Review of Three Rick Steves' Products for Switzerland Travel

This is a review of three Rick Steves' products for Switzerland travel: A guidebook, DVD, plus a phrase book/dictionary. I was provided copies of these products by Perseus Books/Avalon Travel, but what I write are my own observations, and I wasn't required to recommend them.

Nonetheless, I've been a fan of Rick Steves' PBS shows and printed publications since 1997. They have helped me be a savvy traveler, no matter where I venture to, Switzerland travel or not. I feel that his publications and advice are like having travel guardian angels with me. I'm planning a trip to Switzerland this fall, and this review will have some emphasis on where I'm planning to visit.

All travelers to Switzerland or anywhere should realize that guidebooks, phrase books/dictionaries, plus DVDs are there to provide overviews, but certain information centering around attractions, restaurants, and hotels is subject to change. If possible, re-check that information online or call the venues to double check. And the travel guru encourages readers to visit his website link here for updates.

Review of Rick Steves' Switzerland Guide Book

This edition was just published in March 2010 (with the help of three researchers), and covers nine major sections on travel through this country over the course of some 412 pages, focusing primarily on non-winter months. A color map is found at the beginning. The Switzerland travel section "Introduction" gives overviews on planning a journey there, money, sightseeing, eating, and accommodations. The history and geography of Switzerland are focused on in the early "Switzerland" section and later in "Switzerland: Past and Present."

The "Cities" section focuses on Zurich, Luzern/Central Switzerland, and Bern/Murten. The next major section is called "Alpine Retreats", where Gimmelwald/Berner Oberland, Zermatt/Matterhorn, and Appenzell are highlighted. Lake Geneva/French Switzerland, Lugano, Pontresina/Samedan/St. Moritz are highlighted in the "Resort Towns" section, while concluding sections discuss "Scenic Rail Journeys" and "Switzerland in Winter." The 36 page appendix towards the end of the book includes survival phrases in German, French, and Italian, which travelers will find handy depending on what part of the country they will be at. The Switzerland travel guide book also includes chapters on communicating, transportation options (like railpasses), and more.

Rick Steves' Switzerland Travel Guide Book's Information Doesn't Feel Overwhelming

As I'm planning a visit to the Zurich and Luzern areas, I read with interest the sections on those areas, finding detailed information that covered such city aspects including "Orientation"(where I learned both cities' train stations have walk-in clinics), "Self-Guided Walk", "Sights" as well as numerous sleeping and eating options with price ranges included. Rick Steves gives brief to detailed overviews (plus some candid opinions) on the places he lists. The city maps covered sights and hotel/restaurant locales, and there were suggestions for day trips out of Luzern, including Mt. Pilatus.

The strengths of Rick Steves' Switzerland are, like his other travel guides, this one has a good feel in the hands, measuring out to be 7 15/16" high, 4 ½" wide, and ¾" thick. I got a great overview of the country and what to expect thanks to the down to earth and engaging writing style in this Switzerland travel book (without feeling overwhelmed). And I got some great admonishments in advance of going, like letting my credit card company know I plan on being there and getting a PIN number, as some merchants require knowing that. Where possible, as with accommodations, sightseeing, and eating, Rick Steves' Switzerland travel guidebook offers alternatives to paying higher prices, like suggesting to eat from supermarkets and cafeterias rather than the more expensive restaurants.

The Suggested Retail Price for this Rick Steves' Switzerland travel product is $19.95, and the ISBN Number is 978-1-59880-125-5.

Review of Rick Steves' German Phrase Book & Dictionary

This travel tool is pocket-sized, measuring out to be 265 pages and 4"x 6"x ½", so is very handy to have on one's person while sightseeing in the principally German-speaking parts of Switzerland, which happens to be in the north and center, according to Wikipedia. This is where my trip is centered around. Since there's no specific Swiss phrase book/dictionary authored by Rick Steves, this book is to suffice for Switzerland travel.

On the inside front and back covers, I found a list of important survival phrases for Switzerland travel that cover important numbers 1-10, and 20-100 (in tens) as well as short phrases and sentences that you commonly find yourself asking those who don't speak English like "Do you speak English?", "Thank you" and "Yes/No" (there's a matching tear out "Cheat Sheet" at the end).

