Customer Reviews

Rick Steves' Venice 2010

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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I used this book and Fodor's on a recent trip to Venice. I was surprised at the differences between the two. This book was better for step by step touring: go here, turn left, stop and see the following, etc. But it was inferior to Fodor's when it came to lists of places to eat and sleep. For example, dining in the vicinity of Piazza San Marco: Fodor's gives a paragraph on each of 19 different restaurants (a little unbalanced in favor of high-end actually) but this guide gives only 6, and one is a gelateria and two were overpriced touristy cafes. Another defect in this book is that the maps are often not to scale, which can be misleading when you are trying to navigate, and is to me a kind of cheap way to do a book, frankly. So if you choose to buy this book also invest in a detailed map and spend some time on [...] to get more comprehensive information on dining and sleeping options.

I use Rick Steves' guide books & Streetwise maps for every city I can...even the restaurant selections are good...It's best to read the guide before you go, however if you're going to multiple cities as I just did then that may not be possible...it's a good idea to go to the Rick Steves' website or to iTunes & download his tours on your iPod...so much better than having to have a guide...

I used this book when I was in Venice. It has great explanations on how to get around in Venice such as how the waterbus system works. Wonderful restaurant recommendations.

Going to Venice this July! I received this book two days ago from Amazon. I'm amazed at how much information is in this coat pocket sized guide. All photos inside are black & white, but you need information, right? You will not only know where to go, and how to get there.... you will also know the history of the sites you visit. Since I have never been to Venice before, I cannot comment on its accuracy... but I trust what other reviewers have said on that point! This guide shows where to catch water buses, water taxis and gondolas... It also points out Rick's favorite hotels, restaurants and bars! I will continue to study this book for the next six months so that when I DO go there, I'll arrive with camera in hand, ready to capture the images of my liftime.

Joseph Nowak
Nikonian Gold Member
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I bought the Rick Steves guides for a recent 2 week trip to Italy and they made the trip so easy. The guides are easy to figure out, have great recommendations on places to eat, sleep, see. The walk-though tours of various museums are great (& save you money on an audio guide - especially if you use in combo with his Italy podcasts). The descriptions and maps are easy to follow too. We ate at several of his recommended restaurants and were never disappointed. The guides are also light weight so you can easily carry them around all day for easy reference. I highly recommend these to anyone planning a trip to Italy (we used the Venice, Rome, Cinque Terre & Almafi Coast guide as well as the Italian Phrasebook & the free pod-casts).
He has some great tips for avoiding lines as well - be sure to check out the tip on using the FREE bag-check at St. Mark's Basillica to avoid the line.

I love travel books that make sense to me and this one does. I can pick it up and read parts, put it down and go back later to another section and right to that section. Rick and Gene write to the traveler and they writes it in people words. This book is informative, interesting and really makes me excited about going to Venice. They speaks in layman's terms...uses words that regular people can understand.

Just back from a week in Italy. So glad I bought this book and read it before the trip. Because I did I knew that reservations were needed for some sights (which the professor leading the tour was clueless about). Also very helpful information on eating and shopping. Just incredibly helpful. get Rick's guides to all your destinations.

My parents are taking a cruise in the Spring which will take them through Spain, Italy, and Greece. We have purchased several of Rick Steves' books in preparation for the cruise and they have been terrific. The maps, hints and tours have provided a wealth of information. The useful phrases section is also terrific. All of Rick Steves' resource information has been excellent. We have also moved over to his website and downloaded onto an MP3 several of his tours. I don't know what more we could ask for other than a personally guided tour and the books are certainly the next best thing!

Rick's books are very informative and the maps are extremely helpful. I would use his books for any trip that I take in the future. I've ordered a few others but this one seems to be more detailed and explicit.

My husband and I had 24 hours in Venice and this book helped us make the most of it! The walking tours were great and we found stuff we'd never find on our own. We used Rick Steves' books throughout our entire tour of Italy and will use him for wherever we travel going forward!