Madrid has much less to offer than Barcelona...
 

I've been working on our late-August, early September trip to Spain. We're a 60-year old couple who's already traveled quite a lot in Europe, seen museums, seen castles, seen palaces...
We'll be arriving in Barcelona after a week in Israel, so no issue with jet-lag anymore.

3.5 extensive days in Barcelona, 1.5 relaxing days in Girona, 4.5 days in Madrid (those 0.5 days are set for transportation, of course...) before flying back home.
Can't change this itinerary since accommodations and train tickets were already paid for.
I also purchased the train tickets for a day trip in Toledo.

I'm researching Madrid online, got the book, went back-n-forth with those "must sees" in Madrid, and — frankly, unlike Barcelona — still, I'm not excited...

So my question is, how to spend our remaining 3.5 days in Madrid? Initially I was planning at least one more day-trip from Madrid, and that's one of the reasons I chose an accommodation which is 7 minutes walk to the Atocha train station... I'm fascinated by Cuenca, which is an hour train ride from there.

But before giving in to my instincts, I'd appreciate reading your opinions. Thanks so much!

Actually, I like Madrid more than Barcelona. Madrid looks like a mixture of Paris and Rome. You have picturesque squares, boulevards, grand architecture...

In any case, you should visit the Royal Palace. Then you have the museums, not just the Prado, also Thyssen-Bornemisza and many more.

Madrid has enough to offer to spend 3.5 days. However, I would recommend a daytrip though. The scenery around Madrid is beautiful - you will see meadows, mountains and black steers on pasture, historic towns and villages. I would rent a car for a day and drive around. There are many attractive destinations within a one-hour drive - I personally recommend El Escorial - very unique and certainly breathtaking.

And after all: Madrid is the capital city - Barcelona just a provincial one. You will notice it once you are there.

Madrid has wonderful acceess to day trips to Toledo, Segovia and Cucenca. Madrid is more "traditional" Spain as Barcelona is Catalan. Don't miss visitng Picasso's "Guernica" at Reina Sofia in Madrid.

traveller1959, Paris is my most beloved city in Europe (maybe the world), but somehow, from reading and looking at pictures (Google Street-View is a great source), I'm a bit disenchanted... Renting a car for a day trip is a new idea, but at the same time we can take the train, no?... Question is, early September, isn't everything dry and brownish?.... What other charming locations around Madrid are recommended?

As a friend says and contrary to what traveller1959 wrote, "Madrid is a Spanish city, while Barcelona is an international city." To me Barcelona is one of the most glorious cities I have visited.

My advice to anyone who has hesitations about going anywhere. don't. There is a 50-50 chance of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Just because others like Madrid, you might not find the same charms.

The trains are excellent. Here a number of worthwhile nearby towns from Madrid besides Toledo-Segovia, Salamanca, Avila, and with the advent of the AVE, Cuenca.

I agree with you. Madrid is the only place in europe that we wanted to leave early - partly due to hideous weather (99 and humid at beginning of May) and lack of things to do. We had spent a full day in Madrid and one in Toledo and if there had been room on the flight back we would have left a day early.

And we LOVE Spain - can;t get enough of Andalusia, adored Merida, loved San Sebastian and Barcelona.

I just don't get Madrid.

When just starting my Spain trip planning I wanted to drive south, then decided to take those super fast trains there, but then I was discouraged from doing so due to the hot weather. Still, I want to do the right thing, plan-well ahead, and use our time in Spain the best we can... We don't travel to Europe that often anymore...

I also like Madrid very much, I never got tired there and I still have to see all the museums there. My personal tip, go buy cookies at the Carboneras nunnery (Corpus Christi). You first have to ring a bell and a voice (only Castillan dialect spoken) will tell you to enter. You enter a door, turn left through a series of cloisters, and at the end there is a wheel device. You ask which kind of cookies you like more, the nun on the other side of the wheel gives you your cookies and you pay in cash through the wheel. You never see anybody, just hear the nuns' voices. Some nuns are gentle, some are a bit more direct. You get a glimpse of Counter-reformation Spain; the experience is only a few minutes long, but sends you in another epoch.

Get out of Sole and Cava Baja area , go north of park Retiro to the beautiful Salamanca district:
...upscale shops, galleries, leafy streets , interesting architecture, not at all touristy... like a different city.
Not everyone " gets" every place, some posters here dislike Rome, others Paris or Venice or....
On my first visit to Berlin, I did not like it right away. Returned five times since.

Day trip to Segovia---we liked it very much.

Thanks, please keep it coming, these are the kinds of tips I like so much in this wonderful forum...

Madrid is a fantastic city.

