3 days, Lisbon or Barcelona?

Whichever one draws you more, at this time.

Some people like both; some like one but not the other; and some don't like either one. You won't know how you feel until you go for yourself.

If you need help deciding, Rick's videos may give you more information (although for these two cities, the videos are a bit old). They can be found here: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show

Lisbon is smaller than Barcelona, so in three days you can see more of it. A side trip to Porto is several hours each way, so I wouldn't do that, but there are other closer in side trips if you want a change.

Do note that Portugal and Spain are surprisingly hard to combine in a single trip, due to skimpy connections between the countries. So, if you think you will return to Portugal in the future, see Barcelona this time, and if you are planning a later trip to Spain, see Lisbon this time.

I'd make this decision based on which works best with the rest of your itinerary.

It is absolutely not trivial to get from Spain to Portugal, though if you are flying in from elsewhere in either case perhaps it doesn't signify so much.

As noted both are worthy. Weather will be nicer in Lisbon in mid October

Where will you be traveling from? It sounds as if you might be traveling from a different country. If so, I wouldn't go to Barcelona for just three days. I'd be more likely to go to Lisbon for that amount of time (and wouldn't hesitate if I were based elsewhere in Europe and was looking for a long-weekend destination I could fly to), but I'd be more likely to look for an attractive destination closer to where I already was.

Love both Barcelona and Lisbon. Lisbon you can do in three days, but it is better to do more than Lisbon while in Portugal. Porto is great, but 3 days you don't have time for both Lisbon and Porto. Barcelona deserve 4 or 5 days, but you can always go back if you go there for 3 days.

Nobody can answer questions like this when you provide so little information - its like asking, "should I have seafood for dinner, or go watch a movie?"

You need to provide more info on logistics before/after this little stop. Is this part of a larger trip? Where/when/how much flexibility do your have? What are your likes/dislikes? Where have you been before, what did you enjoy/or not on those trips? Etc., etc.

Here’s an idea David: in the US have a nice seafood dinner, then go to the movies; in Spain, go to the movies first, then the seafood dinner after. Maybe a tapa or two on the way to the movies. And yes, both Barcelona and Lisbon are wonderful. With just a few days available, i think it’s easier to visit the highlights and “get a feel” for Lisbon.

Thanks, everyone for your thoughts. We are trying to fit either Barcelona or Lisbon into a trip before a business trip to Italy.