Get the most out of your trip! Tourist cards -what's included (and what's not) for each major city, how to evade the VAT tax, how to navigate Italy's public transportation, picking a hotel you won't regret, and how to get good service in Italian restaurants. This indispensable guide is guaranteed to save you twenty times the cost of the book plus make the most of your time. Hundreds of tips, including: Jet Lag no more. This really works! Preparing for the trip, from packing smart to which attractions need to be booked in advance and which are walk-up. Group package tour or devise your own plan? Pros and Cons to help you decide. Get a great price on airfare, improve your seat assignment after you buy the ticket, reduce hassle with the TSA, and tricks to making the flight more comfortable-yes, it can be done! Understanding Italian restaurants: why Americans think they give lousy service, and when you find out why, you'll wish we had the same high caliber staff in the US! How to sleep on the plane, use a bidet, wander care-free in Venice, and three things to leave in the hotel when city sightseeing. Time is your most precious resource. Find out the best way to wake up on time when far away from home. Why spend forty hours online weeding through confusing contradictions yet never finding the answers you need? This up-to-date guide doesn't recommend restaurants that are closed or state just-plain-wrong information about the attractions, which happens frequently in the big-name tourist books. You only get one first-trip-to-Italy, make it memorable for the right reasons!