Does one need a guide to explore Florence and Rome?They seem to be expensive so is it worht it to have one?

Question

Does one need a guide to explore Florence and Rome?They seem to be expensive so is it worht it to have one?

Answer 1

We did wonderfully with a Fodor's gold guide for most everything, and then took select tours.  The Imperial Forum really needs a guide so that you know what you are looking at.  We took an American Express tour for that.  We also used one, but this one was hired on the spot, for the vatican and the vatican museum.  It was definately helpful.

Answer 2

No, one does not need a guide to explore Florence and Rome.

However, if you are interested in a particular site, it may be worthwhile to get one.  You just need references to pick the right guide for you.  We were fortunate to just run into an old lady at St. Peter who gave a great private tour to our group.  We also had a good walking tour in Florence.  

In general I found a generic city group tour to be a good start in any cities (it is usually the cheapest).  After that, one can get more in depth or private tour if one finds things very interesting and wants to discover more.  Hotels and tour company should be helpful.  Reading about the cities that you are going from Internet or tour book is also very helpful.

You can learn more and appreciate the sites on a good tour but some people just want to relax on their vacation and do whatever they feel like it at the time rather than trying to plan and schedule things.

Please look at a few pictures below.

Have a great trip if you are going.

Answer 3

That depends on what you want to get out of the experience.

If you want to get the most out of a short time, want to operate on a budget, or just want to get another opinion on accomodation, what parts of the city to hunt out resturants etc, then a guide book is very useful.  I recomment lonely planet.  If it is really too expensive and you only need it for a few tips then try borrowing one from a library, or a friend.

Answer 4

A professional guide is incrediby helpful, especially if it's your first time in these cities.  You will miss more than you see if you don't have a guide.  They really know the city and will give you as much information as you can handle.  I highly recommend a guide.

Answer 5

I like to get a good book, like an insight guide, and then decide what I want to see.  I like to do it myself.  It gives more of a sense of accomplishment, and I know that I didn't  miss something of interest to me, because I was on someone else's agenda.