Thinking of giving Madrid a miss....

[Bruce Pollock]

My wife and I are in the very early stages of planning a trip to Spain and possibly Portugal in the spring of 2018. We are most interested in Barcelona and Andalusia and, although I know this may sound sacrilegious, we are considering passing through Madrid without stopping. Are we crazy?

Apart from the Prado, the Royal Palace and maybe the Reina Sofia (which are all of interest, but not necessarily priorities) I'm not sure what else we might be missing apart from large numbers of tourists. In saying that, I recognize the volume of tourists in Barcelona will also be huge, but it seems worth the fight.

Can someone make a good argument to get off the train in Madrid?

 

[veronicafrance]

I liked Madrid well enough, but if I were going to choose one city to (re)visit in Andalucia, it would be Seville, like a shot. We only spent a long weekend there, but absolutely loved it and will definitely be back.

 

[Jan55612]

Our first visits to Spain included Andalucia and Barcelona. On our third trip to Spain, we spent two weeks in Madrid and thoroughly enjoyed it. Because Madrid has real seasons-hot and cold- spring or fall are the best times to visit. We love art, so we appreciated all the art offerings in Madrid. The Prado, the Reina Sofia, and the Thyssen Bornemisza are all very worthwhile and we were fortunate enough to be in Madrid when there were several special exhibitions, including Munch, Kandinsky, and Bonnard. There are also independent private galleries that exhibit contemporary art. We had a very fun day gallery hopping our way across Madrid. We also enjoyed the food and had a great time on a food tour. We felt the crush of tourism more in the heart of Barcelona and Lisbon than we did in Madrid.

 

[Dennis]

We prefer Barcelona to Madrid. However, Madrid is the capitol city and as a result, in addition to its renowned art museums, its other National museums are worth a visit. (e.g. the Archeological, Naval, and Americas museums). If your time is limited I suggest you concentrate on a Barcelona/Andalusian experience. If not, to experience the art of the Prado and the power of Picasso's Guernica is certainly worthwhile.
I concur with Jan that the tourism "crush" was felt more in Barcelona than Madrid.

 

[Bruce Pollock]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts. We are in the early stages of itinerary planning and may yet work in a brief visit to Madrid..

 

[jan]

We spent 4 nights in Madrid in 2015. While we enjoyed it, there was just something missing. Neither my husband nor I felt a real connection with the city.
We stayed in a Marriott (points and all that) so maybe that didn't help.

 

[MariaA]

Well, I'll be a bit of a contrarian here. I remember the lengthy debates in Fodors Europe forums of Barcelona vs Madrid, and I've always considered myself a Madrid person. While recognizing that Barcelona is a special city, for some reason I love the vibe in Madrid! If you give me a choice between the two I'll always pick Madrid. Cant put it into words... Its not just the world class museums, but the gorgeous Retiro Park, the Plaza Mayor, which to me is one of the most beautiful squares I've ever seen, the food, the bar and restaurant scene, etc , etc, And then , its proximity to historic and beautiful cities such as Toledo, Segovia, Avila, which makes day trips from Madrid so easy. I've traveled in Madrid in all seasons and never seen it overrun with tourists. Spring is a lovely time to visit as it can get quite hot in the summer. My suggestion would be , if you have 2-3 days to spare give it a try, you will not know if you're a "Madrid person" until you do

 

[CaWino]

I will make the argument to stay on the train. No, you are not crazy about not visiting Madrid. No knock intended on Madrid, but travel sometimes involves making difficult choices among excellent options. You can't see everything on a single trip. Our trip to Spain included Barcelona and San Sebastian. No regrets. Loved both and I'm sure we would enjoy Madrid someday, too.

 

[Anubis]

My wife and I are in the very early stages of planning a trip to Spain and possibly Portugal in the spring of 2018. We are most interested in Barcelona and Andalusia and, although I know this may sound sacrilegious, we are considering passing through Madrid without stopping. Are we crazy?

Apart from the Prado, the Royal Palace and maybe the Reina Sofia (which are all of interest, but not necessarily priorities) I'm not sure what else we might be missing apart from large numbers of tourists. In saying that, I recognize the volume of tourists in Barcelona will also be huge, but it seems worth the fight.
Can someone make a good argument to get off the train in Madrid?

Madrid is aworld class city. Great museums. You left out the Bornemiza, a great theatre, the best paella in the country, wide blvds and statues like Paris and more. The great meeting squares, Mayor, Sol etc. One can not be a world traveler without some time in Madrid. I may be in the minority but I prefer the Capitol to Barcelona.