Barcelona, Madrid and Salou
Posted in City Breaks , Holiday on 27-08-2009 1:08 p.m. | 5121 Readers
The summer of this year went to Spain. Across Belgium and France, we drove to the sunny south. In Spain there were three destinations were on our program. First we have two cities visited Madrid and Barcelona. Then we fitted a week in the popular resort of Salou. We have seen and experienced so much!
Read a detailed report of our adventures .
Through our planning, we could make a good comparison between Barcelona and Madrid. Doubt you what city deserves a visit? Maybe you have something to our reckless judgment ...
City / atmosphere Barcelona  Barcelona has a nice cozy atmosphere, the Ramblas is a good example. Always busy, always something going on, both afternoon and evening fun. | City / Madrid atmosphere  In Madrid, the atmosphere in the afternoon very well, the Plaza Mayor, we found a very nice pleasant square. In the evening there are more beggars on the street and was less sense of security. |
Barcelona Food  Curiously, it was in Barcelona very difficult to find a good eatery. We have all these days to find a restaurant where we could eat delicious! | Food Madrid  In Madrid it was easier to have a nice dinner. Unfortunately the prices were very high. It was not an exception associated with your bare piece of flesh had everything in order. |
Public Transport Barcelona  Public transport in Barcelona is well regulated. By subway you can go anywhere but that is inhumane warm. The toernistenbus is fun, relax and watch unlimited access to all sights in and out. Very pricey though. | Public transport Madrid  In Madrid you can take a tourist bus, something cheaper and just as fun. The subway was much cooler and more modern than in Barcelona, but many routes were closed for maintenance. |
Hotel Barcelona  The hotel that we had in Barcelona (Torre Catalunya) was perfect. Not in the center but next to a metro station within 10 minutes so we were on the Ramblas. Spacious, luxury room and nice breakfast. Highly recommended! | Hotel Madrid  Vincii center was centrally located, the main attractions within walking distance. Clean and tidy but in a strange style. The room was very small and the airconditioning was not working properly. After Barcelona was a disappointment. |
Stadium Barcelona  The Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona made a big impression on us. It is within what is old, but there is a real football atmosphere. | Madrid Stadium  An ultramodern stadium, but with less atmosphere than Barcelona. Nice museum. The fan shop, however, fell back a bit disappointing. |
Barcelona Sights  In terms of sights Barcelona has much to offer. Many buildings in Modernist style and of course the works of Gaudi. Unique. The tourist bus tour is a must for all to see. | Madrid Sights  Madrid does not include respect for Barcelona impressive buildings. Everything is very well maintained and clean. Only it is very close to each other built. Some beautiful buildings and statues are therefore not even because there is only very narrow alleys among them. |
Overall assessment: Barcelona!
We found slightly better than Barcelona Madrid. It was enjoyable and there is lots to do. Madrid is especially beautiful, a sort of outdoor museum. But in the evening you feel less safe.
Madrid gets plus points much easier because you can eat, that was almost impossible to do in Barcelona. But it is much nicer hotel, the broader intent of the city and its location on the sea were still Barcelona narrow but well deserved winner of our comparison.
