The Rough Guide to Spain

In one word: fantastic! This book was absolutely incredible. Everything is included from detailed maps, admission costs and hours to every attraction, restaurants and bars, even the VAT rebate for travelers is mentioned. I just returned from a trip around Madrid, Barcelona and Cordoba and found everything in this book not only accurate but a total asset to my daily activity planning. My friend from Madrid wants to buy this book for himself and my friend from Barcelona said, "they have chosen some very nice restaurants to mention". The only thing that i could say in a negative vain is there might be too much here. Good thing the flight from North America is 8 hours; you will need this time to familiarize yourself with the book and absorb all that it contains. Do not hesitate a second to buy this book.

My husband and I just got back from a 2-week trip to Spain where we covered about 1000 miles by car. This was the guide that we depended on when we traveled through the Pyrenees, Rioja and Basque regions. The other guidebooks have maybe one or two sentences on the picturesque little medieval towns that we passed through, where this one had recommendations for meals and places to stay off the beaten path. I was so glad to have this book or we would have missed out on many great experiences, including our stays at some small "casas rurales" (like bed and breakfasts) where we got to really speak to the locals and take in the day to day life in Spain. It's a big book to drag around, so I ended up tearing out the pages with the maps we would need each day and carried those around with me instead of the whole book. The best travel book purchase that I have ever made!

If you are looking for a small book to fit in your back pocket, The Rough Guide to Spain is not for you. If you are looking for a guide that lovingly describes even the smallest Spanish town in careful detail and clear format, then this IS the guide book you should be looking for.The Rough Guide to Spain does an excellent job in several areas where many guide books fail. For example, smaller attractions are often overlooked in favor of the larger cities, such as Barcelona or Sevilla. Rough Guide ensures that for those who want to go provincial, they won't be going in blind.Another merit of the guide is in it's clear, concise format. Not overburdened with irrelevant maps/illustartions (a pet peeve of mine), Rough Guide has clean, simple directions and mapping. This is a vast imporvements over Guides like Lonely Planet, where I often feel the editors publish more with an eye towards their own self-satisfaction than towards the serious traveler.The resturaunt/hotel features are adequate, frequently include useful maps, and will not tax anyone's checkbook too harshly.Perhaps the greatest strength of this guide is the seeming conviction of the editors to tell you that which you NEED to know for that trip to Spain. Michelin might the cultural ask-all, DK may have lots of lovely photographs, but Rough Guide is for when you're ready to get serious about your trip to Spain.Well-written, informative, with a clear and honest style that should impress both casual and budget traveler alike, The Rough Guide to Spain should be your FIRST PICK in guide books.

Here's why1. Has tons of information on Spain, above and beyond the other guides - culture, history, architecture, cinema, you name it.2. Not too many illustrations/pictures to distract you.3. Maps of hotels/hostels and restaurants.4. Detailed information even on remote/small towns.5. The dictionary appendix is very helpful if you don't know Spanish (not many Spaniards know or even understand English/other languages, especially in areas that see few international tourists).6. Precious info on finding budget accomodation if your budget is tight or you just arrived w/o a reservation.This is not a guide that you can stick in your pocket - it's 1000+ pages after all! But the sheer wealth of information makes it well worth the money. A few days ago I came back from a 2-week vacation in Spain - went there w/o any knowledge of Spanish and w/o reservation in most cities i visited - just improptu decided to visit the country, although I would not recommend doing that. The guide saved my vacation, and then made it a great one. This is the first book from the 'Rough Guide' series I've ever bought - if the rest are as good as this one, I won't even look at the other guides out there..

This is an excellant travel guide book. It is an essential book for any one traveling to Spain, especially if this is your virgin trip to the country. There is a broad spectrum of choices to choose from, from the very inexpensive to the very expensive. It fills the palette for all tastes. The inexpensive choices give you a taste for the culture and people of the area that you visit and their comments are honest and helpful. I will buy this guide wherever I travel.