Guidebooks for Spain

Start your trip planning by reading guidebooks. These books will help you decide where to go and how to plan your trip. Bring your favorite guidebooks with you; good guidebooks and maps will make your trip more enjoyable.

We always carry a shoulder bag full of books, maps, printed out web pages (including pages from this site), tourist brochures, restaurant listings. We keep this bag in the car whenever we go out, so that if our plans change during the day, we still have all the information that we need. When we leave the car to go touring, we take the one book and map that we need. With the Cadogan guides you can tear out the pages about your destination and slip them into your pocket.

Check our Memoirs and Novels list for other recommended reading.

Spain: General Recommended Guidebooks
	Spain (Eyewitness Travel Guides), DK Publishing, Revised edition, 2003 The Eyewitness Travel Guides are good books for your first research into a country. They have good pictures, so you can get an idea of the area, and good general travel information. You might not want to bring this heavy book with you, but it is good for starting your research at home. Order from Amazon
	The Rough Guide Spain, Rough Guides, 11th edition, 2004 The Rough Guides do not have photos, but are packed with great travel information. Order from Amazon
Barcelona
	Barcelona & Catalonia (Eyewitness Travel Guides), by Roger Williams, DK Publishing, 2003 I like the Eyewitness guides to use when planning a trip. The photos give you an idea of what to expect and the text gives a good overview. Order from Amazon
	Barcelona, Cadogan Guides, by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls, 2nd edition, 2004 Order from Amazon
	Time Out Barcelona, by Time Out Magazine, Penguin USA, 2004 Order from Amazon
	The Rough Guide to Barcelona, by Jules Brown, Rough Guides, 2002 Order from Amazon
Andalusia: Recommended Guidebooks
	Seville & Andalusia (Eyewitness Travel Guides), DK Publishing, 2003 Good photos and information for this area. Order from Amazon
	Andalucia, Cadogan Guides, by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls, 6th edition, 2003 Order from Amazon
	Granada, Seville, Cordoba, Cadogan Guides, by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls, 3rd edition, 2004 Order from Amazon
Food Guidebooks
	Eating & Drinking in Spain: Spanish Menu Reader and Restaurant Guide, Andy Herbach, Michael Dillon, Open Road, 2002 Order from Amazon
Finding Paradores (Hotels)
	Historical Paradors – A Journey Through Spanish Hotels, by Jaun Eslava Galan, Konemann, 1999. This is a coffee table book with gorgeous photographs of a handful of the paradores and their surrounding areas. There is also a directory at the back with most of the paradores listed, with a photo and description. This book is out of print but amazon.com has a few third party sellers selling used copies.
	Paradores of Spain, by Jan Read, Mason/Charter, 1977. This book was first published in 1977 and is long out of print, but it is worth picking up a second hand copy. Twenty-eight of the paradores are profiled along with recipes.