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View Poll Results: Madrid or Barcelona?
Madrid 52 54.74%
Barcelona 43 45.26%
Voters: 95. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 01-21-2013, 06:49 AM
 
Location: Spain
190 posts, read 704,059 times
Reputation: 204

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Madrid...hands down
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Old 01-23-2013, 05:40 AM
 
Location: Europe
1,663 posts, read 3,468,439 times
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A question for tourists: Are people really different in friendliness in one city and another one?? I feel it as a Spaniard but I didn't know it was so notorious for tourists too.
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Old 01-23-2013, 03:03 PM
 
14,727 posts, read 33,244,118 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Catbelle View Post
A question for tourists: Are people really different in friendliness in one city and another one?? I feel it as a Spaniard but I didn't know it was so notorious for tourists too.
It is. It's not night and day, but it's tangible. I've been to both places between 3 and 5 times. Again, Barcelona has beaches. Nothing else intrigued me that much. However, I felt way more comfortable in Madrid. If I had to pick in which to LIVE, I'd pick Madrid. You can always take the AVE to Barcelona to go to the beach.
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Old 01-23-2013, 03:14 PM
 
Location: inside your head
149 posts, read 311,483 times
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Barcelona, for sure! In my opinion climate is the major factor and Barcelona's climate is quite nice: not too hot, not too humid. Besides, coastal cities are always better (says a person living 300 miles from the nearest coast).
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Old 01-23-2013, 04:02 PM
 
Location: roaming gnome
12,385 posts, read 28,380,094 times
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I prefer Barcelona but, Madrid is high on my list of world cities also. I would gladly move to either over most places in the U.S. if that tells you anything...

Quote:
Originally Posted by britinparis View Post
Absolutely love both cities.. but I would say Madrid wins for me.

It's bigger, more cosmopolitan, cheaper, much less touristy, more lively and has better food and architecture than Barcelona. And I like the comparison made by Smtchll with New York – I really got that sense too when perambulating the Gran Vía. Nowhere else in Europe I've seen has that very tall, 10+ story belle époque architecture. Felt more like Manhattan than anywhere else in Europe. But then again Chueca or Malasaña have that very dense, southern European feel and are genuinely cool, unlike some of the slightly pretentious "hipster" neighbourhoods you find in London, Paris or NYC. And the train stations and metro network is incredible – cheap, modern, spotlessly clean... And the parks...boating in the Retiro... Endless lazy nights out which start with dinner at 11pm...I could go on. It's awesome. Would move there in a flash if it weren't for the terrible economy!

Barcelona is awesome too but it's very much a "second city", smaller and much more provincial than Madrid. It's Manchester to Britain's London, or Gothenburg to Sweden's Stockholm. The Catalan vibe is interesting but I think it makes for quite a closed city to integrate into. Foreigners basically have to master two languages to fit in. Plus it's very touristy. I guess what it does have going for it over Madrid is the beach and sea, the nicer climate (Mediterranean, against the cold winter/hot summer continental climate of the capital), and the mountains towering over it, give Barcelona an incredible natural setting that I suppose landlocked Madrid lacks.

I disagree, Barcelona is a top tier world destination city. Definitely nothing like Manchester or Gothenberg...way above those cities IMO. Countries can have more than one *very* nice city. It's more like NYC and LA...
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Old 01-25-2013, 07:18 AM
 
233 posts, read 445,681 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Smtchll View Post
I've never been to Paris, but when I was in Barcelona, it reminded me of what I imagined Paris would be like. Very nice city, I just prefer Madrid.
Yes, and most Gaudi and art noveau buildings are in the "ensanche" or "new Barcelona", the city built outside the walls when the walls were tore down (1860 or so). The old city is very similar to Paris before the city was remodelled by Hausmann. For example, the movie Perfume was filmed in Barcelona.

As to friendliness, people in Madrid used to be more talkative when they had no industry, but now both cities are very similar and in both cities a large part of waiters and people tending tourists are immigrants.

As to nice cities, Spain has plenty of nice cities. Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Segovia, Toledo, Salamanca, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, San Sebastian, Palencia, Orense, Oviedo, etc, etc.
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Old 01-25-2013, 08:04 AM
 
Location: Paris, France
327 posts, read 1,035,529 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grapico View Post
I disagree, Barcelona is a top tier world destination city. Definitely nothing like Manchester or Gothenberg...way above those cities IMO. Countries can have more than one *very* nice city. It's more like NYC and LA...
You're mis-reading me - I didn't mean that Barcelona is like Machester or Gothenburg - I meant that it plays the role of "second city" to Madrid within Spanish life, in a similar way to these two other cities do in their respective countries.

I don't quite agree with your comparison with LA then - the US does not have a clear "second city" after NYC. Is it Chicago? LA? San Fran/Bay area? There are lots of contentors, the US is more polycentric - as is Germany, or China.
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Old 01-25-2013, 02:49 PM
 
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I like both quite a bit, if I had to pick, probably Madrid.
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Old 01-25-2013, 04:42 PM
 
Location: roaming gnome
12,385 posts, read 28,380,094 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by britinparis View Post
You're mis-reading me - I didn't mean that Barcelona is like Machester or Gothenburg - I meant that it plays the role of "second city" to Madrid within Spanish life, in a similar way to these two other cities do in their respective countries.

I don't quite agree with your comparison with LA then - the US does not have a clear "second city" after NYC. Is it Chicago? LA? San Fran/Bay area? There are lots of contentors, the US is more polycentric - as is Germany, or China.
In terms of a "nice city" it doesn't. In terms of the #2 city of culture/size/gdp/etc. it does. LA is close to 18 million people, chicago is close to 10, nyc is 22... boston is 7.5, as is SF... So tell me how there isn't a clear 2nd?
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Old 05-18-2013, 07:03 AM
 
71 posts, read 148,776 times
Reputation: 38
madrid these days is in a different league. i last visited these cities in.1993 and found them to be just as important as each other in most respects except for madrids obvious superior nightlife. i was blown away by how much madrid has advanced when i was in spin lasr year. there just is no rivalry anymore. barcelona looks so small in comparison. i also found madrid so much cleaner with a public transport that looked 50 years more advanced than barcelona. las ramblas seems alot more lively at night than what it did 19 years ago but iit is still no comparison to madrids w. barcelona seemed full of backpackers that gives the impression that it dors have a good nightlife but on closer inspection very few locals seem to form its night time activities instead it seemed over run with cheap tourists walking around like zombies. it also feels alot more dangerous than madrid. nothing feels more pleasurable than walking madrids sreets in the early hours of the morning w packed with life and yan amazing variety of things to do. barcelona has lost its soul. no originality what so ever. it felt like a sort of disneyland. i just hope madrid dorsnt go the same way when eurovegas is built. but madrid truly is spains great city. there is no comparison
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