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Rick Steves' Spain 2008
Who but Rick Steves tells you what you really need to know when traveling in Spain?
Rick spends four months each year exploring Europe, and his candid, humorous advice will steer you to the very best sights and museums that Spain has to offer. You'll beat the lines at the major monuments. You'll find hotels and restaurants that make the most of your vacation budget. You'll discover cozy villages that take you away from the tourist-beaten path.
And at the end of the day, you'll know that you used your time well, spent your money without regret, and had some unforgettable adventures along the way.
568 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Rick Steves
585 books716 followersRick Steves is an American travel writer, television personality, and activist known for encouraging meaningful travel that emphasizes cultural immersion and thoughtful global citizenship. Born in California and raised in Edmonds, Washington, he began traveling in his teens, inspired by a family trip to Europe. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in European history and business, Steves started teaching travel classes, which led to his first guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door, self-published in 1980.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
March 17, 2019
Helpful Rick again, in preparation for our trip to Spain in a few months.
June 15, 2019
I've used Rick Steve's books for France, Spain, & England - all have been extremely helpful! Also his philosophy is spot on when it comes to how, if everyone traveled more, the world would be a better place!
August 5, 2018
We will be celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary next year. I think it will be in Barcelona.
February 15, 2020
I didn't find this one as helpful as the London/ England books. Some of the advice was valuable - especially about pick-pockets and the rosemary scam. When a woman approached me in Granada and started waving rosemary and talking about luck and handsome men, I knew to be firm and pushy and exclaim in broken spanish "No! No hombre guapo!"
The self-guided tours of Alhambra, the Real Alcazar, and the cathedrals of Granada and Seville were very nice. The self-guided walk of Granada's Albaicin was not as nice. Maybe it was the time I went, but the area was not as charming as he made it out to be and seemed to be a common spot for people to relieve themselves in bushes. Also, the Ramblas Ramble in Barcelona was a bit lackluster.
My biggest gripe with the book is that the information about exchanging euros for dollars (which is important!) was not helpful/ wrong.
It is also good to know that the author really prizes art and art museums (Picasso museum, etc always getting 3 stars). I'm not much of an art-museum fan so I use his self-guided tours of those to see if that's anything that I really want to see before going.
Also, the book is written for summer travel
I was in Valencia for most of the trip, which the book does not mention at all. This is unfortunate since it is the third biggest city and is decently popular with tourists. Additionally, for Barcelona I was surprised that Girona and Figuerola (and surrounding small beach towns) were not mentioned as day trips since they seem decently popular as well. Instructions for Montserrat were a but confusing (since the transportation there is a bit confusing) and I had to go outside the book to know what was going on. It is also not really true that you need a full day- half a day in the summer would be sufficient. Alas, I know they cannot include everything!
The self-guided tours of Alhambra, the Real Alcazar, and the cathedrals of Granada and Seville were very nice. The self-guided walk of Granada's Albaicin was not as nice. Maybe it was the time I went, but the area was not as charming as he made it out to be and seemed to be a common spot for people to relieve themselves in bushes. Also, the Ramblas Ramble in Barcelona was a bit lackluster.
My biggest gripe with the book is that the information about exchanging euros for dollars (which is important!) was not helpful/ wrong.
It is also good to know that the author really prizes art and art museums (Picasso museum, etc always getting 3 stars). I'm not much of an art-museum fan so I use his self-guided tours of those to see if that's anything that I really want to see before going.
Also, the book is written for summer travel
I was in Valencia for most of the trip, which the book does not mention at all. This is unfortunate since it is the third biggest city and is decently popular with tourists. Additionally, for Barcelona I was surprised that Girona and Figuerola (and surrounding small beach towns) were not mentioned as day trips since they seem decently popular as well. Instructions for Montserrat were a but confusing (since the transportation there is a bit confusing) and I had to go outside the book to know what was going on. It is also not really true that you need a full day- half a day in the summer would be sufficient. Alas, I know they cannot include everything!
