Hi all!

Time for my second trip to Europe, although this time its only for a week and a half. We'll be splitting the time between Madrid and Barcelona (most of it in Madrid). Any recommendations on where to go, what to see, eat, etc?

Thanks!

Hi

If you like I can email you my notes on Madrid. Contact me on [email protected]

Barcelona is fantastic. I would suggest that everything you read about is worth seeing. But I would make a point of visiting Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. The fact that it is a unique facinating building is not really the point. The fact that cathedrals are not getting built on this scale anymore is. I found the scale of it amazing and the fact that I will not live to see it completed very humbling (and i'm only 30). It brought it home to me that when you visit other cathedrals, they took hundreds of years to complete. We are lucky to see one in progress within our life time.

thank you for the replies!
Stumblebum, thats a very interesting insight, Im 30 as well and I believe that the catheral will be completed in 2030 (last I read). Hopefully it will be completed within our lifetime!

Have you read Maribel's Guides to Barcelona and Madrid? They are available as a free download on-line at: http://maribelsguides.com

You should find them very useful in planning your stay in both cities.

Thanks! these look very good

In Madrid, I would not miss the Reina Sophia.

Picasso's Guernica was moved there some years ago. Breathtaking and very sad. One of the most moving paintings I've ever seen.

The Picasso museum in Barcelona pretty much sucks. Most of the work is early work and uninteresting.

I've stayed twice in Madrid and twice in Barcelona. If you can, in Madrid book a hotel in the Puerto del Sol. It's very central and a pedestrian zone only (taxis are only allowed in and out)

Beyond that, a bit of research should do the trick.