Looking to do an 8-day trip in Oct to Spain. Direct flights via Madrid only from our home airport. Thinking of doing 3-4 days in Madrid and then 2-3 days in Barcelona by fast train. We love art and just exploring the local vibe and culture. Not huge night owls or need to see all the tourist spots in a place kinda travel approach. Does this mix of these two cities make sense or should we just stay in Madrid the whole time and do side trips to Toledo and Segovia as Rick Steves guides highlight near Madrid. Or more time in Barcelona. We do try to have a splurge Michelin-starred (single-star budget max) meal on our trip and wondering if Madrid or Barcelona is the better place to do it
Posted by
11156 posts
I recommend Madrid and the day trips, very worthwhile.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6539 posts
With your limited time, I’d skip Barcelona especially if departing from Madrid. If you wanted a couple days away from Madrid there are closer cities, such as Zamora, Cuenca, León, Burgos, Alcalá de Henares, or even Salamanca you could go to. You could still take your day trips to Segovia and Toledo. There are plenty of options, but comes down to what you want to do and see.
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
Hopping on with the others to suggest nixing Barcelona.
Zaragoza is another good choice for a night or two—east to get to and plenty interesting.
But 8 days could easily be filled drinking in Madrid and taking a couple day trips.
Posted by
Chicago
756 posts
I've done a similar Madrid trip. I also agree to stick with Madrid and day trips. We did the Segovia and Toledo day trips. I still need to return to Madrid to cover those places I didn't have time to see. Make Barcelona a separate trip and enjoy it rather than pack, unpack, catch trains, etc.
Posted by
New England
593 posts
I’ll add a different perspective. If there are particular artistic sites in Barcelona that you would be sad to miss out on, consider a day trip from Madrid by fast bullet (Ave) train. The journey takes about 3 hours. Wise to book ahead.
In November 2021, I was visiting central Spain for 13 nights. I stayed in Toledo, Salamanca , Segovia, and Madrid. But I also wanted to see Gaudi architecture in Barcelona and could not depend on returning to Spain. So I did a day trip from Madrid and had a wonderful 4-hour tour of La Pedrera, Park Guell, and Sagrada Familia with a guide I had booked ahead of time from Rick’s guidebook. The jaw-dropping experience of standing inside Sagrada Familia was worth it to me.
Posted by
FL USA
1527 posts
There is no wrong answer to your question, just a decision on what you believe will create the best opportunity to enjoy a wonderful journey.
Madrid is renown for its world class art museums and certainly offers several local vibes and diverse cultures to explore. We prefer to stay in the Latina District for the eclectic experiences found in this area. Strongly recommend taking a food/tapas tour to enhance your experiences. Take a gander at the attached link to learn options:
https://www.instagram.com/jamesblickspain/
Madrid offers excellent subway connections to train service, making for ez day trips to a variety of locations.
There is a lot to be said for renting an apartment, unpacking once and peeling several layers off the Madrid menu.
However.................
High speed trains between Madrid and Barcelona now offer a variety of options at excellent prices. So splitting time between the two destinations is easy. Should you choose blending in Barcelona suggest picking one major destination per day to explore while adding walks around these locations to capture a different flavor of differences between Madrid and Barcelona. Our favorite lessor known destination is the Palau:
https://www.palaumusica.cat/en
Definitely worth taking in an evening concert should you find one to your taste.
Enjoy!