Are you looking for an Italy travel guide to help you plan your trip? There are plenty of options to choose from, so we’ve rounded up those that provided the best insights for planning, information about the destinations you want to visit, and those that added a little more.
guides are an important resource to help you plan your trips to italy. Usually thoroughly researched and detailed, they offer a great starting point when you begin the initial planning of your trip. As you begin to finalize your itinerary, you can also check back for logistics tips and general information prior to arrival.
You are reading: Best travel books for italy
Fortunately, there are plenty of high-quality Italy travel books out there, and we’re here to tell you which ones are the best, including guides to specific cities and regions. All of these books are available in print or digital format, depending on your preferences.
3 best Italian travel guides
- rick steves italy
- lonely planet italy
- dk travel guide eyewitness italy
Rick Steves is the man many Americans turn to when it comes to traveling in Europe.
For nearly half a century, he has spent ⅓ of each year traveling the continent, and his mission is to make European travel accessible to Americans.
Rick Steves’s Guide to Italy is easy to read and packed with helpful information, from travel tips and advice to historical and cultural insights.
Covering popular attractions as well as off the beaten path gems, it’s perhaps the best travel book around Italy.
as a general rule, rick steves is selective about the places he includes. Your guides may not cover every destination in Italy, but the places that are included are well worth a visit. This book delves into Rome, Milan, Tuscany, Naples, Venice, and Sorrento, among others.
however, information is missing on several key areas of italy, such as sicily, puglia, basilicata, sardinia, piedmont and matera. As such, it may not be ideal if you are planning a trip throughout Italy or any of the aforementioned destinations.
That said, their philosophy is to list places based on value rather than popularity or fame. So if you don’t have an itinerary for your Italian adventure, following Rick’s guide certainly won’t disappoint!
This guide is best suited for first-time travelers and focuses on making the entire experience less intimidating. Rick’s writing is steeped in passion and enthusiasm. This is a guy who lives to travel, and his love for it certainly shines through!
lonely planet italy
lonely planet is the gold standard when it comes to travel guide publishers, and they have been crafting top notch guides for decades.
the lonely planet italy guide is amazing when it comes to daily travel tips and advice like where to stay, what to eat and how to get around.
You’ll also find lots of interesting information about Italy’s history and culture and insider tips to help you save time and money.
Contains detailed itineraries and allows you to tailor your trip to your interests, making it a strong contender for the best Italy tour guide.
the lonely planet guide is broader than the rick steves alternative and covers more of the country. as a result, guides to specific cities and towns are more condensed and offer less detail. this guide isn’t particularly visual, but it does feature a good amount of color images and plenty of maps!
While this guide is great for those traveling on any type of budget, it’s particularly well-suited for low- and mid-budget travel. backpackers and independent travelers will love it, but it’s a great resource for any type of traveler.
The 2020 version promises all the benefits of the current edition, as well as some new and updated features.
dk italy eyewitness travel guide
dk’s eyewitness travel guides give you the best image coverage of any guide. Through its compelling imagery, this travel guide transports you to your destination even before you’ve left, giving you a tantalizing taste of what’s to come!
dk eyewitness italy travel guide covers all the basics and is hands down one of the best travel guides around italy.
includes fully planned itineraries and detailed stories for helpful hints, tips and information.
dk’s eyewitness books have a heavy focus on culture, art, and architecture, and this one is particularly visual, with stunning photography and hand-drawn color images. dk guides tend to focus more on ‘seeing’ than ‘doing’.
dk eyewitness has a less personal feel than rick steves and focuses more on facts and stories than personalized suggestions. It mainly covers the main tourist attractions, but it covers them well and in detail.
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You’ll find maps, bird’s-eye views, and beautiful illustrations of the interiors of famous landmarks. this travel guide is awesome if you are a dreamer who enjoys visualizing your journey and finding inspiration before you go.
major guides for rome
- rick steves pocket rome
- dk eyewisted rome travel guide
- glamor italy ! 101 fabulous things to do in rome
- blue guide to rome
rick steves pocket rome is packed with everything you need to know about the eternal city. You’ll find fascinating stories and cultural insights along with recommendations, helpful tips, helpful information and on-the-ground travel insights.
rick offers his advice on how you should prioritize your time in Rome during a visit of any length, be it a day or a week.
As the title suggests, this guide is small enough to easily carry around while exploring and can be slipped into a pocket when not in use.
the book also includes promotional codes for tours; if you pick up a couple of them, you could easily save more than the cost of the book, making this an extremely profitable purchase.
as with all of rick’s guides, pocket rome’s writing style has a personal touch. contains ideas that only such an experienced traveler could select.
dk eyewitness travel guide rome
the dk eyewitness rome travel guide is a great tool for planning a trip to rome. offers itineraries for stays of different lengths and includes sections for different types of travelers, such as art lovers, foodies, families, and architecture admirers.
this can help you tailor your experience to your interests. it also contains a good deal of historical and cultural information, along with some helpful hints and tips.
is an exceptionally visual book, with beautiful color images dominating nearly every page. this again allows your mind to wander around rome before you leave home, and is a great source of inspiration when planning your trip!
This guide is best suited for those who want to see the main and popular sights of Rome and anyone with an eye for aesthetics.
Italian glamour! 101 fabulous things to do in Rome
This guide was written by Corinna Cooke, she does small group tours in Italy and has been traveling to Rome for several decades. She is exceptionally well-experienced and knowledgeable, and she throws it all into glam italia! the 394 pages of Rome.
the book has a clear focus on avoiding the tourist crowds and absorbing a side of rome that is less traveled. Corinna details the best sights, markets, and experiences, and shares valuable travel tips along the way. Among the hints and tips, you’ll find quirky illustrations, funny stories, interesting facts, and history.