June 20, 2016
A good guide, that had many helpful tips and helped me plan itineraries for several days on a vacation to Spain.
Ironically, we made the most use of the sections on Gibraltar and Tangier... neither of which is in Spain. The guide doesn't make any attempt to cover all of Spain, instead opting for detailed coverage on about a dozen recommended destinations. The coverage of Andalucía, Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca is quite sparse, which made it less than ideal for my trip. I'm sure Rick Steves would be unsympathetic with this criticism, and tell me that I should have used his book to pick better places to visit. But the sections on Granada, Madrid, Gibraltar and Tangier were all informative, very helpful, and worth the cost of the book.
I was particularly impressed by the pointers to individual tour guides. In both cases where we chose a guide based on the book's recommendation, the guide was fantastically informative, entertaining, and ebullient. Unfortunately, it seems like the attention from being highlighted in a guide book (or simply from providing excellent service) has led to them expanding their business, and hiring others to work for them. In one case we were lucky enough to get the guide we had booked, but in another we were led by an associate who was only mediocre, and only got to spend a few minutes with the much more entertaining and outgoing guide named in the book.
Despite the annual updating of the book, more than half of the entry fees and operating hours of museums, cathedrals, etc were different than we had expected. Perhaps prices go up faster than the book can be updated, but it felt like the book was more out of date than the 2016 label would imply.
Ironically, we made the most use of the sections on Gibraltar and Tangier... neither of which is in Spain. The guide doesn't make any attempt to cover all of Spain, instead opting for detailed coverage on about a dozen recommended destinations. The coverage of Andalucía, Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca is quite sparse, which made it less than ideal for my trip. I'm sure Rick Steves would be unsympathetic with this criticism, and tell me that I should have used his book to pick better places to visit. But the sections on Granada, Madrid, Gibraltar and Tangier were all informative, very helpful, and worth the cost of the book.
I was particularly impressed by the pointers to individual tour guides. In both cases where we chose a guide based on the book's recommendation, the guide was fantastically informative, entertaining, and ebullient. Unfortunately, it seems like the attention from being highlighted in a guide book (or simply from providing excellent service) has led to them expanding their business, and hiring others to work for them. In one case we were lucky enough to get the guide we had booked, but in another we were led by an associate who was only mediocre, and only got to spend a few minutes with the much more entertaining and outgoing guide named in the book.
Despite the annual updating of the book, more than half of the entry fees and operating hours of museums, cathedrals, etc were different than we had expected. Perhaps prices go up faster than the book can be updated, but it felt like the book was more out of date than the 2016 label would imply.
July 10, 2018
like any modern-day Rick Steves - certainly far above adequate and generally wry if not actually funny, the text seems mostly unchanged from the 2002 version I also happen to own. The hotel and restaurant recommendations are practically worthless to me - in any guidebook, so I barely skimmed those. Where Steves always shines is in the city and museum walking tours, where he (and his co-authors) can weave a narrative through physical space, and make sense of how history shapes place and culture, all in a concise handful of pages best read torn from their binding and restapled, en-route or in a cafe down the way from the pages' subject.
Sadly, the maps in this edition are mostly computer-drafted, lacking the hand drawn --- i.e. physiospatial / mental map / not to scale / sensible hierarchy of information --- quality of Steves' earlier books. For one example, the Alhambra map in Spain 2002 has room labels abbreviated and written directly on the map, whereas the 2017 edition has keyed notes for every room, which a reader has to stop and refer to the key notes, an added step for an addled tourist on the go. The same map suffers from graphic errors not present in the earlier version: Solid walls and the edge of a pool or pavement get the graphic weight, confusing solid and void.
I always use Rick Steves' books for european trips, but for future planning I may stick to the older editions.
