Customer Reviews

Rick Steves' Rome 2008

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sure sometimes the jokes are groaners, but having traveled in Europe for a number of years now at least I know that the stuff that Rick puts out there on hotels, restaurants and local tours is road tested and good. He does his homework and it shows. I have never gone wrong with using a Rick Steeves guide for any area of Europe I have been in. I always get a currant guide for where I am traveling.

This book was tremendously helpful during a May 2008 trip to Rome. It wasn't perfect but provided lots of good travel information.

The good:
- Covers most of the popular sites, and goes into the more detail for the important sites.
- Ranks each site with a level of importance/significance - this is very useful when deciding what sites are worthwhile and/or important. I agree with most site rankings.

The bad:
- Many prices are incorrect (add 1-2 euros to many museum and ticket prices).
- Some time information is incorrect (double check via phone if you are on or near holidays, weekends, or beginning/end of day).
- Overview maps (b/w hand drawn appearance) lack street level detail making them difficult to use for navigation.
- Street maps (color, in front of book) also lack sufficient street level detail. You may need a more detailed map from your hotel to navigate the complex city streets.

The worst problem with the 2008 edition may be its success. Every restaurant (and also the hotels) were mobbed by people with a Rick Steves guide. I've never seen so many people with the same book all trying to go to the same place. It kind of spoiled some of the magic since we were often surrounded by American travelers and not the eclectic mix of people you would expect on such a trip.

I highly recommend this book for visiting Rome. I was actually in Italy as part of a Rick Steves tour group in Florence then went down to Rome for a week on my own using the 2007 edition of this book. I highly recommend the walking tours and found the restaurant selections to be spot on. While the maps are not ones you'd really use for detail navigation, they give you a good overview of where things are located.

The tips given for the Colleseum, Palantine Hill and Forum were spot on - pay attention to the ticket advice. I purchased mine at Palantine Hill then walked right up the "group" entrance for the Colleseum directly to the ticket turnstiles. I wouldn't have found this without the book and would have wasted time in the wrong line.

After such good information in this book, I found I didn't need some of the private tours I had hired (i.e. Vatican) and found myself with this book in hand the entire time and delighted in my trip to Rome.

I took three books with me to Rome, and Rick Stevens was the best of the lot. I liked the history given with the must see sights. It was similiar to a top-notch self guided tour. The metro train info was very good, but not the bus routing. Since Rome is an easy city to move about, a better bus map would make this a five star product. I had to rely on the Eyewitness book for the bus routing. That is one thing that needs to be worked on in the Stevens book. Then it would not be necessary to have more than one book in hand. I highly recommend this guide.

Great book! Just got back from Rome, and got So much use out of it! If you plan on visiting the Vatican and its museums his tips on avoiding the lines really worked! Like sneaking out of the back entrance at the Sistine Chapel into St Peters, the sign said for tour groups only, well no one was going through so we chanced it, and we passed a bunch of security guards and no one stopped us! Also avoiding lines at the colosseum tips worked, we also did some of his tours, they were great, and quite funny! Only thing that was different were some of the prices for tickets such as the Roma Pass, add at least 2-5 euros more than the 2008 book states.

I'm an American living in Europe and our family does a lot of traveling. I wouldn't dream of going anywhere without a Rick Steves' travel guide in my bag. I even find myself thinking "what would Rick Steves do in this situation?" I have so many of his books and his information is always accurate in where to go, what to do, even the attitudes of the wait staff at restaurants (Rick Steves' Prague). I do not know how he manages it! What I do know is that I love tapping into his guidebooks. I get so much more out of our trips utilizing his information.

We have been to Rome twice and this is by far the best guide book. It has the latest information and contains everything you need. He gives you information you want and tells you things you wouldn't think to think of. I especially like the step by step instructions on how to get from place to place and the history behind it all. And he's funny!

Whatever your interest in Rome, be it history,art,sight-seeing,museums, religion,gardens,dining,tours or where to stay, Rick Steve points out outstanding points of interest, also revealing some little known worthwhile gems overlooked by the average tourist. You'll find prices, directions,and how to make the best use of your time no matter how long or short your stay.

Rick Steves' books are always amazing. Detailed, yet easy to read. His humor comes out and he is bluntly honest with you about what's worth it and what's not.

Used this guide, in addition to the DK Eyewitness Guide, on a trip to Rome earlier this month. I found this to be very practical in it's advice and recommendations. I agree with a previous reviewer who said Rick Steves' advice was spot-on. Following his suggestions to avoid ticket lines saved us time and money! His self-guided walking tours were really fun and we found ourselves enjoying, not rushing, each place we visited. We especially enjoyed the Jewish Ghetto walking tour (not found in other guide books!) and the Ostia Antica tour. The maps included in this book are o.k., but I would recommend picking up a more detailed map locally in Rome. Would definitely use a Rick Steves guidebook again!