Hi! I am hoping for a little help and friendly advice re: family trip to Spain.

My father (54), sister (24) and I (21) are planning a trip to Madrid and Barcelona in late August. Our window of availability is from Sat. August 15 - Monday, August 31, but we are only looking to go for 10 days min. and 14 days max. Considering flight availability, I think we will most likely be going from the 17 - 23 (but are flexible...).

I haven't really begun any in-depth research on what to do and see, where to stay, etc. but I have a few initial concerns/inquiries:

1) I hear it is INCREDIBLY hot at that time. The heat isn't a huge factor -- I think we can handle it. Despite my confidence I am a bit nervous after hearing from people that it is "insufferable," "unbearable" and "intolerable". Is it really that bad? I am hoping that by the end of August it won't be quite so torturous. Unfortunately, this is the only time we are available to go, and I really want to go to Spain, so my question I guess is whether the heat is a big enough issue to just forget the whole trip altogether.

2) I've also read that the cities pretty much "shut down" at that time and a lot of restaurants, bars, shops, etc. close for the season. I've heard some people say it's like a "ghost town" while others say that it's not a big issue, especially in big touristy cities like Madrid and Barcelona. I assume the major tourist attractions would be open, and bars/clubs are not an issue since it's a family vacation so there probably will be very little clubbing going on. As for restaurants -- well, we do enjoy going out and eating nice meals while on vacation, but if some places are closed we won't be heartbroken. As long as there is somewhere we can go for a nice meal that's all we need. Do the cities really shut down that badly? i.e. will traveling at that time really make a big difference in terms of how much we enjoy ourselves as tourists?

3) We need to decide how many days to spend in each city. Divide it evenly between the two, or is one place worth more time than the other? Should we do Madrid then Barcelona or Barcelona then Madrid?

That last point would probably depend on whether there is anything specifically exciting going on in either place at that time... can anyone enlighten me at all on "must-do" activities that are specifically occurring between Aug. 15 and Aug. 31?

As for what kind of activities we like to do... this is hard to say; we're pretty much up for anything. We could spend all day looking at museums or historic/cultural/architectural sites, etc. or could just as easily enjoy ourselves sitting in a cafe drinking coffee or lying on the beach all afternoon. I should mention that we are not huge "artsy" people so we probably wouldn't be going to all sorts of art museums unless they appeal to the average person (i.e. a non-artsy person), although I do enjoy visiting historical buildings/sites and outdoors-y stuff as well.

Okay, whew! That was super long, sorry! This is all overwhelming but I've got to start somewhere and these forums are a great place.
Thanks so much for all your help!

PS. We're girls and like to go shopping, but being students our funds are somewhat limited (i.e. won't be going on any high-end haute couture shopping sprees any time soon). Whats the student-friendly shopping situation in both cities?

Yes, the heat is on. Also/especially in late August. Think 90-100F or more in Madrid. Day in, day out. Not every establishment is cooled down to arctic temperatures as a mall in Arizona in summer. Actually very few places are THAT cold. You will find stores with A/C where the "cooled" temp is still around 80F. Buses and subways have A/C, though.
Get an accomodation with A/C.

Barcelona is a bit better to handle, IMO, because you have the (great) city beaches as an option. But it will still be hot. Try some trips to the mountains to cool off a bit, e.g. to famous Montserrat (but no need to bring a sweater lol).
I have not found Barcelona to be a ghost town in summer.

It's been a while since my student days, but there are a lot of "affordable" stores in the central part of Barcelona, around Pl. de Catalunya, Ramblas, C/Pelai. You probably know Zara from the US, local brands are Desigual (has one outlet store on Ramblas, still bit more pricey than Zara) or Pull and Bear. The Eixample district of Barcelona has more edgy stores, with usually more impressive price tags. If you want to do some shopping on Sundays (when most stores in Catalunya have to close), try the Maremagnum shopping mall in the harbor. One of the few places besides the souvenir shops on Ramblas which is open on sundays. Also lots of restaurants and bars there.

Re. splitting time between Madrid and Barcelona, I must admit that I am hopelessy biased in favor of Barcelona. 2 nights in Madrid are enough, IMO (excluding the possible day trip destinations!).

Oops, I accidentally said that we will likely be travelling between the 17-23, but I meant the 17-30... so that gives us about 12 full days.

