What do you think?
Rate this book
Rick Steves Spain
Now more than ever, you can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling through Spain. Savor authentic paella, run with the bulls in Pamplona, or relax on Barcelona's experience it all with Rick! Inside Rick Steves Spain you'll Fully updated, comprehensive coverage for planning a multi-week trip to SpainRick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favoritesTop sights and hidden gems, from El Escorial and the great mosque of Córdoba to medieval bars serving house-made madroño liqueurHow to connect with local Enjoy a flamenco show in Madrid, chat with fans about the latest fútbol match, or meander down winding streets in search of the best tapasBeat the crowds, skip the lines, and avoid tourist traps with Rick's candid, humorous insightThe best places to eat, sleep, and relax with a glass of sangriaSelf-guided walking tours of lively neighborhoods and incredible museumsVital trip-planning tools, like how to link destinations, build your itinerary, and get from place to placeDetailed maps, plus a fold-out map for exploring on the goOver 1,000 bible-thin pages include everything worth seeing without weighing you downCoverage of Barcelona, Basque Country, Bilbao, Santiago de Compostela, León, Salamanca, Madrid, El Escorial, the Valley of the Fallen, Segovia, Toledo, Granada, Sevilla, Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain's Southern Coast, Gibraltar, Morocco, and moreCovid-related travel info and resources for a smooth tripMake the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves Spain.
Planning a one- to two-week trip? Check out Rick Steves Best of Spain.
Planning a one- to two-week trip? Check out Rick Steves Best of Spain.
- GenresTravelNonfiction
1894 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2022
444 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Rick Steves
570 books692 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 22, 2024
"Thanks to the Great Pyrenes Mountains, Spain is isolated from the rest of the continent:
It is in Europe, but not of Europe."
Much appreciation for Rick Steves.
Not an exhaustive guide, but a very good one.
It is in Europe, but not of Europe."
Much appreciation for Rick Steves.
Not an exhaustive guide, but a very good one.
February 25, 2024
Finding this book very helpful for transportation and Dino g advice.
September 28, 2022
Very detailed and helpful, he even includes step by step walking tours.
April 19, 2023
Another reliably great guide; although just published, there were more minor items (mostly at museums with tours, hours, and fees) than usual that were already out of date.
December 30, 2025
I love the Rick Steves guidebooks, although a trend I have noticed with the last two I've purchased is that I perceive not all parts are as up to date as they could be. Case in point with this one, the 2025 version, comments such as "This should be finished in 2023 or 2024," tell the reader how far back the information is being researched. And while I understand the backlog in having people on the ground vs. publication time, it still plants a doubt in the reader's mind as to what else might not be up to date information. Anyway, with that being said, I still love the RS guidebooks, and will buy and trust them over all others out there. In my mind, there are no better books for touring Europe with. Can't wait to hit the ground running with this book!
May 10, 2022
outdated - a boomer travel book
The recommendations in this book aren’t the best. All the restaurant recommendations got average and bad reviews on trip advisor. I got better travel info for free on the internet. I wouldn’t recommend wasting your money on this book. It’s more of a travel guide for older people or boomers. But Rick Steves is a boomer, so I guess it is to be expected.
The recommendations in this book aren’t the best. All the restaurant recommendations got average and bad reviews on trip advisor. I got better travel info for free on the internet. I wouldn’t recommend wasting your money on this book. It’s more of a travel guide for older people or boomers. But Rick Steves is a boomer, so I guess it is to be expected.
December 13, 2023
Great, detailed travel book/ guide, that is also packed with interesting culture points and articles about España, in addition to step by step walking tours, and a great fold-out map. 5 stars all the way.
February 3, 2024
Invaluable travel guide for traveling to Spain. Worth the $ alone for all of the self guided walking tours in the cities and attractions. Rick Steves also has a free audio guide app I used extensively.
June 14, 2024
Rick Steves provides the most practical travel advice. I would not travel abroad without "him". The helpful, common sense approach to travel, visit, sightsee, dine, sleep, & navigate within countries you visit is fantastic. No detail is omitted.
March 10, 2022
Steves' travel guides which are all formatted in the same way offer a wealth of details for any type of traveller.
November 8, 2022
Oh Rick. I love to bring you on all my trips. Your witty walking guides are the best! On this trip to Spain, our group really appreciated your restaurant recommendations.
September 19, 2023
Great tips on what to see in Barcelona and Madrid
December 17, 2024
We love Rick! His guides are so helpful and informative. I read the portions for the cities we visited earlier this year, but read the rest of the book throughout the year after we got back.
October 15, 2025
Excellent companion to bring on your trip. We visited many sights and eating recommendations, they were fantastic.
October 28, 2023
going to Spain? read and take this book with your
Practical. Candid. Accurate. Reliable. Money saving. Resourceful. Helpful. Insightful.
