Explore Switzerland with Rick Steves: The Official Website

Brent: I enjoyed it

United States on Jul 02, 2023

MabelH: Thank you Steve for your up to date information! I've read the book, highlighted things I need to know before my trip to Switzerland, Information are very detail and accurate. Saved me so much time, money to enjoy our once in a lifetime trip to this beautiful country! it's worth every penny and save us hundreds $. I won't travel any other countries in Europe without reading a RS book first

Canada on Jan 24, 2021

Patricia K. Dipalma: So much detail and helpful information regarding everything from train routes to recommendations re: hotels & restaurants, safety precautions, weather info, language, currency tips and many suggested sights to see. Really a comprehensive guide book written in an engaging and fun style.

Canada on Aug 26, 2019

Marcieness: Informative. I haven’t read it all am currently heading to Switzerland but there is lots of recommendations for pricing for hotels and restaurants which is great so you can accommodate any sort of budget. Goes over lots of good information including country background and important aspects (holidays, when things are open or closed, etc).

Canada on May 19, 2019

Jack: We found this quite useful on our trip to the Jungfrau region, though it would've been nice if it had more info about Wengen. The book described many of the things we wanted to do, with a lot of detail about things to visit and the logistics of it all (like the trains and gondolas). It was useful regarding Switzerland in general. It didn't cover hiking in robust detail, but maybe that's beyond the scope of such a book. I like Rick Steves books because they give you recommendations and help you prioritize. The only shortcoming for us was the lack of coverage about Wengen, which it seemed to deride as touristy. But we were tourists! Wengen is a great "base camp" for someone wanting to visit the mountains on the east side of the Lauterbrunnen valley, and the views from some of the chalets are breathtaking. There are lots of rentals available in the summer, some restaurants, a well-stocked grocery store, etc. The book seemed enamored with Gimmelwald, which is fine, but it's a very small village and a less attractive option if you plan to visit the Eiger, Jungfraujoch and other attractions on the east side. But all-in-all, we love Rick Steves books and this was pretty good.

United States on Dec 03, 2018

HMS Warspite: There is a terrific amount of information in this Rick Steves Guide to Switzerland, certainly enough to plan a decent vacation. As some other reviewers have noted, the author is selective about what he includes in his guides. If you want to go to Mr. Steves' favorite places, such as the Bernese Oberland, the commentary is specific, detailed, and comes with insightful opinions. Some other areas may get less attention.

What this may mean for the enterprising traveler is being prepared to do some additional research. Switzerland has a lot on offer, and any one guide, if it is to be portable, probably has to cut corners somewhere. This guide has a good overview, good commentary on some interesting parts of Switzerland, and lots of practical information on how to plan a good vacation. The section on touring by train, for example, is really useful. The book includes some decent sketch maps, especially the ones of town centers and other items of interest. The black and white photographs provide some flavor of what to expect, and there's a nice history of Switzerland tacked on to the end of the book. Well recommended, but perhaps not as a single source, unless the enterprising...

United States on Jul 29, 2018

hildegard bandsmer: This was a really useful guide for our recent trip to Switzerland. Its rankings of which places and activities made it easier to make choices of places to visit, where to stay, where to eat. Interestingly, on entering one of the recommended hotels, we happened to meet an employee of Rick Steves just exiting the hotel. She recognized his book I was carrying and had just done a quality review check at the hotel!

Canada on Oct 10, 2017

MySonsMother: This book is so amazing, I can't even begin to tell you! But I'll try. I am leaving a similar review to this one on his book about Germany, I purchased both. They are both similar in their style and I appreciated them both for these reasons...

First of all, small stuff first: I love the size of this book. I love that it's small, but big at the same time - trust me, I know that makes no sense but you'll see what I mean when you get yours. Also, I LOVE the colored maps at the beginning of the book. So helpful for a quick overview - "Where is Geneva in reference to Lucerne?"(Don't judge, I'm terrible with geography) - Easy answer, quick look at the front of the book!

OK, now onto the content of the book. I love the way this book is laid out - by city. I will be traveling to Lucerne only, so it was nice to be able to flip to the tab marked "Luzern" and be able to read everything about the city. I love the way Rick Steves presents his information. He gives you details and occasionally throws in some history about what he's explaining as well. As someone that loves history and stories, I truly appreciated these details. I'm also going to visit this city with zero prior...

United States on Feb 24, 2017

N.I National Trust Member: This book is an entertaining read but has serious shortcomings as a guide. Some places he covers very well, some partially, some very briefly in passing (Bellinzona, for example, which gets Michelin's top rating) and others he ignores (for example, St-Ursanne, Locarno, La Chaux-de Fonds/Le Corbusier, Nyon and surrounding area, St-Gallen and Romainmoutier). Most readers will need to fill in the many gaps with one of the six more thorough guides available.

United Kingdom on Feb 15, 2017