Hey everyone,

I'm going to Barcelona this March with one of my girlfriends and she's really adamant about going to Madrid as well. We're going for 7 days, 6 nights and I was seeing about doing 3 days in Barcelona and 3 days in Madrid. The last day is for flying back to NYC.

I was wondering if we were selling ourselves short with this. We arrive in Barcelona first and I was thinking of staying there for 3 days and then taking an Iberia flight to Madrid and staying there for 3 more. I kind of want to just stay in Barcelona, but I'm not sure of what to do.

If we do decided to split the trip, what must-see's should I make sure I go to in both Madrid and Barcelona. I want to stroll around the cities, but I also don't want to miss out on anything special.

Another question.....

I'm a little concerned about safety after reading some of the horrendous posts about theft in the streets. I don't want to be paranoid, but I'm already getting really scared. Is it really that bad in Spain?

Sorry for the long post, but I'm just full of questions !

Thanks to all who respond !

latina0319

I think three days in madrid and three days in barcelona is enough. If you had time you could go south to Granada or Sevilla but since your time is short madrid and Barcelona would do, this way you wont't need a vacation from a vacation from too much travelling in such a short period of time. They are two entirely different cities.Just do it. You will kick yourself in the butt when you leave spain and say I should have gone. You'll be there make the most of it.

If this will be your only trip to Spain, I would definitely try for both. You will find that the two cities are so completely different, but yet both exemplify Spain. I enjoyed the comparisons and contrasts of each, and found that in the end I was much more comfortable in Madrid and other regions of Spain than Barcelona. But to only experience one area doesn't show enough of this fantastic country.

I would definitely try to go to both cities. As said above, they are both wonderful and each has its own great qualities that separates it from the other. In Madrid, make sure to check out the tapas bars--the nightlife in the city is incredible. I love to just sit and have some tapas and a caña of Mahou (the local brew) in one of the bars at Plaza Mayor or Plaza Santa Ana. Also don't miss the Museo del Prado, it's one of my favorite places in Madrid. In Barcelona, I loved the Gothic Quarter and just strolling down Las Ramblas. Of course the Sagrada Familia is an obvious choice and I always enjoy the view from the top of Montjuic near the Olympic Stadium.
I've personally never had problems with pickpockets in Spain. Just be extra careful, especially in the major tourist areas (such as Sol in Madrid and Las Ramblas in Barcelona) and the metro systems. Since you're going with friends, you can all watch out for each other and travelling as a group should make things safer as well. I hope you have a great time.

Latina , Madrid is , actually , a 180% more safety city than the most safety big city of US ( New York).
You will see that you will not have feat at night when you walk arround the streets.
There are a`problem with pickpockets but they exists in almost each big town with tourists ( try Rome for exemple).

Good Holydays and I recommend you a place that don.t use to visit the tourists in Madrid:
El Templo de Debod , is a egyptian little temple , stone by stone from Egypt to Madrid.

Latina - Go for it - and plan on sleeping ONLY when you return home!

The two cities are so completely different - there's a thread somewhere more-or-less voting on Madrid vs Barca as the favorite. My vote goes to Madrid ...

Re safety - use common sense and you'll have no problems. Spain is safe - as Pippa said - far safer than many US cities - but you MUST you common sense - in any country - including your hometown -

Thank you to everyone that responded ! I'm definitely more confident in my decision to do both cities.

I guess once I go there I'll be able to make my choice of what is my favorite city

By the way, does anyone know what the weather would be like mid-March? I read online a prediction of about 60 degrees Farenheit. That's warm, but is there any chance that it may be warmer?

Hi there! My experience so far of Madrid in the winter months is that 75% of the time it is cold but occasionally (like this week) a mild spell of weather turns up. I would however anticipate that in mid-March there is still a chance of cold weather and dress accordingly (you can always jettison the sweater if needed!)
As to spending 3 days in Madrid, try and take a day-trip to either Segovia or Toledo... I doubt anyone who has been to 1 of these historic cities will disagree!