Lonely Planet Rome (City Guide)

this book gave me great insight on my upcoming trip. would highly recommend.

Very good recommendations.

Lonely Planet always has the best guides!!

We went to Italy last year and focused mainly on Rome but we're able to travel to a few places outside the city. We honestly were so enthralled with the areas outside the city and the relatively low cost (surprisingly) of our trip that we want to go back soon! So I got this book to explore some of the other areas out there and aside from the internet research I had been doing.First off, it's weakness: it really left out much of the religious aspects of Italy. There are so many neat places to go and let's just admit that a ton of visitors to both Italy and the Holy Land are at least somewhat religiously motivated. Well, if you are looking for info on the churches and which saint's tombs are in the church or why this or that church is popular, then look elsewhere. Even on churches in Rome that were famous for a saint, they pretty much left out every interesting detail from a Catholic point of view and focused on things that were very strange and uninteresting. I mean, even non religious people have to be fascinated that a saints incorrupt mummified body is displayed, right? Apparently not, they think you are more interested in the fact that the church burnt down in such and such year. So if you are Catholic, you are going to need a better book on this matter before you go, because they purposely leave out anything you would want to know.That being said, the book is super strong and well rounded secularly wise. It really covers a wide range of areas and goes into the details of each area with beautiful color photos, good maps and lots of info.Fifteen years ago I bought a book by this brand and appreciated that they had a religious section in it for the huge number of religious tourists. Apparently they not only removed it now, but also have tried to wish wash over anything to do with religion. If they hadn't done that I would have given them five stars, because now I am left still needing more books to bring along or research beforehand. It's just really stupid because they left out religious sites that are extremely popular with even atheists for it's art or architecture. Major ones that are always included in tourist books, and then filled in with stupid things that are not religious that are very minor tourist sites. Strange.

This is a good, better-than-basic guidebook for the first-time or infrequent visitor to Rome. I'm adding all of those qualifiers as this annual update from Lonely Planet focuses on the city itself plus a lot of historic, political and cultural background to give visitors context for what they are seeing within the city precincts. There is one short section day excursions outside Rome, including must-see Orvieto, but if you are planning to visit other cities in Italy, you're going to need other guidebooks or a general guide to Italy.Among the strengths of this guide (in my opinion) are: a section called "Rome's Top 10" which opines the must-see locales of the city (more or less standard); a fair number of city maps; sections organized by neighborhood, including the Vatican; commentary on museums and what they contain; and a savvy section on Roman nightlife and nightclubs. The last item is, as in most cities, subject to change by the month so don't use without verifying locally.Also with the first-time visitor in mind, the guide includes a dictionary/glossary of Italian phrases and food/menu definitions. Latter is often helpful when eating in a restaurant where an English menu isn't offered. This is actually pretty rare in the center of the city, but ironically, some of the best food in Rome is found in smaller, neighborhood osterias where tourists make up less of the clientele.Weaknesses in the guide--mainly its limited focus on the center of Rome and the tourist attractions. Like most travel guides these days, there are not many recommendations for hotels and restaurants. The assumption is, I think, that a lot of travelers will get needed information from the internet, newspaper reviews, etc. That's a good assumption as most regular travelers will do some research online to find a good hotel, VRBO hookup, etc. As to restaurants, chatting up hotel concierges can often result in getting the best information about dining, especially in the neighborhoods.One last observation--the guide says you can hail a taxi (but it's better to look for a taxi stand). From my experience, it's always better to look for the stand as most Roman taxi drivers will not stop for someone signaling for a ride. Also important to note--strikes of all kinds are common in Italy and there are some days when taxis are simply not available due to some labor action or another. Your hotel can arrange for alternative transportation--especially to airport, if you happen to hit one of those days.

This is a very useful guide to Rome, laid out in an attractive and easy to read style, with many pictures and illustrations.I found it very useful to pre-plan our visit to Rome and work out the best areas to go to. Advice on getting around and public transport was very good. Also, the price guide on restaurants in the book proved to be useful. The book is a nice size so you can pop it in a rucksack to carry around with you - it is a thorough guide but not with hundreds and hundreds of pages such that it makes it unwieldy.

Lovely as all the Loney Planet guides. I like to complement some of their information with internet and apps because you never know if they publicize a place because they got paid. Trip Advisor is a good choice to confirm what people have to say about restaurants, hotels and other.The guide has good information about the places to visit, history, maps, etc. That's why I think traveling with a guide is better than just using internet.

I have been to Rome so many times during the last 50 years, this in my opinion is one of the most comprehensive guides you can get, would thoroughly recommend.

Perfect insight to Rome for someone who has never been. Well laid out and easy to follow.

Brilliant guide for our 'Roman Holiday' 2018