Sadly, the maps in this edition are mostly computer-drafted, lacking the hand drawn --- i.e. physiospatial / mental map / not to scale / sensible hierarchy of information --- quality of Steves' earlier books. For one example, the Alhambra map in Spain 2002 has room labels abbreviated and written directly on the map, whereas the 2017 edition has keyed notes for every room, which a reader has to stop and refer to the key notes, an added step for an addled tourist on the go. The same map suffers from graphic errors not present in the earlier version: Solid walls and the edge of a pool or pavement get the graphic weight, confusing solid and void.
I always use Rick Steves' books for european trips, but for future planning I may stick to the older editions.
November 7, 2009
I used this to help plan my trip last month to Barcelona and Granada. I've been a fan of Let's Go and Lonely Planet travel guides and have preferred to use those in my past trips. However, I was impressed and I appreciated the level of detail Rick includes in these guides. Suggestions on what to eat, people who are helpful, walking tours of neighborhoods and even guides for some museums (thank goodness for his guide of the Museu Picasso! It helped a lot!) were really helpful.
However, there were some limitations: he focused on his recommended neighborhoods, but if you were staying elsewhere, you wouldn't have a clue what to do. His maps are atrociously designed. They're supposed to look handmade and quirky, but I found them useless and opted to always look at my separately bought laminated pocket map. I can't stand maps that are useless, so that bothered me quite a bit.
Overall, I'd recommend Rick's books if you're traveling to Europe. He gives good tips for families and people with tight budgets. But I'd also bring some other maps that meet your visual needs and perhaps another tour book to cover any areas you feel like he misses. But you'll be carrying his book everywhere you go.
However, there were some limitations: he focused on his recommended neighborhoods, but if you were staying elsewhere, you wouldn't have a clue what to do. His maps are atrociously designed. They're supposed to look handmade and quirky, but I found them useless and opted to always look at my separately bought laminated pocket map. I can't stand maps that are useless, so that bothered me quite a bit.
Overall, I'd recommend Rick's books if you're traveling to Europe. He gives good tips for families and people with tight budgets. But I'd also bring some other maps that meet your visual needs and perhaps another tour book to cover any areas you feel like he misses. But you'll be carrying his book everywhere you go.
March 6, 2018
This book was written in the typical Rick Steves fashion with his dry, quirky humor and frugal take on travel. We enjoy his writing and many of his tips are very helpful. His tips on how to get to Tangier and Gibraltar from Tarifa were fantastic.
I do wish she would add some of the lesser-known attractions in the big cities. We went to some of the smaller museums to avoid the crowds at the Prado and others and we’re delighted with the selection of paintings and lack of crowds. The Hospital Pau in Barcelona is not to be missed and it’s not even mentioned in his book. Supplementing his book with recommendations from TripAdvisor makes for a really good trip.
He also mentioned Interhome as a resource for booking an apartment. We did not have a good experience with them although the apartment was good. I would stick with Airbnb as the communication and requirements are consistently dependable.
I do wish she would add some of the lesser-known attractions in the big cities. We went to some of the smaller museums to avoid the crowds at the Prado and others and we’re delighted with the selection of paintings and lack of crowds. The Hospital Pau in Barcelona is not to be missed and it’s not even mentioned in his book. Supplementing his book with recommendations from TripAdvisor makes for a really good trip.
He also mentioned Interhome as a resource for booking an apartment. We did not have a good experience with them although the apartment was good. I would stick with Airbnb as the communication and requirements are consistently dependable.
June 10, 2017
So let me begin by saying that the maps and historical/cultural facts within were appreciated. They helped add context to my visit to Spain. The general guidance was a little more spotty - some items were very right, others... not so much. I did try to find a few of the restaurants mentioned but for the most part was not impressed. Best takeaways were the maps and the culture site guides. I read the rest of the ideas, but took them as suggestions and frequently supplemented my plans with other travelers' reviews.
