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 Seville
& Andalusia (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
The
best part of these books are the illustrations, photos and
3-D views which help you easily learn about the specifics
of the places you visit. For the main tourist attractions
this book is very helpful, and has received praise for the
quality of it's city maps. It covers Sevilla better than
the other cities of Andalucia, and some consider it the
best guide around for Sevilla. For the "off the beaten
path" attractions many have recommended using Lonely
Planet or Let's Go in conjunction with this book.
 Thomas
Cooke Travelers Seville & Andalucia (Web links CD included)
While one has to be suspect about a web links CD being up
to date they review their content every year. Plus they
include tips for hotels and dining out. It's a compact guidebook,
which is good when you're lugging other necessities around
the streets. The maps are better than Let's Go, which isn't
saying much. Some out of the way and less known sites are
listed as well. The entire line of these books has been
revised, and while they're much better than before they
still lack some information. But when everyone's carrying
the above books with them and this one being small it might
be worth it as a second option on your trip.
 Lonely
Planet Andalucia (Travel Survival Kit)
A little bit of everything to get you through your trip
in Andalucia, starting with some background like history,
geography, people, climate and more. Sections on flamenco,
food and drink and getting around Andalucia give you the
basics to make your travel decisions. Then look at each
province in detail, including the sites and smaller towns
and attractions along the way.
Rough Guide Andalucia
A good mix of culture, history and background of the province.
Rough Guide has always been good about providing a different
point of view than most of the other books, and this one
won't disappoint you. They also tend to recommend more budget
accommodations than many of the other guide books out there.
Footprint Seville
A guide covering just Seville, and it's done quite well.
Special sections on tapas, flamenco and sherry are included.
Also inside is coverage of the popular events of Semana
Santa and Feria, as well as nightlife spots. Other cities
are not ignored as they cover the basics of side trips to
Córdoba, Jerez, Cádiz, Carmona, and Huelva.
 Granada Seville Córdoba, 2nd
Three cities you must see while visiting Andalucia, this
book has some great color photos as well as very good background
reading before making your trip. Plenty of recommendations
for accommodations (250) as well places to eat. Well written,
it also includes a men reader to make your dining experience
a little easier.
Fodor's Andalusia: The Guide for All Budgets
Like
the Eyewitness Travel Guides the Fodor's guide does the
right thing in covering Andalucia apart from the rest of
Spain. I would hesitate to say this is really a guide for
"all budgets" after glancing through their listings
of restaurants and hotels/hostals. They do, however, rely
on authors from Andalucia, giving them an advantage over
some of the other books.
 Time Out Andalucia
Time Out puts together some of the best city guides around
and is well known in Europe, while having less fame in the
U.S. They do a great job with Andalucia covering each region
and the basics of accommodations, eating and drinking. Then
add a few more details the others sometimes leave out: nature
walks, beaches (from quiet to party going), history and
legends as well as literary background.
 Footprint Andalucia
Handbook: The Travel Guide (3rd Edition)
Footprint has been around for 75 years! They show their
experience in covering history, culture and customs in Andalucia,
and do a more than thorough job in descriptions and background
of the sites. You'll be hard pressed to find better information
on the attractions, so it's worth a look for that alone.
If you're looking for more information on hotels, restaurants
and bars you may find yourself disappointed - while they
cover them there are few recommendations compared to other
books.
 Lazy Days Out in Andalucia (Cadogan Guides Series)
For the tourist with a car and a little time on their hands,
as the title describes. For those looking for a relaxing
and slow paced tour of some of the best rural restaurants
and sites this book comes highly recommended. Out of the
way places where you can slow down and enjoy the food and
culture. Great in depth descriptions of the restaurants
and sites, plus solid driving directions and maps.
 Insight Guide Southern Spain (Insight Guides)
Insight Guides often don't get the recognition they deserve
because people searching for the typical guide books telling
them where to stay, eat and maps find these guides lacing
in this department. But this book is perhaps one of the
best when it comes to pre-departure reading and giving you
a wonderful background on the people and culture of Andalucia.
Over 10 sections cover culture and life and there are some
great ideas on what to see and how to see it. I say buy
two books - Let's Go, Fodor's, Lonely Planet or one of the
others - and then buy this one. You won't regret it!
 Routard: Andalucia & Southern Spain: The Ultimate Food,
Drink and Accommodation Guide
I do
believe they are published in France, but definitely offer
a European point of view for the young, budget-minded traveler.
What they do best is offer advice and recommendations on
places to eat, look for nightlife and crash for the evening.
Many restaurants and hotels in Sevilla display their stickers
outside from previous recommendations. I've seen them on
some great places, as well as a few questionable ones...
 Let's Go 2003: Spain & Portugal
Let's
Go has been around for over 40 years now and they do a good
job of covering all the details, and generally are up-to-date
on the changes from year to year. The guide also does a
good job of covering all price ranges when dining out or
looking for a place to stay. This is the most popular guide
for traveler's from the U.S., so don't expect to be the
only foreigner who shows up at that bar or restaurant.
 Rick Steves' Spain and Portugal 2003
The
book covers Sevilla and Andalucia fairly well, but some
have pointed out factual problems with Rick's history. One
reader also mentioned the absence of Valencia and the Costa
Blanca region which were left out. His guides are based
on his own itineraries, and thus some areas may not have
complete coverage. Overall he provides some good general
points on traveling in Spain.
 Lonely Planet Spain (Travel Guides)
If
you've seen the television series you have a good idea of
what Lonely Planet is all about. They do a good job of covering
the out of the way places and the budget hotels and hostals.
Also included are some helpful phrases in Catalan, Basque
and Galician (yes, they do speak languages other than Spanish
in Spain!). Some readers have complained about a lack of
detail for the accommodations, and the more luxury minded
have found it less useful. Others have complained about
errors in prices listed here for museums and other sites.
Of course carrying more money than the just the entry fee
for the attractions listed in the books not only helps,
it is just plain common sense. While lacking some detail
on transportation and hotels it often gets higher marks
than Let's Go for the maps and insider info from people
who live in Spain. A Spanish phrase book is also available
from Lonely Planet.
 Spain
Cadogan Guide
Well written guide from the UK which is known for providing
more insight and history into the sites you'll see along
the way. Cadogan guides get a lot of praise from their readers
for their solid, practical information as well, often providing
details about more rural and out of the way destinations
than other guides. Written with a distinctively British
point of view but works well for everyone.
 Berlitz
Guide Spain Pocket Guide
It's a pocket guide! Oh boy! Really, I don't much care for
pocket guides as the only advantage seems to be that...they
fit in your pocket! Otherwise get ready for small type and/or
less information. And while Berlitz is the king of language
books they aren't known for their travel series. Still,
this one does a better than average job in getting you around
Spain and to the sites. Hotel and other recommendations
lack a little, but if you want to pack light, or like to
leave your other book in your room while out for the day
then this is a decent book to bring along.
 The
Rough Guide to Spain (10th Edition)
If you're looking or the most content packed guide this
is it! More information and less pictures make it the most
comprehensive guide for Spain. Most enjoy the maps which
include hotels and restaurants. They always offer the best
and most recommendations for budget accommodations. Detailed
information on the smaller towns and cities also makes it
ideal for those off the beaten path looking for more rural
travel.
 Fodor's
Spain 2004
On Amazon I find this curious statement: "The San Francisco
Chronicle sums it up best: 'Fodor's Gold Guides are saturated
with information.'" Indeed, this one is saturated with
information and much of it is really good. They have an
excellent layout and that makes finding the basics much
easier than some of the small print, 2-font guide books.