I would not give credence to someone who found little to do in Madrid.
By that person's own admission, she was there during an unusally brutal heat wave, and rarely left her hotel. Under those circumstances, is thst the best person to offer advice on one of the great cities of Europe? Would that person have fallen in love with Rome, or Barcelona, under similar circumstances?

I have been to Madrid at least 7 or 8 times and never fail to enjoy my time there.

I will bring up a report to one of my recent visits here in the hopes that it will give you a few ideas.



We all have different tastes, so in the end you may not agree with me, and the other aficionados of the city. Do give it a try, though...

Buen viaje.

If the budget is not tight, in Madrid, do a walk with Historian, Stephen Drake Jones. He also takes very small groups to Segovia, Toledo, etc.

With Toledo, Segovia and Cuenca, you could have three wonderful, easy day trips from Madrid.

While I prefer to spend a night in places like Toledo, I am one of those who likes Madrid more than Barcelona, and also love the day trips, so would do that from Madrid.

However, have you been to Seville? If not and you are willing to throw away the cost of (or cancel) one night in Madrid, you could catch a very early fast train to Seville, get there early, spend one night and return late the second day - if you did not like Madrid so much and wanted to get away more.

Sol...not Sole....sorry
I am with eks, We visited Madrid five times , I planing another trip in the fall.
Love Barcelona too( we were there in May. )
Madrid feels " more" Spanish to me than Barcelona.
It is a huge city so many "couple of days" visitors
do not get a chance to see more than a small ( touristy) part.

I very much enjoyed my brief time in Madrid, which consisted of one full and one half day. I had one other full day in which I took a day trip to Toledo. My impression is that Madrid is a great city of museums, including the Royal Palace as one of those museums. I generally prefer to see two sites per day, interspersed with a lot of walking and eating. So on my first afternoon I took in the Reina Sofia. On the full day I started in the Plaza Mayor and made my way to the Royal Palace. Popped in to the cathedral next to the Palace, which was pretty but not overly inspiring. At the palace I had the audio guide which I felt was indispensable. I took a long lunch, and then spent the afternoon and early evening at the Prado. Only scratched the surface there.

I would have liked one or two more days in Madrid, probably to spend another 1/2 day at the Prado or to check out the Thyssen Bournemisza (Impressionism and post-Impressionism). And to visit one of the convents, probably the Descalzas Reales.

I was there in the end of May and had days in the low 80s with little humidity which is my favorite weather. Lucky I think!

personally I didn't take to Barcelona too much [we found our fellow tourists overwhelming] whereas Madrid is a proper capital city with a real life beyond tourism. We found plenty to do [all the above, basically] but if that's not enough, there are plenty of day trips you can do, including to Valencia, which I prefer to both places.

I agree with what has certainly already become a "self-fulfilling prophecy." Stay out of the city as much as possible. I am certain you'll figure out a way to cancel hotel rooms unless you prepaid them; take fast trains elsewhere. Why be miserable unless you enjoy that sort of thing.

To me, the main attractions of Madrid are the world class museums and access to the nearby towns. If someone is not interested in museums, then they will not like Madrid. The OP mentions that they have seen museums as if they are all the same, thus an indication that Madrid, might not be for them.

I never tire of Barcelona. The art is in the architecture.

Absolutely loved Toledo and agree with rick Steeves--such a romantic spot, an overnight is fabulous--especially with full moon. Wonderful hotel in rs book with rooftop deck near cathedral. Don't miss guernica in Madrid. Another day trip is el Escorial.

Also--in Madrid on Sundays, the place to be is the Central Park with lake and musicians and real people enjoying life in lovely city. As a San Franciscan, I felt at home in the park on a beautiful day.

The large park in Madrid is call Retiro.

Rent a car and head north of Madrid toward Sepulveda.

On the way stop at Somosierra and visit Ermita de Nuestra Senora de la Soledad. Somosierra is a site of a 1808 battle.


Near Sepulveda is the Hoces del Rio Dureton Natural Park. Great scenery and hikes.

Head south to Pedraza.

Head south from Pedraza. via road #SG612 and then a heart stopping M637 through a beautiful pine forest, with lots of hiking opportunities.

We did this last month, hiked for about three hours, spend a couple in Pedraza, and were back in time for supper at our hotel near Barajas.

Mark

...Hmmmm.... Let's explore the idea of a Valencia day-trip... It's less than 2 hours trip each direction... The photos from there are very interesting, the contrast of old and modern — Intriguing.... Can we do it in a day (take an early morning train, come back at 11)? Probably with an organized tour?

for me Barcelona wins hands down - been to Madrid several times and the loudness of traffic whirling practically everywhere - the boringly modern tower blocks, etc just don't make a romantic effect many folks want in their cities.

Barcelona has that in most of the centre IME - Madrid just in a few areas IME and I have walked and jog many many miles around it so have seen most areas.

