Belgium Books

Rick Steves' Amsterdam, Bruges and Brussels (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves, Gene Openshaw

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Avalon Travel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $9.35

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Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> Brussels
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Netherlands -> Amsterdam
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

September Trip 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

We recetnly traveled to Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels and Antwerp. We used Rick's book to select the hotels and the areas to visit versus the bigger name publisher review books (like Let's Go and Formers, etc.). We picked three hotels from his book. Two of the three hotels were great, while one was a bit noisy. Even the hotel that was a bit noisy was a clean, smart hotel in the St. Caterhine neighboorhod section of Brussels. We found his book and recommmedations to be well written, clear and true to form. We also used Fromers guidelbook, in campanion to Rick's, but did not find it to be local enought to our needs. We ate almost exclusively at the restaurants is his book, traveled to the sights, used the train systems and used the maps in his book for our trip. Sometimes when you use a book like this you get one or two great places to stay or to eat, but, with his, it was truely a satisfying experience to go to his book's places and come away satisfied.

We saw other travelers in the regions we visited using his book as well.

We will definitely recommmend this book to novice travelers as well as repeat travelers, and defintely buy one of his books again.

Editorial Review:

Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers the best ways to meander around Amsterdam's Van Gogh museum, explore its maze of canals, and find the tastiest breweries and restaurants? With Rick Steves’ Amsterdam, Bruges and Brussels, travelers can experience everything Amsterdam, Bruges, and Brussels have to offer – economically and hassle-free. Completely revised and updated, this guide includes: opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights, friendly places to eat and sleep, suggested day plans, walking tours and trip itineraries, and clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot. America’s #1 authority on travel to Europe, Rick’s time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.

Brussels (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)

DK Publishing

Amazon Price: $13.60 List Price: $20.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: DK Travel Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $8.93

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Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> Brussels
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Very good resource for planning and en route 4 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

I have had great experiences with the DK Guides. I use it extensively in my trip planning and this is the guide I take on the trip.

This guide provides execllent information about local sites throughout Beligium. It gives very clear guidance concerning what you can find and access information. It also helps you to locate the sites with indexed maps and diagrams.

I have found that this and the other DK Guides are bit weak in providing guidance about what to see. That is, it offers little qualitative information--everything sounds equally wonderful. And we all know this is not necessarily the case.

So I always find another guide that has more opinions and recomended tours to determine what to see. I espiecially look for guided the provide suggested walking tours. This has worked out well for the most part. I use other guides to plan the trip and the DK Guide in the country.

It has very usable maps although sometimes too limited in scope and you may require a local map to get around beyond the central city. Also, because the book is a bit heavy and too large to fit in a jacket pocket after the first day or so I leave it in the hotel and rely on the local map when walking about.

The one topic I find most reliable is DK's restaurant recommendations. The two places I tried in Brussels were fantastic and offered everything that the guide described. I have had equal success with DK's restaurant recommendations in other cities/countries.

I think this is an indispensible travel guide as long as you know what you are using it for--planning or background info, etc.

Editorial Review:

This travel guide covers all the major sights - museums, galleries, churches, parks and historic monuments - in Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. It offers special features on Belgium history , culture and art and includes material on art nouveau, tapestry, lace and architecture. Its cutaways, floor plans and 3-D maps help you to explore sights including Cathedrale St-Michel-et-Gidule, Musees Royaux des Beaux Arts: d'art ancient and d'art moderne, Parc Cinquantenaire and Groeninge Museum.

Rick Steves' Amsterdam, Bruges, and Brussels 2007 (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves, Gene Openshaw

List Price: $17.95 By: Avalon Travel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $1.50

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Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> Brussels
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

great book- but get something extra for Brussels 4 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Rick Steve knows all- I am one of his many, many followers. i think his walks are great, and he gives really practical info as well as providing personal commentary that allows you to judge what sights are actually important to see.

However, If you are going to be in Brussels for more than three hours, get another book. It sort of comes across that Rick doesn't like Brussels, and tells you very little about what to do outside of eating in the Grand Place (the cities main tourist square) and indifferent (or downright hostile) descriptions of the attractions. AND the restaurant in the grand place he suggests stinks. worst meal i had in all of Europe. If I had realized rick's preferences ahead of time, I would have gotten another book.

happy travels!

Editorial Review:

Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers the best ways to meander around Amsterdam's Van Gogh museum, explore its maze of canals, and find the tastiest breweries and restaurants. With Rick Steves’ Amsterdam 2007, travelers can experience everything Amsterdam, Bruges, and Brussels have to offer — economically and hassle-free.

Completely revised and updated, this guide includes:
• Opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights
• Friendly places to eat and sleep
• Suggested day plans
• Walking tours and trip itineraries
• Clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot

America’s number one authority on travel to Europe, Rick’s time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.

