Madrid or Barcelona?

Interests? What city are you flying back home from?

Where does the cruise end? If it ends in Barcelona I would definitely stay there. There is a great deal to do in that city, plus there are very good side-trips available.

What time of year is the trip?

There's enough in Barcelona to take the time you have. We're taking in Madrid, Granada and Barcelona late May.

We could fly out of either city. Our cruise ends in Barcelona in early January. Thank you so much for your help!

Two or three days is not long. Why waste any substantial part of it traveling away from the end point of the cruise? If you don't want to spend time in a large, popular city, go to Girona--a small, popular city.

I'm in the "Madrid's just not that interesting aside from the art museums" camp, so for me, spending even a few hours (the train is very fast) to get there from Barcelona when you have only 2 or 3 days is extremely ill-advised unless you want to spend a lot of time in Madrid's art museums. Or if you want to spend the time in Toledo. But there's tons to do in Barcelona.

The weather will likely be quite a bit warmer in Barcelona than in Madrid in late January. There's a 9-degree (Fahrenheit) difference in their average high temperatures.

Absent something very specific in your interests that drives you to one place or the other, I'd agree with the others suggesting it is a better plan to stay in Barcelona where your cruise ends. I say this even though I really like Madrid - but in this short window you have it makes better sense to stay and enjoy Barcelona. Whatever you choose, you'll love it.

Thank you so much for your help. We have decided to stay in Barcelona. We have been told the Iberostar Paseo de Gràcia is a good hotel. We were also advised the Hilton was a good choice. Any thoughts about things to do and what transportation would be available from the ship to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport?

There's tons to do in Barcelona. Pick up a guide book from your local library and see what sounds good to you. Come back when you have some ideas, because there are at least six popular sights in Barcelona for which you'd want to plan ahead (buying tickets in advance) to avoid standing in really long ticket lines.

The city's official tourist site is a great way to look for things to see and do. Go to the "buy tickets" link for an extensive list of guided tours (walking tours and day tirps), activities, entertainments and more.

It's easy to find taxis in the city. I'll bet there'll be a line of them at the ship terminal and your hotel can order one for you to the airport.