Alison Bing

Per usual, this was a wonderful read from Lonely Planet! I used this travel guide on my trip to Italy this summer, and it was a great help! We went to San Marco, and we took a gondola ride on The Grand Canal. We stayed on Venice Lido, and took the water taxi to and from the island. As usual, this book is filled with pictures, information, and very detailed tips and tourist guides. It also includes a map in the back. There are tips for where to go with kids, and a family. There is also a survival guide close to the back! Would you be interested in going to/seeing:

-Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore? Most tourists do not go up to it, but instead are able to see it across the water. The Istrian stone is used to make it stand out, and it is placed where the sun can shine down on it for a major part of the day.
-Murano? On this island, you can see factories where glass is being shaped by hand, and you can buy a souvenir or two!
-The Arsenale, founded in 1104?! Perhaps 'Europe's greatest naval installation'!

If you're interested in learning more about Venice and the Veneto, place an order now! It'll be hard not to go, after reading through all the information in this book! On a personal note, Venice is a beautiful city/island, and I had a blast while I was there, so I definitely recommend that you go there for your next vacation, and don't forget to bring this handy little travel guide with you!

I would like to thank Lonely Planet for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.… (mere)

I couldn't have received this book at a better time. After having been to Venice for 3 days about 2 years ago with my wife, we've decided to take our entire family (1 teenager, 1 tween, and one 4th grader) to Italy for 2 full weeks. Venice will be the last stop, and probably the city most anticipated by us all.

My wife and I are big into travel books when we go abroad. I don't want to miss a key part of history, or a great restaurant. She doesn't want to miss the best shopping and secrets to avoiding crowds. And naturally we're looking for the best activities for kids as part of this very family-oriented vacation.

This Lonely Planet offering has it all in a well-organized, colorful guide. It includes numerous "top lists" for those looking for pre-thoughtout itineraries, including best places to eat, shop, visit with kids, visit for free, and, of course, best museums. While this info is aggregated in the front of the guide, you'll find the primary organization based on Venice's Sestieres - or neighborhoods. Each Sestiere comes with a map, a neighborhood-specific 'top five', and of course, best places to eat, drink and be entertained.

For cultural and history buffs, the book pulls together a nice set of essays on the city's evolution and rich cultural history. Everything is easy to read, and laid out in a very modern and simple to understand format.

The pull-out map covers all of the sightseer highlights and major throughways, and canals, but it's skimpy on street details. Venice is an absolute maze and a fun place to get lost. This map will only be of moderate help if you're a stickler for knowing exactly where you are at any given time. That being said, I'm not sure there exists a map of Venice that can truly prevent one from being lost at least sometimes. Maybe the best map feature is the detailed map of the vaparetto system.

I received this book through Amazon's Vine program.… (mere)