Rick Steves Snapshot Madrid & Toledo Paperback – October 20, 2015

Rick Steves is an awesome resource for anyone who doesn't know where to start. I purchased this book for an impromptu trip to Madrid and Toldeo and could not be more grateful for having a guide to help start my planning. That said, I advise anyone who purchases this book to steer away from using it as your only travel resource.Here's what you should be wary of:- The food recommendations are not as accurate as I'd hoped. Instead of relying on this book, I'd advise searching through TripAdvisor or a similar site to read traveler reviews. Several of Steves' highlighted restaurants were rated 3 stars by people on TripAdvisor and Yelp, which is a shame when there are so many incredible places to eat in Madrid and Toledo.- Rick Steves doesn't like walking. It's so apparent that it's actually a running joke among many of my friends. If anything takes longer than 5-10 minutes to walk, he'll recommend taking a bus or a cab. Keep this in mind when using his book as a planning guide because he makes the distance seem a little more dramatic than it is in reality.- Single triangle attractions are still worth your time. Steves uses a rating system of triangles (instead of stars) to indicate which attractions deserve visits. This book in particular only has a few attractions with high ratings, which can easily make you assume there aren't great things to see in Madrid and Toledo. Don't let the triangles fool you! My boyfriend and I had a great time at the locations with 0-1 triangles.Overall, this book was well worth the money. The maps, insights, and attraction recommendations were all excellent resources as we struggled through our last minute planning. Having the physical book around while you're traveling is also wonderful, because you never know when you're going to be away from wifi. I highly recommend purchasing this book, so long as it's not your sole planning resource. :)

Reading this book just a few days in advance of my visit to these two cities made the experience more enjoyable, educational, and less stressful. I especially like his humorous one-liners tucked away in the museum and walking tours. The only drawback to using this book in public is that it marked me as an American tourist. Still, I'm a fan of Rick Steves and won't travel without his valued advice.

Excellent travel guide. My only complaint is that the type is very small, which makes it a little harder to use “on the fly,” so to speak.

This was great. I had a business trip in Madrid, with only a couple of days where I could do any sightseeing. Rick led me right to the best sights (I'm an art fan) and the best pieces in the art museum, plus he gave me great hints for an evening of tapas munching and another evening of flamenco! I will buy Rick Steves' guides again and again!

Good for Rick Steves style of writing and coverage of an area but a little dated and not as good as other writings, like his Barcelona Pocket Book. All black and white and no area map which saves money in production, but not as much fun or useful to use. Maps vary in quality, especially identifying landmarks and orientation. Steves needs to update this guide since these are amazing cities.

Rick Steve's travel guides are the best guide books ever. We've been to Europe several times and wouldn't go to Madrid without this one. Rick's books give great advice on the best sights and his maps are easy to read. We can plan our time, pick good restaurants and avoid pitfalls.

Nice size to travel in your day pack or purse. It's Rick Steves.

My great niece was tickled to have this guied book in advance of her studies in Madrid. Rick Steeves is our defacto information source for European travel.

American written guide but one of the best guide books I think I've had. Really useful tips (the info on pre-booking the fast train between Madrid and Toledo being a complete life saver!). I have already said I would buy another of his guides - informative, light hearted and easy to read.

useful for seeing Toledo, as very few books focus on here.Also used it as a very good guide for a visit to the Prado in Madrid

An excellent easy to read and easy to follow guide with lots of very useful, interesting and upto date information. Relied on it heavily in both Madrid and Toledo and couldn't fault it in any way. I would definitely buy a Rick Steves guide again.

Generally good with some nice personal touches but lacks some specific directions. Very good combining Madrid and Toledo guides

OK book.