Tour Italy With Lonely Planet Travel Guides

“Benvenuti in Italia!“… Welcome to Italy!  If you were planning a trip to this amazing country, how would you chose a Travel Guide?

Travel Guide books are exciting.  They open your eyes to a place you are longing to experience for yourself.  They equip you with fun and helpful information to assist you in planning vital trip details ahead of time.  And they help you get the most enjoyment out of your visit while you’re there.

At least they should do all of those things.  An important decision indeed!  Here’s why I picked Lonely Planet.

Lonely Planet ~ Real Guides for Independent Travelers

Lonely Planet publishes travel guides for almost anywhere around the globe.  Let’s face it, there are definitely a few quality options out there, when it comes to travel guide publishers.

Personally, when I searched for the “just right” travel guide for me, after fairly extensive research I decided on Lonely Planet.  Why?

Because I think Lonely Planet strikes a nice balance, in that they focus on:

• Mid-range prices – for the traveler who neither plans to stay at youth hostels, nor luxury 5-star hotels.
• Medium-level of adventurousness – for the DIY independent traveler who wants some guidance on where to find those classic must-see sights, but would also like to mix it up with an off-the-beaten-path place here and there along the way.
• On the ground, “real” travel writers – I love the approach Lonely Planet takes of having sometimes even multiple travel writers chime in.  Their passion for the destination shines through, and is contagious.  They’re gonna tell you the really cool places to go, to get the full essence of the country, and maximize your experience.  15 authors helped write the LP Italy Guide!  They know of what they speak.

Lonely Planet ~ Italy Travel Guide Features

Here are a few of my favorite features of Lonely Planet’s Italy Travel Guide, which I think really make this guide book stand out.  (You know, besides those 3 things it brags about on the cover photo…)

Top 18 Experiences

Especially if you’re just starting your travel planning from scratch, this special section hand picks some highlights for you (along with photos), and gives you some serious Italy trip food for thought.

Need to Know

Although only a compact 2 pages, this is a vital cheat sheet filled with exactly that… what you need to know regarding things like average daily budget to allow, when to go, and how to arrive in Italy.

If You Like…

Got a gut feel for what you want to experience while you’re in Italy, but aren’t sure where best to find it?  You’ll find some great guidance in these value-packed pages.

Itineraries

Whether you use them to the letter or not, a mapped out sample plan with a suggested schedule can help you hone in on a good route to take, to see what you want to see in a reasonable amount of time.

Outdoor Experiences

What a cool idea!  Why not incorporate some hiking, cycling, snowboarding, or diving into your dream vacation?  Get the scoop on how to inject some outdoor adventure into your trip to Italy.

Eat & Drink Like a Local

I’m sure I’ll be made for a tourist.  But I’d love some tips on how to find, order, and really enjoy some authentic Italian meals.  They even cover terminology to let you know what type of restaurant you’re choosing, and give you a heads-up on the menu basics you’ll find there.

Regions At a Glance

Here’s my favorite section in the whole Lonely Planet Italy travel guide!  Shaded maps to outline a region, with accompanying top 3 specialties you can expect to find there.  If you are overwhelmed by what to do during your visit to Italy (other than just soak it all in), start here.

Lonely Planet ~ Florence & Tuscany Travel Guide Features

To write a travel guide for an entire country, space will obviously not allow for extensive detail.  For example, there are 100 pages in the Italy travel guide which cover Florence and Tuscany.  But this cute, dedicated Florence & Tuscany travel guide will score you 360 pages of maps, tips, ideas and insight for your visit to the region.

So once you have in mind more specifically where you’d like to visit, your next step would typically be a “lower level” regional travel guide – like the Florence & Tuscany Guide.  Because this is definitely an area I plan to see someday, I love this little guide dearly!

There are a few shared topics which cover the same general information on visiting Italy.  But in addition to that, here are a few highlights I enjoyed in this guide:

• Top 18 Experiences ~ From just the Florence & Tuscany region, plus photos.
• 5 Things to Look for when shopping in Florence
• Regions at a Glance ~ This time, for smaller more specific areas… letting you hone in on exactly where to head to experience what interests you, from “Food,  Mountains, and The Outdoors” in Northwestern Tuscany, to “Food, Wine, and Hill Towns” in Siena & Central Tuscany.  (Incidentally, all of the regions feature “food” as one of their top 3 specialties!)
• the Tuscan Table ~ Since food is obviously such a highlight here, get the low-down on what’s in store for you… and insider advice like which is the best day to order fish?
• Staying in Tuscany ~ Accommodation types and how to find what’s right for you.
• Month by Month ~ A calendar of the most famous events for the area, which may even peak your interest enough to plan your vacation dates around.
• Worth the Trip & Don’t Miss ~ These tips are sprinkled throughout each section of the book and cover everything from road trip itinerary ideas to sculpture gardens you’ll want to be sure and see.
• Additional, More Detailed Maps

Again, the Lonely Planet Italy travel guide is great, but if you know you want to visit the Florence and Tuscany area – I also recommend the Lonely Planet Florence & Tuscany travel guide.  It will leave you with significantly more information and ideas for your visit.

Lonely Planet Travel Guides

If you’ve not tried Lonely Planet travel guide in the past, I encourage you to give them a serious look when researching your next trip.  You’ll also find some excellent (free) information and articles posted right on their website.

Or, if you don’t know where to go on your next adventure… check their “Top Picks” in the destination section for some inspiring ideas!

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I received the two travel guide books described in this post from Lonely Planet, at no cost, for the purposes of this review.  All opinions are my own.