This is a really great resource for anyone going to Spain.
Practical. Candid. Accurate. Reliable. Money saving. Resourceful. Helpful. Insightful.
This is a really great resource for anyone going to Spain.
June 19, 2023
Very good travel book to help plan a trip to Spain
June 9, 2023
Update after actual travel:
I've increased my rating to 5*, because, largely thanks to the comprehensive information in this book, my trip to Spain was a huge success - I had no major mishaps, found so many great things to see/do/eat, didn't have to queue much, and stayed well under budget. Most of the words of my initial review still stand though - this book has fantastic depth but little breadth, if you will be in Spain for a long time it may be well worth getting the Lonely Planet guide too (and, of course, you should also ask for advice from hotel staff and other locals you meet, especially if you are attending a festival).
However, this book is a little lighter than usual on the kid-gloves regarding how to use city public transport and long distance ground transport, so you may have to do some supplementary research (which is easy since we can Google on the go now) - or just note that in Spain city public transport generally does not require tap-off, long distance trains require plenty of boarding time because of security, and long distance busses do too because they are very confusing! Also, you should buy all of your long (and even long-ish, like the Madrid-Toledo AVE train) distance transport tickets in advance online, buying at the station is a nightmare!
Steves was once known as a budget travel advocate, but the style of travel promoted in this book is very much mid-range - a budget traveller will spend only 50-70% of the amount that Steves suggests budgeting (even though there has been further inflation since the publication date).
Initial review:
This book is similar to all of Steves' other guidebooks (there's a huge amount of detail - including about what attractions need to be pre-booked, something Lonely Planet lacks - but little breadth) so, TLDR, get this if you enjoy Steves' guidebooks in general - I do, but some people don't because he's very heavy on the kid-gloves, sends everyone to the same places, omits topics he's not interested in (like fine dining and contemporary art), and omits or only very lightly covers destinations he's not interested in (be sure to read the 'what's included' description before buying if you have particular destinations in mind).
This review is for the Kindle edition, the formatting for Kindle is excellent (unlike the Kindle edition of Lonely Planet Spain, which is a mess) but this book doesn't take full advantage of the potential of e-books - there aren't many links, and many of the links that are there don't work! It's expensive though, unlike Lonely Planet Spain which is free with Kindle Unlimited.
I've increased my rating to 5*, because, largely thanks to the comprehensive information in this book, my trip to Spain was a huge success - I had no major mishaps, found so many great things to see/do/eat, didn't have to queue much, and stayed well under budget. Most of the words of my initial review still stand though - this book has fantastic depth but little breadth, if you will be in Spain for a long time it may be well worth getting the Lonely Planet guide too (and, of course, you should also ask for advice from hotel staff and other locals you meet, especially if you are attending a festival).
However, this book is a little lighter than usual on the kid-gloves regarding how to use city public transport and long distance ground transport, so you may have to do some supplementary research (which is easy since we can Google on the go now) - or just note that in Spain city public transport generally does not require tap-off, long distance trains require plenty of boarding time because of security, and long distance busses do too because they are very confusing! Also, you should buy all of your long (and even long-ish, like the Madrid-Toledo AVE train) distance transport tickets in advance online, buying at the station is a nightmare!
Steves was once known as a budget travel advocate, but the style of travel promoted in this book is very much mid-range - a budget traveller will spend only 50-70% of the amount that Steves suggests budgeting (even though there has been further inflation since the publication date).
Initial review:
This book is similar to all of Steves' other guidebooks (there's a huge amount of detail - including about what attractions need to be pre-booked, something Lonely Planet lacks - but little breadth) so, TLDR, get this if you enjoy Steves' guidebooks in general - I do, but some people don't because he's very heavy on the kid-gloves, sends everyone to the same places, omits topics he's not interested in (like fine dining and contemporary art), and omits or only very lightly covers destinations he's not interested in (be sure to read the 'what's included' description before buying if you have particular destinations in mind).
This review is for the Kindle edition, the formatting for Kindle is excellent (unlike the Kindle edition of Lonely Planet Spain, which is a mess) but this book doesn't take full advantage of the potential of e-books - there aren't many links, and many of the links that are there don't work! It's expensive though, unlike Lonely Planet Spain which is free with Kindle Unlimited.
January 10, 2024
I feel like I’ve done a decent amount of traveling over my middle aged life. For Europe my go-to is always Rick Steve’s’ guidebooks and this updated version for Spain did not disappoint. He and his contributors sum up history in concise, interesting and sometimes humorous ways to make someone not at all into history - into history and even art. The self guided walks are fabulous to get oriented. I’d say the food/hotel recs need work but I mostly use Google and TripAdvisor. Best guidebook series there is. Wish he’d expand worldwide 😆😆😆
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews