Vis-à-Vis Madrid

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive, engrossing, and just plain fun-to-read guidebook than the Eyewitness Travel Guide: Madrid. Known for their eye-catching design, the Eyewitness city guides are practically spilling over with all sorts of useful information, and the Madrid version is no different. You'll find three-dimensional drawings, floor plans, and detailed neighborhood maps, as well as timelines and charts. There's even a map of the Metro. Broken down into four sections--"Introducing Madrid," "Madrid Area by Area," "Traveller's Needs," and "Survival Guide"--this book provides a complete picture of the city. Readers will especially love the hundreds of color photos showing everything from the city's famous plazas to a pitcher of sangria; the street-by-street illustrated city walks (Old Madrid, which takes in the Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayer, looks especially enchanting); the room-by-room explanations of the Palacio Real and Prado Museum; and, of course, the best places for tapas (Taberna del Foro is one). By the time you're finished with this book, you may know more than the locals. --Jill Fergus