Rick Steves' Spain 2005: More Feedback
If you've traveled with this guidebook, please help us improve it for future travelers. How can it be more helpful and accurate? Did any recommended hotels, eateries, or sights disappoint you? Do you have any new experiences or new places we should consider? Any warnings or tips for people traveling with existing edition?
TANGIER
A TRIP TO MORROCCO IS A MUST IF YOU ARE IN SOUTHERN SPAIN. OUR AMERICAN PERCEPTION OF THIS PART OF THE WORLD IS SO OUT OF FOCUS! IF YOU ARE GOING TO TANGIER, I FEEL IT IS A MUST TO USE A PRIVATE GUIDE. YOU WILL MAXIMIZE YOUR TIME AND MINIMIZE YOUR HASSLES. LARGE GROUPS ARE TARGETS FOR STREET HUSTLERS AND PROVIDE LIMITED SITES AND EXPERIENCE, AND DOING IT ON YOUR OWN COULD BE PRETTY DICEY.
WE USED AZIZ (REFER TO RICK'S BOOK)AND I FEEL WE COULD NOT HAVE HAD A BETTER GUIDE. FROM THE EASE OF COMMUNICATING , TO GETTING THE BOAT TICKETS, ETC. IT IS WELL WORTH THE 35E TOUR FEE.ALSO, AZIZ IS A VERY NICE PERSON. YOU JUST HAVE TO REALIZE YOU WILL BE DIRECTED TO SELECTED VENDORS IN THE HOPES YOU WILL BUY THINGS. THIS IS A COUNTRY OF EVERYONE SHARING IN THE SALE AND HOW EVERYONE SURVIVES.
ALL IN ALL, THIS WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE PART OF OUR TRIP. DURING YOUR BOAT RIDE, YOU NEED TO CLEAR MORROCCOAN CUSTOMS ON THE BOAT. ONCE YOU DOCK, THE CUSTOMS OFFICER DISAPPEARS FOR AN HOUR OR SO AND YOU HAVE TO WAIT.THERE IS A CUSTOMS WINDOW OPEN AT VARIOUS TIMES DURING THE TRIP.
JIM <email>
DALLAS, TX USA Thu 05/26/2005
recent trip to spain
Rick was very accurate in many of his comments about spain. Traveling on the main autoroute is the easiest and fast way to travel from city to city. Used his hotel recommendation in Seville, the Casas de la Juderia was found it was fantastic - very beautiful and picturesque in the middle of the city. Very hard to drive to and needed to know to park in the underground because the city streets was impossible. Needed to know that the parking situation in all of the cities was very difficult; same for the small towns. Sometimes it was easier to just drive and look because there were no available places to park. Cordoba was a short visit and Rick was right about that too. We stayed in the paradores and enjoyed them all but booking them through Marketing Research is the only way to get exactly the room you want. We didn't know this and booked through a different agency and were disappointed with our room in Arcos. The parador in Toledo is under renovation and hopefully the terrace will be finished soon. Taking a taxi into town is the only way to enjoy it. Not in Rick's book but a great find was the Madrid hotel the Gran Canarias; Great location across from the Prado and Thyssien and wonderful accomodations. Packed light and watched out for the gypsy women and thought Rick's book was right on target for many of his comments on the beautiful museums, cathedrals, etc.
cmerrill <email>
bay shore, ny USA Mon 05/23/2005
Hotel Europa in Madrid
We have lived and traveled extensively in Europe over the past 30 years but new worlds have opened since we discovered Rick's wonderful guidebooks! Just spent a couple of nights at the Hotel Europa, Puerta del Sol, in the very heart of Madrid. Triple room/bath were quite large, immaculately clean, quiet! And, reasonable! The cafe was terrific. Thanks for the tip, Rick!
Cindy <email>
Beavercreek, OH USA Tue 05/17/2005
Madrid - Metro from the Airport
If you're thinking of saving some money by taking the Metro from Barrajas to the station closest to your hotel/hostal, think twice. If you get out at Nuevos Ministerios station it is great. You don't have to switch lines and there is a lift to street level. You will be on Castellana and be able to catch a bus that will take you reasonably close to Sol, across the street from the Prado, and on a few blocks to Atocha. With a bus you only have to go up one step with your luggage. This is also a decent place to catch a taxi.
