Venice 2010Best ways to improve this book: I am horrified that you have not begun a campaign to address the lack of personal flotation devices (life-jackets) in Venice. In the USA it is illegal to carry passengers without 1 per person. They allow you to keep your head above water even if you are knocked out for a period of time. I searched in vain for personal flotation devices on the water buses in Venice. There are none. The only devices are those large hang-on-tight square, bright orange floats. The ability for most people to hang on to them is very limited in time; most likely just a few minutes unless an accident should happen in the small canals. Forget it if you are in the lagoon. If you are bumped in the head you will be dead--period. The handicapped would have absolutely no chance of survival. The large freighters, and ocean liners that compete for space with the water buses in the lagoon are a sure sign a very bad accident could happen. You could make a vast difference by pressing this point. At the least, you could warn the visitor. The same lack of personal flotations devices also applies to Lake Como. Go take a look for yourself. There are plenty of places where they could be stashed; I checked carefully. Please warn your readers who surely have the right to know the peril in which they place themselves and their loved ones. Nancy Bohrer in Chicago, IL USA 11/02/2009 More information about the islands and charms of Murano and Burano, as well as restaurants there, especially since they are few and far between in the evening. Also, please mention more about the Venice book makers -- including the fabulous Rivoulus (sp?) on the Rialto Bridge, where the woman running the shop actually made the books! Laralyn Sasaki in Columbus, OH USA 10/09/2009 Nothing at all, its a great guide. Chris Turner in LA, CA USA 09/27/2009 --Keep the humorous tidbits --Put page numbers on the destinations of the map --Cross reference a little bit more --More lists to organize information would be nice --The house wines aren't as good as you make them out to be... Julia Bodson in Salt Lake City, UT USA 08/14/2009 Better instructions to find La Boutique del Gelato ... your readers will thank you. Frederick in North Vancouver, BC Canada 11/11/2008 Clearer directions to Hotel Piave. Stress even more the need to pack light! Getting off and on Vaporettos and up and down bridges made me regret even the limited luggage we brought. Give clearer directions on how to get from airport to Venice itself. evelyn lynch in hatboro, pa USA 10/25/2008 Dear Rick Steves & Company: My wife and I just returned from a celebratory, post-retirement Med cruise which included a few front-end days in Barcelona and a few back-end days in Venice. We had purchased both your Spain 2008 and Venice 2008 books, and used them quire extensively, especially the Venice book (we saw several other tourists using your book in Venice as well). We found the books quite helpful and accurate, and wanted to thank you for making them available. [Last summer we cruised the Baltics and used your book as well.] We would like to offer a few observations specific to the Venice book that you may want to consider for future updates. We chose to stay in Mestre (to save some money), and take the bus to Venice each day. Staying in Mestre also facilitated taking day trips to Padua and Verona as we stayed across the street from the train station. · The new footbridge crossing the Piazzale Roma (bus station) to the train station is now open (and being heavily used). We noticed that several people were stumbling on the bridge as they started down after crossing over the top. The reason being is that the transition from the flat top of the bridge to stairs going down the bridge is very subtle and sort of sneaks up on you unexpectedly…it is not clearly marked. This is especially true at night. · The Rialto to Frari Church Walk description was mostly accurate, but was confusing in one section. After beginning the walk down the Ruga one enters Campo S. Aponal. On the opposite side of Aponal there are four possible exit streets, none of which is seems to be marked as Ruga (or Rugetta). · The Frari Church entrance fee is now 3 Euros. · Referring to Page 24 of the Venice 2008 book, we chose to buy the ACTV two-day transportation card (imob), which was good for both buses and the vaporetto. This card needs to be flashed in front of a card reader either on the bus or at the vaporetto docks to initially validate it, and each time you board the bus or the vaporetto thereafter. This process is different from what is mentioned on Page 24 (stamping a ticket). · Related to sit-down restaurants, we found it necessary to ask for the check when we were ready to leave as the waiter did not offer to bring it too you without asking. This may be worth mentioning to readers of the book. · Although we read the section of the book on public pay phones, it was not clear how to use the phone for making a call across town…say from Venice to Mestre. The instructions in the phone booths are generally so faded/weathered/graffiti-ed that they were unreadable. The book does a good job discussing options form making a long distance call, but not across town. · Trying to select which