We are leaving TOMORROW for Spain and I have loaded up on travel guides. I can't bring them all with me, but I know I'll need the one I don't bring. Anyone have any they thought was the most helpful? We will be arriving and leaving from madrid and going north, clockwise.

Fodors included ;-)

Cadogan Northern Spain.

Can't speak to specific guides, but I always take the guidebook that has the most recent publication date.

Also, my sister has been known to take a razor blade to a guidebook and only take the sections she needs. I can't do this to a book, but if you don't mind, it's an easy way to save weight and space.

Print out the relevant sections from:
www.maribelsguides.com
We used it extensively for recommendations.

Photocopy most relevant material and take personal notes. You could also e-mail yourself the material you gathered from various sources if you've been keeping a file.

Most important, have a great trip!

Download the free Maribel's guides. Very hepful!
http://maribelsguides.com

Well I adore Maribel and her guides but they do not cover the breath of Northern Spain as far as I can see..so it depends on which areas you plan to visit...

I took cut up chunks of Lonely Planet.

Cadagon is very good

Penelope Casas is excellent on food.

Fodor's/Frommer's good on restaurants and hotels, small town are non-existent

Loney Planet/Rough Guide poor on hotels and restaurants, very good on history and culture and small towns

Rick Steve's-irrelevant

Eyewtiness- pretty but not very helpful

Wow..how could I forget Penelope's "Discovering Spain." Excellent resource!

I prefer Rough Guides for hotel locations and prices. I photocopy the pages I might want and then shrink them down.

This is really a personal decision, and I think you have to decide for yourself by looking at them for the areas you plan to be and comparing the info.

I tried several for Spain, and preferred the Fodors guide, actually (and I'm not just saying that). At least for Seville and Madrid, which were the main cities where I was going.

When you get to Vigo (Pontevedra, Galicia), stop at the Renfe Station. You can buy some great travel guides for that region there.
In Santander (Cantabria) there's a Tourist Office on the Malecon about 100m west of where the Plymouth-Santander Ferry docks. They have much free literature.

The same goes for Bilbao (Vizcaya) and San Sebastian (Guipuzcoa): lots of free stuff at the Tourist Offices.

For Barcelona and the Costa Brava I use Baedeker's Guides. They have everything!

Sorry, I omitted Lugo and Principality of Asturias. Other than the Picos de Europa, I'm not familiar with those places.

If you are coming to Galicia..and that is not quite clear... then download some guides in PDF from the Turgalicia web site. They are quite good and will give you some ideas on what to see. they do however list all places to sleep.

Cadogan Northen Spain covers Asturias, Galicia, Cantabria, etc...