Streetwise Brussels Map - Laminated City Street Map of Brussels, Belgium - with integrated metro map including tram lines and stations

Streetwise Maps

Amazon Price: $8.95 List Price: $8.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Streetwise Maps Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $4.56

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Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps -> Maps
Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps -> World
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> Brussels

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Very handy during my 10 days in Brussels 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Came in very handy during my 10 days in Brussels. Durable and quick to fold/unfold. Shows all the little streets, main tourist sites and hotels, although the small print can be hard to read. Includes a street index. Street names are in French only, contrary to what the previous reviewer said, but that's adequate.

Shows Metro stations as color-coded dots but doesn't explicitly show the lines connecting them, so I had to refer to a transit map initially to be certain how the Metro lines ran. However, Brussels' transit network is complex enough that you will need to carry a separate transit map anyway if you plan to use the trams or buses as well as the Metro.

The city tourist office gives out a free map of the city center that is actually easier on the eyes, but lacks a street index and doesn't show Metro stations.

Editorial Review:

Streetwise Brussels Map - Laminated Center City Street Map of Brussels, Belgium - Folding pocket size travel map with integrated metro map including tram lines & stations

This map covers the following areas:
Main Brussels Map 1:17,000
Brussels City Center Map 1:11,000
Domaine Royal Area Map 1:21,000
Brussels Area Map 1:140,000
Brussels Metro Map

Lonely Planet Belgium & Luxembourg

Geert Cole; Leanne Logan

Amazon Price: $14.95 List Price: $21.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Lonely Planet Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $10.91

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Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> General AAS
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Luxembourg

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

The worst Lonely Planet I have read so far ! 2 out of 5 stars.
24 of 25 people found this review helpful.

As much as I am faithul to Lonely Planet guidebooks, I was shocked by reading their edition of Belgium & Luxembourg. Not only did we have to wait 2004 to have a LP guidebook for those 2 countries (which must be after about all other regions in the world, even Antarctica, Papua New Guinea and tiny tropical islands), but it's not even half satisfying.

They should have kept the previous title "Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp", as there is frankly not much about the rest of the country. For instance, Belgium has some 3000 castles, but for some reason only 2 (yes, a miserable 2 !) are listed in the Lonely Planet. Same sparsity for the abbeys. Then, the book is heavily centered on Brussels and Flanders, as if the author didn't know more about Wallonia than the average occasional tourist. No mention of towns like Huy, Ciney or Gembloux - in fact they are not even on the guide's map ! No mention of the beautiful stone villages of the Condroz and Meuse Valley. It's like if they had written a guidebook about England without writing about the Cotswolds, Mendips and the country's many castles and stately homes ! It seems that the author is more interested in finding the best pubs and clubs in Antwerp than in historical and cultural sightseeing. There is more than lots of beer and legal drugs in Belgium !

Editorial Review:

Discover Belgium & Luxembourg

Taste the difference between good and excellent in Brussels at the world's finest chocolate shops.
Find your favorite vantage point in fairy-tale Luxembourge City, town full of spectacular views.
Swathe yourself in the latest Antwerp fashion in hand-picked St Andries boutiques.
Get pelted wiht oranges by masked men in Binche, during Belgium's most bizarre carnival.

In This Guide:

Co-written by a native Belgian and a chocoholic - over 1300 hours of on-the-road research with two kids in tow.
Our special beer chapter will have you sampling the region's finest from divine Trappist brews to acidic lambics.
You asked for it, we researched it - more child-friendly activities, cycling information and battleground coverage.

The Illustrations from the Works of Andreas Vesalius of Brussels

J. B. deC. M. Saunders, Charles D. O'Malley

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $6.99

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Medical Materworks 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 14 people found this review helpful.

Andreus Vesalius, whom I speculate was a student of Da Vinci, shows the body in all sorts of poses, while in each page you see the body "drips" off its skin and muscles all the way down to the bones. Some masterful work and imagination employed here! Just marvelous! Taken from his monumental work De Humani Corporis Fabrica, which is still used today in the medical fields. Also included are plates from his Epitome of the De Humani Corporis Fabrica and Tabulae Sex. Essentially this is only the illustrations, but it also includes a lengthy introduction as well as excerps from the original text. Highly reccomended to the art student and medical student for this indispensible reference. Also a great book just to appreciate some amazing art. Some of my favorite plates are of the nervous sytem in which it is a full body posed standing upright. I imagine how Andreas created this, and also realized how well he must have known the body's anatomy in order to attempt such a feat. Awesome!

Editorial Review:

The definitive edition of the great Vesalius plates on human anatomy. Everything identified. 96 plates.

Frommer's Belgium, Holland & Luxembourg (Frommer's Complete)

George McDonald

Amazon Price: $14.95 List Price: $21.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Frommers Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $9.99

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Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> General AAS
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Luxembourg

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

A Travel Guide Without a Focus 2 out of 5 stars.
24 of 30 people found this review helpful.

When I first started travelling to Europe 25 years ago, the Frommer guides were like beacons. They had a very definite goal in mind: To let you enjoy Europe for $XX dollars a day. Their books were fun and informative; but somewhere along the line, the Frommer people lost touch with their leadership.

When you try to write a book for everybody, you wind up writing for nobody. Let us take accommodations as an example: They are classified as Expensive, Moderate, and Inexpensive. Now I am not on public assistance by any means, yet I can barely afford Frommer's Inexpensive accommodations, which average around more than $100 a night.

