though. “If there is a negative aspect to the image Italians have of Americans, it is that we are big, loud, aggressive, impolite, rich, and a bit naive”. and “... they nearly always afford us individual travellers all the warmth we deserve”.

With his approach, the warmth Rick receives may be a little frosty. Good book for the dedicated sight seeing tourist.

StCirq

Brilliant synopsis, Peter. Thank you.

I'd also want to know if Rick himself is the voice on the audio guides. I can't listen to him for more than a minute without wanting to hurl.

dina4

well, the main reason i wanted to use them was to save a little money.

"another $10 for worthwhile information is more the "right price" for me"
>>When you're buying audio tours or paying for walking tours for FOUR people, in addition to the cost of admission, it really adds up.

I'm not looking for a culture-free vacation. I'm just trying to see if anyone has enjoyed these podcasts to see if they're a good option to save a bit of money.

didn't mean to cause a rick steves war....

Peter_S_Aus

Whether you use Rick Steves' guides or guides by others, they are a great idea. We used them often in Venice.