Rick Steves Amsterdam, Bruges & Brussels

I used this book on a recent trip to Brussels and Amsterdam. This book actually talks about other areas in the BeNeLux region, including Delft, Flanders Fields, Ghent, The Hague, etc., so it's probably worth at least a look if you're not necessarily going to the cities named in the title. This book is up to the usual standards. I am a big fan of Steves' work. Any mistakes I make in my travel usually come from deviating from his advice and instructions. Rick and his partners clearly love and respect these areas and go out of their way to help tourists really experience them. The history sections are always well written and enjoyable. The tips on traveling and getting tickets saves time, time I can spend enjoying the sights. The walkthroughs on museums and cities are really helpful and flesh out the experience. I can honestly say this book enhanced my vacation and that's exactly what I want it to do. That's how I used this book. I didn't use it so much for restaurants and hotels. But for everything else I find them extremely useful and enjoyable to read. If anything, this one just gave me motivation to go back!

My fiancee and I used this book on our trip to Amsterdam and Bruge and it paid for itself in transportation savings. Whether by alerting us to the use of stippenkart for the trams or the easiest way to use public transportation to get to the main train station so we didn't have to use a taxi (again) and pay an obscene fee, we were in the know and grateful to be so. I already had a good idea of what I wanted to see in Amsterdam, but reading through the book gave me great ideas for some other unusual things to see (tour an actual private houseboat in the canals and the pipe museum, the low down on the "coffe shops"). Yeah, you'll look like a typical tourist dweeb carting this thing around everywhere, but the cultural notes and extra goodies you'll see from doing so are well worth it. Great example: one day we stumbled on the Red Light District on our own and wandered around and checked things out. Later we studied the map and details the author had laid out for the "Red Light District Walk" and thought Woo-ee! We missed the good stuff! We went back and saw some great things we would have otherwise missed.

My husband and I always use Rick Steve's books when traveling abroad. This book was very helpful, but not my favorite. Positives: 1. The walking tours are a great way to get acquainted with the city and pick and choose what you want to do as you go along. You can have a half to whole day of informative touring while spending very little cash or having to pay for a tour. 2. The tips about prices and what days to visit things are helpful. 3. His hand drawn maps are always great to follow. 4. Back ground info about history and different sites is interesting. 5. Take his advice about using cash instead of credit! I didn't believe him, but he was spot on. Negatives: 1. He focuses too much on art and art museums which can get a bit tiresome. 2. He talks down about some of the more touristy sites which are actually quite fun (Madam Troussands, Heineken Experience, Zanse Schans). 3. The sections about food and restaurants are really focused on saving money rather than eating well. I don't want to eat in a mall food court just because it's cheap. 4. The TV version of this book is also one of his more boring episodes. I would suggest using this for the walking tours and supplementing with Lonely Planet.

This book is great, and you can combine it with the podcasts on his web site to get even more information. We listened to the podcasts about the Netherlands, including the city tour podcast, and subsequently, while in Amsterdam two weeks ago, we followed exactly his city walk. It was well planned and thorough. The next day we followed his walk of the Jordaan District. Again, it was great. We were fortunate to be there on a day with the open-air market was open, so got to have both raw herring and Dutch pancakes on one meander through the market. Our hotel was near the Matterhorn stop on the tram, and his explanation of how to use the tram was perfect. (The tram driver doesn't sell tickets - there is another person in the rear of the car who does that.) With this book, you really don't feel like a total dummy while doing "routine" (to the locals) things for the first time in a new country. We went to a restaurant he named for risjttafel, and had a great dinner. (Now my wife is collecting leftovers and at the end of the week she says she's going to put them on rice and call it rijsttafel!) We took one of the side tours he mentioned - to the Zuider Zee Museum, and were captivated with that experience. A very worthwhile trip. After Amsterdam we went to Bruges, but only had one day there, so did a paid city tour instead of trying to follow the guidebook. In general, the Rick Steves guides are absolutely top notch. Highly recommend. (FWIW, my wife has now decided she likes Amsterdam better than Paris, because of how bike-friendly and walking-friendly it is.)

