Rick Steves' Spain 2005

Rating:
Summary: Savvy, but not snazzy
Review: I decided to try this guidebook after years of being a die-hard LP fan. First of all, it's a little slimmer than the Lonely Planet version, which could make a difference when you're lugging stuff around town. I also found it to be a little more honest in its evaluation of the cities. Other guidebooks either seem to totally play up a place, or make you think that you'll be held at gun point about four times a day. This book prioritizes the things you should see on your trip, which is always helpful if you have limited time. However, the hand-drawn maps give you much too little information. What happens if you should happen to wander off one of the main roads? On the upshot you're not overwhelmed with information, but still, a good map is an absolute necessity in traveling. Rick Steves is also a little shoddy on the nitty gritty information. For example, it doesn't give any information about the best way to get from the airport in Seville into the city. The LP guides would undoubtedly cover that kind of stuff. Still these books are updated every year, which is great. I don't know how many times I've shown up to a place and it wasn't there. Thanks LP.