Taking the metro all the way to your final destination will be a true ordeal for those with luggage. You may have to change lines 2 or 3 times and at those changes it is very unlikely that there will be a lift. There may be an escalator which may or may not be working, but it is most likely that you will be carrying your luggage up and down and up and down lots and lots and lots of stairs. As is this was not bad enough, the older lines (the ones taking you to where you are likely to be staying) are poorly ventilated. I arrived in early April on a day cool enough to be wearing a fleece-lined jacket. By the time I got into Line 1 (light blue line) it was hot enough to be dressed for the beach. When I reached my stop I had to drag my luggage up yet another tall flight of stairs, and dripping with sweat walk another three blocks in the cold rain.
Don't be cheap about this transfer. It just isn't worth it. A cab from Nuevos Ministerios to the Centro area is not likely to be more than 10 Euro, and if you are staying near Castellana or Paseo del Prado, the bus comes about evey 5 minutes and will only cost you one additional Euro over your Metro fare. It will be the best money you ever spend.
David Kohn <email>
Tucson, AZ USA Fri 04/29/2005
Madrid and Granada
MADRID: Always a wonderful city. The palace and churches are great. The Prado is always enjoyable. Toldeo is a photographer's dream but the Alcazar is closed until 2009. El Rastro is REAL intense and big so be prepared. The metro and taxis were effective and cheap.
LODGING: Hotel Plaza Mayor is great with the perfect location. Used aerocity for airport pickup and dropoff and they are very reliable. However, when making a reservation online, they do not send a receipt..but they till had the reservation for us.
GRANADA - The Alhambra is one of the world's greatest palaces. Wandering through it at night is amazing and we loved the gardens and the architecture.
LODGING - Hotel America is steps from the gardens and the palace but a ways away from the city or restaurants. The parador next door has good food but is pricey. The only drawback to Hotel America is the overpriced and lame breakfast.
Marc <email>
Greenwich, CT USA Thu 04/28/2005
Madrid and fútbol
When I read the Spain guidebook, I had a feeling that Madrid was being given short shrift as a city. Rick writes about the city of Barcelona, and about the museums of Madrid. When I got there, it confirmed my suspicions. Follow Rick's advice on restaurants (especially the tapas crawl near Puerta del Sol), but pick up the Guia del Ocio, the weekly events magazine. With a small Spanish dictionary, you can find the day-to-day cultural events that Madrileños live for, from theater to music. And don't forget to check out Plaza Mayor just after dark, where the acrobats sometimes put on an impromptu performance.
Rick also isn't a football fan, but many of us are, and a little bit of advice on how to purchase tickets would help save some time. In Barcelona, I bought tickets from a ServiCaixa machine in a bank lobby on Plaza Catalunya. Not all machines can do this: look for the word "entradas" (tickets) on the sign above the machine. When it asks if you're a "socio" (member), say no. Also, if you're using a credit card, you still need a PIN - something that surprised me, and forced me to buy the tickets out of my bank account. It was well worth it, though. If you want to see a match on a budget, it's worth checking the schedules and picking a game against a lowly opponent. You'll get better seats for less money. It won't be Barça vs. Real Madrid, but you'll still be in one of the world's greatest soccer temples. I went for Barcelona's game vs. Real Betis, a second-tier club, and paid 82 euros a seat to be 18 yards from the corner flag.
James <email>
Mount Vernon, WA USA Mon 04/25/2005
Madrid
Loved Madrid! Stayed there twice during our trip, I wasn't prepared to as I generally don't like big cities, but Madrid was great. To the Night train from Barcelona to Chamartin Station, and then cabbed to the hotel. We didn't want to do the metro at rush hour with our packs. Stayed at the hostal Tijical just off Plaza Mayor. Rick has recommended them before in previous books. They have older rooms and renovated rooms. The older rooms were a bit musty, so I asked for a change and they put us in one of the new rooms, very nice. They also booked a renovated room for us for the two nights before flying home. Couldn't be a more helpful staff. They were most obliging. Tiny lift, smallish rooms but reasonable rate and the location was perfect.