18 major sections covering important travel topics ranging from "German Basics"; "Counting" (money and time are featured); "Traveling"(covering planes, trains, automobiles, public transportation); "Sleeping". Scores of pages are devoted to "Eating"(where you can even get across your dietary restrictions such as allergies and needing "low-fat" and/or "low cholesterol" meals. The "Menu Decoder" is both in German/English and English/German). The "Activities" chapter covers those travel aspects from sightseeing to sports. The last sections of the book feature handy guides for German words and phrases covering the subjects of "Connect" (communicating), Help! (like emergency situations), "Services", "Health", "Chatting." Several chapters have "Key Phrases" blocks. Towards the end, a 48 page dictionary of essential words is both set up in German/English and English/German.

Rick Steves' German Phrase Book & Dictionary Has Lots of Strengths for Switzerland Travel

The strength of this product is that there's a handy pronunciation guide for the words and phrases covered in each chapter (except the Dictionary chapter) so you'll have a better shot at communicating what you need to. The "In the Taxi" section even has the phrase "If you don't slow down, I'll throw up" for your taxi driver if he's going too fast. One thing that sometimes helps is showing the local the words in Rick Steves' German Phrase Book & Dictionary in case they don't understand your pronunciation. For the pages are very eye-friendly, in that the columns alternate between bold and not bold, you don't feel like you're being crammed with information on each page. Throughout the book are illustrations and maps, of which the thermometer and temperature comparisons in Fahrenheit/Celsius can really be handy.

The Suggested Retail Price of this Rick Steves' Switzerland travel product is $8.95. The ISBN number for this Sixth Edition is 1-59880-193-7.

Review of Rick Steves' Austria & The Alps DVD

Seven PBS episodes on this region make up this video, which covers 3.5 hours, according to the packaging. Three of the episodes focus on Switzerland, including Alps of France and Switzerland, where Steves uses the Glacier Express to travel to the Swiss city of Appenzell, view alpine valleys, and even the "baby" Rhine. He stays in a 5,000 foot high mountain hut that has uses rainwater and doesn't have showers or sheets. In The Best of the Alps: Switzerland's Jungfrau Region, the travel guru visits the small but definitely picturesque alpine village of Gimmelwald and its one-room schoolhouse. The PBS star even witnesses firefighting training. Then he bikes downhill from Murren to Trummelbach Falls before watching some "old school" cheesemaking. Steves then briefly stops at Interlaken before witnessing some of Switzerland's cleverly hidden defenses plus the Jungfrau region at 11,000 feet. Finally in Great Swiss Cities, Steves stresses what he calls the country's "urban charm" by focusing on four unique cities: Zurich, Luzern, Bern, and Lausanne, the first two I plan on visiting.

Rick Steves' Switzerland Travel Videos Make Faraway Places Feel Accessible

The strengths of these Rick Steves' travel programs are plentiful. One is made to feel that such faraway places are actually accessible to anyone. In down to earth language, the travel guru often adds historical perspective to what he is seeing and experiencing. I was really captivated by the stunning and often "panoramic-like" photography of the Alps and the alpine valleys featured. The photography in this Rick Steves Switzerland travel DVD also captures good close ups of tourists and locals alike doing their thing as well as culinary aspects of the country via numerous market scenes, the savoring of regional dishes. Travelers are also given good tips on making Switzerland travel easier and more fulfilling.

The four other episodes featured in this Rick Steves' travel product not related to Switzerland are Vienna, Vienna and the Danube, Salzburg and Surroundings, and Alps of Austria and Italy. The Suggested Retail Price for this Rick Steves' Switzerland travel video is $19.95, and the ISBN number is 1-59880-232-0.

You can purchase all three of these Rick Steves' products at various retail and online outlets that sell Switzerland travel-themed media, including Amazon.com.

Sources for this review of Rick Steves' products for Switzerland travel:

Languages of Switzerland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Switzerland, Wikipedia