Knopf Mapguide: Barcelona

These are great guides. Very small on size, huge on information! These guides contain all the information that you need.

If you've never tried Knopf MapGuides, you are missing out. I've used them in several countries, from Russia to Italy, and I'm never disapppointed. They mark every single street so you never get lost walking between toursits stops. They are easy to use, thanks to the sections that fold out - no more struggling with big clumsy maps, or straining to read tiny maps in guide books that only label the big streets. They always include a metro map and show metro stops. The best part is, they have recommendations on everything for each area in the city: entertainment, arts, food, cafes, hotels, etc. Just leave a museum and want to grab a pastry & latte? No problem, there are 4 good choices within the area listed. Want to know a good spot for food within walking distance of your hotel? There are a dozen spots listed. In Barcelona, I found two amazing spots to eat that wouldn't have been written up anywhere else (in the second eatery they locals looked stunned when we walked in - obviously not a usual place for tourists). Other guidebooks limit the total number of write ups - with the design of the fold out map, Knopf has space for many more. Haven't eaten at a Knopf recommend place that was subpar yet, and I can't say that for my other guidebooks. The only draw back is Knopf only covers so many cities, but hopefully they'll continue to expand.

I brought 5 Barcelona books with me for the trip. This was the only one I carried around throughout my stay there. Great fold out maps and color coded to easily find your destination. It's small and compact, easily fit into a coat jacket or a purse.

We've just returned from Barcelona, having brought several pocket guides with us -- this one was the lightest to carry and had the best maps. The city is divided into six sections, each with short descriptions of several attractions and restaurants, and each with a fol-out map to that section. These maps were included metro stops, street names and the places listed, and were augmented by small color photographs. Attraction and restaurant listings include hours, prices and telephone numbers/ The front and back covers fold-out also and give general and metro information and some hotel listings. We found this little guide to be fairly useful, but particularly liked the maps.

folks, this is the best idea for a tourbook/map that i have stumbled across yet. i'm not prone to raving, but this will garner praise from me until the cows come home (bearing foot & mouth) no doubt.so, why is this so great? first of all, it's simple and well designed. the city is broken down into sections. you turn to those pages and there is a brief description of places to eat, shop, etc. the pages then open up into a map of the section with a description of major sites in the area.brilliant! no fumbling around a big map trying to find your street. no squinting to figure out where you are. it's easy to find landmarks, metro stops, etc.the card stock is nice and heavy and has lasted well even in my back pocket. the descriptions have been helpful without being too lengthy. and at this price, it's quite competitive with other maps while providing much more.