March 28, 2018
As always, Rick Steves produces an great resource for the traveler. A whole country travel book will always be generally an abridged version or else the book size would be epic. This one gives all the pertinent info for many cities including some from the Basque region of France as well as Morocco. It also gives an informative history past and present as well as large section of Practicalities which includes food, phrases, sleeping, etc. Really looking forward to this upcoming 2 week trip. I have lots of info underlined and many pages tagged with post-its! I never travel without Rick!
October 29, 2019
As always, Rick Steves delivers. We don’t always go exactly where he says but he lays good groundwork for the areas, attractions and especially food.
September 1, 2017
My edition was 2014 and it proved a valuable guide when I was visiting in 2015 and 2016.
January 4, 2019
I'm a Rick Steves fan and this one was handy for our trip to Spain.
March 6, 2022
Must have for Spain travelers.
July 11, 2022
Can't imagine planning a trip without Rick Steves!
June 9, 2023
Great advice, trustworthy information, really
helpful on trips to Barcelona and Madrid.
helpful on trips to Barcelona and Madrid.
March 15, 2017
I thought this was a good guide and there was some humor involved which I appreciated.
March 4, 2014
I confess, I don't like Spain at all. I hate the culture, am not fond of the food, and am not even wild over the people or language. This is one of the very few countries in Europe I can say this about (Portugal is another).
On the other hand, if one has a relative whose work took him here along with his wife and kids and you want to see them, you have to visit Spain. There are only three things I like about it- getting to visit the Altamira Caves (or at least a replica), visiting museums, and the fact that you are so close to Morocco, you can pop right in for a visit.
Morocco is FAR more interesting and has far better food. The Moroccans do speak Arabic as a first language but they all speak French as a second language which is great for me since I speak French as a second language myself (one of my grandmas was French). Rick covers Morocco in this book which surprised me as this was my first time reading the Spanish guidebook. Morocco is superfriendly! The people are genuinely delighted to have you visit and will go out of their way for you. Some of Rick's suggestions on where to stay in Morocco are fine and acceptable including a couple of my own favorites (unlike most of his where to stay recommendations in his books). He also actually listed my favorite tour guide here as well as a favorite place to eat. He only includes Tangier. I wish he also included Marrakech.
Frankly, I think it is even better to spend one day in Spain and the rest of the time in Morocco.
On the other hand, if one has a relative whose work took him here along with his wife and kids and you want to see them, you have to visit Spain. There are only three things I like about it- getting to visit the Altamira Caves (or at least a replica), visiting museums, and the fact that you are so close to Morocco, you can pop right in for a visit.
Morocco is FAR more interesting and has far better food. The Moroccans do speak Arabic as a first language but they all speak French as a second language which is great for me since I speak French as a second language myself (one of my grandmas was French). Rick covers Morocco in this book which surprised me as this was my first time reading the Spanish guidebook. Morocco is superfriendly! The people are genuinely delighted to have you visit and will go out of their way for you. Some of Rick's suggestions on where to stay in Morocco are fine and acceptable including a couple of my own favorites (unlike most of his where to stay recommendations in his books). He also actually listed my favorite tour guide here as well as a favorite place to eat. He only includes Tangier. I wish he also included Marrakech.
Frankly, I think it is even better to spend one day in Spain and the rest of the time in Morocco.
May 7, 2013
We used this book the entire time we were in Spain and have also used it since returning home. Although we joked about it at the time, this book was a valuable addition to our trip. I would recommend this to anyone planning a trip to Spain. Most everything you want to know is covered in here. If driving you will need a more detailed map but that's not a huge drawback. (Also if driving get GPS on your car) This is a great book to use while exploring the country on your own! We stayed at hotels Rick recommended, we ate at restaurants Rick recommended and we saw sights he recommended. We were disappointed by none.
