I spent countless hours in the bookstore preparing for my first trip to Europe (Italy). I bought books from several sources. I received an Eyewitness Travel Guide for Florence as a gift and I have been hooked since. Now they are the only book I buy for planning my itenerary. Recently I began planning a vacation to Spain. The book on Spain is formatted with the same pictorials, graphic, and short summaries that I have come to enjoy. The book covers all regions of Spain, each with a dedicated chapter. The introduction gives you a history of the country, weather,and background information on art, architecture, food, sports and seasonal activities. The chapters by region start with a map of key points of interests and are followed by descriptions of each site including hours, location, contact info, and accessibility. For major attractions 3-d views and points of interest are noted. The book contains photos of many attractions and floor plans or cutaway views of key architectural sights. The back of the book has a hotel and restaurant guide. In the past, I have found the maps to be good for location reference but not navigation. You will need to buy a map. The hotel information does not provide adequate descriptions or any photos, so you may want to purchase a companion book for accomodations reference.