I recently took a trip to Madrid and it was not at all what I expected but I was surprised by how much I liked it there. Barcelona and Madrid are definitely two of the most visited places in Spain and most known to tourists. My friend and I last minute planned a trip to Madrid because we figured we might as well go while we are in Spain even though it wasn’t necessarily on the top of our list for places to see. We ended up loving it and wishing we could stay a bit longer. I love Barcelona as well but after seeing Madrid I would say they are more different than I thought but both just as great.
The nightlife was a lot of fun. All of the different streets and areas we walked by at night were all pretty lively with not only tourists but locals as well. In Barcelona a lot of the places I have gone out to at night are at least half full of tourists, usually mostly Americans. I know there are plenty of places here in Barcelona that are fun to visit that are much less tourist oriented but those are not as popular among study abroad students. The club scene in Barcelona is in my opinion more lively than in Madrid because of the popularity of the beachfront area and the fact that all the major clubs are on the beach.
The city of Madrid was beautiful as well and very different looking from Barcelona. The residential streets are a bit narrower and steep. We went to Retiro Park during the day which was beautiful and huge. It seemed like such a perfect place to relax or spend time on a nice day. The people were pretty nice however it was more difficult to speak to locals compared to Barcelona. Usually, in Barcelona I can get away with speaking in English to most people or I will understand some spanish enough to respond to them. However, in Madrid almost no one we encountered in either restaurants or cabs understood English.
We went to great restaurants and the prices were very reasonable as well. One that I loved was called Ginger. The food was very fresh and they had a great menu with a bunch of things I hadn’t tried before. Madrid exceeded my expectations and I would love to go back one day to visit. But, I still love Barcelona just as much as I did before my trip to Madrid.
sammydavidoff 