Barcelona

As usual, National Geographic produces a great guidebook with color pictures for what there is to do in and around Barcelona. They mention some sites overlooked by other guidebooks, such as the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau which was designed by the same architect, Montaner, as the beautiful Paulau de la Musica Catalana, and is only a stop or two away from the Sagrada. The Hospital offers an inexpensive tour which for my money was better than the Sagrada tour. I don't use the National Geographic Guide for advice on places to stay or eat. There are much better books for that. But they are great for planning what to see, though they do not rate them as some guides do. And since they are not updated as frequently as other guidebooks, you should verify entrance times online and check for renovation status. As an aside, we loved the "Magic Fountains", at the base of the National Museum of Art, offered on some evenings. Also the historical tours offered at the Placa de Catalunya info center were very good. Hope you enjoy going to Barcelona...it is a fun and easy city to navigate. The food was very good and not too expensive.

The National Geographic guidebooks for Madrid and Barcelona are better than other guidebooks. They are more fun to read before the trip because they give more in-depth information. They also provide walking tour directions and maps of interesting areas; for example, a walking tour of ancient Roman ruins in Barcelona.