I picked up the Trip Builder series books on Florence, Venice, and London. They're small (about 15 pages front and back) So I'm packing them on the trip. But they are so packed with information, even the back covers have a useful map! Includes a fold out map inside. And there's no crap. Just the facts. They've been updated this year. You can order them online at www.tripbuilder.com. They have more cities than what is listed on the site. I picked mine up at the local Barnes and Noble which also have them online. They're only $6. Very worth it!

I picked up the Trip Builder series books on Florence, Venice, and London. They're small (about 15 pages front and back) So I'm packing them on the trip. But they are so packed with information, even the back covers have a useful map! Includes a fold out map inside. And there's no crap. Just the facts. They've been updated this year. You can order them online at www.tripbuilder.com. They have more cities than what is listed on the site. I picked mine up at the local Barnes and Noble which also have them online. They're only $6. Very worth it!

I'm partial to the Let's Go guides (starving Harvard students and all), as I've found great hotel and restaurant recommendations in them, as well as great directions (such as where to catch a bus or where the train station is) and general info on day trips from the city. The Michelin Green Guides can't be beat for tourist info, and great overviews of the history of the region or country. <BR>Thank heavens for libraries, because I can get all the info from ALL the guidebooks (most guidebooks are in the $12+ range; if I bought every guidebook I liked, I'd never afford plane fare) without delving into the vacation fund.

I have tried Fodors, Let's Go, Insight Guides, Lonely Planet, Michelin, Karen Brown, and Frommers. Nothing beats Frommers! They have been consistently not only reliable, but outstanding. I have never once been disappointed in a lodging or restaurant recommended in a Frommers book, and that's saying a lot. I have relied particularly heavily on Frommer's "Under $_ a Day" budget guides and have used them in Europe, the Caribbean, and all over the U.S. and Canada. While I respect the Fodors name a lot and love this website in particular, if I could only buy one guidebook for a trip it will always be Frommers.

I'm with Nickie - I buy them all. Each one is well worth the price and has tips not included in any of the others that make the price of the book more than worthwhile. It's best to read them with a highlighter and a pad of tiny post-its and transfer your notes to your word processor as you go. I've found that the more you know before you go the fewer contingencies you'll have to deal with, the less time and money you'll waste, and the more you'll enjoy yourself.

Well, I'm relieved to see that I'm not the only "travel book junkie" out there!! I, too, buy most every book I can find, but try (not always successfully) not to take too many with me. The green Michelin and the Street Wise or Hallwag city maps always make the trip, as does my Michelin Road Atlas of Italy. I'd also like to recommend the series of pamphlets called "Walking Guides to...." Rome, Venice & Florence are available. It's 16 stapled pages in a plastic sleeve, giving walking tours of each city, with highlight pages, i.e. "Highlights of the Uffize", the layout of the Sistene Chapel, etc. Very light, easy to carry. <BR> <BR>As to Fielding's guides, which Nickie asked about - Temple Fielding, the author, died a number of years ago. Some of the guides are still in print and updated regularly (I'm using Rome this year). <BR> <BR>Trip Builders are something - they cut through all of the B.S. and get right to the heart of it. Small & lightweight - they're in the bag, too, this time.