Rick Steves' Europe All 80 Shows DVD Boxed Set 2000-2009

What a great value! :) This guy's a nerd but you gotta love him! He gives a great in depth cultural and historical representation of each country he reviews! He's gotten less nerdy in his newer films and finally gotten rid of those HUGE glasses so that's good. Comparing the Rick Steves' Europe Box Set to the Rudy Maxa "Europe to the Max" box set, this one definitely wins because Rudy Maxa doesn't include Greece or Spain and this one is by far more thorough. If you don't care about Greece or Spain, you may want to see those as well for a less in depth tour. Although these are great and in depth at times it gets a little long winded. You'll get all 80 Rick Steves' Europe TV shows and specials on 12 DVDs with outtakes, interviews -- and a bonus 13th DVD with Rick's most popular lectures.

# Italy Cities 7 shows, 3½ hours * Venice: Serene, Decadent and Still Kicking * Venice Side-Trips: The Best of Veneto * Milan and Lake Como (WS) * Florence: City of Art * Caesar's Rome *...Read more

I love Europe. And these DVDs are just the fix I need in between visits. Besides making the wait easier for "Europhiles" this dvd set is also great for first time visitors to acquaint them with the different countries and give them valuable information that will save them time, money, and hassle on their trip. Rick's narrative is outstanding. He is enthusiastic, but not overly "perky" (like some of the travel guides out there). He also gives you just the right amount of history and art history, just enough so you know what you're looking at but not enough to lose your interest if you are not a history buff. Rick also comes across as the type of tourist I aspire to be - respected by the Europeans and enlightened, NOT the stereotypical tourist lugging huge bags, visiting every tourist trap imaginable, and ignoring every etiquette. Rick shows you the important sights, but he shows you the REAL Europe, not the one "manufactured for tourists". The camera work is excellent, and Rick visits...Read more

My only criticism is that there wasn't more. He spent many hours on Italy, for example, but I could have easily watched three times as much.

He did an outstanding, professional job, yet I felt he gave a good, personal touch, talking directly to me and not giving me a lecture.