Museum of ham has several locations and is fun for lunch or dinner. We walked and metroed throughly enjoyed the prado, and wandered from antocha train station back up to plaza mayor, got a bit lost, but that is the fun of it. We did retiro park and went out to the archelology museum looking for the reproduction of the cave paintings. Wandered all thru the (yawn) museum (and I like old stuff!) Only to find the "caves" are outside in the front garden of the museum. They really weren't very thrilling, wouldn't go out of my way to see them again. Loved Madrid in the evening,and we were so fortunate to see three Holy Week Processions on the Thursday before Good Friday. Two we saw go thru the Plaza Mayor, with what seemed to be thousands of people. The other was at 1:30 in the morning and went through the Plaza and right underneath our balcony window. It was magical with a band playing and penitants carrying the float, the music echoing off the buildings... what a way to spend our last night in Spain.
Janey <email>
Saanichton, B.C. Canada Wed 04/13/2005
Barcelona
Flew into Barcelona Feb 26th, it was freezing cold, first thing we had to do was dig out our jackets. Picked up the airporter bus to Placa Cataluna with no problem, Stayed at the Hostal Opera. Tiny, clean rooms with a lift, Rick said the street was borderline seedy but we did not notice any problems. Good dinner at quinze nits restaurant, line up early, this place gets packed. Best breakfast of the trip at the counter at the back of the Bouqeteria, (spelling sorry I left the book in europe!) market, we were at the counter with locals and the eggs with the parsley, olive oil & garlic drizzle were wonderful., watching the snow fall. It's a great city did tons of walking, saw lots of Gaudi and parks. The funicular is closed up to the top of the castle on Montjuic but you can easily take the city bus which runs every 15 min. or so. We spent two nights and 3 days and took the night train to Madrid. Could have maybe spent a bit longer. Found it a bit more expensive than the rest of the trip but it takes a few days to get into the swing of travelling and doing the markets, and picnics etc.
Janey <email>
Saanichton,, B.C. Canada Wed 04/13/2005
Spain and Portugal 2005 guide books
30 days in Spain and Portugal using Ricks 2005 books, great recommendations, very few duds. Rick has a relaxed attitude to travel that suits us well. We ran into very few problems and enjoyed ourselves immensely. General Route was into Barcelona, and out of Madrid. Travelled by bus and train, we did not bother with train passes, and I'm not sure they would have saved us very much money as we would have had to pay suppliments for the night trains in any case.
Janey <email>
Saanichton, B.C. Canada Wed 04/13/2005
Excellent Guide!
We travelled with friends in Spain two years ago, and brought Rick's book as well as a Frommer's guide. Halfway through the trip, we ripped up the Frommer's and all four of us took turns jumping on it. Their idea of what's affordable was very different from ours, whereas Rick's is just our speed.
We stayed in the parador in Toledo, Spain, as a treat. It was completely worth it! Lovely, insanely gorgeous views, comfortable and the food was delicious! We ate at the paradors in Grenada and Cordova, we were so impressed.
Rick's walkthroughs of historical buildings like the Alhambra (sp?), cathedrals and museums were excellent, and meant we could be our own tour guides and go at our own pace.
One of the best pieces of advice was the car insurance we purchased for our rental; we called it our Lo Siento Insurance . The guide assured us that with this insurance, we could return the car to the agency a smouldering, battered heap, and pay no penalty. Sure enough, despite our best efforts, my friend put a long, deep gouge in the side of our shiny new Peugeot backing out of the strange parking-garage-elevator at our hotel in Nerja -- we were able to return the car with no difficulty whatsoever.
Jackie
Vancouver, BC Canada Wed 04/13/2005
tarifa hotels stay requirements
We have contacted La Sacristia and Mirada hotels in Tarifa for the early part of May. They are requiring 4 day stay minimums and apparently the bookings are heavy.Not a criticism, a heads-up.
