Unlike many of the more typical tourist guidebooks, Rick Steves tends to write about places and things that are not the run-of-the-mill tourist haunts. However, as soon as he writes about them, they usually are mobbed by eager Americans wanting to share in Rick's dream. Unfortunately, most of the places he recommends are therefore overcrowded or underequipped for the influx of tourists.

Therefore I read Rick Steves in order to know what places to avoid when I go to Europe. Not the big city recommendations, or the well-known attractions, but the smaller villages, restaurants, and hotels that seem to come across as his own "discoveries". It isn't that I like Rick Steves, but I think his following in the U.S. is so popular that he defeats his own purpose.

I've found that if you want to, you can make your own discoveries and they will be every bit as good as Rick's. What do you think?

I read his books just to count how many times he can fit in the word "workaday".

Yes, I agree with you. Rick Steves' opinions are his opinions. I think it's best to judge for oneself. But alot of people consider his opinions to be the absolute truth.

I agree and I think two classic examples of Rick Steves' "influence" are the absolute fascination people seem to have with the Rue Cler in Paris and the Cinque Terre in Italy, (with the geneeral area of Tuscany a close third) almost to the total exclusion of other places.
I agree with a lot of Rick Steves' recommendations but I do think he tends to "latch on" to one particular place to the virtual exclusion of others. Of course, he calls these places "the best" but that's a relative term if there ever was one.
What is mystifying to me is how people cannot bring themselves to classify some of these locations as "touristy" (a term I do not necessarily consider bad) even though they are often overloaded with folks carrying Rick Steves guidebooks.
When Steves is on target I think he's definitely RIGHT on...but to overlook other areas as a result is foolish.

I read Rick for several reasons.

One is that he is opinionated so if someplace is not worth it "to him" he will state why and you can judge for yourself whether you agree or disagree.

Two - Reasonable prices - especially for the current trip, with the decline of the dollar, the trip is getting more expensive. We like some of the ambiance and would rather avoid the motels if we can reasonably do it. (This includes walking tours, accomodations, etc)

Three - He also includes a variety of possibilities of activities which makes you think.

Overall, his hotel reservations are low end to mostly 3*. We are 2-3* + B and Bs which is helpful. But I always get at least a 2nd opinion. I guess I never felt that the places were "his discoveries" - he was simply trying to find places that were in great locations, clean, friendly, and reasonably priced. In most cases you can find other books,webs that also have the same places (Karen Brown, Fodors or Frommers). It certainly takes some of the guess work out and helps you narrow down the locations you might like to be.

As far as crowds are concerned, we try to travel in the fall which is less crowded. Let's face it many of the places we go are because we have read about them in novels, history, heard from other people or seen in the movies. And lets face it, there are a heck of a lot of other places Rick does not write about that are equally crowded.

For us, Rick's books are a starting point for planning. Doing all the research is half the fun of the trip!

after reading Rick Steves' books ( and others like Lonely Planet ) and completing a recent 4 country europe trip, I see a lot of value in his opinions..BUT .. his opinios are like those of your elder sibling..you dont take all of them very seriously...they are greared for a more 'conservative' audience...

I also found many of his suggestions for hotels and restaurents to be quite expensive

I think you are overstating the true situation. Rick has a large and loyal following, but IMHO its not so huge as to cause one to automatically avoid "non-run-of-the mill" places he highlights. I've been to many of those sites over the past three years and never felt "over-run" by other Americans. As far as making your own travel discoveries, many folks can, but many can't due to lack of time, experience or vision. These type folks can and do benefit from Rick's basic advice.

I don't think you want to read Rick Steves, I think you want to read "The Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain.

As for self-defeating purposes, the notion of looking for an undiscovered place on what amounts to a map always did strike me as a bit futile. : - )

I remember on my first trip to Florence in '96, a man I met took one look at my Rick Steves guide to Italy and said to his friend "oh look, she has that book that they give away in America." He saw so many, he thought that it was a free guide!

