Books : The Rough Guide to Venice and the Veneto (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Rating: - Saved a fortune in guide books and audio guides!
Not only was this book helpful when choosing where to stay - information was accurate and relevant - it was also invaluable in terms of finding ways to save money (which is a must in Venice!).
But the best feature about this book was its information on the places to visit. It saved us a fortune because we didn't need to buy guide books for any of the venues!
The book is written with fascinating tidbits of information, many of which will make you smile and laugh, so be careful not to read in church if you're not prepared to stifle your laughter.

If I had to say one negative thing about this book, it would be that the entry fees are now very slightly out of date... but if you add 1 euro to the price in the book, you're never likely to be upset when you arrive.

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Rating: - very useful indeed
I just came back from my first ever visit to Venice, to see the Biennale exhibition actually, but while in Venice...
Anyway, I bought this guide blindly on account of positive experiences with the Rough Guide to New York a few years ago and I must say I'm quite as pleased with this one! The maps in the back once again proved extremely useful and in this case they included a frequently consulted map for the vaporetti or bus boats that are such an essential feature of public transport around this city. (Sorry, I don't much care for gondolas.)
Thanks to some pointers from Mr Buckley I have seen a massive amount of Tintoretto paintings, which was an unexpected delight, and shed a tear at the graves of Claudio Monteverdi and Igor Stravinsky. I guess visitors to Venice could do a lot worse than pick up this guide.