Spain '97: The Complete Guide Including Majorca, the Canary Islands and Morocco

by Fodor's Travel Publications Inc.

The best guide to Spain, updated every year

Bullfights, pageants, and flamenco
Great walks in cities and towns and drives in the country, with visits to museums, churches, and castles
Lively nightlife, from bodegas to jazz clubs to casinos
Excursion to Morocco, with best bets for short stays

Where to stay and eat, no matter what your budget

Paradors, resorts, inns, and hotels both new and old
Posh restaurants and cafés, top picks for tapas and paella

Fresh, thorough, practical--from writers you can trust

Costs, hours, descriptions, and tips by the thousands
All reviews based on visits by savvy writer-residents

59 pages of maps, vacation itineraries, and more

Important Contacts A to Z; Smart Travel Tips; Fodor's Choice; What's Where; Pleasures & Pastimes; Fiestas & Festivals; complete index; and more!

Genres: Travel, Reference, Nonfiction, Spain

576 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 1986

About the author

Fodor's Travel Publications is a United States-based producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor in 1936.
Fodor’s was acquired by Random House in 1986 and sold to Internet Brands in 2016.

Reviews

[Jenni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seriously lacking in detailed information. For example, the section on Toledo, which was titled Toledo and Trips from Madrid, gave practically no information on Toledo. It kept referring to other excursions around the Madrid area. We tried to use this book on a road trip from Salamanca to the northwest coast, across the northern coastline, down to the Pyrenees to Cordoba and then back up to Toledo and Segovia, but we gave up using it part of the way through. This is partly because the book is really geared toward the traveler who has a week or 10 days flying into Madrid and then taking a train or bus to another major city, not someone who rents a car and tries to see the out-of-the way places.

I would have appreciated more details about the culture in general, but there are good summaries of the history of Spain.

[Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spent a week in Spain with Fodor's and Rick Steeves' guides, and unfortunately for Fodor, Rick Steeves won every time. The first chapter of Fodor's was the most useful, with planning info, FAQs, suggested itineraries, and a condensed history. The feature sections were informative. But in general the hotels and restaurants Fodor recommends are too expensive, and there isn't enough practical information about how to get from place to place. And the maps only show the names of major streets- not much help if you're lost.

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle of the road on this one. The book is very hard to navigate on Kindle, and the recommendations were banal and restricted to the usual tourist stuff recommended in every tourist information office. There are just too many more interesting places left out of the guide that I discovered on my own for me to feel that this book was useful. It's the equivalent of a large tour group guide instead of the friendly guide with detailed local knowledge. Still, as a general introduction to places, it works.

[Rosey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some misses, here and there. Hard to rate a guidebook, since everyone is different. Luckily, Fodor's does a good job of selecting a wide range of activities, restaurants, etc for a wide range of folks. I found that this book was always a good place for me to start from while traveling in Spain. Used it for my whole three month trip to Spain in 2015.

[E G Melby · Rating 1 out of 5]

didn't include Canary Islands - bummer!

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever, man.

[Ariadna73 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good descriptions and information that is actually useful. I give it 5 points out of five!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wealth of valuable information to assist in travel plans for an upcoming trip.

[Susan]

Normally I might not put a travel guide on my Goodreads bookshelf, but I really did read this like a book, thoroughly, cover to cover, twice.