Cowboy1968, thanks for the help! With 12 days, would you suggest splitting the time evenly or doing more Barcelona than Madrid...?

I would always do more BCN than MAD, but again, that is no traveling wisdom, but sheer and biased prejudice for one of the two. Madrid has been a city I liked to visit once (and I really liked it), but Barcelona is a city I have been visiting 3 times now since last September, and still have not really "explored" it. But you will find others that will tell you the total opposite.

P.S: Since you mentioned clubbing in your first post. That should be no problem, since your dad will probably be sound asleep when the clubs start to get busy, which is around 2-3 am ;-)

" Is it really that bad?"
Compared to what?

Frankly I say if you have this time available just go you will have a great time. At your age I could handle anything.

I second spending more time in Barcelona, for a number of reasons. First, it has everything you could possibly want - charm, great food, amazing architecture, beaches, parks, museums, even hiking and biking. There is plenty for both generations to love. Second, it will probably be slightly cooler than Madrid. Third, there is a reason why it's one of the favorite destinations in Europe. I would suggest going to Madrid first, because if you go to Barcelona first, Madrid might be a disappointment.

amsdon -- it's true; heat is relative to what you're used to and what you can handle...what I was wondering was whether the heat is so intense that most people would recommend against visiting at that time. Anyway I think we'll just bring some hats, sunglasses, sunscreen and deal with it.

beebs -- thanks for the input. I was thinking the same thing, since the consensus seems to be, from what i've read, that Barcelona is the top place to visit.

I'm wondering now how many days we should allot for Madrid, taking into consideration possible day trips?

Cowboy1968 -- you mentioned taking a trip to the mountains. Is this a day trip kind of thing? How would you get there; is there anything to do/see once you're there or is it more of an outdoors-y trek type adventure? It sounds cool but I haven't looked into it yet.

Re: locals leaving and businesses shutting down -- if this is the case, would we be confined to the "touristy" areas and restaurants? Obviously we're tourists so will do/go to tourist-like things/places, but it would be nice to enjoy some more "authentic" experiences as the locals do.

Thanks guys. Getting excited about this trip -- now just need to ease the father's anxiety about swine flu and getting quarantined upon arrival.

The most obvious trip to the mountains from Barcelona would be to Montserrat monestary. You will find a lot of pictures and info when you google it. Getting there from Barcelona is easier: You take a train every hour from downtown (Pl. Espanya), then a cable car or cogwheel train to the monestary. After visiting, you can either hike up to the peak, or take another cable car. You can buy combo tickets for all the different transportation means, so it does not require any real planning.
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...ontserrat.html

"Touristy" is a bit more relative in Barcelona than in any resort-type of town that relies on nothing but tourism. The main "tourist-style" restaurants would be near or around the major sights, like Sagrada Familia, on the Ramblas, and to some extent in the Barri Gotic, e.g. around the Cathedral.
But there is much more if you just take a short walk through any of the small streets in the Barri Gotic or neighboring Born or Raval, or in neighborhoods like Eixample esquerra (which is roughly what is between Gran Via, Pg de Gracia, and Diagonal).
For an evening dinner, I also like the places along the waterfront, either the outdoor restaurants of Maremagnum (which is a modern shopping/ entertainment complex) or along Pg. Joan Borbo including those which are integrated in the Palau de Mar, both facing the old harbor (Port Vell), or along the Pg. Maritim between Port Olimpic and the southern tip of Barceloneta. Those places with a view can be somewhat pricey, so you should check the posted menus first.

Thanks for all your help! Still have a lot more research and planning to do but this will definitely give me a good start... will likely be hanging around the forums looking for more good advice til August

Just one more vote for time in Barcelona - a great city plus the beaches ( Sitges is a place to go). I was in Madrid (many ears ago) at the same time and it was HOT, but it did not stop me from doing thing ( going to Toledo, and even further south) .
The best thing was :the night life started after 10 p.m. and lasted all night!
Enjoy.

Madrid is hot but unless there is a heat wave i think is not that bad. Some people find coastal areas worse for the same temperature because of the humidity, in Madrid is very low and it helps when the temperatures are over 30c.

If you seeks also to spend some time at the beaches then spend more time in Barcelona. The beaches in the city are just ok in my opinion, despite they have been improved a lot compared as they were before the olympics. There are very good beaches near Barcelona easy to reach with public transport if you want to visit more beaches.