Rick Avansino <email>
Sebastopol, CA USA Thu 04/07/2005
Madrid plus daytrips
We recently returned from Madrid and used Rick's Spain and Portugal 2004 extensively while there. We did two day trips, Toledo and El Escorial. We found the directions for getting to and from both places via bus and train very useful. We used the book for our tour of the Catedral in Toledo. In fact while in the Catedral we ran into someone else reading the book as well. The descriptions for El Escorial were good though they have changed the tour a bit from what the book includes. Before going I printed out the art tour for the Prado from the website and we found it interesting and helpful, though a special Durero exhibit meant things were juggled around. Some of the prices have increased gambas at La Casa Del Abuelo on C/Victoria now 5,8E but others were very close in price.
The Hostal Gonzalo lived up to Rick's comments. It is a great location for the art museums and interesting restaurants and great choices near by. We found the maps not as useful as we would have liked--it seemed as though the scale or something about them being hand drawn threw us--We found the maps in our Footprints book to be the best of any we used, plus the book is pocket size.The book was very useful and we carried it with us nearly every day.
Terri <email>
Madison, WI USA Tue 04/05/2005
Day trip to Tangier
I thought the trip over to Tangier was one of the few travel mistakes we've made,dudes our people are crazy.the mistake was taking a large tour group. we should have taken a small private one. actually the only one I can think of besides taking the overnight bus from London to Paris, but my husbandreally wanted to go. they insisted we stay in a group,we stopped at all the obligatory photo op stops(picture with a camel, picture with a snake charmer),had lunch, went to a prearranged sales pitch and then went back to Spain.
I'm afraid I don't have the name of the tour group we used but my recommendation to you after thisexperience is that there are a few Registered Private Guides and do Excellent Day trip City-tours includingcaves of Hercules,Cap-spartel,Casbah's,Medina and Souks suchas:(tangier_info@yahoo.com)and(tangiertour@yahoo.co.uk)thatyou could do before heading over to Tangier. you'll for sure enjoyed it, I've heard that it is a typicallyNice border town But doing it with a Commercial tour Group is definitely not a good introduction to Morocco.talk to one of the Private city-tours. they are a Tourism members living in Tangier's and are Generally excellent & will keep you away from the hasslers and beggars. they will make your trip enjoyable.with a Private city Tour as Mentioned Tangier's for My friends was recently one of the most memorable parts of their entire European tour.actually, tangier was the first time they had ever bought a Local guide, and they were so glad they did, i swore to always get one in "shady" countries.you cant see ANYTHING like tangier in Europe. you justcant.
Laura P.Gilman <email>
Santa Barbara, CA USA Sun 04/03/2005
May 1st in Madrid
We'll be in Madrid for 4 days (April 30 - May 3). Looks like all major sites (Prado, Reina Sofia, Thyssen, Royal Palace, El Escorial) are closed Sunday, May 1st, and most also closed Monday. Any suggestions what to do on those days in Madrid and vicinity?
Julia <email>
CA USA Tue 03/29/2005
Ronda, Spain
I would like to recommend you include the Relax Cafe in Ronda at Los Remedios,27 (www.relaxcafebar.com) in your next update. It's a great little vegetarian cafe with fresh juices, salads, hot soup, a bake of the day and more. I loved the fresh fruit, yougurt and honey at the end of the day. They also offter massage and aromatherapy, but we didn't take advantage of that. The owner, Jose, speaks English well enough that we were able to communicate.
We stayed at the San Francisco Hotel. It cost a bit more than the RS book said, but that may have been because of Holy Week. No view, but great location and really quiet and clean.