My friends and I just returned from 6 days in Amsterdam with a day trip to Bruges. We took along several travel guides but this book was the one we ended up using again and again. It clearly lists the top attractions and how to get the most from them. We especially liked the museum tours and self-guided walking tours. The maps are great and easy to use. Tips on negotiating the train system were very helpful. The restaurant choices were also very good. We stayed at the Hotel Hestia in Amsterdam and loved it (great location, reasonable price, friendly staff). Be sure to also pick up a free copy of "Boom Chicago's Guide to Amsterdam" when you get into town for a humorous look at the Dutch Culture and a discount offer on a hilarious comedy show.

I'm an experienced European traveler, but still never go without some Rick Steves guidance. You can find cheaper accommodations elsewhere with the internet and some common sense, but otherwise these books are not to be missed. He calls out the cheesy attractions, things to avoid, and overrated things. If you have an iDevice, look for the free apps from the museums and use Rick's in-musuem guides to save yourself a bit of cash on the audiotours (though DO spring for them if you are at a museum involving something you love or want to deeply learn about!). Tips on skipping lines/booking ahead are just INVALUABLE on such a relatively pricey adventure! The basic maps help you get a feel for direction, and I always appreciate the way these books tie in history (and art history) with culture and skip the sugar coating. Always a great resource to start any European trip (also see ricksteves.com of course!).

Having recently visited Amsterdam and Bruges, we found plenty of information about things to see and do in these cities. Unfortunately, we were on a river cruise and were not allowed enough time off ship to really explore. If we get the chance to go back, it will be on our own, with this book as a guide. I'm confident we will have an enhanced vacation with Rick Steves along.

I returned last night from a trip to Belgium (Brussels, Bruges and Ghent), Amsterdam and London. Rick's guide book was my most used item on the entire trip. The walking tours in particular were very helpful at the museums in getting you focused on the highlights. In addition, they provided background on the paintings, the painters etc. My friends rented the audio guide and we had the same highlights tour. A must at the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. The walking tours of Amsterdam including the Red Light District were great as well. The recommended Indonesian food restaurant served yummy food. Even my friends said, "This guide book is on target. His recommendations are spot on."

Bought this guide just for Amsterdam. Had a lot of fun following the city walks and discovering little details. Definitely a must for anyone who wants to plan ahead and get the most of the city. Cheers!

I loved this book...in justa few pages it covered all that one can do, see and eat in Amsterdam. Excellent Travel Guide.

Just spent a week in Amsterdam with my wife. We used this book as the basis for our trip and the book provided all the necessary information for us to have a successful trip. We typically use the guidebooks for the history and help with the attractions and Rick Steves is excellent at this. The travel tips are also very helpful and he gives a good general overview of the City which helps us plan our time. A warning though, as we are independent travelers, restaurant recommendations are something that is not important to us as these things change and we are happy to rely on our judgement. Same thing for accommodation - Tripadvisor has taken the place of guidebooks for this.

Já conhecia os guias do Rick Steves de uma viagem anterior, a Alemanha. Quando comecei a pesquisar minha viagem aos Países Baixos, busquei a mesma fonte. Os guias do Rick Steves são bons porque podem ser lidos quase como romance. São escritos em primeira pessoa. Não é um guia que tenta ser enciclopédico. Ele escolhe as atrações e lugares que valem a pena e os detalha pra você, explicando como será a sua experiência naquele lugar. Como exemplo, no caso da Holanda, fizemos a excursão que o guia sugere ao norte do País através de um trem de época é um barco, terminando em um "museu vivo", uma cidade antiga com atores representando a vida no fim do século XIX. Não vi essa dica em nenhum outro !lugar. E o passeio é muito legal! Se você lê em inglês e quer viajar para Holanda ou Bélgica, pode comprar sem medo!

This book is great! The best part are the walk maps of each destination with specific paths of the best parts of each city. Very easy to follow and straight to the point... Each landmark has a description (that could be much shorter I think) so you know what you are seeing. However, every time I got in a new city there was a few incredible things that the book was missing (when you compare to a simple hotel tourist map). So my point is that this book is the best book you can have if you didn't plan the trip like I did. But if you have some time, it's better to use this book as your main reference and get another one (or even check other thing online) so you don't miss other things. Anyway, I highly recommend it!