Barcelona changed our mind about Spain

We both have vivid memories of arriving in Madrid full of excitement. I had wanted to visit Spain since I was a teenager. It was also Tigger’s first time being in Europe. We had spent 1-1/2 years in Latin America prior to coming to Spain, and we definitely experienced culture shock. While we enjoyed Granada, Madrid really put us both off the country. While we were in Portugal, I pondered a return to Spain so we could visit Barcelona but just wasn’t sure.

Barcelona vs Madrid

I had heard so many positive things about this city and the region. When I explained to people on Facebook why I didn’t care for Madrid (full of grouchy people, nothing overly special about the city), a few people shared our feelings about Madrid but absolutely loved Barcelona. That was enough for me to decide to make the jump.

We stayed in the Gracia neighborhood, which was a great decision. We were close to many things to see, including the Sagrada Familia basilica and Parc Guell.

Walking around was really enjoyable. Because of the lovely spring weather, people were occupying the outdoor cafes and enjoying the beautiful sunshine. Being here at the end of April meant we had more tourists in some of the prime spots, but since we weren’t quite in the high season yet, it wasn’t too bad.

Barcelona Parc Guell

One of the first things I noticed about Barcelona was the vibe. The city just has a good feel to it. The big thing I was looking for, though, was the friendliness of the people.

We weren’t let down.

The locals were quite friendly and helpful. Some friends had told me that people would prefer to speak English rather than Spanish (since Catalan is the regional language). I did not find that to be the case. Every person I spoke to in Spanish readily engaged in conversation with me. It was interesting, though, seeing signs written only in Catalan.

It was so nice to walk into a store and be greeted as opposed to the sour looks we had in Madrid.

While lodging and transportation were definitely more expensive than Portugal, food and groceries were cheaper. Entrance fees to some things were also absolutely ridiculous. For instance, if you wish to enter the Parc Guell monument area you’re looking at just over $11 USD per adult. After having just dropped nearly $40 to see the basilica, I wasn’t about to spend so much to see a few funky buildings. Thankfully, there is also a large free area.

Barcelona Parc Guell

After spending a brief time in Barcelona, I no longer say I don’t care for Spain. In fact, I would’ve loved to have spent more time there and will certainly plan on coming back to experience the city further. Tigger enjoyed it as well.

But Madrid is still on our list of poor experiences.

Have you been to Barcelona? What’s your favorite site or area to visit?

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22 Comments

  1. I have not been to Madrid but as you know Talon we have been to Barcelona not once but twice. That’s how much we loved it. Albeit, the type of traveller we are the kind that like to eat. There are so man places to eat in Barcelona it made our head spin. So we were all happy to be back in Barcelona.

    As you mentioned, it all depends on the type of traveller you are. Just like some people love Marseille while others think it MEH!

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  2. That’s great that you gave Spain another chance and it redeemed itself. I wasn’t a big fan of Spain myself until I visited Granada and the small mountain villages of Andalucia. I only visited Barcelona for a couple of days years ago but it is a city that I would love to go back to.

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    • I agree with you about Granada. I really liked that city and would’ve stayed there longer easily.

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  3. I visited Barcelona for a long weekend about 12 years ago, and did in fact find that people were reluctant to speak Spanish to me (though I was still a beginner then, so that might have had something to do with it!) and would instead switch to English. I wonder if that now there are more and more people moving there from other parts of Spain who don’t speak Catalan, so you won’t find that so much anymore. Glad you like the city!

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    • That could definitely make a difference. When my French is pretty rusty, people in France will often switch to English with me, but when it’s more fluid they’ll usually stick with French.

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  4. We have heard this exact same thing from many travellers to Spain. They all say how Madrid is not very friendly and cold to people while Barcelona is the exact opposite. It seems like many countries have this good city/bad city going on. We felt this while we were in Israel with Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Jerusalem seemed to be more smiles and Tel Aviv was just not very friendly at all. I am sure it is different for everyone 🙂

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  5. Oh dear. That’s another miss for us, I suppose, because we’ll be spending about a week in Spain before heading to Lisbon for our flight back home and given our limited time and our final destination in Portugal, we decided to cut Barcelona and will be heading to Madrid instead! Given the cost of trains (read: too expensive) and the time suckage of the more budget-friendly buses, we decided we really didn’t have time to see both of those places on this visit. Although I knew that more people tend to enjoy Barcelona, it would have put us even farther from Lisbon… given that Madrid made more sense, we decided to fly there instead. I did see that there are some fab museums in Madrid so hopefully those will help entertain us, but I hope we don’t find our first impressions of Spain to be too lackluster as you did. I guess we’ll find out soon enough!

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    • There are some great museums. The park near the Prado is really great, too, especially this time of year. Hopefully your experience will be better than ours. If you haven’t picked an area to stay yet, I did like the Lavapies neighborhood.

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  6. I have loved Barcelona since my first visit there. I am obsessed with the city and can not get enough of it. Madrid was a different story. The first visit there I did not like it at all. I have been back twice since then and like it a lot better.

    I would also recommend visiting Seville and Valencia.

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  7. If I was to move back to Europe I would either choose Barcelona (where I grew up) or Edinburgh. Or both!

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  8. I loved Madrid and it was my daughter’s favorite city in Spain. And I did’t experience any grumpy people….although Madrilenos are generally tough, to the point and no nonsense kind of people. I even stayed with locals when we were there and found them to be friendly and hospitable. Barcelona we loved also but it is a completely different experience and vibe and it’s my favorite Spanish city. You should also try Sevilla….another completely different vibe and experience in the same country.

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    • I was told the change in friendliness was due to the economic crisis. I don’t know if that’s true, but it sounds plausible. Just didn’t find much to like about the city, whereas I absolutely loved Barcelona.

      Seville is on my list.

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  9. Oh I can’t wait to go to Spain! It looks fabulous and I have a yearning for Spanish food! Note to self – limit time spent in Madrid and hang out in Barcelona!

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  10. I’m so sad that you guys had such a bad time in Madrid! It really is night and day, almost like comparing New York and L.A. I completely understand though, Madrid doesn’t make things easy for tourists and you really have to dig to get to know it. All of which makes bad things for tourists, but rewarding for expats. The longer I’ve been here the more I love it! If you guys happen to have a layover or need to pass through I’ll help show you how it isn’t all bad 🙂

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    • I’m sure it isn’t all bad. Just wasn’t our cup of tea at all. Even my son still remembers all the grumpy people. Barcelona sure is a better rep for Spain.

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  11. I think this page summarises very well the differences between Madrid and Barcelona

    Specially this sentence: If you only had a weekend in Spain, you’d feel like you ‘got’ Barcelona much faster than you would Madrid. On the other hand, the longer you stay in Madrid, the more you’ll appreciate it (I don’t think you could say the same for Barcelona).

    I think it depends if you are more of the tourist type or the traveler type.

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    • It probably depends more on your personality and what types of things you like. For us the grumpy people in Madrid really spoiled it for us. Whereas in Barcelona they are MUCH friendlier.

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