Madrid or Lisbon???

I've been to both and much prefer Lisbon - lots to do in town, and worthwhile day trips. For my take on "Loving Lisbon" see http://tinyurl.com/yzzn33c

another vote for Lisbon

If Portugal does not inspire, then don't go there. Also note that getting to Lisbon from Spain is not trivial. That said, if it were me, I'd chose Lisbon.

Been to both. Really like both. But without a doubt my vote goes to my favorite Euro city...LISBON! Good food, friendly people, nightlife if you want it, history, good weather, beaches, several easy day trips to places like sintra, cascais or evora.

I vote Lisbon if you like things a little slower. Madrid is awesome, but moves fast. Lisbon is much more laid back. Good food, good sights and lots of history.

Okay, now I just have to ask: long-time Helpline posters Charles and Ken are from Katy, Texas. Now we have first-time poster Pam from Katy. Welcome Pam! Now, are any of you Katy-ites related?
Answer not required, but inquiring minds want to know.

Kent -- no relation that I know about. Katy is a suburb of Houston. I waited about 20 years to start traveling overseas, so when our girls finally grew up, I started making up for lost time. I'm a teacher, so summertime is playtime!!

Nora - I'll speak in favor of Madrid, but have to tell you - I haven't been to Lisbon yet. We visited Madrid last year for 3 days and were so impressed! Part of it was that I was prepared to be UN-impressed. I had been there 30 years ago and it wasn't my favorite at the time. But it turned out to be a really great part of our Spain trip. We stayed near the museum end of town and really enjoyed going to the Prado multiple times as there are times where admission is free so besides our one paid visit, we were there twice more just because we could wander in for 30 minutes without paying again. Love the Reina Sofia and Thyssen and in general just enjoyed wandering the city. People were friendly, food was good - it was a very pleasant city and we would not hesitate to go back!

I think Madrid is a very nice city but you can see its sights in a couple days. The daytrip options are wonderful, including Toledo, Segovia, Escorial and others. You could spend a week using Madrid as a base. Its also very cosmopolitan with great food and nightlife. Lisbon is a very different feel. Also only worth a couple days for the city itself but again, lots of daytrip possibilities such as Sintra and Evora. You can also easily get to Porto for a couple nights. Its more run down but cheaper and also great food and culture. And as someone noted, getting to Lisbon is not that easy. There is an overnight train from Madrid or you can fly.