train car to sit in was very confusing to in-experienced train travelers such as us. While some trains have a single class (second class or 2a), many trains have first class, second-class with reserved seats, and second-class un-reserved seats. We bought our tickets at the ticket window and the language barrier presented problems. It wasn’t until about our fourth train ride (and one extra up-charge for accidentally sitting in first class) that we figured out the system adequately enough. We eventually learned that for multi-class trains we needed to look for a number taped to the window of the access door to each car. And we learned to read the train configuration information on the billboard at each loading dock. Perhaps your book coupld provide some more detail on this topic. · There are enough interesting things to see in Verona to spend a full day there, which is what we did based on the advice of locals. We missed Vicenza. The Verona card must be purchased at the Money Changer window across the hall from the TI (not at the TI as mentioned in the book on Page 306) in the Verona train station. However, the TI gave us a lot of good information and is still worth the stop. Finally, two last overall suggestions… · I recommend that readers bring with them on these visits is a small bottle of hand sanitizer to clean one’s hands before eating. After walking around for hours in the presence of large crowd like encountered in many large cities, it may be worth it to clean hands before eating. · Don’t attempt to read your book (or street map) and walk at the same time as you may twist an ankle on the frequent en-even surfaces found in places like Venice if you are not paying attention (yes I was hobbled for a couple days when I partially stepped in a curb while reading your book on the Rialto to Frari Church walk). Actually, this is one of the more unfortunate conditions while visiting Europe, especially ruins. While you walk around wide-eyed looking at all the ruins, you don’t watch where you are walking. Or conversely, you really need to watch were you are walking in ruins areas as there are so many uneven surfaces. Brandon Krogh in Duluth, MN USA 10/10/2008 Excellent guide. This book made our trip more fun, cheaper, and less stressful. I would first like to second the folks who said: 1. mosquitoes are bad (why don't these folks have screens in their windows?) 2. get a map before you get to town 3. anatomy of a train ticket would be helpful. I would also like to add that you might want to do some focus groups with under-30s. Parts of the book were a bit old fashioned ("many travelers set up a free email account . . ." p. 343). Rick, even my grandma has an email account! My husband and I found that if we wandered around with our ipod touch we would eventually find an open network and could sit in a square and email. I don't think people our age would do a lot of calling card calling. Amanda Gibson in South Hill, VA USA 09/21/2008 Perfect as it is E Crowhurst England, UK 08/06/2008 A great book already. Lisa in augusta, ga USA 06/22/2008 Warn Venice travellers about mosquitoes! There is nothing in the book about this and there should be!! Nancy Casey in Olean, NY USA 06/04/2008 Add restaurant and hotel names to the index. Michael in Seattle, WA USA 05/31/2008 Warn tourists of the sewage smell throughout the city and also in the hotel bathrooms due to the old plumbing. It takes a while to get used to. Also, beware of showers that switch between freezing cold and scalding hot on a regular basis. I suggest mentioning that asking your hotel staff for a good "non-touristy" restauant recommendation is the way to go. We didn't do the gondola ride, but heard from another American couple at the hotel that it is a huge ripoff. The prices are unreal, and the gondoleer talked on his cellphone most of the time, and was talking to the other gondoleers along the way the rest of the time. Hardly any points of interest were pointed out. Please reevaluate your gondola recommendations. Emphasize how expensive Venice is-- everything is ridiculously priced, and this hurts especially now with how low our dollar is against the Euro. Lindsay Kaun in Seminole, FL USA 05/18/2008 Would have appreciated recommendation for a nice dinner out in San Marco area instead of just cheap eats. Might recommend bringing waterproof boots or shoes, since there was standing water in SMS in April. Patricia Kendall in Houston, TX USA 05/09/2008 You recommend skipping any restaurant with menus in several languages. Well, heck, that was ALL of them that I saw; even recommended ones. Venice is a living museum, and they know their audience-in this particular city, English language menu doesn't make them a bad restaurant. 2. You may want to let readers know that there are a lot of stairs in Venice. I was surprised at how many.
