I'm curious what guidebook for Spain has been the most helpful for people. I'm a little overwhelmed by the selection.

Kindly advise!

Rough Guide every time. Lonely Planet just isn't as good, while the Insights are great for the pictures.

I agree that "Rough Guide" is great. I also enjoyed "Spain for Dummies." It has a lot of cultural type suggestions, maps, and info on major cities. The only downside is that in the lodging section, it focuses on hotels (as opposed to places like hostals). Otherwise, it has some great tips and information.

I also agree that rough Guide is the best. the wealth of info is astounding. They also avoid the astonishingly ethnocentric (I mean, Brittishcentric) comments of the Cadogan Guide.
Others: I've used Fodor's on previous trips but wished that instead of pretty pictures they had more data; their suggested rural drives are great, though. But my vote goes to Rough Guide.

I'm embarrased to say :o but I tend to buy probably too many books because I love planning trips.

I have the Rough Guide (great detailed information), Cardogan for Northern Spain, Fodors (I love their walking itineraries in larger towns), Frommers, Insight, and Rick Steve's (good recommendations/insights but limited areas - only hits the "top" spots).

By reading several books I've found information that was not in any book but one. For example, on my recent trip to Galicia only the Cardogan guide mentioned the festival of San Telmo in Tuy that was going to coincide with my time there. With the help of fellow posters on this board, I was able to confirm the book was correct and the processional at this festival was one of the highlights of my trip. We would have never known about this festival, even after we had arrived, without this one book.

I usually don't bring the entire book with me. Before I leave I tear up each book by city/region and only have to carry around the area I'm visiting each day. When I get home I use the books to label the pics for my scrapbook.

Re-reading this before I post, I realize I am a "planaholic". Maybe I need a vacation.

CathyM, I too bought and took the Cardogan Northern Spain guidebook thinking since it focused on Northern Spain that it would be more detailed. Well...... Hmph.. about a day into our trip through Galicia and wondering about all the small towns and finding stories on our own, we both agreed that it wasn't a good guide book at all, very little detail, little history if any, and not-so-good directions either. We were disappointed in the book. Still, our time in Galicia was GREAT!

We usually use The Rough Guide books (as we did for our Perú and San Francisco trips) and find them excellently detailed. Thumbs UP, Rough Guide!

Saludos, MadridMan

The "Insight Guide Northern Spain" was great. Lots of detail and some neat little "tips" in the margins with everything from historical notes to local "delicacies" and some beautifully inspirational photos.
Cathy, I'm like you.I absolutely love reading as much as possible and having a good basic plan. If anything it allows for more spontineity once there as you're not going in circles trying to see the big stuff and missing out on those treasures in between.Planning is my "daily" vacation.

Rough Guide hands down! However, they have not yet published one for Northern Spain - including obviously Galicia. There is a Rough Guide For the Pyrannes (sp???) and Barcelona.
One of the best aspects of RG is that they are really pretty current w/ changes, etc.

Thanks! Very helpful information, folks. Any feedback on the Let's Go Spain book?

I use Rick Steves for hotels and restaurants and Let's Go for nightlife (& restaurants). As a 31 year old I'm a little young for Rick and a little old for Let's Go (college, backpacking crowd) so combined I get the info I need. You are right about Rick only including the towns he likes. But on my trip to Madrid, Seville and Toledo he was right on every time.

Count me as another planaholic! I wish there was a website like this one for Greece, which I'm obsessively planning now. But reading recent posts about Galicia (and the one about northern mountains) makes me think THAT might be my next trip!