Rick Steves popularity is based on his PBS show. If not for that his readership would be a fraction of what it is today.
Not to say he doesn't dole out useful advise but to me his appeal is to the less sophisticated traveller. ie. "see this, don't see that"..."go there, don't go there"
And his venues are typically the most touristy areas, Italy, France, London, Amsterdam etc..... Central & Eastern Europe is where the "excitement" is today and all those treasures that were for decades locked behind the Iron Curtain are now free to discover. Maybe even by Rick one day.
His best advise tends to be on non-travel issues , "try calling the museum directly for for passes " or the ticket brokers by the train station have the best prices for theatre tickets"
The best travel advise out there are from forums like this from the "regular" person who has recently visited a place and passes on first hand experience about something that particularily interested them be it a hotel, a restaurant a beautiful view etc....

I find RS's practical advice to be extremely valuable. Whenever I want to know information about museum passes or laundromats or how to get to town from the airport, I always check Steves first.

Hi
I don't think you have to be "less sophisticated" to want to consult Steves's advice. He does pare things down to the basics, but when traveling with family, or when time is short, or when you really don't know where to start, his info serves a purpose. I know some very frequent independent European travelers who relied on his book when shepherding a large family group to Paris and London.

Jazzyguy, you wishes have been answered:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/countries/east.htm

I agree. The pompous tourist would not be interested in the advice of Rick Steves.

RE: jazzguy

A super sophisticated traveller like yourself should not waste even a minute from your smart, worldly pursuit of cutting edge "excitement in Eastern Europe. Good luck in your amazing discovery of secret vistas and pristine countryside - far, far away from tacky tourists carrying Rick's simple, ho-hum books.

I rather doubt there are any "secret" vistas if they are being talked about here, or anywhere else...and the word "pristine" is relative to say the least.
Let's face it...as off-putting as the post from "jazzguy" may seem, I don;t think it is any worse than some of the other "pronouncements" often seen here such as those made by the fashion police or those concerning what one MUST wear or where one MUST stay, etc., etc. I suppose the REALLY "sophistocated" traveler easily separates the narrow-minded opinions from the facts and goes from there. And the REALLY REALLY REALLY sophistocated traveler doesn't even bother looking at these posts at all!

I luv Rick Steves!! He is soooo HOT, I could him all day !! I luv it when our Pbs station has their quarterly begathon and Rick is in the studio. I would follow that hunk to the Congo. Come on now, who could resist his scarecrow like head of hair and those uber sexy spectacles? He only packs 2 shirts & trousers for a 14 day trek to Europe, the man is fit & efficient. I can smell his aroma now (sigh). He probably doesn't wear any underwear so he can keep his knapsack lite and for the convenience. Ohhh I'm getting excited!! All those Rick bashers, leave him alone, he's mine! (nevermind he has a wife )

Good one, dumas1870!

jazzyguy, I was looking at your other, highly sophisticated posts. Perhaps if you had taken a look at a RS guidebook, you wouldn't have stayed at a MARRIOT in Prague. I hope I never get that sophisticated.

Rick Steves is fine - he's a little cornball for my taste, and his accomodation picks are too pricey for me, but i really appreciated Mona Winks.

How cute!
All the Rick Steves clones have their nose "outta joint" cause someone doesn't love their hero.
Sorry to hurt your feelings.
Enjoy the Eiffel Tower and the Amalfi Coast and don't foget that you are allowed to take your bike on the ferry from Copenhagen to Malmo.
Just leave Eastern & Central euro alone for us sophisticated travellers

I heard it from a good source that Jazzguy has signed up for Rick's 19 day escorted tour of Eastern Europe. Rick withheld final approval until Jazzguy agreed to leave his expensive luggage behind and take along a pair of white tennis shoes and a black fanny pack!

"In 1860, two of the most popular travel guides were Harper's and Appleton's. As Mark Twain complains throughout 'Innocents', such travel books not only told Americans what to see in places like Paris or Rome, but also what to feel and what to say about what they saw." [from a review of MT's 'The Innocents Abroad'.]

I don't mind being advised where to go and what to see. Where I crack is when any party undertakes to preach cultural relativism, thereby undertaking to instruct me how to feel, if not what to say, about my experiences. Unfortunately, just about every travel guide out there is doing this.

No travel guide is perfect. I think most people take a bit from here and a bit from there. RS has a target audience and strong points and weak points, just like any other guide.

It is so esay to pick on Rick Steves that anyone who does so should be ashamed. I'll be in his corner tho. I have no doubt that he has convinced thousands of Americans [including me]that you can go to Europe, enjoy it, and that it's not complicated. He is anddressing an insular audience simply trying to get them to try something new. That's good thing! For many people he took a mysterious subject and reduced to something they felt comfortable with. No, I don't use him for subsequent trips, but for the first couple of trips he was terribly reassuring. You don't start out cooking with the CIA, you start with betty Crocker!

hey snazzyguy

isn't it obvious his books are for beginners and NOT for such advanced, sophisticated travelnerds as yourself

so are ya really here to enlighten us on something we don't know about RS or are ya here to tout your supposed superiority?

&gt

I posted above, not because I am a particular fan of Steves' (I'm not) but because it is clear that his books and tours fill a niche, I just don't think it can be pigeonholed as the "less sophisticated traveler" niche.

My own interests and efforts vary from place to place. Since I am thrilled with the art and history of say, France, the UK, and Italy, I do research on that culture in depth, and prefer a guidebook like, say, Michelin Green which gives incredible detail, on say, the Gothic steeple on top of the Romanesque tower. On the other hand, while planning my next trip to central Europe, I find that I have less background, and quite frankly, less interest in the history, art, and language of that area, and a less-detailed approach is fine for me so far.
No need to defend the culture of central Europe, it's my failing, not the culture's. I just haven't learned (yet, perhaps) to appreciate it as much.
So, not Steves necessarily, but a simpler approach might do fine for this trip.

As I re-read my last posting, I find actually that I might be agreeing with jazzyguy after all. My approach to my trip to central Europe so far is certainly not a sophisticated one.

Actually everybody is right. RS comes to town just about every time the local PBS station has a pledge drive (which seems continuous now)

At most public appearances and during the Q&A pledge breaks he says his books are meant for the first-time traveler or for those who have always taken tours and now want to try independent travel. He is not looking for the seasoned traveler - his niche is the folks who want help getting the nerve to venture out on their own.

I enjoy his videos - but unfortunately his books have ruined more places than they have "discovered". When one of his favorites becomes "THE" place to go pretty soon every voice youu hear is an American tourist carrying his book. It is not his fault - just a function of popularity.

Rick Steves is a guy trying to make a buck...so what. He has an audience of people who value his advice. Lonely Planet has a specific audience. Departures Magazine by AMEX has a very specific audience.