Rick Steves' Amsterdam, Bruges & Brussels 2007

by Rick Steves, Gene Openshaw

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.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Belgium, Reference, Holland

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Rick Steves is an American travel writer, television personality, and activist known for encouraging meaningful travel that emphasizes cultural immersion and thoughtful global citizenship. Born in California and raised in Edmonds, Washington, he began traveling in his teens, inspired by a family trip to Europe. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in European history and business, Steves started teaching travel classes, which led to his first guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door, self-published in 1980.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.

Reviews

[Negin]

An excellent guide for a trip that we hope we’ll make someday soon, not sure when!

[Ashley]

Very informative. I will definitely be using tips in my future travels.

[Ashleigh Harris]

I used this book to help me navigate around Amsterdam. I would highly recommend doing some serious pre-planning with this book before you get there, because the last thing you want to do is waste time trying to figure it all out from your hotel room once you're there. Oh yeah...and listen to the book (and other smart people) who tell you not to drink the water when visiting. I was cheap and didn't want to pay for the bottled water, but I paid for it for like 3-4 weeks of misery when I got back home. I'm sorry if that's TMI, but I'm telling you folks...it is my duty (pun intended) to warn! That being said, this historical city offers a lot to explore. It was gorgeous!

[Bill]

I used the most recent guide on our five-day trip to Amsterdam this summer, and it was immensely helpful. It gave us information on how to get back and forth to the airport, navigating around the city, and taking walking tours throughout the city. Thanks to this guide, I didn't have that "did we miss anything?" feeling that I often get at the end of a vacation.

[Nicole D'Amato]

Rick Steves is the travelin' MAN. He brought me to a working class one pot/dish cafeteria style kitchen in Haarlam that was absolutely amazing. Had I not brought this guidebook, there is no way I would have found it. Rick Steves is geared towards all sorts of travelers so this is a great round about reference. Highly recommend!

[Keith Little]

Great book but a poor eBook translation. On the Kobo ePub version, none of the maps and images can be zoomed-in on. A large part of what make this eBook useful is the handy maps, diagrams, and images that Rick Steves provides. Without the ability to properly view these images, this book is not worth its price.

[Snsiddiqui91]

Steves does a good job of making you feel comfortable with a place before getting there. Super useful in all three cities - especially in Amsterdam where the streets are seemingly impossible to navigate. He also has useful recommendations for eating and organizing your time. If your trip is time constricted, definitely use his tips.

[Katherine]

Great guidebook. His restaurant recommendation's were especially good. Jon couldn't keep Rick Steve's name straight and kept referring to "Rick James" recommendations, as in "Rick James said this place was good."

[Kristen]

Great advice on things to see while in Amsterdam etc. His recommendations are good for those looking for main-stream and off-the-beaten-path experiences. If you go to Bruges, check out the little hole in the wall pub recommended by Steves- it really is perfect.

[Katherine]

Once again, this book had all the tips to make our trip through Amsterdam, Brussels, and Bruges wonderful. Some of my favorite tips that he recommended were renting bikes in Bruges to ride to the nearby town of Damm and a small brewery tour in Bruges.

[Yolo Yearwood]

Now that I've finished the guidebook, I'm all set to experience the Netherlands in all its glory! Love me some Rick Steves, great book, glad to have it in eBook format so I can take it along on the adventure. Highly recommended.

[Rebecca]

I only read this thoroughly for Brussels and Bruges, but every suggestion was spot-on, from B&Bs to restaurants. I found the 3-4 hour Brussels tour to be especially helpful, since that was exactly how much time we had to spend there and it really helped us pick what to visit and what to skip.

[Lauren McDonnell]

Completely made my trip to Amsterdam. I love trivia and interesting facts, and Rick’s walking guide to the city was amazing. I’m not great at reading traditional maps, but his hand drawn maps were easy to follow. If you’re planning a trip to Amsterdam, I can’t recommend this book enough.

[Larissa]

Rick Steves is a master at travel! His travel guides are informative, but at the same time quirky and humorous. You can't go wrong with this travel expert.

[Kipahni]

I am very excited to see how accurate this book is to the places he has suggested and to try another of his walking/biking tours.

[Matt]

Rick Steves has taken me on more good vacations... hope this leads to one more. Good stuff and reference that I'll bring to Belgium.

[Noel]

Excellent guide to Amsterdam, Brussels and Bruges. Read cover to cover and consulted constantly during a recent trip.

[Susan Erickson]

Great info as usual Rick. I always read some Steves before I go to Europe.

[Simon Gianoutsos]

This was my first introduction to Rick Steves' travel guides and this is a superb book covering down to earth advice and opinions.

[Megan]

Great guidebook and info for Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels, I used the 2011 edition and found it very helpful for my trip.

[Leonard]

The edition I have from the public library was published in 2011. As before I didn't read all or even much of these guides, but I find them valuable and worthwhile.

[Lorri M.]

I'm a big fan of Rick Steves but think a separate book just on the Netherlands would be great. There really are so many more places that could be included.

[HelenJ]

Like all of Rick Steve's books this one was helpful in our trip to Bruges and Amsterdam this month.

[Sally]

Added this to my Kindle Fire before going on vacation. It was great having it along while traveling.

[Abigail Woodruff]

These are a few of my favorite things...

[Carol Ann]

So valuable. Really helped us navigate Amsterdam and Haarlem.

[Allison Ducluzeau]

Excellent book, just the right amount of information to help you thoroughly enjoy a trip to Amsterdam. It was really helpful! Allison

[Paul]

Quick read to get ready for a trip to the Netherlands. Gathered idea from the internet but this book helped explain some sites in better detail. It also gave me additional sites to check out during my trip.

[Marie Horning]

I love the walking tours. They give the ability to self-pace your tour while learning so much along the way.

[Abby]

Thanks as always, Rick!