self-guided walking tours
 

I am going to be in Florence and Venice this fall, and I am looking for recommendations on walking tours. Specifically, I was in Paris 2 years ago and we had a great book, "Walking In Paris" with about 30 itineraries, complete with details about the buildings, maps, and places to stop to eat/rest. I'd love to find a similar book for Venice/Florence.

Any suggestions? Or are these cities too small for a whole book of walking tours? Most of the guidebooks I've looked at have one or two suggested walking tours.

My friend brought one along for Venice. It was more a pamphlet than a book. The author was a woman. Sorry I can't remember the name. But it was a wonderful way for us to see the city at our own pace.

There is a series that includes Venicewalks and Florencewalks. I just checked them out on amazon.com, and for some bizarre reason the audio guide of Venicewalks costs less than a worn paperback copy, which is selling for an unbelievable $ 49.98!

Florencewalks seems to be available in paper for a reasonable price.

I have never used either, but I recall hearing positive comments about them.

P.S. The above books seem to have four
walks each. Hugh Honour's "A Companion Guide to Venice" is also organized by walkable areas and is very detailed. It's available for $ 19.77.

There is also "A Companion Guide to Florence" by Eve Borsook, also available via amazon.com.

I've used and liked the "Companion Guides" to Venice and to Rome; I don't know the one to Florence.

see this thread for more Venice suggestions

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34636404