What I can't agree with is their claims of a guide for all
budgets. They do offer a full range of options but lean
towards the money bearing traveler rather than the cash-starved
one, especially when it comes to accommodations and some
of their dining options.
 Eyewitness
Travel Planner: Spain
Currently listed
out of print, which is a shame. While not the most thorough
guides Eyewitness is known for it's visual richness - illustrations,
photos, architectural explanations, flora and fauna are
part of the book. Best as a companion guide to one it's
more text heavy competitors, it is really worth the purchase.
I'll be updating the link (hopefully) to
the new edition.
Frommer's Spain 2004
Frommer's is written by travel "experts" around
the globe, so do expect a critical opinion of Spain, including
what to skip and what not too. Some great tips that you
won't find in other books, plus hotel and restaurant listings
for most budgets.
 Baedeker's Spain (Baedeker's Spain)
A whopping 576 pages, although it's a little smaller in
dimension. Baedeker's has always done a thorough job with
their guides and they've updated the look and layout to
make things easier. A fold out map in a plastic case is
a bonus, lots of color photos plus a "dictionary"
covering every almost town in Spain.
 The Companion Guide to the South of Spain (Companion Guides)
Unique in that it's written by one person, Alfonso Lowe,
who proves to be extremely knowledgeable as well as entertaining
in his writings. It also gives the book an even flow which
that have been pieced together may lack. Lowe knows his
stuff - from history to architecture and culture the topics
are detailed, factual and interesting. Some great recommendations
on restaurants and local cuisine.
 Cities of Spain
While this truly belongs in another category I thought it
valuable enough to include it as a guide. David Gilmour
(not of Pink Floyd) covers 9 cities of Spain, from
their regional differences to history and present day (up
to 1992). Gilmour is well traveled and writes what he knows
best. A great book to understand the cultural identities
and regionalism as it exists in Spain's urban environment.
 Hanging Out in Spain: The Complete Guide to the Hottest
Cities, Scenes & Parties
Is this
part of the Wild On...guides? Well, no, but they try and
cover everything a 20-something would want to know, from
nightspots and party scenes to youth culture and music.
Covering the major cities in Spain and some of the "party"
beaches there's some question as to what "hip"
is, as some like the book while others can't stand it. A
new breed of guide catering to the young partying traveler,
although the scene in Spain moves so quick that it may be
hard to keep current. Just don't rely on it for the basic
travel information that other books cover much better.
 Discovering Spain: An Uncommon Guide (Discovering Spain)
Written by the other Penelope from Spain who's better known
for her recipes. The book is an interesting look at Spain,
although some complain not that uncommon. As you would expect
some great recommendations on dining plus insight into Spanish
regional culture. The book was written with American's in
mind, a plus if coming from the states. It is not for the
budget traveler, however.
 Alastair Sawday's Special Places to Stay in Spain and Portugal
With a name like Alastair you know he's got to be British.
But Alastair has put together some really great places to
sat, although you may need a car for many recommendations
as they are well off the beaten path. Plenty of pictures
to give you a feel for the places, which include farmsteads,
villas, mountain refuges, palaces, monasteries, cottages
and more. Form letters are included so you can make your
reservations in advance with little trouble.
Karen Brown's Spain: Charming Inns & Itineraries 2003
U updated every year, Karen Brown Guides point you to charming
inns and B&Bs in Spain. Reviews and easy-to-follow itineraries
as well as descriptions of all inns, hotels, and B&Bs.
Covering most price ranges, chosen for their charm and the
warmth of their welcome, the book also includes maps which
help to plan inn-to-inn itineraries.
Rivage's Hotels and Country Inns in Spain: Of Character
and Charm
Probably the best guide out there for quaint hotels ideal
for getaways. Included are maps, ratings, contact information
and pictures of each establishment. Over 300 locals are
covered, including restaurant guides.
