Spain (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)

The advantages stop there, however. If you really want to get to know a city, town or region, you simply need more in-depth historical and cultural information on the sights you are seeing. Most of the descriptions of places in the Eyewitness Guide for Spain do not stretch beyond a paragraph or two, which is quite superficial in my opinion. The country is simply to big to be covered in this sort of book with so many nice pictures and drawings, but so little of the written word that you will need as you travel around.

If you really want to know about the history behind the church, monument, museum or park you have traveled so far to see, you will definitely need another guidebook to give you any kind of detail, since the information here is utterly superficial. This flaw becomes far worse when you read the sections on sights that are off the beaten track (which are so many!). The descriptions become utterly superficial, with sometimes no more than a sentence dedicated to a whole town or village filled with things to see.

VERY harsh critique also for the hotel and restaurant information, which is limited to places designed for the rich and famous, or at least the very upper of the upper-middle class, especially in a country like Spain, which has so much to offer at a lower price but with high quality. The best guides give you a little information on all styles of lodging and food, from low budget to luxury, but these guides make little effort to do so, and even the information on the laps of luxury is limited to little symbols, instead of providing descriptions like other guides do. If you rely on this book for advice, you will think Spain is outrageously expensive, and this simply is not true.

With this combination of characteristics, I think Eyewitness is good to take along for a short trip in which you have little time to spend seeing the city and you don't really care about getting any deep information on what you're seeing. Otherwise, keep looking for another guidebook, ESPECIALLY if you are going anywhere outside of the big cities.


Great for Orientation!   July 19, 2004
Z. D. Houghton (Indianapolis, IN)
30 out of 30 found this review helpful

I can honestly say that no other brand of travel guide will give you the feel of a country more than DK's Eyewitness series. Eyewitness Spain is a beautiful book that uses excellent pictures, maps, and illustrations more than words to bring across the FEEL of Spain.

When planning a trip to Spain, I would recommend this book along with the Rough Guide to Spain as an unbeatable duo. Whereas Rough Guide provides you with the nitty-gritty and exhaustive traveling advice, Eyewitness Spain will ensure that you will be anticipating your trip like none other.

The most aesthetically pleasing of all the Spanish Travel Guides, Eyewitness Spain is a beautiful book to read, whether it's employed on the plane there or on the coffee table at home.


Sets a new bar for travel guides.   April 4, 2003
26 out of 27 found this review helpful

This is the best travel guide I have ever used for any country. The photos are spectacular and comprehensive beyond any expectation. Clearly tabbed by region and covering towns and villages covered sparsely if at all by other guides, this guide also allows the reader to learn basics of history, architecture, art, food, wine, and adventure with cross-references to the tutorials as you tour the country.

An adventurous independent traveler should not be without this book! Armchair travelers will also find this the next best thing to being there. Viva Eyewitness!


The best travel books on the market!   May 12, 2000
Deb Watson (Kalamazoo, MI)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

I spent countless hours in the bookstore preparing for my first trip to Europe (Italy). I bought books from several sources. I received an Eyewitness Travel Guide for Florence as a gift and I have been hooked since. Now they are the only book I buy for planning my itenerary. Recently I began planning a vacation to Spain. The book on Spain is formatted with the same pictorials, graphic, and short summaries that I have come to enjoy. The book covers all regions of Spain, each with a dedicated chapter. The introduction gives you a history of the country, weather,and background information on art, architecture, food, sports and seasonal activities. The chapters by region start with a map of key points of interests and are followed by descriptions of each site including hours, location, contact info, and accessibility. For major attractions 3-d views and points of interest are noted. The book contains photos of many attractions and floor plans or cutaway views of key architectural sights. The back of the book has a hotel and restaurant guide. In the past, I have found the maps to be good for location reference but not navigation. You will need to buy a map. The hotel information does not provide adequate descriptions or any photos, so you may want to purchase a companion book for accomodations reference.


Pretty but useless   October 4, 2005
Nia (New York)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

This book is full of pretty pictures but is quite useless as a guide for independent travelers. It doesn't have any information on how to get from one place to another, the hours of operations of museums/buses/trains, or any price ranges. The maps are detailed in 2 block radius, but it's impossible to understand how to link the mini-maps to get a comprehensive picture.