Madrid has tantalizing day trips - Toledo, by any reckoning one of Europe's most old-worldish cities - would have 4 Michelin green guide stars if they allowed it - Salamanca is a great one - lively university city - Segovia and Avila both superb (have not been to la Cuenca) and then you have Aranjuez, the Spanish Versailles in between Madrid and Toledo and El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen - Fascist Franco's lavish testimony to himself - all easy day trips from Madrid by train.

Valley of the Fallen- Fascist Franco's lavish testimony to himself

Lavish? You mean the one built with slave labor and shrouded in continual controversy?

" modern tower blocks". ?????
I must have missed those. ( other than in the northern. - business part of the city)

Except for Paris ( and not all of it), travelers looking for a " romantic" experience might
wish to explore smaller cities rather than one with the population of 3.2 million ( metropolitan
5.8 million).

From a Madrilenian point of view, Madrid offers good museums like the Thyssen-Prado-Sorolla-Descalzas-Tne Archaeologic , along with Summer Cultural Agenda, "Los veranos de la Villa" , the Opera Theatre (and the Opera's Cafe) and the majestic Royal Palace.
The Plaza Santa Ana is a right place to go to have some pinchos late in the evening.
Surroundings like Avila, Segovia, Escorial, Cuenca & Albarracin village can be easily visited if you plan it in advance

I have been to Madrid twice more since then - on business. On these trips to europe I usually add a couple of days at the end for myself - but didn't in Madrid since I just couldn't find anything else I really wanted to do (had seen the Royal Palace, the Plaza Mayor and two major museums - the rest was not tempting).

ekscrunchy, excited to read your report...

asps, thanks, those Corpus Christi cookies, that's the kind of unusual places we'd be glad to visit...

More and more I see another day-trip, besides Toledo, being planned...

Here are two of my fairly recent reports that mention Madrid:



http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...k-in-spain.cfm

I was not feeling well for a couple of days during this stay in Madrid, so the Madrid section of the report is abbreviated:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...and-malaga.cfm

Then also take a look at the Rastro, which is only on Sundays and could be the world's largest flea market filled with both crap and interesting items and the Royal Tapestry Factory.

I prefer Barcelona to Madrid, but the museums in Madrid are pretty impressive. And Toledo is an amazing town, worth an overnight. I enjoyed the Valley of the Fallen as well.

Madrid is very much worth four days. Apart from the world class museums, the very different local feel districts that make up the center of town, the parks, the fabulous tapas bars and restaurants, the theaters, the concerts, the best bars and nightlife in Spain etc, I've previously posted these suggestions for Madrid:

Have breakfast or lunch at Café del Círculo de Bellas Artes in down town Calle Alcalá, 42. One of the city's most emblematic cafés. Grab a window table and watch Madrid life on bustling Calle Alcalá. Take the lift up to the roof topp terrace (the azotea) for great views of the city. http://www.esmadrid.com/en/cargarApl...ntificador=179

Watch the sunset over the Guadarrama mountains from the terrace at El Ventorrillo in the Vistillas park. Great pollo al ajillo (garlic chicken), some say the best in town. Map, video and some pictures: http://11870.com/pro/restaurante-ventorrillo

Have lunch or some tapas at Casa Granada, on the 6th floor of an apartment building just off Plaza Tirso de Molina. Hard to find and an excellent terrace. http://www.tripfilms.com/Travel_Vide...ada-Video.html

Café Central, just off bustling Plaza Santa Ana, is a fabulous jazz venue with live performances from the best artists every night at 10. Artists shift every week. Entrance 15€. Good food also. Populart, a little further down the street, is also a great place. http://www.cafecentralmadrid.com/

Experience world class flamenco at one of the best tablaos. Madrid is arguably the flamenco capital of the world. Although the art form comes from the South (Andalucía), everybody has to conquer Madrid to get to the top. On their way there, or as an opportunity to try out new things and get an up close audience, many of them work the top tablaos. I recommend Casa Patas and Cardamomo, both close to Plaza Santa Ana.
http://www.casapatas.com/
http://www.cardamomo.es/

A stroll in the beautiful Retiro Park. http://www.aviewoncities.com/madrid/parquedelretiro.htm

Asturian Casa Mingo for the best grilled chicken and cider: http://www.casamingo.es/
Watch the video, and you're sold:
http://11870.com/pro/casa-mingo/videos/bc313f19

Txirimiri in Calle del Humilladero, 6 gives you an idea of why the Basque kitchen is considered among the best in the world. In the midst of one of the best tapas/restaurant districts in town, in and around Calle Cava Baja in La Latina.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...ri-Madrid.html