Kelly Luchtman in Chicago, IL USA 04/12/2008 I purchased Venice 2008 for our upcoming trip in May. I was very surprised and unhappy when I saw that you've omitted Ravenna in Venice 2008 (it was included in Venice 2007). We were planning to spend some time there and now I'll have to get the info elsewhere.... Rosalie in Albany, NY USA 02/23/2008 My biggest complaint is the lousy binding of the book. I purchased Italy 2008 and just came back from week in Italy, and the first day two pages fell out. By third day I lost four pages. Honestly, this was not the result of rough handling, it was packed inside my suitcase, then it was left in hotel and only used as reference at night, as it is too bulky to carry with me out walking. I would not buy another book after that experience, unless I hear you have improved binding. I purchased another guide book with excellent binding, and it included a terrific pull out map of Venice, that was waterproof. Definitely preferred a thin, compact book with pull out map, just for your consideration. [Editor's Note: Please always let us know if you have a faulty binding by emailing customerservice@ricksteves.com or calling 425/771-8303 ext. 220. We can then usually replace your book as well as pass the information along to our publisher and work to solve the problem. ] Kathy Smith in Benalmadena, Spain 12/07/2007 Dear Mr. Steves, For many years, my wife and I have used your guidebooks with great satisfaction. This is the first time that we believe you’ve made a mistake. First, let me explain that we are fairly experienced travelers in our 60’s. In January and February 2006, we conducted a very pleasant email conversation with your associate, Mr. Steve Smith, in regard to our summer 2005 travels in several areas of France. Our input amounted to several pages of specifics including lodgings and restaurants. Especially, we told Mr. Smith about our very pleasant travels in the Auvergne, which information he indicated to be valuable. So, we hope you’ll take us as reasonably “savvy travelers”. We think you made a mistake in your evaluation of the Hotel alla Salute, in the Dosoduro district of Venice; this is on page 220 of your otherwise very good 2007 Venice guidebook. You call the Hotel alla Salute “a basic retreat… with indifferent owners”. We beg to differ; we stayed at the Hotel alla Salute for a week in May, 2007, and extended our stay by two days because we liked it so much. My wife had been to Venice two previous times; we chose this hotel because she remembered it as a fine place previously, and it turned out to be a fine place last May as well. During our stay, we met one of the owners and his daughter, the admirable Signorina Barbara, who often staffed the front desk, and they were charming and not at all “indifferent”. Our room was at the front, facing onto the Rio della Fornace canal, with an absolutely magical view. The Hotel alla Salute also provides a fine breakfast, either outdoors under a canopy in good weather, or indoors. The Hotel’s location is also excellent, as anyone would conclude after spending a couple days in Venice. We say this because you are off the main tourist path but not too far; for example, there is a traghetto stop very close to the hotel, and a vaporetto stop near Santa Maria della Salute. There are some very good restaurants nearby, including Trattoria “Ai Cugnai”, which seemed to be a genuine locals’ place in the old Veneto tradition. Also, on fine warm evenings, Dosoduro is absolutely magical at night! We recommend that you re-examine your appraisal of the Hotel alla Salute; we think that, somehow, your existing review is based on bad information. It is a fine hotel and worthy of high marks in your guidebooks. We’d be glad to add further information if you so desire. C.F. Rogers in Reno, NV USA 11/05/2007 Rick, This is the second time in three years you, in your books, will go with me to Venice and Rome. My suggestion is that you insert 2 pages (4 sides) of blank paper entitled "Notes" where a user could handily summarize for themselves the salient points in the book before they go (rather than highlight) and could also place comments while they are there (a brief journal). Couldn't cost much and it would be better than paperclips and inserted pieces of paper with notes. Thanks for organizing the experience of a lifetime for my kids on the V-F-R tour with Kathy Russo. Jay Jay Schoenau in South Pasadena, ca USA 10/03/2007 Change your recommendation of Al Vecio Pipa. Jennifer Henry in Dublin, CA USA 08/14/2007 Recommend that visitors buy a good map BEFORE getting to Venice! We nearly got lost trying to find our hotel! Kate in Redondo Beach, CA USA 08/11/2007 Please consider "anatomy of a train ticket" (regardless of nation) in all your guide books. The information is very helpful. Craig in Salt Lake City, UT USA 07/11/2007 Cover so more of the off the beaten path sites for those more adventurous travelers, other than that its great! Tony Beccaccio in Fairfax, Ca USA 07/02/2007 I would appreciate a small section for bohemian travelers who are returning and don't want to travel the well-worn paths to the usual sites. Megan Murphy in Austin, Tx USA 06/20/2007 PLEASE remove Trattoria alla Rivetta from your guidebook. I absolutely will not understand if it is in there for the next version, especially since other travelers seems to agree. Any reason it's not yet on your guidebook updates page? Alexa LaBianca in Beverly Hills, CA USA 05/04/2007 Agree that address numbers are needed. And use the hotel and restaurant key numbers from the maps in the text. Too much crazy flipping is required. Angela in Sammamish, WA USA 04/15/2007 |
