Product Description

The Rough Guide to Spain is the ultimate travel guide with clear maps and detailed coverage of all the best Spanish attractions. Discover the vibrant regions of Spain from the outstanding art of Madrid to tapas in Barcelona and foot-stamping Flamenco in Southern Spain. New full-colour features explore the best Spanish wine, walks in Spain and SpainÂ’s key fiestas whilst an increased Spanish language section will get you started on Catalan, Basque and Gelego. Find detailed practical advice on what to see and do in Spain whilst relying on up-to-date descriptions of the best hotels in Spain, bars in Spain, restaurants in Spain, shops in Spain and Spanish festivals for all budgets. YouÂ’ll find expert tips on exploring SpainÂ’s varied landscapes, from the rías of Galicia to the coves of the Balearics; and authoritative background on Spain's history and wildlife, with the low-down on every major fiesta. Explore all corners of Spain with the clearest maps of any guide. Make the most of your holiday with The Rough Guide to Spain.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7441 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 1012 pages

Customer Reviews

Essential reading for any visitor to Spain
This is yet another feather in Rough Guides' cap. Spain is one of the most rewarding countries to travel around, especially for those who like to explore off the beaten track, so a good guidebook is more than welcome.

Besides the usual hotel and restaurant reviews, which I've always found accurate and honest, there is much more besides. The town and city descriptions are refreshingly candid, ranging from "stunningly beautiful" to "large, sprawling and industrialized", a welcome departure from those guides that are unstinting of their praise for everywhere. That makes it easier for the traveller to choose an itinerary that shouldn't contain too many disappointments.

The guide is organised into chapters on geographical regions, each with a useful introduction detailing the region's highlights. All regions of Spain are covered, often in surprising detail.

The sections on the well-known destinations are entertainingly written with coloured inserts that dwell on particular themes (e.g. the cider houses of San Sebastian, Costa Brava fiestas, parish churches of Seville, Madrid café life)that will encourage people to seek out the less obvious, a welcome respite from non-stop sightseeing. However, there is plenty there for the visitor who wants to concentrate on the country's big attractions. For example, in the section on Granada's Alhambra there is a whole page on the practicalities of "Admission to the Alhambra" to accompany the five pages of erudite description of the complex and a valuable map.

There are also knowledgeable sections on the less fashionable and less visited corners of Spain, such as Las Hurdes in Extremadura and El Maestrazgo in Aragón, often quite detailed, that will reward the traveller who enjoys getting off the beaten track. There are also details of hikes for those who like to get out of their cars and walk.

As is always the case with Rough Guides, there are attractive colour plates and a comprehensive "Contexts" section covering themes such as history, architecture, art, music, cinema and reading lists. The book is well bound.

Accommodation is price-banded, sensible given the seasonal fluctuations in prices in some places, and in the tapas bars/restaurant recommendations the house specialities are provided. I would offer just one criticism: in these days of car-based tourism, it would be useful to have indicated which hotels have car parking facilities.

Can't go wrong, regularly updated
The Rough Guides rarely disappoint. They are thorough and interesting. My only complaint is that Murcia, as usual in guidebooks like this, just doesn't get the treatment it deserves. I always buy the most recent edition, but suggest you can probably skip an edition now and then!

The one to take
This edition is packed with so much researched and useful information for do-it-yourself touring. The 13th edition, published in May 2009, is in front of me being compared with a predecessor published in 1999.
You now get 1000 pages with 34 in colour compared to ten years ago of a 911 page book with just 8 colour pages. The latest version has thankfully lost the annoying adverts at the rear where you would expect to quickly look up a place name in the index. Additionally, we have the latest trend of a travel list, along the lines of things not to miss, in this instance it is 34 colour pictures showing what we ought to view when in Spain. There is so much to enjoy in Spain to entice travellers away from the resorts . . . grand architecture, grand cities, mountain landscape, fiestas, food and art.
The details of each location are of such a practical approach from 'how to get from the airport', where the bus/train stops in the town centre and, in my view, the most comprehensive maps of any guide which contain the street names, notable places of interest and accommodation.
Each region is covered, then within each chapter it is laid out in an order which recreates a route which can feasibly be taken. The accommodation selected shows the variety of age groups and tastes catered for, not just for gap year students and back-packers! There are hostels through to 5-star hotels, each is chosen for consideration of character and the web site addresses make it easier to book yourself, in English.
Think of a bible, not just a wealth of knowledge and a trustworthy companion, but it is amazing how print can be applied to such thin pages!
In summary, it offers a practical approach to traveller's needs with an emphasis on value for money.