Where is the best place to live in Spain between the two: Barcelona or Madrid?

Question

barcelona, spain, madrid, real madrid fc, fc barcelona, catalan, spanish, best place to live

Answer 1

I rather chose Barcelona.

Answer 2

Tough choice, but I prefer Barcelona.  On the Med, great restaurants and culture, and cleaner than Madrid.  But either way, you're bound to have a great experience if you're not from Spain. Good luck!

Answer 3

We just had a wonderful stay in both cities...But I am a serious lover of all things Spanish.  I always have had a little bit of a negative feeling towards Barcelona...just not my type of place.. Yes, there are great beaches there, great seafood (I LOOOOVE seafood) Great architecture...that turn of the 20th century Modernista style, wide boulevards and the Ramblas!  It's a great city...but Madrid is more my style.  I like the older, 15th to 18th century flavors of Madrid better...it's more "Spanish", as Barcelonaman pointed out.  Barcelona is not IN Spain, it is IN Catalunya.  The flavor is entirely different.  It's more modern and more lively, as Kalikina said.

Madrid is the center of the Spanish universe.  The capital and all that goes with that.  Like New York?  I don't see that...Madrid is much nicer and more gracious than New York.

All that said, I'll throw my real favorite into the ring for you...and that's Seville.  Smaller, older, more historic than either, more romantic, gypsies, flamenco, moors...and, of course, I`m partial, as I have lived there.  

Madrid is my favorite of the two you gave.

Answer 4

I lived in both cities and now I live in New York.  I would definitely chose Barcelona.  To me Barcelona is more "lively", you can actually go to the beach, GREAT architecture...Madrid is just like New York, but cleaner.

Answer 5

The best place is Marruecos in Africa.Y si lo puebras te gustara>Confia,te lo dice un Espanol

Answer 6

I think that Barcelona is better. In BCN everybody knows Spanish  and you can also learn catalan.

Answer 7

I guess it depends on what you want from your visit/stay/life. What do you consider "best"?

Keep in mind that if you live in Barcelona you're not really living in "Spain" - but in Catalunya. If you like style, the beach, and a mediterranean lifestyle then Barcelona has to be your choice.

If you prefer to feel like you're in SPAIN, like traditional Spanish art, huge parks, and lots of things a capital city can offer then Madrid has to be your choice.

What would *I* choose? 6 months in Madrid and 6 months in Barcelona.

Saludos, BarcelonaMan(.com)

Answer 8

haha i live in zaragoza 300 km from madrid and 312 km from barcelona. I've been in both cities and i think the best place is barcelona, but there u must learn catalan and spanish so barcelona shows more disvantages. However barcelona has beaches and a good weather. Madrid is the center of everuthing, best restaurants, transports...

Madrid is the 3rd biggest city in europe xD!!

Answer 9

That's depends of what you mean by "the best". Barcelona is more colored, noisy and, maybe, funny city. Madrid is full of gorgeous buildings, museums, gardens, palaces. In my opinion, I'll choose Madrid, it's more "serious" (lol).

Answer 10

madrid.

i lived there for two years.

well.with my grandma.

i loved it.

haha

Answer 11

I think that Barcelona is better than Madrid (I live in BCN).

The weather is better than Madrid, you can go to the beach in the summer, the people is very friendly...

Bye!