Visiting Italy can be more than a bit overwhelming. It is not just the hustle and bustle of a busy European country. There are lots of fellow tourists, things work differently than what we are used to and there is an immense number of different activities to choose from. With large crowds and too many options availabe, you will have to make choices. We highly recommend properly planning your visit to Italy. The travel books and travel guides in this post are here to help you on your way. We have hand picked all of these books!
This is one of Europe’s most famous destinations. It is also a city that has become known for overtourism. Over the last years, my wife and myself have traveled to Italy on numerous occasions. We know how crowds can make a city busy but also know where to find the quiet places. All our research has been done using the travel books we recommend here.
- All books have been handpicked by us!
- Books with bad reviews are left out.
- This post includes affiliate marketing links on which we can earn a commission.
We are a big fan of Lonely Planet! We use Lonely Planet Travel Guides for basically every destination that we visit. The book comes with full colour maps, highlights, itineraries and what we like the most about the entire Lonely Planet series: reviews for eating, drinking, hidden gems and going out. These books are small enough to handle with ease but big enough to contain all the essential tips and tricks for your perfect trip to Rome and all other major destinations in Italy.
If you need a bit more than just the pocket edition, you can also go for the traditional Lonely Planet guide. This book comes with the colour maps, highlights and itineraries that we are used to from our favourite travel book brand. What is especially useful about Lonely Planet are the reviews for different budgets. The book covers all major areas of Rome.
When we travel, our Fitbit will register well beyond 20,000 to 30,000 steps per day. We are the kind of tourists that simply walk everywhere. Rome is made for walking and this book by Moon, tells us exactly where to walk to. The book has different walking routes for each of Rome’s neighbourhoods. The book comes with detailed maps, tips on where to eat and drink as well as smart ways to avoid crowds. The book is printed in a handy format so you can take it on your walks through the city.
Rick Steves is a famous American travel author and TV personality. Steves has published strong and useful travel books for many destinations in Europe. This travel guide for Italy is most definitely not an exception. The book is written for travellers that stay a week or longer in the city. It includes Steves’ ‘strategic advice’ on how to best spend your time and money during your stay in the capital of Italy. It also has an overview of top sights and hidden gems. Each book by Rick Steves also comes with a chapter on how to beat the crowds, skip the lines and avoid tourists traps, which we absolutely recommend reading upon. Although the book is written with an American audience in mind, it doesn’t matter where you are from, you will find this book both entertaining and useful.
Fodor’s Essential Italy is a travel guide for the Italian capital.. The book comes with a handy pull out map with top attractions that you can’t miss. Most importantly, the book has indispensable planning tools such as major attractions, top itineraries and dining recommendations. Fodor’s local writers vet every recommendation to ensure that you not only make the most of your time, but that you also have all the most up-to-date and essential information you need to plan the perfect trip.
By reading up on history of our travel destinations we can better understand the behaviour of those living in the places that we visit. Every place that we visit has its own unique history. Rome has a long and rich history. Although the city’s history is too extensive to cover in a single book, this book does a good job in summarizing centuries of history in an easy to read accessable book.
In all our overviews of travel guides, we include a travel book that is made for children. This Rome for Kids Travel Book is easy to use for children and will be really entertaining for kids making the life of parents much easier, even on longer trips. The book includes: 120 pages, 6×9, cream paper and a beautiful matte-finished cover. The book will help making the trip to Rome fun, easy and entertaining for you and the kids.
Over the years, more and more people started traveling and overtourism became a growing issue. Although the coronavirus pandemic has forced us to change our travel behavior for now, we believe that we will travel again and that the return of crowds is inevitable. This book helps you to Avoid Crowds and is your guide on what (not) to do when it’s busy. The book includes a special chapter on traveling during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
