Barcelona or Madrid for Seniors First Trip to Spain?
 

Lured by the weak Euro, we are considering a visit to Europe. Have been to northern countries (Great Britain, Germany, Belgium). Thinking of someplace south of ash cloud's reach.

Which city would make best "home base" for senior couple.? Hoping for charm and beauty, coupled with good transportation, easy walking (minimal hills), and nice day trips by train or bus.

We have enjoyed self-catering in the past, so would be interested in small apartment close to markets and shops.

Unless you plan to go during the hottest months in summer, I'd say that you can more or less flip a coin.

Both cities are on quite flat terrain. Barcelona slopes gently upwards to the hills, but with no effect on the Old Town neighborhoods where you would have to rely on your own two feet.
Besides that, you have an excellent network of city buses in both cities, in case you do not like to go down and up to the metro.
Same for day trips by train or bus. Excellent locations in easy reach.
Being personally biased, the Barcelona waterfront and harbor neighborhood is a major plus for me. Also people who cannot climb hills will find miles and miles of waterfront promenades.
Taxis are inexpensive in either city as well and can be hailed at any street corner in case you overdid on walking.
When renting apartments, you will probably already check if they are accessible with an elevator - not each one is, especially not in the old town neighborhoods.

Within the error margins of broad generalizations, I'd say that Madrid is definetely more "Spanish" (not much of a surprise, I guess), while Barcelona (being the Catalan capital and major port on the Med) has a more "international" touch, IMO.

But re. the ash cloud, there is no guarantee that it will not hit Spain (again) as it did shortly ago.

..."But re. the ash cloud, there is no guarantee that it will not hit Spain (again) as it did shortly ago."...


like today.

P.S. While I'm a big fan of Barcelona, I'll happily admit that the museum scene in Madrid is more impressive, if only you visit the three "big ones" (Prado, Thyssen, R.Sofia). Same for the Royal Palace in Madrid and the ones in the surroundings, e.g. El Escorial or Aranjuez.

I agree with everything Cowboy1968 says about both cities.

They are both very appealing destinations. You can read trip reports here on Fodor's about both cities and see if any of them inspire you.

Things I like a lot that are unique to Barcelona include:

the waterfront atmosphere;

the maritime museum in the beautifully preserved medieval shipyards;

the Museum of the City of Barcelona which gives access to the underground remains of the city dating from Roman times;

the cable car across the harbor from the waterfront to Montjuic;

the old tram and funicular up Mount Tibidado;

the moderniste architecture by Gaudi and others, including the beautiful Palau de la Musica Catalana, where you can attend a performance or take a tour;

the Catalan language, culture, and food.

Things I like a lot in Madrid:

the three museums mentioned by Cowboy, of which my favorite was the Thyssen Bornemisza;

wonderful evening atmosphere with tapas bars, cafes, and people out in the plazas until very late at night enjoying the relative cool of the evening;

flamenco in intimate venues such as Casa Patas (the only one I have tried, but there are discussions here about several others).

If home base is chief criteria, then for us it would be Madrid. Many opportunities for great day trips from there.

For the first visit , I would recommend Barcelona.
: easy to get around, a lot to see, more relaxing and smaller than Madrid. We have visited both several times . Take a look at Habitat for apt. (used them 3 times)in Bar.



www.habitatapartments.com