Pam Cremer <email>
Overland Park, KS USA Sun 03/27/2005
Madrid, Seville, Arcos
Just got back from a week in Spain and used the RS bible:Madrid-Plaza Mayor Hotel, great; restaurants-Artemesia, excellent (2 locations), found a new one-Italian, off the Grand Via- da Nicola, Calle Orense 4, 91 555 76 37, good pizza and a no smoking section
Seville-splurged on Hotel Las Casas de la Juderia, pricey but fabulous, we were limited in our choices due to Holy Week, Restaurante San Marco in the Santa Cruz area, another great Italian place, good salads
Arcos-El Convento, wonderful everything, service, location, prices, breakfasts, definitely stay there if you can get a room; we were not as thrilled with the El Convento restaurant since we had some vegetarians in the group, good ambiance, service, and food is good if you like meat
Stopped at the Galeria de Arte San Pedro near St. Peters in Arcos and they tried to short change my daughter, she caught it and they gave her the correct change. This happened several times, also got charged for items we didn't order or receive in restaurants, in Madrid so count your change and use caution with the 1 and 2 Euros, Americans aren't used to these and I think they try to catch us...disappointing and in sharp contrast with the generally very pleasant and welcoming Spanish people.
CZM <email>
USA Sun 03/27/2005
Giralda Tower in Seville
Hello!
I just got back from 10 fabulous days in Spain and I used Rick Steve's tour book the whole time, it was great! Just wanted to post a heads-up that, according to the newspaper Metro in Sevilla, there will be construction work on the Giralda Tower in Sevilla between April 25 and the first of July. The newspaper says there will be a big crane and a work platform around the tower as workers take down the weather vane, which is a copy, and replace it with the repaired original. So it might not be the best time to try to see La Giralda and the cathedral, although, of course the rest of the city is fairy-tale gorgeous. I recommend Rick Steve's walking tour - you'll see the major beauty spots and won't get lost in the lovely, winding, narrow streets. Listen for guitar music and take note of the plaque commemorating Washington Irving. Yikes! I want to go back right now...
Jennifer <email>
Eugene, OR USA Fri 03/25/2005
Hostal Acapulco Great Place to Stay in Madrid
Hostal Acapulco on Salud 13, 915-311-945, http://www.hostalacapulco.com/I stayed here for eight nights, February 26 - March 6 2005 and it will be my only choice when I return to Madrid. Do not be put off that is located on the fourth floor. There is an elevator. Because it is located on the fourth floor, it's very quite during the night. My large single room had large firm bed with my own heater/air condition, a full bathroom with bathtub. No hairdryer, but I you can ask for one at the front desks. At the front desk, they have a computer with fast DSL Internet access for their hotel guests to use for free. This is a great idea to check the weather or send someone an email. The hotel is a five-minute walk from Puerta del Sol and the train station Sol. You are located in the heart of Madrid and everything that is a must see in Madrid is in easy walking distance to the hotel.Since the hotel does not serve breakfast, each morning I went to Armenia, for orange juice, fresh croissant and coffee. The cafeteria/restaurant is two blocks away on Calle del Carmen right after the church. I highly recommend the place for the quality of food and service I received.Now why do I come back to Hostal Acapulco? Because the staff was extremely friendly, helping me with my trips to Toledo, Salamanca, El Escorial and other places around Madrid. The hotel owner pulled out a map of Madrid and showed me all the places I should visit and the areas I should avoid. For my 39 euros a night I had a great friendly hotel, very comfortable room, quiet at night, in the heart of Madrid and is close by plenty of places to eat and shop. Everything that important to me in a hotel was found at Hostal Acapulco.Bill
Bill
New York City, NY USA Sun 03/20/2005
Stephen Drake Jones
If you are in Madrid you have to take the tours given by Mr. Stephen Drake Jones (In Rick's guidebook) and become a member of the Wellington Society. My brother and I were the only ones on his tour back in January of 2000 (who visits Spain in the dead of winter) and thus we became the 1st members of the Wellington Society of the 21st century! See our photo at: http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=6593073&uid=159379
Sam Antonio <email>
San Diego, CA USA Fri 02/25/2005
Cafe con leche!
I have been to Spain three times and have loved it each and everytime. Right along with me has always been Rick Steves' guidebooks. If anyone is planning to go to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls visit my website at: www.picturetrail.com/bircher. I know that Rick now has information on Pamplona and San Sebastian, but when I went he didn't have any. Happy travels!
