Rick Steves' Florence and Tuscany 2009

On my honeymoon to Italy, I brought three guidebooks: Rick Steves, Eyewitness Guide, and Blue Guide. It made for a lot of extra weight, but I wanted to field-test them and see which were the most useful. Rick's books are meant for the traveler who wants to hit the highlights and doesn't care about excess detail, and he often leaves out sights (even whole areas of cities, as in Rome) that are well-worth seeing even on a short trip. Rick is very good when it comes to practical travel tips such as packing, avoiding thieves, and choosing rail passes (he also sells some great travel gear), but I prefer a more comprehensive guide that lays it all out and lets me decide what I want to see, even if it means sacrificing detail. Also, I find Rick's writing style silly and his historical commentary not always accurate (especially when dealing with Christian history, a not unimportant thing in Italy!). Unless you plan to stick to Rick's itineraries exactly and like the experience of having a...Read more

My wife and I just returned from a Fall trip to Tuscany. This little book never left my back pack the whole trip. We read and followed it from cover to cover all over the Tuscan countryside. From museums (we literally read the book from art to art throught the Uffizi) to places to eat -- it was perfect. The tips included (like ordering tickets to David by phone in advance and picking them up at will call -- phone numbers included) are literally worth the price of the book. Rick Steves makes traveling abroad enjoyable and educational. This book and the fact that it is annually updated is perfect.

We split our time in Rome with two days in Florence. We had Rick Steve's Rome for the Rome portion of our 10 days but we found ourselves in Florence without his Florence and Tuscany book. While standing in line to see the David, we slipped into a bookstore and purchased this book. It was every bit as helpful as Rick's book on Rome and I have a personal resolution to never vacation in another European city without a Rick Steve's guide book in my hand. Every recommendation... from where to get gellato, where to eat dinner, what to see, what to miss, when to visit specific attractions and how to avoid the lines was right on target.
This book allowed us to walk Florence as if we were locals and made our trip that much more enjoyable.
I recommend this book for any first or second time visitor to Florence.