atlases and maps

I purchased this map based on reviews on Amazon. It is next to useless. The map is divided into sections that fold out. I took a walk in Venice and tried to use this map to orient myself. First, one of the streets I was on in Section A wasn't shown on the map and two of the streets were misnamed. Compounding this, there is no street index. If you want to find a street you have to already know approximately where you are and then scan the map to find the street you are looking for. Try doing that when you want to go to a restaurant and you only have the address. I left the map at the hotel I stayed at (Hotel Campiello--highly recommended). Use it at your own risk.

This is the perfect companion for walking around Venice. You can open it discreetly to read the clear color maps or look up a restaurant, and then you can slip it back into your pocket. It's not in-depth enough to serve as your only source of information about this city, but that's not its purpose anyway. Leave the heavy, history-oriented guides in the hotel and take this one with you.

folks, this is the best idea for a tourbook/map that i have stumbled across yet. i'm not prone to raving, but this will garner praise from me until the cows come home (bearing foot & mouth) no doubt.

so, why is this so great? first of all, it's simple and well designed. the city is broken down into sections. you turn to those pages and there is a brief description of places to eat, shop, etc. the pages then open up into a map of the section with a description of major sites in the area.

brilliant! no fumbling around a big map trying to find your street. no squinting to figure out where you are. it's easy to find landmarks, metro stops, etc.

the card stock is nice and heavy and has lasted well even in my back pocket. the descriptions have been helpful without being too lengthy. and at this price, it's quite competitive with other maps while providing much more.