I never leave Madrid without having had the squid in its own ink and the famous cod at Casa Revuelta, also in the same district.
http://11870.com/pro/bar-revuelta

The Reina Sofia contemporary art museum. The second floor with Picasso, Dalí, lots of other painitings, posters, films, photos etc., dealing with a couple of the greatest civilizational breakdowns of the 20th century, the Spanish Civil War and WWII, completely blew my mind off a couple of years ago.
(And of course Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza museums)

This is the best Madrid guide, always updated info on theaters, concerts, events etc.: http://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.do

As a Spanish (Basque) local, I´ve always preferred Madrid to Barcelona. More lively, less touristy, bars are more fun and "authentic", museums are great, street life is more interesting, less tourist traps (although there´re plenty in both cities)...Both cities are great to visit, as they´re so different in so many aspects.

I am so glad I been to BCN. This video makes it look so over crowded now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSAPqGijeiY

While I seriously like both cities with a certain bias for Barcelona, I do understand those who say that within the city limits Barcelona has more sights to visit. Barcelona has no seriously triple A world-class museums like the "big three" in Madrid - but has tons of, let's say, double and single A sights.
So, BCN might be more appealing as there are more places to actually visit. In contrast to Madrid, where I agree with PPs part of the fun is to explore the vibe of the different neighborhoods. As long as you dare to stray away from the usual Gran Via/ Paseo de Prado/ Royal Palace triangle. But even within the touristy neighborhoods you find nice places to sample the Spanish cuisine(s) or just hang for a few drinks.

Plus you have Madrid as THE perfect hub to explore a multitude of destinations nearby. I'm not sure if I'd go as far as Valencia for just a day. Toledo is the usual subject, Aranjuez, Escorial, Alcala and Pardo (sp?) palace could be others.

Even though somewhat touristy (or just perfectly maintained), I did like Cuenca a lot. And it also has the perfect size to handle for a day trip. While Cuenca should be easily in reach by train (don't know, had a car), it could also make for a perfect day trip with a rental car.
We picked up our car at a location east of Retiro, easily accessible by Metro, and within 1km of R-3 to take us out of the city without inner-city driving. After a while you will have left the Madrid region behind you and have the sunburnt plains of Castilla La Mancha in sight.. roman amphitheatre ruins halfway to Cuenca make a nice stop, or go straight for Cuenca.
After exploring the town (which may be somewhat strenous in the late AM/midday heat) and having lunch, you still have time to drive a little loop into the frontrange of the mountains to the Enchanted "City". An impressive area in the woods with all kinds of bizarre , natural rock formations.
Continuing the loop, the road will take you to some beautiful lookout points over the river valley and the higher mountains towards Aragon. I think you can also refresh yourself in the river which is just 10minutes driving away.. or at least get your sore feet into the cold water.

Central Spain will probably be smoking hot still in September. But the extreme climates of the plains have shaped the architecture and lifes of people so it may even help to "immerse" yourself into the real thing than just watching from a climate-controlled compartment of a train or car or bus.

Toledo is a very easy day trip from Madrid, and well worth the visit. We had a rental car, but I had looked up the train schedules in the planning stage.

Segovia is another very easy day trip; maybe a fraction less interesting to me than Toledo, but they are neck-and-neck. I first visited Segovia in 1986 and have a soft spot for the city.

In 1986, I visited Ávila by bus and train from Segovia, and found it a bit of a pain. Probably it's easier from Madrid. In 2004, we drove there from Salamanca. In my opinion, Ávila has much less to offer than Toledo and Segovia: a nice city wall, and a few interesting churches. Toledo has many significant architectural and historical sites. Segovia has a very nice castle, fairly well-maintained city walls, and an attractive center.

Thank you, Cowboy, for that very helpful information (and thanks to all others who contributed here). Side trips to Toledo and Segovia are often talked about as "musts" for visitors to Madrid, but there are a number of other destinations within day-trip range, as you discussed.

And for the food-obsessed, one of the heartlands of roast lamb--the area around Sepulveda--is an easy one-night side trip from the Spanish capital. A bit further on, the La Vera Valley of smoked paprika fame (PImenton de la Vera), the cherries of the Jerte.


Report about a week traveling in a vague circle around Madrid..lots of food talk, so be forewarned; I would love to repeat this drive, lingering for more time in a few spots:


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nd-segovia.cfm

My two very brief stays in Madrid were so much fun that I would be happy to return. The Plaza Santa Ana is vibrant late into the night. Flamenco at Casa Patas was an eye opener, much more intense and compelling than my previous idea of flamenco. I liked the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum best of the three major museums, with little known works by major artists and major works by less-well-known artists.

Alcala de Henares, Aranjuez and Chinchon
destinations easily reach from Madrid ( no train to Chinchon) we enjoyed.