Of the several travel books that we purchased before our trip to Switzerland, this was easily the best. Well organized and laid out, it was the only guidebook we took with us last year and the only guidebook we will take with us this year when we return to Switzerland. Karen Brown's book on Swiss inns and itineraries was also helpful, but not comprehensive, as is this book.

I'm not quite the author; I'm the editor of the 1999 edition and I'd like to give a "backstage" peek at the book. Besides covering the major cities and tourist sights, the incredible updating team (including half-a-dozen Swiss residents) added dozens of discoveries and favorite spots. For instance, our section on the Jungfrau region now includes the beautiful village of Bonigen---it's just five minutes from Interlaken, yet it's out of the main, tourist-trammeled path. There's a great new drive through the Emmental, the farm-dotted region just outside of Bern where traditional "Swiss" cheese is produced. The new late-night restaurants in Neuchatel, the upcoming winegrower's festival in Vevey, tempting new hotel and restaurant reviews throughout the country---it's all here. Perfect for the first-timer or the twelfth-timer. Bon voyage!

This book is certainly the best to cover the most important aspects of Liechtenstein law. The current edition is the 9th (and is certainly available).

good clean readable sensible and clear! this music is difficult to get hold of.

This is a perfect accompaniment to any major Switzerland guidebook that you may already have. A large publication would not bother with small places, however charming, and this little book fills the gap nicely.

There could be more hotels listed, but naturally this would make the book thicker and it would cost more.

The authors really pick out the best. The only caveat: the places they choose are so good that you have to book really early to avoid disappointment.

I love this guide book! This is one of two guide books on Switzerland that my husband and I took with us on our honeymoon. We had no itenerary - we just drove from town to town staying at hotels listed in this book. Each one was superb leaving nothing to be desired, and this is from seasoned travelers with high expectations.

The book is divided into regions and has good maps showing the hotels proximity to one another. Each hotel has a color photo and a detailed description of its history, ambience, and accommodations as well as the cuisine for which some of the hotels' restaurants are known. Many of the hotels listed in this book are in Relais & Chateaux.

I purchased a copy of this book to help with my summer research internship in Switzerland in 2001, and found it to be less useful than the Rough Guides.

The Fromer book is written as a fairly terse reference book, listing a few restaurants, hotels of various price ranges, and not much else for the different cities. Sure, there are listings of attractions for the different cities, but the way they are presented is not very helpful to plan trips. On the other hand, the Rough Guides have suggestions on things to do for the different places.

So all in all, it depends on your style of planning but I feel that this book is more suited to business travelers.

Just visited Switzerland this past April 2003 and used this guide to get around from Fribourg to Geneva, Zurich, Bern, Montreaux and Gruyeres.

This guide provides a lot of useful travel details like AMEX offices in Switzerland and directions by car, train and plane to cities in Switzerland.

In general the guide is good and the walking tours reccommended are well done. I personally followed some of them and they are up to date.

The only part lacking in the guide is the fact that the maps require more detail. I had to use the visitor's maps available at the tourist office to get around with more detail.

The restaurant options may be outdated in some cases as my Fribourg friend pointed out, but this is a good guide to take along with a more detailed city map.

It has good background information on the places visited, but I would reccommend another guide or a map to be really complete.

I find this guide to be well organized and comprehensive.
The walking tours of the major cities is the feature I like
best, but there are also descriptions of major attractions
which help one decide which to see and which to miss if time
is short. I had an older Frommer's Switzerland guide and find
the format improved in this edition over the 1994-95 one.
The one objection I have is that in the listings of side
trips such as to neighboring villages, too often the only
directions given are by car. Perhaps there are no other ways
to get there, but I would have liked it if they had said so,
such as "No access by train or bus."

After a trip to France and Germany with my best friend from college, our husbands being so nice as to let us go traveling without them, I am now even more determined to go back. With this book in hand and perhaps a few videos on the Alps, you will be planning one of the most memorable vacations you can imagine.

I definitely want to visit the mountains in the Alps in France, Switzerland, and Austria. I have a renewed interest after watching "The Sound of Music." This majestic mountain range has divided Europe into a multitude of different cultures, traditions, languages and climates.

You will want to visit Salzburg, walk in pristine meadows, spend the day in a mountain village or take a boat ride in a lake. I am now dreaming of which cozy hotel I want to stay in. The cuisine is said to be hearty, the air crisp and you will want to take a cable car ride up to the top of the mountains to view the panorama.

What impresses me most about this area is the castles. Yes, even Disneyland has a castle which was inspired by Europe's famous castle in the Alps. It is incredible. If you take a trip to one castle in your life, visit this one! Visit the fanciful Neuschwantein Castle! The interior is rich, painted...just the most beautiful and elaborate decorating you could imagine.

If you do buy this book and decide to take a trip, save up for all the beautiful wood carvings, music boxes, clocks, etc. What will impress you most is the flowers, they are everywhere. The pace of life is slower, and the buildings have artwork covering them.

The region of Leavenworth, WA reminds me most of the Alps. So, if you want to take a short trip to see if you would like the Alps, try Leavenworth and I think you will be packing your bags for a longer trip. It is just breathtaking there.

If you can't get overseas then take lots of "treadmill trips." I love the one called "Journey through The Alps, Roads to Oberammergau," but I can't find it at Amazon. It is set to the music of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Handel and other great European composers. You also get to visit Zurich, Luzern, Munich, Zermatt and other Alpine cities and towns. I truly hope you can watch at least one video. With the book and videos, you will be packing those bags. Just take a warm coat and walking shoes!

This compilation of the best hiking trails in the Alps will give readers plenty of ideas for planning an unforgettable vacation filled with scenic beauty. All aspects of the trip are covered including accommodations, what to bring along, equipment and locale information. A vast list of tourist resources is also included. Although targeted towards Americans, this book is handy for any nationality.

The reason I deducted a star is due to the fact that some is the information is outdated. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to enjoy the wondrous beauty of the Alps.

I loved the premise of this book: food and "ambiance" from the countries and locations along the Rhine, a river that stretches through several countries. But it doesn't deliver.

The recipes are simple... a little *too* simple. When I was in the mood to make, say, a German saurbraten, I compared Nelson's recipe to several others. Her recipe wasn't bad, but it was wholly unremarkable. Every time I started to cook from this book, I ended up choosing a recipe from another cookbook.

Nor does the "travel" information provide any insights. It's as if she scribbled a few notes from a guidebook, rather than give the reader a view into another place, another life.

On the other hand, this book is suitable for people who are curious about European cooking but somewhat intimidated by "authentic" recipes. I ended up giving away the book to friends who are interested in German cooking, but not very adventurous.

All Along the Rhine presents recipes, wines and lore from Germany, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Holland, blending authentic Rhine recipes with cultural and political history and insights. No color photos, but the easy dishes don't need them and All Along the Rhine is as strong in its cultural information as in its culinary history of the entire region.