Barcelona versus Madrid

I will be in the minority here, but as much as I like both my choice would be Madrid. (I have been to each city twice, Madrid in 2001 and 2005; Barcelona in 2005 and 2010). It depends upon what you like, but in my opinion Madrid has it all. It's one of the great art cities in Europe, a big plus for my wife and me. The Royal Palace, Buen Retiro Park (visit on a weekend afternoon to see the locals strolling, it's quite a scene). Puerta del Sol shopping area. Great day trips to Toledo, El Escorial, Segovia. What really did it for me, was seeing the Velazquez portraits of the Spanish royal family at the Prado, then going to El Escorial to close the historical loop. The Plaza Santa Ana area, Cafe Central jazz club, Plaza Mayor. Barcelona is also nice, extended by stay on a business trip this past January. I recommend the city museum, Parc Guell, La Perdida and Casa Bottlo. A lot of folks think the Modernisme is on every corner, in fact you have to hunt for it. Sagrada Familia, in my experience, is overrated. Maybe because when we were there it was September and the scaffolding was up all over the place. The art in Barcelona is good but not nearly as great as Madrid. The Ramblas is fun, but mostly a mass tourist scene and field day for pickpockets (though not as bad as you might have read, if you are smart you will be fine there). In January I did a day trip to Montserrat from Barcelona, which was nice (and with a pretty good art museum, oddly enough) but did not compare to Madrid day trips mentioned above.

I've been to Barcelona once and Madrid three times. Seems to me that there is so much more to do in Madrid--love the variety of museums, the Palace, the restaurants, and the great transportation system. I'd also recommend Madrid!

This question seems to always draw a pretty even split! I happen to fall in the Barcelona camp, but almost everyone agrees that both cities are wonderful. Madrid is great because it's very authentically Spanish. It also has three fantastic museums, of course. From Madrid you could do an easy daytrip to Toledo. But to me Barcelona is more lively, with more unique architecture, a better outdoor people scene, a trendy food scene, and unique districts that make exploring a joy. It strikes me as more cosmopolitan and less uniquely Spanish, if that makes sense. From Barcelona your daytrip options are Montserrat or one of the beach towns nearby. I recommend watching Rick's Spain DVDs and seeing which town piques your interest. Technically, you could do the other city as a long daytrip with the high-speed train, though it would be hectic. You really can't go wrong!

There certainly is no right answer. I have my preference but will answer your question by giving you my thoughts on each. YOU must decide which city would be more interesting to you. Barcelona is one of the most popular cities in Europe. It is not Spanish but Catalonian. It's strength is its architecture and beaches. The old town and Ramblas are spectacular. Food is great with a little more French influence to be found. A great city for younger people that want parties, sun and night-life. Not as many day-trip options so 5 days might be a bit much. Madrid is far more laid back and conservative. It's more traditional Spanish but still lacking some of the cliches. Its strength is the art - the Prado is one of Europe's greatest museums and there are other fantastic museums. Great food. As a city I find it less intersting, but... Lots of day-trip options including Toledo (suggested overnight), Segovia and Escorial.

You can't go wrong with either. We preferred Barcelona. We loved Gaudi's list of attractions, strolling the Ramblas, Montjuic. A highlight for us was aimlessly wandering the Gothic Quarter. Random lefts and rights would open up to small plazas with a few restaurants and local musicians playing. Madrid is certainly the museum center. The Retiro park, Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace were all fantastic. Madrid is ideally located for great day trips to Avilla, Segovia and Toledo. We loved both cities, but we give the nod to Barc.

We enjoy both great cities but would return again and again to Madrid. Vernon summed up a lot of our feelings on the subject so I won't repeat his explanations. We are going to start and end our Portugal trip from Madrid, that should show you just how much we love that city.

Wow, great input. We have been fans of VRBOs(vacation rental by owner) and we wondering if any of you have stayed in a VRBO in either Barcelona versus Madrid. We tend to like to set up camp and take day excursions, scope out the little hideaway places, have a couple of must do or must see things. The rest of the time is exploring what every day people in the country do. Again, thanks for the list of must see items as it will give us what we need to hit during our brief stay.