Shopping scene, very similar in both cities. In Madrid shops by Sol area will be open on sundays, also Xanadu commercial center (located outside the city) and Principe Pio commercial center (by the metro station of the same name). Any commercial center on the last sunday of august will be open.

It is true that some shops and restaurants may be closed in august, but neither of both cities are ghost cities.

I agree that Barcelona city may need more days than Madrid, but it depends also if you plan to spend time visiting the main three art museums in Madrid or not.
In my opinion daytrips from Madrid are much better. If warm temperatures scare you, do daytrips to El Escorial, Segovia or Avila which are at higher altitude and near the mountains and are cooler than Madrid, while Toledo will be slightly warmer (lower altitude).

From your tastes i would recommend to visit in Madrid:
El Prado, focus only in the main artworks, Reina Sofia just Guernica (if you are the day it's for free), Palacio Real, El Escorial as daytrip or half-day trip, Segovia as daytrip.

http://www.esmadrid.com/
http://www.turismodesegovia.com/
http://www.avilaturismo.com/
http://www.museodelprado.es
http://museoreinasofia.mcu.es/
http://www.sanlorenzoturismo.org/
http://www.patrimonionacional.es/

I would recommend you come to Barcelona first, for the main reason that you would be here for one of Barcelona's most famous and vibrant street festivals, Festa Major de Gracia (15-21 August). The streets around gracia are dressed up to the hilt, with street cooking, film showings, late street parties, bands, and thousands of young people. It is very colourful and if you're coming to spain during these dates you should definitely check it out for a couple of days.

As for the heat, Barcelona in August is hot but varied. Madrid will be hot, you will need to take it easy to get around. For an economical accommodation in both cities, I recommend you look on www.waytostay.com for apartments.

In Madrid, the Reina Sofia inspired me more by its Miró than Guernica, but this is a matter of taste.

Miró Foundació up Montjuïc in Barcelona is the most extensive collection of the artists work and a really excellent thing to visit in the city, with great views from the roof.

Main high street shops and shops in the city centre will be open in Barcelona in August. It's typically the smaller or family run businesses, such as watch repair shops, cobblers and the like which close for the month.

For a special experience in Madrid any day between the 19th and 23rd of August, I would suggest you go and see the premiering shows of "Flamenco Hoy" (Flamenco Today) in the new outdoor arena Escenario de Puerta de Ángel in the park Casa de Campo, right behind the Royal Castle and the viaduct and with spectacular views towards the Sierra de Guadarrama. This is a stage production of the legendary Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura, in which he sets out to present the cutting edge of the new generation of brilliant flamenco artists such as Rocío Molina, Pastora Galván, Rafael Estévez, Nani Paños, La Tremendita, Jesús Mendez, David Palomar etc. I have seen several of them live before and I believe it is more than a fair chance that this will be quite spectacular. After the opening week in Madrid, the show will go on tour in the rest of Spain and to Latin America in 2010.
http://www.esflamenco.com/scripts/ne...mIdPagina=1152

Tickets (the whole week is starting to sell out):
http://www.entradas.com/entradas/FLA..._2_21_28_62165

You pick up your tickets at any of the hundreds of Caja Madrid bank offices or at the venue. Easy and safe!

Here's a review of Rocío Molinas latest production in one of the leading flamenco magazines:
"The only thing we’ll be sure of is the memory of how this baile genius – remember, who is twenty-four years old – drove the crowd mad with that dance of hers bordering on recklessness. I couldn’t explain why it gives that sort of fear-amazement-dizziness-fascination-enjoyment. But what is absolutely certain is that we’re witnessing something big, really big. And it makes you feel like doing something so the whole world knows about it. And besides the fact that, to top it all off, her message remains and runs deep, the thing is that her way of dancing has references … on the other side of the galaxy. Dancing like this has never been seen before."
http://www.flamenco-world.com/magazi...8032009ing.htm

Thanks for all the input! I think we are going to do something like 5 nights in Madrid and then 7 nights in Barcelona...if we do 1-2 days trips from Madrid I hope this is enough time allotted...will probably have to seek more advice/approval from the message board once we have a more finalized schedule!

Kim are you going to see it???

Couldn't let that one go...

Madrid will be hot and dry..think 98 degrees at midnight which i have personally experienced; Barcelona will be hot and humid. Day trips from Madrid a good idea although plenty to see and do in the city for a couple of days...enjoy both as they are both worth it