This guide will give you a truly unique and enjoyable experience of Rome, and is best suited for those who want to explore off the beaten track. we think it is one of the best travel books around italy.
blunt blue guide
blue guide to rome is almost encyclopedic, brimming with information on almost every corner of rome. co-authored with an art historian, it truly contains a wealth of information on the city’s history, art, culture and architecture, with an unparalleled level of detail.
The book’s writing style exudes intelligence and deep understanding, and is the perfect guide for travelers who like to dig deeper into culture and history.
however, it is a bit light on images as well as tips and tricks, so it may not be ideal for first-time travellers.
main guides to florence and tuscany
- dk eyewitness travel guide florence and tuscany
- tuscany, italy: small town itineraries for the keen traveler
- Italian glamour! 101 fabulous things to do in florence: secrets of the renaissance city
dk eyewitness florence and tuscany travel guide is an easy-to-use travel tool that, like other dk eyewitness guides, is highly visual. offers useful travel tips and practical information along with cultural and historical context.
Color-coded chapters make it easy to navigate the guide, and the book is packed with easy-to-use maps. There’s even a large removable map of Florence inside.
Expect enlarged illustrations of key landmarks, as well as gorgeous images that will whet your appetite for travel like no other guide. Perfect for lovers of all things visual, this book offers an inspiring taste of Florence and the rest of Tuscany.
This Tuscany travel guide takes you on a journey to discover the famous Tuscan cuisine, exploring the beautiful historical landmarks, natural beauty and vibrant culture of the region along of the road.
The book aims to go beyond what one finds as a typical tourist, emphasizing interaction with locals, and slowing down to learn about and appreciate your surroundings.
provides travel tips and information, and makes recommendations for places to stay and visit beyond culinary establishments. but if you are a keen traveler, this is definitely one of the best italy travel guides for you!
This guide was written by Corinna Cooke, who organizes small-group boutique tours of Italy and is a best-selling author. she travels to florence regularly and is very experienced and knows the ins and outs of the city. she shares all the tips and tricks she’s learned at glam italy! florence.
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The book guides you to avoid the tourist crowds and get off the beaten path in Florence. Corinna shares the best sights, restaurants, and experiences, as well as plenty of other travel tips and advice for a stress-free visit.
This guide is packed with interesting facts and history, as well as amusing anecdotes, and is best suited for those who like to get off the beaten path and explore a unique and sometimes quirky side of the city.
the best guides to venice
- rick steves pocket venice
- italian glamour! 101 Fabulous Things To Do In Venice: Fantastic Finds In The World’s Most Unique City
rick’s steves pocket venice is a fantastic and compact guide to venice, which breaks down the city extensively to help you make the most of your trip. you’ll find the usual tips, advice and travel information, including some historical and cultural insights.
is more visual than your guidebook to italy, with color images scattered throughout. There is also a large removable map of the city, which is especially useful for exploring the maze that is Venice.
Contains excellent walking tours of the city, as well as some downloadable audio tours. Rick’s passion for European travel is once again conveyed through the book’s personal writing style.
Pocket Venice is a great option for anyone who wants to avoid Venice’s tourist traps and travel around the city with the inside scoop.
Another excellent guide from bestselling author Corinna Cooke, who has been traveling to Venice half her life and knows the city inside out. she shares her insider knowledge and tips on glam italy! venice.
since venice is a busy tourist hotspot, this book tells you when and where to get away from the busy center. The guide is full of places to get off the beaten track in Venice and find the hidden gems of this lagoon city.
best regional travel guides for italy
- rick steves snapshot naples & the amalfi coast
- lonely planet sicily
this guide by rick steves is the perfect companion for those planning a trip to naples and the amalfi coast. with detailed suggestions on where to go and what to see, as well as insider tips on accommodation, food and nightlife.
The guide covers the main sights and destinations, including Vesuvius, Pompeii, Amalfi City and Positano. you will find detailed maps as well as some black and white images. Featuring Rick’s usual writing style, this book helps you travel like a local and provides a good amount of historical context.
this is a great option for those seeking advice from a seasoned traveler to step up their explorations of naples and the amalfi coast.
sicily lonely planet
As with all lonely planet guides, lonely planet sicily is packed with helpful on-the-ground travel advice.
This book takes you to the heart of the region and helps you get around the island like a local. it is ideal for exploring the main sights and attractions, as well as discovering hidden gems.
Among several other destinations, it covers the Aeolian Islands, Western and Central Sicily, Palmero and much of the extensive coastline of the region.
The writing is practical and helpful, and the guide is well suited to adventurous travelers who want to dive into Sicily headfirst.
choosing the best italy travel book for your trip
When selecting the best Italy travel guide for your preferences and interests, there are several important considerations to keep in mind.
Some guides focus more on pragmatic and practical information, often in the form of hints and tips. some favor a more informative approach with a focus on providing historical and cultural context to places of interest and destinations.
You’ll find that some guides tend to be more visual, with lots of pictures and diagrams and less written content, while others are text-heavy and information-heavy. others include handy extras like maps.
It is important that you check the publication date of the Italy travel book you are considering. we live in a world of constant change; newer guides will have more up-to-date information and are more likely to be helpful.
Also, be sure to check out the table of contents so you can compare the areas covered in the guide to the list of areas you’d like to visit.
planning trips to italy
We hope this guide to the best tour guides in Italy has provided you with useful information and helped you make an informed decision. We’ve curated this list with every traveler in mind, and we’re sure you’ll find something to suit you and your itinerary!
Choosing the right guide can make a visit to Italy truly special, and whichever book you choose, we hope you have a wonderful adventure.
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