Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4791 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 712 pages

Sunday Times, 2 April 2000, London, UK
The best guidebook

The Daily Telegraph, London, UK
The excellent Rough Guide to Andalucia.

Sunday Telegraph, London, UK
The best guidebook.

Customer Reviews

A very one-dimensional rough guide!
I can only comment on the section on Almeria region, an area which I have been to a number of times and which I am starting to explore more. I bought this guide to help me find out more and was pleased with the level of information on history, architecture, etc. However I was disappointed with the way the author dismisses so many places because they do not meet what appear to be his lofty criteria of 'old and untouched Spain'. Spain is rapidly changing and development is reaching into even remote areas. This should be accepted and dealt with more maturely.

The target demographic appears to be 'culture vultures' and backpakers. I have been on backpacking holidays but now, as someone on a family holiday, based in a coastal resort but also wanting interesting places to visit, I am interested in more than an endless list of hostel addresses and telephone numbers or how expensive or inexpensive individual selected restaurants are. I would prefer more general information on the towns, villages, parks, etc rather than what sometimes seems like a telephone directory. The book appears to cater little for parents who want information on child friendly excursions, etc. Not everyone wants a 6km walk to a nice beach in August when it is perfectly possible to get there by a less extreme route.

Would be better if it was more inclusive.

A very rough guide indeed - consistently poor in most respects
Am only able to comment on the sections for Cadiz and Seville. Maps are somehow inaccurate for both towns (in particular, location of bars/restaurants). Reviews of hotels bear little resemblance to reality. Most of all the restaurant reviews seem to have been written by someone who has never visited the place. This one guide has now coloured my view of the whole Rough Guide series.

Head and shoulders above the competition
The latest edition (2006) of the Rough Guide to Andalucia is, quite simply, superb. It is attractively packaged, with some stunning colour photographs, and the layout is clear and logical, essential for a book containing over 700 pages.

Besides having copious information on the usual Andalucian highlights, there is a wealth of detail for those who enjoy getting off the beaten track, both in cities and the less frequented towns, villages and rural areas. I'm a frequent visitor to Andalucia and I was astonished to find information on out-of-the-way places that I know and that receive very few foreign visitors. This really is a book for those who enjoy exploring as well as visiting the big highlights.

There are guided walks around city neighbourhoods with notes on architectural highlights and historical background. I also enjoyed the countryside walks, invaluable for those who don't want to buy (or carry the additional weight of) specialised walking guides.

The "Contexts" section at the back of the book is extremely useful and informative, containing chapters on history, flamenco, wildlife and recommended supplementary reading.

Street maps of cities like Seville are notoriously difficult to produce in guidebooks because of the complexity of the labyrinthine neighbourhoods. However, the Rough Guide makes a pretty good job of it. In any case, the guide points readers to the tourist offices where larger, more detailed street maps are available for free.

Given the multiplicity of bus companies operating in Andalucia (and the rest of Spain), the guide wisely provides summaries of bus routes, frequency and journey duration. To try to do more would be confusing and would, in any case, be quickly out-of-date. Accommodation is simply price-banded; this is a good idea as accommodation in many places in Andalucia fluctuates widely according to season.

All in all, an essential for those intending to visit this region of Spain.