Let's Go 2004: Italy

I spent about 8 months in Italy last year with this book as a my bible. It helped me find the 'off-the-beaten-path' experience i was looking for especially in some of the major cities where it can be easy to get sucked into the tourist trap. I loved this book so much I actually bought another copy after losing my first, and the second quickly took on a beating. What I like most is it allows you to choose, there are enough major sites to keep you busy but enough quirky spots to make it an adventure. It does an excellent job with restaurants as well and after studying in Parma my standards were pretty high. I got lost quite a bit but i can't say that is the fault of the maps so much as my own directional ability. Anyway, in short this guide was an incredible resource that steered me towards spots where i could meet actual Italians and not just other tourists. A big thank you to Let's Go!

I bought this book as an addition to my long love - Lonely Planet. If you have to choose one of these two - choose Let's Go. I loved the way each chapter is organized: from the practical information of arrival, accomodation and food, tourist info, local transport to the "juicy" information on what to do and where to do it. Sights: this book gives general knowledge on all the big things to see in the big tourist citys (we went to Milan, Venice and Florence). Some of the attractions of the smaller places are not listed under "Sights", as expected, but under other categories like "Hiking", so don't be lazy and read all of the text! Directions how to get to places were very simple and up-front. we never got lost using the directions in this book. As expected from the written word - prices were a little old, but in no way off track - they gave us an excellent idea on how much we should have to pay. Food recommendation: we only tried them at the end of the trip, but we regretted not doing that beforehand. The prices quoted in the book were very close to reality (considering the expected price raise), and the food was as promised. Hotels: we did not try the recommendations, but one thing was missing in this book (as in the Lonely Planet). The hotels were devided by price, but no regard was made to the number of stars. This is crucial information since it gives you an idea of the quality of the hotel and the services it must provide. If this information was given in the book together with the price, you could get a feeling of "value for money". Over all, I found this book very easy to handle. the information was extensive and up to date. As I said - Highly reccomended. I Think I found a replacement for the "Lonely Planet" series.

This book changed my perception of Let's Go books. My fiance swore by the Let's Go Rome book when he went to Italy in 2002. I am an avid fan of the DK's guidebooks b/c of their colorful photos and easy to read style. So we took 3 books with us: his old Let's Go Rome ( which was still very helpful), the DK's Italy and this book. We ended up using this one the most for hotel and restaurant info. which are very accurate and very helpful except for only one disappointment in Rome. The DK's book is great too for historical, architectural data and quick references. The same information with more interesting and sometimes quirky details are buried in the Let's Go Italy but they are very very good information .... so if you buy this book ....you need to read it well in order to appreciate the wealth of information in it.

As a seasoned traveller who's been visiting the world since the age of 17 (and I'm now 34), I'd like to share with you my input on the Let's Go series of travel guides. I won't bore you with a long speech. Simply put, I started using this guide when I was in high school, during summer break, 16 years old turned 17 on the day I arrived in Italy, and I've used it ever since. The insight contained in the Let's Go travel guides will always steer you in the right direction. Why, you ask? Because the Let's Go! series started off as college students (from Harvard, I think) going to Europe for the summer on a BUDGET (key word here). Upon their return, they decided to put in writing what they had experienced in the form of a handout for the benefit of other students who were interested in traveling abroad. They wrote about their experiences, where they found the best bargains and the most expensive places to stay, eat, shop. They also explained how to get around in that country, what the system of transportation is, how it works, where to get info, and whether or not the locals were friendly to Americans. Not only that, they even tell you straight up, regarding the hotels/hostels, which ones have a friendly staff or owners, and which ones are not nice at all. The Let's Go travel books offer a lot more once you look through them, in terms of discounts, youth hostel cards information, brief historic overviews of cities, suggested itineraries for every interest (museums, archeologic sites, art history, political history, fashion, wine routes, etc.), and key phrases in the host country's language. Of course, in my opinion all that stuff is secondary. What continues to be of paramount importance, to me at least, is that it is first and foremost a BUDGET gravel guide, and it tells me where I can sleep real cheap. That's the bottom line. And what's the best part of this series? That they issue a new edition every single year. That means that the information is always up to date (from the date of printing, because things can always change, of course), so hotel phone numbers and websites, as well as rates, are good-to-go. This year I'm taking my new wife around Italy, and a month later we're going to Paris. The first thing I did, without a doubt, was buy Let's Go Italy 2005, and Let's Go France 2005. Sure, other guides may look prettier on their covers, but as the old adage says, you should never judge them based solely on their covers. It's what's on the inside that counts.

As a student studying abroad in Italy, I spent my weekends traveling to different cities around the country. I would not, could not have survived without my Let's Go guide. My main concern was finding the cheapest lodging, and Let's Go listed many cheap hostels, including one in Milan that only cost me 10 euro per night. For those of us who cannot afford to stay at the nicest hotels, this is especially the guide for you.