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Summary: Today, the best guides are Eyewitness's.
Review: Every time we travel, we buy a new Eyewitness Travel Guide. They are easy to handle, easy to use and, the best, they are all masterpices of design and art. Congratulation to the editor. You are changing the face of Travel Guides.
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Summary: This book is a must for the traveler to Tuscany
Review: From 3-D street layouts, the history of architecture, region-by-region listings, and in-depth attraction guide, who needs a tour company? This book is the ONE you'll want when going to Tuscany.
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Summary: You'll be wise to have this with you in Florence
Review: From suggested walking tours to the detailed maps, this is the only book I have found to meet and exceed my needs for finding all the things to see and do in Florence, and the rest of Tuscany. This book also containes useful information on what and where to eat and drink in Tuscany. An extensive section in the back of the book contains key phrases and a very useful how to section, i.e., how to get around, how to use the phones in Tuscany, and the ever popular, what to buy. The detailed street by street maps of select cities is and was helpful in getting around without having to miss any sites.
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Summary: What It Is Not Good For
Review: I agree with the reviews, BUT the following are some things this book is not good for:Dependable prices for hotel rooms. Expect double the prices. Also, while the description of the place is fair, they do not give you the location or where it is relative to the actual town. I found myself doing a lot of wandering around trying to find a specific hotel only to find it was way out of my price range (contrary to book) or out in the boondocks. Not the place for helpful hints. Do not expect answers about public transportation idiosychrocies. Sometimes their ticketing is complicated and a brief explanation would lessen the stress of travel. Nor will it advise on which is the best way to travel for what you are trying to do. I carry Eyewitness books for history, tour and site info. I carry Rick Steves for info on getting around and talking straight about what is really worth seeing and what is garbage. He provides commentary--less pics. Also great for timing (Steves) on the trip. you can get an idea of how long it will take you to get from point A to B and what is worth a look on the way there. The topo maps in eyewitness are fab. Those two books---nothing else.
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Summary: What It Is Not Good For
Review: I agree with the reviews, BUT the following are some things this book is not good for: Dependable prices for hotel rooms. Expect double the prices. Also, while the description of the place is fair, they do not give you the location or where it is relative to the actual town. I found myself doing a lot of wandering around trying to find a specific hotel only to find it was way out of my price range (contrary to book) or out in the boondocks. Not the place for helpful hints. Do not expect answers about public transportation idiosychrocies. Sometimes their ticketing is complicated and a brief explanation would lessen the stress of travel. Nor will it advise on which is the best way to travel for what you are trying to do. I carry Eyewitness books for history, tour and site info. I carry Rick Steves for info on getting around and talking straight about what is really worth seeing and what is garbage. He provides commentary--less pics. Also great for timing (Steves) on the trip. you can get an idea of how long it will take you to get from point A to B and what is worth a look on the way there. The topo maps in eyewitness are fab. Those two books---nothing else.
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Summary: A guidebook that is not much of a guide.
Review: I am a big fan of the "Eyewitness Guide to Venice and the Veneto" and so I assumed that this would be the single best guidebook I could take with me to Florence. I was wrong, and I'm sorry I took it with me. The entries on churches and sites are hard to find. They are organized by area, except when they're not, and within each area they are organized according to a numbering system of the book's own design. I had to usually resort to the index to find an alphabetical listing and a page number, so I was constantly flipping pages back and forth. The illustrations are pretty, but so small as to be of little use. The maps in the back are of good size and clear, but in order to find a particular site I had to go back to the index to find the page number to find the entry to find out which map I should look at. The information on the many churches, museums, and old buildings in Florence was no more than can be found in many other guidebooks, and in most cases better information can be found elsewhere.
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Summary: AWESOME!
Review: I am so happy that I had this book in my hand during out week visit in Florence. I read this book before going and was able to get an idea of what Florence was about, but when I arrived, this book did not leave my hands! This guide divides Florence into sections. We set out agenda according to sections in the book. The street-by-street map was invaluable and we were never lost. I am the worst with directions, but I knew extactly where I was during each day. With the maps, I navigated instead of my husband! The cut aways and guides to the various museums and attractions were also invaluable. We were able to walk into any attraction and know what the star features were and not have to miss a thing. We did not have to buy the extra tour books in each museum because our Eyewitness Guide gave us all the information we need and then some. Not only was I the navigator, but I was our personal tour guide. With the book, I was able to read out loud to my husband and tell him about everything we saw in Florence. There were many other tourists with the Eyewitnes Guides in their hands and I was pleasantly surprised to see the book in so many different languages. This book was able to tell us the customs of the region. When we were surprised about having to pay for a cover charge in a restaurant, I checked the restaurant section and it explained about cover charges in restaurants. We used the train from Florence to Rome and the guide told us about stamping our ticket at the yellow boxes before boarding. This guide covered it all. You can forget the credit cards, but DO NOT LEAVE HOME WITH THIS ONE!
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Summary: Heavy Gold
Review: I have several of the Eyewitness Travel Guides and ALWAYS read them BEFORE I travel. It is wonderfully organized with lots of great easy-to-find tidbits; their suggestions and assessments are generally spot-on. The maps, too, are extremely helpful HOWEVER, it's just too heavy to carry around. While beautifully bound and printed on quality paper, it's always a big decision every morning whether or not it ends up in the day-pack. I'll keep buying them, but I wish they were lighter!
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Summary: You must take this book to Florence!
Review: I just returned from Florence and this book was invaluable! Of all of the guidebooks our group of 4 brought with us, we kept referring to this one. Take it with you to the museum to guide you through the exhibits, have it at the dinner table to help you order...if you want only one guide book, this is the one!
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Summary: Be your own guide at your own pace.
Review: I was very impressed with the amount of detailed information that was available in this book. Being a college student I didn't have much to spend on a guided tour in every place. This book was a great substitute and in my opinion a better idea. Transportation information, restaurants, hotels, plenty of maps, and a wealth of history all packed in these pages. I highly recommend this to anyone that is planning a trip to Tuscany. Definately take time to follow the two guided walks included. On my next trip to Europe I'll be sure to purchase this series for all my destinations.
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