We spent 4 days in Madrid and 5 days in Barcelona during our RTW Trip. I had always wanted to travel to Spain to experience and live the lifestyle which is so world-renowned. With that dream accomplished, I can reflect on the two vastly different cities and give my two cents on the pros and cons of each as they relate to travel. This guide for Madrid vs. Barcelona is perfect if you can’t decide which city to visit.

Madrid vs. Barcelona

Madrid is a city we could see ourselves living in – we loved it and felt excited each morning to get out and explore more of the town. Barcelona was a completely different story. Barcelona let us down for many reasons. Interestingly, two similar towns could be so vastly different. Here’s how the two cities compare:

People:

The people in Spain are vibrant and fun-loving, often eating dinner at 11 pm and staying out at the clubs until sunrise (no wonder unemployment is at 30%). But in our experience, the people in Madrid are pretty different from the people in Barcelona. In Madrid, the people were friendly, knowledgeable, and supportive. When we asked a random person for directions on the street or a restaurant recommendation, they were always nice and willing to help. They took my attempts at Spanish as a compliment and returned the compliment in English. We loved the people in Madrid and felt the warmth of the population there. Barcelona was a different story entirely. Almost immediately, we noticed that people were less friendly and generally ruder. People cut lines without thinking at the metro and bus stops. Waiters at restaurants and cashiers at stores seemed frustrated or unhappy with their situation, unable to put on a smile for the sake of their job or even for a tip. It made Barcelona feel cold, uncomfortable, and easy to leave. Finally, the people in Madrid were beautiful – some of the most beautiful people we have seen anywhere in the world. Though Barcelona is a beach town, we did not find the people beautiful, and their attitudes made them even more unattractive. 

Madrid vs. Barcelona Winner: Madrid

Nightlife:

Since people in Spain don’t eat dinner until 10 pm, they’re often still at the dinner table at midnight. In the United States and Canada, we usually head to the club at midnight. In Spain, the pre-game doesn’t usually begin until after midnight, and you can plan to arrive at the club at around 2 or 3 am. It’s not uncommon to see the sunrise on your way home from a night out (again, 30% unemployment) which can be intimidating for us North Americans. We opted to join our hostel’s ‘bar crawl’ in Madrid and paid €10 for entry to three bars, one club, and a free shot (tequila!) in each bar. We had a good time, but the bars and club were packed, the drinks were expensive, and they seemed the same as any other bar/club we’d been to in the US and Canada.

Barcelona, known worldwide for its fantastic nightlife and parties, was different. The clubs we went to were massive (5,000+ people), with multiple floors and various types of music. The drinks were more reasonably priced (though still expensive), and the crowds were fun. Leaving the club at sunrise was an experience, and sleeping until 3 pm the next day gave us enough time to sleep off the hangover, which comes with partying until 6 am. We didn’t make it to significant concerts or venues, but we saw enough to determine that Barcelona has a better nightlife scene than Madrid. 

Winner: Barcelona

Sights:

Madrid and Barcelona are both cities with incredibly complex and diverse histories. Madrid was host to some of the crucial battles of the Spanish Civil War, providing amazing stories behind many of the sights to see in the city (bullet holes can be seen on nearly every original building in the city – it is outlawed to fill the gaps in with a color which will disguise the bullet holes). Madrid has the Prado Museum (the second largest in the world), the Palacio de Madrid, the Royal Park, and numerous other incredible historical sites. The streets of Madrid are all beautiful and charming thoroughfares lined with little shops, bakeries, and bars. We were in Madrid for four days and left Madrid wanting to see more. On the other hand, Barcelona is a much different tourist destination. Barcelona was host to the 1992 Olympic Games, causing an explosion in tourism to the city, which continues today.

Barcelona is home to La Sagrada Familia Cathedral, the most impressive construction project I have ever seen with my own eyes (no joke). The architect, Gaudi, has many other works throughout Barcelona, including private homes, large public buildings, and outdoor parks. His projects are genuinely modern and ooze the essence of nature, which characterizes his work. Barcelona is also a beach town, with numerous beaches lining the city’s east side. The beaches are topless (optional) and are packed with people, making them much less about relaxing than I’m used to. The streets of Barcelona were less charming than those in Madrid, and many of the shops, restaurants, and bars were closed the whole time we were there (apparently, Barcelonans take the month of August off for a vacation again, unemployment is at 30%…). While Barcelona has the beach and the incredible works of Gaudi, Madrid’s history, museums, and beautiful streets make this category a clear choice. 

Madrid vs. Barcelona Winner: Madrid

Public Transportation:

As budget travelers, public transportation is critical to making the most of our time in each city. A cheap, efficient public transportation system is an absolute blessing, especially with clear signage in English. We arrived in Madrid via high-speed Eurail (which was terrific) and immediately found the Metro system in Madrid to be world-class. It puts the metro and subway systems of North America to shame. We were told that it’s the second largest in the world (after Paris), and we believe it. The cars were air-conditioned, trains came every five minutes, were always on time, and the entire system was straightforward to navigate.

We also took the bus on many occasions and found it to be just as easy and efficient. Each ride cost €1.50, which isn’t cheapwasn’twasn’t ridiculous Barcelona’s public transportation system was also robust but couldn’t compare to Madrid. The Metro stations and cars were less clean than those in Madrid, and some train cars were not air-conditioned. The Metro stations seemed poorly designed, as we had to walk forever from the turnstiles to the train platform. Finally, the ticket machines were often broken, leaving us with no option other than to walk to the other side of the metro station to buy our tickets. The nail in the coffin was the price of the tickets in Barcelona – €2.00 for one ticket! That’s what I call paying more for less. 

Madrid vs. Barcelona Winner: Madrid

Food:

For some reason still unknown to me, people in Spain have developed strange eating habits. Rather than having lunch and dinner at the ‘normal’ times of noon and 7 pm, Spaniards often eat lunch at 3 pm and dinner at 10 pm or 11 pm. Along with the later timing comes another phenomenon – tapas – little plates of food, often involving seafood and often very salty, to be eaten communally with a drink (originally sherry). Madrid and Barcelona were packed with tapas restaurants, each serving different variations of the same dishes. Finding a great restaurant in Madrid was easy – one was on every corner. We decided to trust TripAdvisor.com reviews and make a reservation at the #2 restaurant in Madrid – La Gaditana.

We were overly impressed with the quality of the food and the service and were even offered a glass of sherry after dinner, compliments of the house. We left very satisfied and felt we paid a fair and reasonable price for our meal. While in Madrid, we also had a delicious breakfast each morning at La Rollerie, right outside our hostel. Barcelona’s food was very much like the food in Madrid – lots of tapas and pizza places lined the streets. However, due to our timing, most of the more authentic restaurants were closed for the ‘holidays.’ We found ourselves eating pasta at a restaurant selling Chinese food – usually not a good idea. The food wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t spectacular like that in Madrid, and the poor service and attitudes of the servers were disappointing.  

Madrid vs. Barcelona Winner: Madrid

With all of this taken into account, it’s a clear choice which city is a better destination for travel between Madrid vs. Barcelona. While Barcelona has a beach and world-class nightlife, Madrid’s warmth, attractions, food, and ambiance make it a no-brainer. Madrid is a better city for travel and should not be missed on any European tour!