The authors of this guidebook give lots of interesting information–along with their frank opinions!! As the book is so thick, they really can cover many, many places in Spain. We used the Galicia section for our trip, and it helped me decide in which places to stay/not stay as well as where to go on day trips. If they think the beach is ugly, they will say just that! If they like the architecture in a town, they will offer their opinion.

Because it is so thick, it is not a book that I carried around during the day.

Older versions of their books were highly geared to backpackers and travelers with low budgets. RG has done a good job of covering a wider swath of the traveling public, and we found an excellent selection of both budget and higher end places for lodging and dining. A few times we had no idea of where to stay or dine, and their recommendations were spot on.

From the touring standpoint, I found their recommendations had a tendency towards hyperbole. For example, I found a “not-to-be-missed” sight could indeed easily be bypassed, and we could have saved the time and trouble. That happened on multiple occasions. The “best example of Mozarabic architecture” would likely enthrall an enthusiast, but my reaction was a tad more muted. The RG’s orientation is for the traveler who is interested in or able to focus on an area for a longer period of time, as opposed to Fodor, who might suggest hitting one or two major sights and then hit the road. Our goal and method of travel is somewhere in between, so having the balance of the detail in RG with the opinion of Fodor in counterbalance was helpful. Having two books to carry, especially the thick RG, was viewed as an opportunity for exercise, not a burden.

One area that I must scold RG for is their choice of print font size and printing colors. My eyes are not what they were, and even in daylight we sometimes found it difficult to read. Section titles are mysteriously printed in orange, making that information fade remarkably well into the page, thus even more challenging to read. The book is detailed, very well written, and lengthy; make no mistake. To keep it compact, the pages are thin. I like to highlight passages, and the highlighter bled right through the page.

It is a worthy travel companion.

I traveled for three weeks driving in southern and central Spain with this 2007 Rough Guide to Spain, a 2007 DK Eyewitness Travel Spain book, and a 2004 Frommer’s Spain’s Best Loved Driving Tours guidebook. While each had some information the others didn’t, the Rough Guide was the most informative and most used…therefore the one I’d recommend taking.

Times for museums/attractions and prices (in Euros) was accurate. The cultural information helped understand their culture. The historical information helped also. I didn’t depend on the specific accommodations listed…I would typically just go into an area with many listed places (typically tourist area with nice walking right outside the room) and ask around until I find someplace. [Note: This method can be a real problem during festivals (which Spain has no scarcity of...) when rooms may be in few supply....or in high season (I traveled in early/mid May...when the flowers were out in the countryside and it wasn't too hot).]

You won’t find a book that has “everything” you want to know, so consider buying a couple (like I did) or just getting one and get the most out of it you can.

Whatever you do…enjoy your trip.

‘Ta Luego…..