Art and architecture lovers, ecotourists, history buffs, gourmands, wine aficionados, culture scholars, outdoor sports fanatics—Spain truly has something for everyone. Its good weather and many varied attractions make it ideal for year-round vacationing. Spain is the home of diverse cultures and traditions.

From the stoic independence of the Basques to the progressive architecture and design of the Catalans and the sultry rhythms and sun-drenched siestas of the Andalusians, you’ll discover an intriguing, welcoming country. This guide gets you going with info on:

The three major areas: Northern Spain, including Barcelona, the Costa Brava, and the Basque Country; Central Spain, including Madrid and Castile, and Southern Spain, including Andalusia, Seville, Cordoba, and Granada

How to get the best seats at a bullfight

Strolling Barcelona’s La Rambia, a vibrant street parade, or tripping along on a tavern and tapas crawl

Racing with beasts at the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona or leisurely strolling the crooked streets in a lively old district such as Cordoba’s Juderia, Salamanca’s old quarter, Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, Granada’s Albaycin District, and more

Exploring some of the finest art museums in Europe and seeing masterpieces by El Greco, Goya, Picasso, Miro, Dali, Chillida, Titian, Raphael, Botticelli, Rubens, and more

Dining on Catalan haute cuisine in Barcelona, traditional Basque dishes in Bilbao, nueva cocina vasca in SanSebastian, truffles and foie gras in Madrid, regional and traditional French dishes in Cordoba, or tantalizing tapas anywhere

Architecture dating back to the Romans and Moors, including Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, Segovia’s Roman Aqueduct, Avila’s city walls, and Granada’s Alhambra, a place of magic, mystery, and legend

Staying in an opulent easly-20th-century palace, a 16^th century convent, a farmhouse estate dating to the tenth century, an intimate inn, or roughing it and backpacking around Spain

Meandering through Andalusia’s pueblos blancos amid the rolling hills and olive groves and near the famous sherry wineries and prancing horses in Jerez and the southern beaches of the Costa de la Lux and Costa del Sol

Like every For Dummies travel guide, Spain For Dummies, 4th Edition includes:

Down-to-earth trip-planning advice

What you shouldn’t miss — and what you can skip

The best hotels and restaurants for every budget

Handy Post-it Flags to mark your favorite pages

Whether you enjoy fiestas or siestas, vibrant cities or laid-back seacoasts, with this guide, you can plan a fantástico vacation.

'A lively and engaging study.' - George Esenwein, University of Florida, USA 'One of the most readable narrative accounts of the Spanish Second Republic, and its decline into civil war, currently available.' - Michael Richards, University of the West of England, UK 'Romero Salvado has produced an up-to-date analytical account, told chronologically, in order to guide the reader towards a clearer understanding of complex historical events...a clear, concise and highly readable account of the Civil War that is bound to be of value to students and general readers alike.' - The British Bulletin of Publications on Latin America, the Caribbean, Portugal and Spain 'For all its clarity, conciseness, the breadth of its sources (including some primary ones) and the author's clear command of these, The Spanish Civil War is highly recommendable to readers of all levels of familiaritiy with the Spanish conflict.' - Gerald Blaney, Jr., Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade 'The Spanish Civil War demonstrates the qualities that are the hallmarks of a good general history. It packs a welter of precise detail, densely presented, into a narrative in which the authorial voice is strong but never simply tracks the inevitable.' - Judith Keene, Journal of Contemporary History 'The author shows a total mastery of the subject!.the outcome is an engaging, serious, alluring and, above all, necessary work.' - Miguel ngel del Arco Blanco, Historia Contemporanea 'a very competent synthetic account that is soundly based on recent historiography.' - Mary Vincent, H-Soz-u-Kult