There are guidebooks which are good at accommodations and restaurants but not on sights; and there are others (like the superb DK Eyewitness Guides) which concentrate on the sights. I am hard put to place Frommer on this spectrum. In the Netherlands, he downplays the Zuider Zee Museum in Enkhuizen and the Open Air Museum in Arnhem, yet spends 3 chapters on Luxembourg, including one on "Planning a Trip to Luxembourg." Hello! When was the last time you got the wife and kiddies mobilized for a fun filled 3 week vacation in the tiny Duchy of Luxembourg?

On the plus side, the "Best of..." lists are a useful counter to the general lack of emphasis in this guidebook.

If you were visiting the U.S., you would want a guidebook to show you why you might want to spend more time in New York than Youngstown. Once the best of guidebook series, Frommer has been reduced to cataloguing sights. Where's the excitement? Not here.

Editorial Review:

• A highly informative guide to a great trip in the Low Countries
  Leads travelers to the best of the Netherlands (almost 1 million North American visitors in 2001), Belgium (capital of the European Union and headquarters of NATO), and Luxembourg (which has more Michelin-starred restaurants per square mile than any other country)
• Delivers the scoop on top cultural attractions in Brussels, Bruges, Amsterdam, Luxembourg City, and other urban centers
• Reveals the best local experiences, from the forests and resorts of Belgium's Ardennes and the wine trail of Luxembourg to the windmills, tulip fields, and carnival celebrations of Holland
• Thoroughly updated to reflect the latest changes in hotels, dining, and attractions

Bicycle Touring Holland: With Excursions Into Neighboring Belgium And Germany

Katherine Widing

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Van der Plas Publications / Cycle Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $11.29

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Subjects -> Sports -> Individual Sports -> Cycling -> General
Subjects -> Sports -> Individual Sports -> Cycling -> General AAS
Subjects -> Sports -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

a sufficient guide for a great trip! 4 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

My boyfriend and I just returned from cycling a loop around the Netherlands, starting and ending in Amsterdam, completing about 1300 km. This guide was almost perfect. Widing's descriptions are very detailed, and she recommends great sight-seeing. We loved the cue-sheets - sometimes the roads were hard to figure out, so knowing the exact numbers of kilometers was very helpful, and handy for ripping out of the book to put in our handlebar bags. Widing also does a great job of recommending places to eat and stay for a variety of budgets. There were a couple of gaps between routes if you want to make a loop; Holland's designated bike routes easily bridge those gaps. I recommend getting an ANWB map of those routes - this will also help you to visually plan out your route. We had a lot of trouble with the Drenthe part of the book; it seemed out of date and/or confusing. I would also recommend more detailed maps of each region, because the maps for each of Widing's routes are not detailed enough. Overall, this book was very helpful and helped us to have a low-stress, interesting, and fun cycling vacation.

Editorial Review:

A guide to bicycle touring in one of the best places on earth to do it: Holland. 2-color route maps and detailed cue sheets, as well as information about the amenities and places of interest along the route. In addition to detailed route descriptions, the book contains general and bicycle-specific information about the country in general and each one of the towns and regions visited.

Frommer's Europe (Frommer's Complete)

Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince, George McDonald, Sherry Marker

Amazon Price: $14.99 List Price: $24.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Frommers Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $13.54

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Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> Brussels
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Denmark -> Copenhagen
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Germany -> Berlin

Editorial Review:

America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series

• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides

• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries

• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

Frommer's Belgium, Holland & Luxembourg (Frommer's Complete)

George McDonald

Amazon Price: $14.27 List Price: $20.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Frommer's Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $2.07

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Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Belgium -> General AAS
Subjects -> Travel -> Europe -> Luxembourg

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

complete 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

very complete, the classification by stars is very useful to schedule the attractions. It's very clear, well separeted and easy to read and browse.

I reccomend it.

useful guide for the Low Countries 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Having just returned from a visit to the Netherlands and Belgium, we found this paperback guide to be very useful, particularly in regard to day trips and sites a bit off the beateb track. While it is easy to find information about popular sites, we often got the lowdown on less well-known places such as Kasteel de Haar in the Netherlands, a great castle which we didn't read about anywhere else. We didn't stay at any of the listed hotels, but did use restaurant recommendations with success. Appendices on history were well written and fun too. Recommended.

Editorial Review:

• A highly informative guide to a great trip in the Low Countries
  Leads travelers to the best of the Netherlands (almost 1 million North American visitors in 2001), Belgium (capital of the European Union and headquarters of NATO), and Luxembourg (which has more Michelin-starred restaurants per square mile than any other country)
• Delivers the scoop on top cultural attractions in Brussels, Bruges, Amsterdam, Luxembourg City, and other urban centers
• Reveals the best local experiences, from the forests and resorts of Belgium's Ardennes and the wine trail of Luxembourg to the windmills, tulip fields, and carnival celebrations of Holland
• Thoroughly updated to reflect the latest changes in hotels, dining, and attractions