Frommer's Barcelona, Madrid & Seville (Frommer's Complete Guides) [Paperback]

Darwin Porter (Author), Danforth Prince (Author)

Book Description

Series: Frommer's Complete Guides | Publication Date: January 31, 2001

Spain is the second most popular tourist destination in the world, and for good reason. It boasts some of the most incredible, architectural achievements known, fabulous art collection, and access to European history in ways few locations can offer. From Roman aqueducts of Barcelona to the museums of Madrid, Americans want to know as much as possible about Spain before they get there, and they'll depend on Frommer's to fill them in.

• With more than 7,000 paintings, the Museo del Prado in Madrid is one of the most important art repositories in the world
• Spain is a natural choice for the growing Spanish-speaking American Population

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer. And avoid tourist traps. At Frommer's, we use 150 outspoken travel experts around the world to help you make the right choices. Frommer's. Your guide to a world of travel experience. Choose the Only Guide That Gives You:

• Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not.
• Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip no matter what your budget.
• Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.
• The best hotels and restaurants in every price range, with candid reviews.
• The expert guidance you need to take charge and travel with confidence.

Great trips begin at frommers.com

• Book flights, hotels, and rental cars.
• Get free updates on attractions and prices.

About the Author

About the Authors North Carolina-born Darwin Porter and Ohio native Danforth Prince are the coauthors of several best-selling Frommer's guides—notably Spain, England, France, Italy, and Germany. Porter, who worked in television advertising and is a former bureau chief for the Miami Herald, wrote the first-ever Frommer's guide to Spain while still a student. Prince, who began his association with Porter in 1982, worked for the Paris bureau of the New York Times. Both writers have made countless annual trips through the cities of Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville and through the countryside of Spain to share their discoveries with you.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; 3 edition (January 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764561677
• ISBN-13: 978-0764561672
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,599,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #48 in Books > Travel > Europe > Spain > Seville

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good summary of three key places to visit in Spain, November 6, 2003

By 

David P. Chiappetta (Alameda, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frommer's(r) Barcelona, Madrid and Seville, 4th Edition (Paperback)

Not wanting to lug around a tome covering all of Spain, and not wanting to purchase separate city guides for each of the places I intended to visit, I found this book to be a great compromise (since it covered three of the places I intended to visit). The book gives detailed critical reviews of hotels and restaurants, and points you to the most important sites in each area (with one walking tour of each and detailed information about various sites). This is a great book if you're planning to spend 1-3 days in one or more of these areas. It even gives travel information for places to visit surrounding each area (for example, offering a guide to Toledo, near Madrid). Overall, I was very pleased, especially considering the reasonable price. One warning, however, is that some of the maps (and the placement of items on those maps) are inaccurate.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Be careful of what you write, July 18, 2004

By 

Z. D. Houghton (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Frommer's(r) Barcelona, Madrid and Seville, 4th Edition (Paperback)

Frommer's is an excellent guidebook (though I personally like Lonely Planet and DK, Frommer's is a solid 3). Some of the reviews I read have been negative, and it seems to be somewhat misplaced towards the guidebook.

I can understand that not finding a laundry is frustrating. But if that is your only gripe with it, why not leave it at that? It seems to me that any problems you may have with rude hosts is more of a personailty clash than anything a guidebook could help with.

Honestly, although not perfect, we found this book a more than adequate starting point for our Spanish adventure. My advice: Rate the book on it's own merits, and your vacation on your planning. The two should stay seperate.

All in all, I believe that this book, along with DK's line of books, are a good pick for info on a trip to these beautiful cities.

17 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars All Alone in Barcelona, July 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Frommer's Barcelona, Madrid & Seville (Frommer's Complete Guides) (Paperback)

While traveling through Europe, my husband and I decided to visit Barcelona. Since it was the only country we had not researched before we left, we decided we better pick up Frommer's guide. To our dismay, most of the information in it was inaccurate or misinforming. For example, the street the laundry was listed on was misspelled. When we finally found it (in the pouring rain) it was a laundry service, not self-serve. So there was 2 hours of "dead time" not to mention paying 3 times as much money for getting our clothes cleaned.

The silver lining I guess was that the laundry lady was one of the 3 nice Spanish people we met during our 6 day visit. I wish that Frommer's would have given us some forewarning on Spanish culture and rudeness. Even the service people in our 4 star hotel were grumpy. Everyone seems to need either a fiesta or a siesta.

On our final night in Barcelona, we counted our change and had just enough money to catch the metro and attend a Spanish dance. Upon our arrival (late because the directions were fuzzy) we found that both the time and the amount listed were incorrect. We then found out that the metro closes down earlier than the book states, so we got to spend our last pasettas on a cab ride back to our hotel. When I got back I was so aggravated that I could have started a bonfire with it.

There were several other ommissions and inaccuracies that we ran across but all in all my final straw was when I contacted Frommers online for a refund and read that they do not offer refunds--I needed to contact the point of purchase. No wonder it was the only English guide book left in Germany-nobody wanted it!

I learned a lot of things from our European excursion. One of the best I can tell you is use Lonely Planet guides! And visit the information station at the airport-they may not be friendly but at least their brochures are helpful!