Sam Antonio <email>
San Diego, CA USA Fri 02/25/2005
barcelona changes
Got back from Barcelona and here are some items to know different from the book.
Prices have increased. Most have only gone up 20-50 Euro cents, but one place was up 2EU from what book had.
The cable car from the top of the inclin to the castle (Teleférico de Montjuïc) is being replaced and is closed until Q1 2006. This means that once you come up from the incline, from the cablecars from the docks, or the tourism bus you will need to walk or take a taxi. The walk is NOT is not that enjoyable. The castle does have one of the best views of the city around.So if you are coming up and the incline is full go right for the taxi or wait(5 min round trip for taxi; 3km away).
During my ramba walk I took the metro to the paral.el metro stop then the incline(same ticket) then I took the taxi up to the castle and then walked down through some gardens to the stadium and the arts museum. From the museum you go down past the fountains to the metro and back to the docks.
will dieterich <email>
co, co USA Mon 01/31/2005
PARADOR IN SPAIN
RONDA, SPAIN. This was a fun White Hill Town and the PARADOR was one of our 'splurge' hotels. Our spacious room had two balconies, one overlooking the mountains and valley, the other overlooking the famous bridge. We actually paid more a few times, in other towns, for far-less attractive lodging than we paid at the Parador. Their buffet breakfast is great and quite extensive. Easy parking in the basement. And a prime central location for sightseeing. Would stay here again absolutely.
Lloyd <email>
Sedalia, Mo USA Wed 01/26/2005
SALAMANCA SPAIN
SALAMANCA SPAIN. We are really glad we took Rick's recommendation to visit this fun city. Loved it. The HOTEL DON JUAN was great with a fine location near Plaza Mayor. They parked and returned our car for a very reasonable fee. Try the Hot Chocolate at Cafe Novelty on Plaza Mayor (we liked it better than pricy Angelinas in Paris). Don't miss the evening stroll along Zamora, north of the Plaza. We thought the ART NOUVEAU Museum was great and underrated. By the way, the TI is on SE corner of Plaza, not SW side as shown on book's city map.
Lloyd <email>
Sedalia, Mo USA Wed 01/26/2005
Barcelona Architecture
If you are going to Barcelona for the Gaudi buildings, call ahead to check if they are open. All three sights my husband and I visited were either closed for renovation or closing sometime this year.
Rachel <email>
Kaiserslautern, Germany Wed 01/26/2005
NYE in Barcelona!
We had a great few days in Barcelona at the end of the year including the traditional eating of 12 grapes at midnight on New Year's Eve. We had a great time hitting the Ramblas late night and bringing in the New Year with what seemed like the entire city.
A real highlight for us was the tour of Gaudi's Casa Batllo (43 Passeig de Gràcia). The roof alone was worth the price of admission.
We highly recommend the excursion out of town to visit the monastery at Montserrat. This is about an hour by train from Barcelona and was a great and scenic side note to the hustle of the city.
We are happy to second Jorge's recommendation for Hotel Continental Palacete. This hotel is a few blocks from the top of the Ramblas. The 24 hour buffet is indeed a sight to behold. There is a huge fridge completely stocked with a wide variety of water, soft dinks, juice and beer free for the taking. The buffet had a full stock of fruit (three types of Kiwi fruit!), chocolate, snacks and coffee. Absolute incredible! There are also two Internet stations to use at any time as well.
We look forward to exploring more of Spain soon. Best wishes to everyone for a great 2005.
Ned Fletcher <email>
Atlanta, GA USA Sat 01/15/2005
Barcelona
My wife and I spent a week in Barcelona in December 2004. We stayed at the Hotel Continental Palacete and it was great! It's very central, and just like the book says the staff is friendly and helpful. The 24-hour buffett is a big plus! But, please be advised that the American Express office on 101 Passeig de Gracia has been closed for two years.
Jorge Padro <email>
Tampa, FL USA Mon 01/03/2005