Rating: 
Summary: Great guide to the sights
Review: This well-presented volume is a great companion for sightseers. As others here have noted, the pictures, cross-sections, and descriptions of the major sites is unmatched by any other popular guide series.The hotel listings are sparse, and we used them only as a second opinion when planning our trip. Likewise, history and culture are given only scant treatment. So, for planning and historical or cultural grounding, you'll have to look elsewhere. I'd suggest the Lonely Planet guide as a great planning reference. Finally, for hotel booking, book early, as the best places book up well in advance. Finding a place less than two months ahead of time can be difficult - use web sites like venere.com to help with this.
Rating:
Summary: Great guide to the sights
Review: This well-presented volume is a great companion for sightseers. As others here have noted, the pictures, cross-sections, and descriptions of the major sites is unmatched by any other popular guide series. The hotel listings are sparse, and we used them only as a second opinion when planning our trip. Likewise, history and culture are given only scant treatment. So, for planning and historical or cultural grounding, you'll have to look elsewhere. I'd suggest the Lonely Planet guide as a great planning reference. Finally, for hotel booking, book early, as the best places book up well in advance. Finding a place less than two months ahead of time can be difficult - use web sites like venere.com to help with this.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth their weight...
Review: Though hefty, these guides are truly comprehensive, making the wielding of other country, city and transit maps, phrase books, restaurant and hotel guides unnecessary. These books are beautifully illustrated, clear, intelligent and entertaining. They are truly works of art unto themselves. These guides also provide a wonderful resource for planning trips, particularly for finding excellent hotels and atypical destinations. The recommended hotels and restaurants have been outstanding. Even for the minimalist traveler, these books well worth their weight in consolidated information.
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Guidebook
Review: When I found myself frustrated with the guidebook I'd brought with me to Italy and looking to pick up a new one, I looked around at what other folks were carrying. This is the one. It is brilliantly organized. It has everything you want, easy charts, graphs, and maps, useful tips on food and money and transportation and history and about everything you can think of. It's fun to use, easy to carry. The best guidebook I ever owned.
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