Learn Before You Travel with Rick Steves’ Europe 101

Welcome to our site. If you like what you see why not subscribe to our RSS feed. You can also help us by bookmarking this page with any of the buttons to the right. Follow us on Twitter for travel deals and travel related news, questions and conversations. Thanks for visiting!

Rick Steves Europe 101 History and Art for the Traveler

If you’re not a history buff or a real art lover, there might be a lot of sights around Europe that just don’t really excite you. Rick Steves’ Europe 101 might be the answer if you want to appreciate more than just the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, or feel you’ll get more out of travels around Europe if you can tell the difference between a gothic cathedral and a neoclassical building.

Europe 101: History and Art for the Traveler doesn’t replace an in-depth knowledge of culture and history for those who are really interested. Experienced travelers would probably laugh at some of the information it assumes you don’t know. But if you’re a tourist taking a short trip to Europe and you’re worried about finding museums and churches boring, reading Europe 101 before your trip would help you appreciate things a lot more.

The latest version of Europe 101 is now a full-colour guide and at over 500 pages, it’s probably better that you read it first and leave it at home than lug it around in your suitcase. Some readers complain that Steves gets a bit political in some parts – I’d have to agree – but it’s not all bad. For someone traveling to Europe for the first or second time, whose expertise lies in areas other than history or art, it’s still worth the read.

Tags: Europe | history | Travel Books