March 11, 2008
We owe our awesome trip to Spain last March to this book. It saved us money & time. We skipped paying for guides everywhere we went because the book has it all! It took us to the best restaurants (or really I should say bars--that's where you eat in Spain!). It got us a sweet room in Toledo for a discounted price. Recommended the best café con leche y pastel you can find in Segovia. Found us a break from Spanish cuisine when we enjoyed some lovely pizza in El Escorial. The list goes on & on. We won't go to Europe without Rick Steves!
November 5, 2010
Rick Steves' guides are the best. If only they were smaller. But then they might not be so informative: where to go, how to get there, how much it costs and even opinions as to whether one should bother! I did a terrible thing for a librarian. I bought an older copy and tore out relevant pages, took them with me, recycled that book and retained the 2010 for notes when I got home.
I still miss the Michelin green guides for their size and succinct historical accounts. But if I had to choose now I'd probably do as I did above.
I still miss the Michelin green guides for their size and succinct historical accounts. But if I had to choose now I'd probably do as I did above.
January 24, 2016
This guide book has a lot of in-depth, pertinent information that I found useful in planning my visit to Spain. However, some of the information is outdated- disappointing for a self-proclaimed "2016" guide. Banks in Spain no longer exchange currency, unless you are a client. Currency exchanges are a rip off, as expected. In short, do not bring cash to Spain! Your best bet is using an ATM. Not only are ATMs abundant and easy to use (all I used had an English option), they give the best exchange rate.
August 10, 2016
I found this guide somewhat useful for my purposes while visiting Spain. The basic information and history was well-presented and so important to know in advance. I felt well-informed about the sights I visited. I didn't use his recommendations for either accommodation or restaurants in Barcelona or in San Sebastian. I know that I have missed out on some fine dining as a result but we discovered some amazing food and craft beer without his help. (I think it is hard to go wrong when eating in Spain!)
June 4, 2015
Rick Steve's guidebook helped us navigate a two week driving tour of Spain. We hit all the highlights; Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla, Cordova, Toledo and Madrid. Informations on sights to see, history, art, and even parking was always helpful. This book did not cover the Coast well as he is more interested in historical and more tourist oriented areas, Best books for information on European travel.
October 19, 2015
Always an invaluable tool for our trips to Europe. Although I don't always agree with everything written, these books are very helpful and have great step by step maps and descriptions of the major things to see. I also rely heavily on Frommer's, Fodor's, and Trip Advisor to create my own Itinerary. I end up with a perfectly customized trip that caters to our interests. Time consuming but worth every minute. The RS videos are also excellent.
October 11, 2010
I just love Rick Steves. He's funny while at the same time packing a lot of history and very useful information into his travel guides. We used his books for our trip to Italy and just knew we had to have one for our trip to Spain. We caught ourselves mentally thanking him several times for the tips! Highly recommended if you're heading to Europe.
July 20, 2010
I read the 2010 version. This book was excellent preparation for our trip to Spain. Great hotel recommendations and things to see. Wasn't a huge fan of the restaurant recommendations. But it was quite helpful for all things travel paired with all things Spain, and even included some personal tours, which saved us some money in the end.
March 28, 2013
A Rick Steve's book will make any travel experience better. He tells you an overview if the country or cities top sights and a bit about the history. Be careful with his maps though they are good to get a general overview but are not good for navigation. Walking tours of the Alhambra were better in his book than the 10€ headsets you could purchase at the ticket booth.
March 21, 2013
So much better in book form than on Kindle. I used the Kindle versions for Scandinavia and Italy but the book is so much more useful. You simply need to flip back and forth between pages and maps and the Kindle version just doesn't do that well.
Use this book combined with Trip Adviser rankings to find the good stuff.
Use this book combined with Trip Adviser rankings to find the good stuff.
November 10, 2014
There's a reason Rick Steves is the king of European guidebooks. He really knows how to explain facts in a light, amusing yet authoritative voice - he seems to know every destination like the back of his hand. Very helpful for our trip to Barcelona, Toledo, Madrid, Sevilla and Cordoba - advice was spot on.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews