Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany (Travel Guide)

Handy book to take on vacation especially when you haven’t got full internet access.

Highly recommend for first time visit to Tuscany. Great insight and recommendations

I haven’t gone on my trip yet but found the book very helpful. Have used Rick Steve’s guides over the years and never fails. Good advice and interesting walks. Would definitely recommend.This book was bought used like new and I’m disappointed with the condition. Next time only new.

We love the practical information in a useful format.

I recall using Steve’s’ “Europe through the back door” forty years ago when I started taking student summer study abroad programs. His original work was eminently readable and a perfect guide, especially for young, first-time travelers looking for “back door experiences” that were less crowded, less appreciated and less expensive than the most popular Western European over-visited cities.For the past twenty years I have alternated between enjoying and being irritated by Steves’ omnipresence on PBS fundraisers and the pitch seemed to be more towards an older, more affluent, but value-seeking audience.Planning what would be my fifth visit to Florence and Tuscany in the past fifty years, I thought that this book would be a handy reference and refresher. As it turns out, this guide is probably better for reading at night in your room than in carrying around the city. It’s best at describing the details of key sites, so good that it makes more sense to just read than to wait in long, hot lines and visit the museums. Yes, there are tips on how to avoid the lines and to beat the crowds (e.g., start early or late, avoid mid-day and hot summer months), but in the age of smart phones, international data plans, pervasive Wi-Fi, and Google maps and ratings, few visitors will feel value this detailed guide over a smart phone with the right set of apps.Of course, my tastes and budgets have changed considerably in these past fifty years, and I have my own set of favorite hacks, locations, off-the-beaten track adventures in Florence than most people, especially those who have not made as many visits over so many years.My advice? Check out this useful guide from your local public library, study it, do some online research, consult any friends who’ve been to your destination recently, load up your phone with good apps (including your digital,wallet and credit cards), e.g., Booking, TripAdvisor, and have an international data plan for your phone and knowledge of local Wi-Fi service, and you’ll be fine.

Fantastic book great resource and I did see several people traveling with it but I was doing carry on baggage only and had to leave it home.

Love all of Rick Steve's books about travel in different countries.

Excellent, dependable resource.

Full of maps, highlights, and tips…makes planning a trip to Italy easy!

Everything you could want for a comprehensive stay in Florence.

exactly what I ordered, fast shipper

Very informative and helpful . Problem with it is the small print. Hard to read.

Everything you want to know about your destination. The best part is suggestions for a day, two days, three days, or a week in Florence. Checked it before we went and daily while there