Frommer's Spain (Complete Guides)

Spain is a huge country, with so much to see and do. Thanks to this book, and particularly to the section on suggested itineraries, I was able to see it both logically, and in style. We flew into Madrid, spent four nights there (did a side trip to Toledo--amazing!) and then took high speed rail to Barcelona. That may be one of the most fabulous places i've ever visited, and I'm so glad I had the book because it suggested this moderniste hospital (built a century ago) that was one of the most fascinating mixes of science and art that I've ever experienced it. Frommers gave it three stars (the top rating) and I barely saw it mentioned online, so I would have missed it if I hadn't had the book. I also, as suggested, took a great free Gaudi walking tour with Runner Bean tours.Then we went to Girona and from there visited a few Catalunian hill towns. It was all so great, especially the restaurants recommended in the book (I can't remember when I've eaten so well!).A few suggestions: take the books suggestions on went to go to the Prada. Saved our bacon: it was getting crazy crowded just as we left. And I really appreciated that the book told me the top sights to see there, since its so large.And save your shopping money for Barcelona, because we found amazing boutiques there, thanks to the book (amazing shoe stores).

I always love Frommer's books. It never feels like reading a travel book with stark choice listings. Reading this book feels more like consulting a friend who has been in this destination. That type of writing makes me want to travel more.

Helps with trip planning

Saved my bacon a few times in Spain, because roaming charges were high, so we didn't want to be online too much. But the reviews were really spot on and detailed enough so I could tell if I'd agree or disagree with the authors about a particular restaurant or shop. And I loved that, unlike other guidebooks, this one listed actual monetary costs so that I could put together a budget before we traveled (and I stuck to that budget because the book was so accurate). The pictures throughout were gorgeous and supplemented the writing in helping me pick what to see, and the maps were fabulous! I found myself leaving our Rick Steves and Fodors guides in the room, and just bringing the Frommers along. A really, really helpful book. (The cultural info was well written and fascinating too!)

And this one is FAR more helpful than the Rick Steves guide, because it covers places he doesn't and doesn't take you to tourist trap restaurants. We finally started using this one exclusively when it came to restaurants, and we HAD to use this one for Extremadura, which isn't in Steves at all and is barely mentioned in most internet reviews of what to see and do in Spain. Was so relieved to find rich, detailed info on that region, as my grandmother was from Extremadura, so seeing it was the reason for the trip. But we also found the coverage in Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao to be excellent. I also loved having beautiful color pictures throughout the book; it helped me decide what to see and what to skip in a few cases.If you go to Spain know that sometimes Google maps gets you lost (we were so grateful to have the maps in this book as a back up). Also: you will find MANY people who speak English, but they are even nicer to you if you greet them in Spanish and try to speak a few words.

Beautiful photos, helpful maps, and very accurate re pricing, how long it takes to get from place to place, how much time to devote to specific sights (castles, museums, etc.). I particulary appreciated the level of detail. It was never so much that it got boring, but always enough so I could tell whether a museum or restaurant would be my taste.And it was clear, when we were in country, that this was a book written by locals, because many of the places it took us too were really authentic and amazing (at many restaurants we were the only tourists).Spain is AMAZING by the way. We were in Madrid, Barcelona, Andalucia and Bilbao and enjoyed every minute of the trip. Though I don't think we'd have been able to fit in half as much as we did without the help of this guide. Bravo Frommer's!!