BillJ

I find the Michelin Green guide a must for narrowing down the "must see's." We have found their 3 star guide system invaluable. Fordors fills in the specific activities and places to stay. Basically, I rely on those two.<BR><BR>Michelin is also very good for bringing in some history and cultural details, including architecture, agriculture, environmental, etc.

Vera

For Greece, definitely the British Cadogan, but supplement with an American guide.<BR>On the other hand, we found traveling with Thucydides in the Peloponese was great. How exciting to be seeing the landscapes he describes. Or try the Traveler's History of Greece. And check out a couple of Laurence Durrell books from your library, especially The Greek Islands. And for something completely practical, ask the Greek National Tourist Agency to send you brochures on regions you'll visit.

Vera

BIG WHOOPS! I was looking at Greek posts, and thought your note was about guidebooks for Greece. Oh well, maybe somebody else will get something out of my post.<BR>Vera

Julie

Yet another vote fot the eyewitness guides, I only wish they had guides for more cities!<BR><BR>check out www.dk.com for all avaliable titles.

eclectic

I like Cadogan guides, Michelin green guides, and Blue guides best, but each has different strengths. I've also used Rough, Lonely Planet, Eyewitness, and Baedecker, and I like them all in different ways. I've never used Fodors or Frommers.

Susan

My favorites are the Insight Guides. They have great photographs -- to whet your appetite and help you decide what you want to see. And they have lots of information on the history, culture, geography/land, people, customs, etc. They are also somewhat heavy, though not as heavy as the DK Eyewitness Guides. Still, I use them for trip planning and preparation and don't try to take them with me. I prefer Insight to Eyewitness in part because the writing is more indepth, but also because the print is larger and darker -- easier to read. DK Eyewitness also has "Top Ten" Guides, which are pocket-sized and great to take with you, even during the day. I also like the Cadogan Guides -- as someone said earlier they have lots of sort of gossipy, insider tidbits on the history and customs of the country that you won't find in most guidebooks. Visit a local bookstore and look at them all to decide which you like best.

Capo

Hi Tony. Two little-known guidebooks I've used are in the "City Secrets" series. One is just for Rome and the other is for Florence, Venice, and the towns of Italy (one for London has recently been published and one for New York City is forthcoming.)<BR><BR>These books -- which are very compact and well-designed with beautiful covers -- have recommendations about places to stay and eat, and things to see, from authors, artists, architects, and other creative folks. One of the people in the Venice book -- a painter, as I recall -- had raved about the Campo Santa Margherita in Venice, for example, and, once there, we found his raves to be spot-on. <BR><BR>http://www.citysecrets.com/<BR><BR>

Louis

We have travelled extensively and always ended up using the good old Michelin Green Guides the most.<BR><BR>Michelin Green Guides are excellent because they are factual, instructive, well laid-out and provide outstanding city/regional maps. Their star system is absolutely invaluable for setting priorities.<BR><BR>They have several guides for Italy: Italy, Florence & Tuscany, Sicily

Tony

Thanks to all of you for the guide book info. My wife and I are currently browsing through the various ones at our local book stores. We're probably going to get at least two as our taste for them differ (which is great): she for places to visit & see, myself for general info about traveling in Italy and where to sleep & eat.<BR>Thanks again,<BR>Tony<BR>

Jinx Hoover

I'm a big Rick Steves fan. For large cities, the ACCESS books are tremendous. Florence/Venice/Milan, London, Paris, Rome, and many large US cities---they draw ideas and preferences from local people who know the area. Jinx Hoover

Terry

My husband and I just returned from a month trip to Italy. In Rome we used Access Rome and LOVED it. We wish we had the Access book for Venice, Florence and Tuscany. If you're into eating like we are, you can't go without the Michelin Red Guide. Every place we tried from the Red Guide was excellent (although I still say you can't get a bad meal in Italy, even if you try!) We also had Rick Steves book, Italy 2002 which was also very helpful. We would not go to Italy without these three books.<BR><BR>Terry

amy

Tony: I am one of the world's lightest packers--except when it comes to guidebooks. I can decide which pants and sweater to take, but find choosing which one(s) of the 20 or so books I buy for each trip to take excrutiating.<BR><BR>My thoughts are similar to a general trend you see above, though. Eyewitness guides are beautiful. I like their recommendations, their maps are neat, their take on eras in history are gorgoeous, etc....but they're the least useful when you're actually there.<BR><BR>When we were in Florence, the best art guides were the Blue Guide and the Cadogen guide. Rick Steve's guides for Rome and Pompeii were the superior stuff (just the facts, only the facts). Lonely Planet and Rough Guides were the best when we've been "town-hopping"--the Riviera, the Loire, the Dordogne--because they tell you where to wash your clothes, pick up a paper, mail a postcard, all marked on good maps.<BR><BR>Fodor's and Frommer's are names for good reason. They are always on my bookshelf, and I always photocopy their sections to take on my trips. Cheap Eats and Cheap Sleeps are helpful, especially in Paris. I like my Access guides to New York, Paris and London. Have not found them to be as helpful elsewhere.<BR><BR>So as you can tell, I am absolutely no help on this issue. My recommendation? Make sure you have at least three people going with you, and make each one responsible for three of your guidebooks!<BR><BR><BR><BR>

Livingston (Liv)

Just returned from Florence and Venice on May 21. Had a great time, took my Eyewitness Guide books on both cites, but will never travel again with any kind of heavy books. They can be a burden to carry even with wheeled luggage. My suggestion is to pack as light as possibile on all articles. Leave books at home, perhaps copy selected pagers. Know what you would like to see by reading at home. Guide information is in abundance in most resort cities, and FREE! Pick it up, use it, bring it home if you like, or toss it out to keep the return trip light. Pack light, repeat "pack light" so you can enjoy Italy.

FLJudi

This may seem sacreligious for some, but I cut up my guide books with a razor using a few that have been mentioned several times here)and staple the pages together by areas/town we plan to visit. We put them together in a sturdy envelope (the post office Priority Mail envelopes are virtually nondestructable) This sure helps with the problem of weight. We do a lot of pre-planning so usually have already narrowed down where we want to visit. The only books we always take are the Michelin Green Guides.

sheila

ttt

happytourist

I like to go to a used book store and buy older copies of guidebooks to rip apart. When you buy the books for half price or less, you don't feel so guilty about tearing them apart! Very little important nformation changes from edition to the next--mostly prices.
I then cut and paste (literally) the best from each onto legal-sized paper, run them through a copier, and finally sort all the sheets by city into legal-sized envelopes. I then take only one or two basic books with me but have the best of many books. I pull out the envelope I need for that day and throw it away when we leave.
Another idea: I like Rick Steves' &quot;Mona Winks&quot; guide to museums. I make two copies of the sections so my husband and I can each read the descriptions to ourselves as we go through the museums.
Also, if you are driving, enlarge sections of the map and mark the route with a highlighter. It's easier to work with a few sheets of 8.5x11&quot; paper than trying to unfold and read maps while driving in a strange country.
Hope this helps.