Rick Steves' Venice 2008 (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves 2007 book had one good thing, in the front of the book there is a comprehensive 1 page map of Venice with vaporetto and traghetto stops and all street names. I used this map. Otherwise, his recommendations were a hit and miss. I checked out a recommendation of a restaurant he gave around San Marco and the price was appalling (one squid dish and one 1/4 glass of pinot grigot for $16 euro. This food was so so and I think the touristy menus (15 euro for 3 course meal with drink I had another night) that emphatically he warns against seemed like the better deal in Venice. Anyway, I used Timeout Venice more extensively as it had info on how to get from the aiport from Treviso (Ryanair). He had no info on this at all. He also did not talk about a grocery store in Venice just off the Piazza Roma where you should buy food before you head to your hotel, since everywhere in Venice is expensive including water. Anyway, my co-worker swore by his book but I think it's overrated. Get Timeout Venice if you want more details and more pictures too!

This is another great book from Rick Steves. It gives you all the information you need to plan a trip with many details. We have relied on his book in the past and are never disappointed.

I used this book for my recent trip to Venice. You can skip all guided tours offered by agencies in Venice, if you have this book. It is very helpful with historical overviews, but when come for food advices - just browse local restaurants and look for "tourist menue" (around 15-18 euros for 3 dishes, but be sure it doesn't' come with "cover charge" which is extra 2 euros). It is the best deal to get variety of dishes for reasonable prices. Also, visit Realto market for fresh fruits and vegetables, and small stores for ham and cheeses.

I went on day trips to Padova , Vicenza, and Verona. The book was extremely helpful for giving the guidance for day trips. Don't miss to try Recioto wine in Verona.

I use this book for a two day trip to Venice. As I had very little time it really helped me focus on the important sites. Most important were the little hints about when to see the sites. Although Venice was overrun with tourists, I did not find the restaurants or musems to be a problem if I followed the time recommendations. Skip the commercial tours and follow the book recomendations.

My husband and I were fortunate enough to be seated across from some ladies who had this book on the train from Florence to Venice. After learning that we had no guidebook for the city, they very kindly gave it to us to use during our stay. We are soooooo grateful! We used it constantly. We loved the way Rick had all the walking tours laid out, and we did several of them. Since we only had two days in the city, we made use of the feature recommending which sites to see and which to skip. Also, I think that if we travel to Italy again, we will skip many of the agency "guided" tours--which mainly consist of being herded like cattle through the museums during peak hours and rushed past some of the most interesting pieces--and opt instead for the self-guided tour features in Rick's guidebook. We took the self-guided for I Frari and St. Mark's, and both were far more informative than our 40 Euro tour of the Doge's Palace. We ate at a number of the recommended restaurants (including the Juice Bar--delicious!) and didn't have any problem with crowds or waits, even during the peak hours of 8-9 pm. Since our hotels were pre-booked through a travel agency, I can't comment on the accomodations section. But I loved that Rick's recommendations were all budget-friendly. By the time we got to Venice, we'd been all across Italy and funds were low. It was nice that this guidebook had actual price ranges inside, so we could budget a little better--and know, unlike another unsuspecting couple we met, that coffee at Florian's could end up costing 50 + Euros. This book would be a great investment for any Venice-bound traveller...and thank you again, ladies! You (and Rick) helped make our trip absolutely fabulous!