 Signpost Guide Andalucia and the Costa del Sol, 2nd: Your
Guide to Great Drives
While I'd never recommend driving through the cities in
Southern Spain it is doable. This guide takes you to the
cities, but more importantly out of them and through the
countryside and along the coast for some great scenery.
Accommodations, shopping, restaurants and of course lots
of maps! Also some ideas to get you exploring on your own.
Frommer's Spain's Best-Loved Driving Tours: 25 Unforgettable
Itineraries (5th Ed)
Currently
out of stock! Color maps, pictures and detailed information
on getting around Spain by car. They've done a good job
selecting some of the best scenery, but may have been better
off making it 50 instead of 25.
Lazy Days Out in Andalucia (Cadogan Guides Series)
For the tourist with a car and a little time on their hands,
as the title describes. For those looking for a relaxing
and slow paced tour of some of the best rural restaurants
and sites this book comes highly recommended. Out of the
way places where you can slow down and enjoy the food and
culture. Great in depth descriptions of the restaurants
and sites, plus solid driving directions and maps.
The
Michelin Green Guide Spain
Fiestas, traditions, historical towns and villages, plus
seaside resorts and varied landscapes. Offers suggestions
on what to see and what to do, background on history and
cultural heritage and a selection of hotels and restaurants.
Sights are rated - 3 stars "worth a journey",
2 stars "worth a detour" and 1 star "interesting".
Map itineraries help you plan your routes.
Knopf
MapGuide of Seville
Maps and more
maps - very detailed and I haven't ever seen the book, so
I am embellishing a bit here.
 Lonely Planet Spanish: Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Language
Survival Kit)
Make your way around Spain with a little language help.
Phrase books are often a good companion to a dictionary.
Nonetheless this one includes a basic two-way dictionary
and sentence builder plus pronunciation for every word.
Fiestas, flamenco and fútbol vocabulary. Basque,
Catalan & Galician sections plus local slang and a culinary
dictionary for dining out.
 HarperCollins Language Survival Guide: Spain : The Visual
Phrasebook and Dictionary
Covers the basics of travel in Spain from traffic signs
to menu items and bank machines, plus practical info like
finding the closest tapas bar or reading a bus or train
schedule. Photographs illustrating vocabulary and customs
for easy reference plus a basic bilingual dictionary and
grammar section.
 Rick Steves' Spanish Phrase Book and Dictionary
Rick Steves, the author of travel guides to Europe, offers
a guide which provides key phrases for use in everyday circumstances,
including phonetic spelling. An English-Spanish and Spanish-English
dictionary as well as the latest information on the Euro
and rail transportation.
HarperCollins Spanish Dictionary: Spanish-English/English-Spanish
An old stand-by, although it may do a better job covering
Latin American slang than Spanish from Spain.
 501
Spanish Verbs
To be or to be - ser and estar and lots more! Very highly
recommended by me, a former Spanish student who used this
frequently to make sure my tenses were in order in all my
papers and correspondence. Easy to use and including just
about any verb you'll need to know. It's a great reference.
Webster's New World Spanish Dictionary: Spanish/English
English/Spanish
A really solid dictionary.
Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses
More of a learning tool than the above 501 Spanish Verbs,
although both have their places. 501 Spanish Verbs is best to use as a tense checker, while Spanish Verb
Tenses does a better job at teaching you conjugations
and how to remember tenses.
The Oxford Spanish Dictionary: Spanish-English/English-Spanish
Probably the mother of all the dictionaries on Amazon.
Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary
One of the best for travelers and students.
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No
matter what information you find on the internet it's always
wise to carry a travel or guide book with you during your
travels. I have tried to offer up the pros and cons of each
travel book so you can select the one that best fits your
need. You can get books for all of Spain, Andalucia or just
Seville. While there is comfort and reason to stick with
the popular guides such as Lonely Planet, Let's Go and Fodor's,
you may want to consider something different so you're not
always on the same path as everyone else. Don't be afraid
to carry two of them should one fail you in certain respects.