That was also my first time in the Cinque Terre. It was the end of Sept and we were virtually the only tourists in Riomaggiore. It was magical. A couple years later I went back in July to visit the charming Cinque Terre and found MY Riomaggiore over run by Rick Steve-ites. Had I gone to CT the first time in July, I would not have had fond memories, as it felt like a day at Disneyland.

Wayne, your point applies to any guidebook that has a sizable readership. I'm not sure why you single out Steves.

Bitter,

The difference between Rick Steves' guidebooks and others (Fodors, Lonely Planet, etc) is that he only covers a relatively short list of places, which are essentially his "recommendations".

Compare that to a Lonely Planet guide which covers practically every city, town, village, attraction that might even remotely be of interest.

Because RS has such a large following of people who seem to follow his itineraries exactly, the few places he does mention sometimes seem to be overwhelmed with his groupies. This is especially true of hotels.

So, whereas Steves lists only a few places to become overrun with tourists (present company excluded, of course: - ) ) Lonely Planet lists every conceivable place that could ever become overrun with tourists. : - ) : - )

in my opinion, rick steves sometimes offers genuine tips/gems that you can't easily get elsewhere (e.g., direct phone # to museum reservation). a case in point is his description on the norway nutshell package that you are hard pressed to find any info on from 5 or 6 other guidebooks.

in defense of rs, his guide is more condensed and serves as a good beginning...i don't think you want to start off your vacation planning from a 300+pp travel guide. sure he is opinionated but i would rather read from an enthusiastic traveler than some ho-hum run-of-the-mill review. i think different guidebooks aim at various demographics and it's hard to find a particular brand that fits ever country to a tee

lastly i don't think rick steves is 'overpopulated.' (yet) i probably saw more lonely planet than i wish to count..

Hmmm ! Another Rick Steves thread. Wayne, I see your point and tend to agree. Back in the 80s Rick was my mentor and hero, but I like to think I have outgrown his travel style. And, I cringe when I go back to Vernazza or Hallstatt and see what has happened to these pristine locations. But you are missing the major impact of his appeal. It is not the books--it is his PBS TV shows--that is what gets people hooked to buy the books and maps. It is the power of that mass medum that makes him the guru that he has become. He serves an audience--some of us outgrew his style years ago.

I always fail to understand why people get so down on Rick Steves. I suspect it's jealous (I know I often wish I was him!)

Anyway, all guidebooks cater to a certain demographic. So those who don't like his books should stick to the ones that are best for them. That's why there are so many different series. People often complain that the cities he lists are quite limited. Well, that's when you look at other books.

Personally, I always cross reference a number of books when I'm planning a vacation. Each has a slightly different perspective and in combination I can figure out what's best for me. The one thing I love about Rick Steves' books is the tours of museums, cathedrals, etc. in the books.

Anne

The problem is - you, americans, are so used to expect somebody to tell you where to go, what to eat, what movie to see, what to wear. It's like nobody in this country has his own opinion on anything! And as Rick Steves is one of the travel experts, people just blindly follow his instructions.

FainaAgain,

How do you learn about any of those things, if not from other people?

FainaAgain, what a stupid, patronizing reply. I've been living in Europe for more than four years now and Europeans also use guide books extensively, especially if they're traveling to places thousands of kilometers away from home--as Europe is for Americans. Put your condescending stereotypes in the trash bin where they belong.

I use Rick Steves' guide books as I do all other guide books: a little bit here, a little bit there, whatever may apply to my trip. I like his time estimates for travel between cities, although I usually double it because he seems to be on a race to see as much as he can. I would be exhausted if I crammed all of his recommendations into my travels. I give him credit; along with other media, such as the Internet, he has helped open up travel to the middle class U.S. citizen who would have been frightened to travel abroad independently twenty years ago. As for his critics, I think they are just jealous because he makes a living doing what they would love to do!

I love reading the Rick Steves books! I consider myself somewhat of an experienced independent traveller by now, so I don't need his handholding style, but I still enjoy his books. When planning a trip, I take out every single travel guide from my library system... twice. The more info and points of view, the merrier. Guidebooks can be a little dry sometimes, so I appreciate RS's conversational tone.