Lonely Planet Madrid (Paperback)

~ Damien Simonis (Author) "Measured by the standards of its neigh , Madrid is something of a parvenu at the table of European capitals..." (more)
Key Phrases: lonely planet, Gran Via, Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

As usual the guidebook standard is set by Lonely Planet

-- Outside (USA)

Product Description

From a silent contemplation in the world-famous Prado to the explosion of nocturnal revelry on the city's streets, this indispensable guide will lead you to the heart of the action in Spain’s vibrant capital.

• 16-page full-colour map section
• from tapas to tripe: eateries serving all manner of madrileòo meals
• penisones, apartments and palaces: accommodation to suit all budgets
• detailed coverage of the city's renowned nightlife
• meeting the matadors: special section on bullfighting
• day trips to Toledo, Córdoba, Segovia and the Sierra

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 2 edition (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740591747
• ISBN-13: 978-1740591744
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,009,010 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Madrid Guidebooks Compared, December 27, 2001

By	Samuel J. Schleman (Malvern, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lonely Planet Madrid (Madrid, 1st ed) (Paperback)

I am an experienced traveler (30+ countries) who is nearing retirement and plan to travel extensively, who has recently become obsessed about finding "good" guidebooks. So this review is a comparison of the books I looked at for Madrid.

I started with the Insight Guide. I was seeking to get background, history, etc. The Insight Guides seem to vary enormously from one to the next in both quality and orientation. I think they are good for an entire country if you are trying to decide where in the country or what parts you want to see. I thought the guide for Madrid was useless. It provided very little information about the city or the culture. It seemed to be best if you were planning on moving to Madrid and wanted to find out the differences between the various suburban areas. I suggest you forget this one.

I looked at the Mini-Rough Guide. I didn't like the format and it was too terse for my taste. In my opinion, Rough Guide still needs to produce a guide for Madrid that is a regular, not a mini Rough Guide. The LP Guide to Madrid seemed pretty mediocre. The stiff covers also made it awkward to use or hold open to a particular page. The information and descriptions were inadequate compared to some other guides. The Eyewitness Guide to Madrid is, I think, the best overall guide to Madrid. (Generally I prefer Eyewitness guides for City's much more than as a guide for an entire country.) The maps are good, the pictures of the food and other items are very helpful. The hotels and restaurant sections were pretty good, but not great. If you are looking for hostels, you will need the LP guide. Eyewitness does not give great historical depth, but it gives you some, probably enough for most tourists. Guide Books are not the best source for detailed historical and cultural information anyway. The Time Out guide was almost like a tourist's yellow pages, primarily a listing of hotels, restaurants, sites, services, etc. It had the best listing of restaurants and hotels and covered all price ranges. It wasn't as good as Eyewitness is describing the things to see and do.

I ended up getting the Eyewitness Guide to use while sightseeing, supplemented by the Time Out guide for picking hotels, restaurants and being able to look up things. Another reviewer recommended this same combination in order to visit Tapas bars. I'm not that much into Tapas, but I still think these two are the best combo.

Incidentally, the Spain Rough and LP guides Madrid sections do not cover Madrid as well as the Madrid-only guides. You are looking at a 60-page section, compared to the Madrid-only guides of around 300 pages length.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars new guide is better, December 9, 2004

By	Crissy Stalin "Crissy" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Madrid: City Guide (Paperback)

Looking at the dates, it seems like the reader reviews for this book are all for the old guide. The new version just came out, and I think it looks and reads a lot better, so maybe it's time to put up some new reader reviews.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleased so far, January 22, 2007

By	J. Meyer (Richmond VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Madrid (City Guide) (Paperback)

I bought this book recently (the new edition). I have read through it in planning my upcoming trip. Although I have yet to test the accuracy of the information in person, the book strikes me as practical. First, the book is paperback and fairly slender-- so not too bulky or heavy to actually carry around while you're traveling. The second thing that struck me is that it provides maps, including a metro line map. Although the maps may not be the most user friendly with their small print, they'll do fine for the trip planning stage of the trip (I usually get a good city map for navigation once I arrive to my destination city). The sections seem thorough, with an entire chapter on the history of the city. I was pleased with the day trip chapter as well, which lists many options for day trips, how you can get there, what you can do there, and how long it takes to travel there.
As far as the accuracy issue, I have yet to find a guidebook that is completely accurate. That being the case, I view them as one source of information among many and do not rely exclusively on a single guidebook.