This is a very thorough guide for when you have only a day or two to visit. It actually has way more in it than we could possibly see or do.
Giving the top ten things to see is great for your first visit. It is also great for probably your second or third.

Very helpful, lots of pictures and maps.

This book is ideal in many ways. Read it before you travel - it reviews all of the highlights that you'll want to see while in Venice. It also explains and diagrams the public transportation system, a useful thing to know in advance of your arrival.
This book is a great size to take along while touring the Venice area. I referred to it often because navigating Venice can be a lot like trying to find your way around a labyrinth!
A nice feature of this book is that it cross-references topics in a variety of ways. If you want to see sights in a certain geographic area, you can look things up that way. However, if you have a special interest, like churches, art galleries, or whatever, the book is organized so that you can easily look up your specific interest and locate the sights you want to see throughout Venice. The book lists the entrance fees to the major attractions, as well as the days and times when they open and close.
Another nice feature of this book is the variety of historical information it contains on all manner of things Venetian - from gondolas to glass blowing. My husband and I used this book on our first trip to Venice and truly found it invaluable. I highly recommend it.

the top 10 guides are the greatest books for traveling. they give the top 10 of everything you would like to know-sights, resturants, hotels. we traveled through europe and book several different types of books and the top 10 were our favorites!

My girlfriend, a world traveller for 20 years, borrowed this guide from a friend before going to Venice. It was so helpful and easy to carry around, and made her trip so full and enjoyable, that she bought her own copy and plans to rely on this series of travel guides in the future.

My wife and I love the Top 10 series. We always buy a Frommers or Rick Steves book for the trip's planning, but the Top 10 is a must for the trip itself. It'll fit in a pocket (a long one), and will provide quick and easy references to the most important sights, as well as maps and public transportation routes.

This will be my third visit to Venice and this book has given me so many places to visit that I was not even aware of. It also gives me plenty of restaurants in areas other than San Marco which is also very helpful. Best guide to Venice I have even seen.

I am planning a brief visit to Venice (a few days before/after a cruise) so I was looking for a good guide of just the highlights. These Eyewitness guides are really great because they give you the info to the point and they have great pictures. Already found very useful hotel and restaurant recommendations in this book. These guides are portable and a great companion on your trip. If you need more in depth info you can always find it on the net anyway.

I am planning a brief visit to Venice (a few days before/after a cruise) so I was looking for a good guide of just the highlights. These Eyewitness guides are really great because they give you the info to the point and they have great pictures. Already found very useful hotel and restaurant recommendations in this book. These guides are portable and a great companion on your trip. If you need more in depth info you can always find it on the net anyway.

I spent the past year planning a three-week trip to France/Monaco and Italy with my family this summer (2005). I browsed all of the travel guides and bought several. I love the large Eyewitness guides and I own the Eyewitness Guide to Venice, but you CANNOT carry it with you while you are touring around. It's too heavy. Plus, you don't need all of the background information at that point. So I read the complete Eyewitness Guide to Venice and the Veneto before I left for Italy and carried the Top 10 Travel Guide to Venice with me. I also carried around my Top 10 Travel Guide to Tuscany, which is excellent. So I disagree with the reviewer who recommends only buying the complete Eyewitness Guide; buy them both! One of the most useful parts of the Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide to Venice is the map of the vaporetto system; it is indispensable! Enjoy your trip to Venice!

I'd arrived with Fodor's, the Rough Guide and the Red Michelin. Edith showed up with this... I hated the stupid title, but envied the size and weight... all my travel books were so big I needed a bag to carry any of them. Looking inside the Eyewitness Top 10, I discovered that it contained up-to-date, accurate information, maps, addresses and tips, as well as historical facts and interesting anecdotes and trivia. The dining information was reliable and the shopping tips checked out. When Edith left, I borrowed her copy for the next two weeks and found it to be a good companion. The other books were useful when I was in our rented apartment, but this one was by far the best to carry.
(For Venice's confusing maze of calles, pontes, and sottoportegos, you'll still want a large detailed map besides those in the book.)