Safety and Spain in 7 days

They're about as safe as any large city. the one thing to be really cautious about (especially in madrid) is pickpockets (and especially on the metro). summers can get pretty hot, so i'd say to either travel in spring or fall. winters are really mild (i'm from wisconsin, and for most of winter i went without a winter coat) but they can last a while. a week... is a really short period of time, though it entirely depends on where you want to go. if you only want to do madrid and barcelona, a week should be enough. i spent about 5 months there, and if i were to plan a trip there for someone else, i'd say 2-3 days in madrid, 2 days in cordoba (with an afternoon in madinat al-zahara), probably 3-4 days relaxing in a small town on the costa del sol (if you're the relaxing type of traveller), and then finish out with 3-4 days in barcelona. that's a week and a half, and i think you'd see a HUGE variety of what spain is and has to offer culturally.
if you have any questions, just ask. :)

Tonya- I was in Barcelona for about 11 days back in April. I was on a family trip with 14 adults. We had a great time and the weather was WONDERFUL!! We stayed in Barcelona for a few nights and then rented a villa for a week in a beautiful seaside town called Sitges. It is about 25 mins south for Barcelona by trian. So we could get in and out very easily.

The only complaint I had was the pickpockets in the city. Out of the 14 people 3, had attempts at pickpockets. Luckily without success. The citizens of Barcelona are very aware and very upset about this situation. I carried a money belt the whole time and just a bag that had my camera in it which I carried in front of me the whole time. I figure the camera is better than money and credit cards if they are ripped off. I will say that the food was wonderful, the people friendly and the scenery was beautiful. We did a lot of day trips. I can't wait for my nxt trip there. All the best- Kim

Thanks to both of you for your responses. They have helped me immensely.

I was in Barca and Madrid last March and the weather was nice and cool. Madrid was a bit rainy for 2 days but otherwise, weather was ok. I wore layers and carried an umbrella.

As for safety, my husband and I felt safe in both cities. We kept our eyes opened, and treated Barca and Madrid like any big city.

Barcelona and Madrid have the hop off/hop on busses. We didn't go on the Madrid one, but the Barca one was excellent. It took us on the routes we wanted and we dedicated 1 route on 1 day, another route on day 2.

I would say in Barcelona, the time I was extremely alert was when we were in Las Ramblas and the Columbus statue area (at the end of the Ramblas). In Madrid it was the Sol area. Both of those areas have the reputation of being the most touristy (I was told)

You will have a great time.

I just traveled to Barcleona, Malaga, Sevilla and Madrid in late May/early June. We did all that in 12 days and were on the move. Your trip definitely can be done. In Barcelona, definitely the Gothic Quarter. In Madrid, I stayed near Plaza del Sol and loved it. Depends what you want. It was my first trip to Spain and I wanted to be near all the spots to see. We had perfect weather the entire time, in the 80s. Loved it and will be back.

I think spring or fall is a good time to visit Spain if you're trying to avoid the heat. Generally, it will be cooler near the coast.
One resource I took advantage of is the Eyewitness travel guide (published by DK), I found a copy at half price books. It has a great amount of pics, and focuses on historical sites. Frommer's also publishes a Best Driving Tours of Spain book, I enjoyed reading it.
Our host in Madrid was pretty insistent on his cities' security. And while we weren't crawling around the bars in Sol every night, never did we feel threatened. A wonderful time!
Barcelona has more crowds of tourists, especially the area around Las Ramblas. Therefore it was (and always has been) a place to keep your goodies close to the body constantly.
Using common sense you would use in any new city, you shouldn't fear anything worse than an attempted pickpocketing! Spain is a really great place to visit, the Spanish really know how to live.. PS. both cities have excellent mass transit systems, don't stress trying to find accom. in the middle of the action.

Thanks to all for your replies. Your suggestions are very helpful.