Frommer's Rome Day by Day

by Sylvie Hogg

These attractively priced, four-color guides offer dozens of neighborhood and thematic tours, complete with hundreds of photos and bulleted maps that lead the way from sight to sight. Day by Days are the only guides that help travelers organize their time to get the most out of a trip. Rome's Best Piazzas, Underground Rome, The best museums , and more

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2005

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not one for having a book tell you exactly what to do - whether you have one, two, or three days in a city (or more) - but I doubt anyone truly follows these directions step by step. (And those who do are not people I want to know.)

Compared to Frommer's Complete guides (the regular series), these Day by Day books are colorful (4-color, to be exact) and photo-laden. They're just a pleasure to look at, which departs significantly from the bulk of travel guides.

This Rome book was no exception. We got to a Mediterranean beach 40 minutes outside Rome by train without any fanfare, and we found the to-be-relished Spanish Steps and its shopping area (Prada, anyone?) with relative ease. The Pantheon and Piazza Navona were also highlights aided by this read.

In truth, this read was more of a glance. The train-system and city-street maps inside the covers were of great help. All the material's wonderfully brief and compact, with entries about dining, accommodations, attractions, shopping, and more that speak to almost anyone's interests. Some sections seemed given short shrift, but that all depends on your niche and what you're looking for.

I'll gladly pick up a Day by Day guide for my next voyage. The series has been going for about three years now and keeps adding new titles. (I just edited Edinburgh & Glasgow Day by Day, which was a joy, and I've got Chicago DbD - 2nd edition - on tap.)

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Everything I used from this book on my trip this year proved to be an excellent recommendation. I don't know that you could really do one of their suggested days (at least, not with the way I like to travel), but there's a great mix of all the classic tourist stuff with more off the wall choices, including walking tours of much less touristed neighborhoods like Prati (north of the Vatican) and Parioli (great restaurants). Dream: go to every destination in the day by day series. (sigh)

[Catherine Woodman]

This book is small--it comes with an accessible metro map and a plastic pocket with a map of the city in it--my viggest complaint is that it gives one and two day tours but nothing more extensive. I do think that it is small enough to be considered for the final trip, not just used to figure out where you might like to go and be ditched at home. The small and larger maps are easy to read--logically labeled and enoughh colors to be able to discern the differences that you need to know. Hit all the high points, and a worthy guide book.

[Elizabeth Abney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frommer's Day by day city guides have become one of my favorite types of travel books. While lacking much depth on any particular subject, the sheer breadth of information packed into these pocket-sized books, not to mention the multiple maps and plentiful photographs, more than makes up for it.

From my personal collection.

[Jen Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this on a recent trip and found the maps and concise info extremely helpful. I would definitely recommend this to a tourist in Rome. Like any guidebook, it wasn't completely on the mark (and some of the entrance fees to exhibits and museums have increased since 2006), on the whole this was the book I used the most while there.

[The · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd been sort of led down the path of Lonely Planet books, but I have to say that this book was the best--loved the organization, suggestions, etc. Very useful on my trip. I'll have to check out other Frommer's guides.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The DK books are the ones to study before you go, the big Frommer books are the ones to research hotels and attractions, and these pocket-size day-by-day books are the ones to take with you. Just came back from Rome and it was the perfect carry-around companion. Good pull-out map, too - a bonus.

[F.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the BEST guide book ever! I recommend Frommer's for any trip!