Barcelona vs Madrid: which is better?

Times

17-07-2025

On the surface, Barcelona and Madrid — two of Spain's major cities, two and a half hours apart by train — are markedly different. Coastal Barcelona dazzles with its avant-garde buildings and sunny Mediterranean insouciance, while the central Spanish capital exudes history and elegance, holding its age-old traditions dear. Barcelona has miles of sandy beaches, a tight-knit medieval quarter and its very own architectural movement, Modernisme. Madrid, meanwhile, has not one but three world-class palaces of art, along with grand squares and boulevards, immense parks and a dynamic nightlife scene.
Ultimately, though, these two cities have several crucial things in common. Superb bars and restaurants of every stripe; great shopping, from sprawling flea markets to luxe boutiques; and storied pasts written in stone everywhere you look. Both have some of Spain's loveliest hotels.
I've lived in both cities and watched their characters change over the decades as the tentacles of tourism took hold. Neither is a well-kept secret any more, but they've retained robust (and distinct) personalities. If you've only time to visit one, here's how to choose.
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Winner Madrid
Among the Barcelona attractions vying for pole position are its endless beaches; the medieval neighbourhoods of the Barri Gotic and El Born; the Camp Nou stadium; the Museu Picasso, and the entire output of Modernista architect Antoni Gaudí. The latter includes the fairytale whimsy of the Park Guell and the Casa Batllo, the staggering cathedral-to-be that is the Sagrada Familia and the gothic-influenced Palau Guell. Don't overlook the work of his contemporaries, however — the Palau de la Musica Catalana concert hall is a riot of colour and creativity.
But Madrid comes out on top. What makes the city so unique is its blend of history and the avant-garde. Its three major art galleries — the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía — are complemented by a raft of underground galleries and cutting-edge cultural centres, while after dark its air of sturdy pomp gives way to a club scene unrivalled outside Berlin. As the seat of government and royalty, Madrid is endowed with awe-inspiring buildings, none quite as impressive as the Palacio Real, a vast confection of 3,400 rooms.
For a comprehensive introduction to Madrid as well as other fabulous Spanish cities — including Barcelona — join Costsaver's eight-night Spanish Experience tour. The trip begins and ends in Madrid, with visits to the Palacio Real and Retiro Park, and you'll have a free day to explore Barcelona too. Other stops include Granada and Seville.
If you're only visiting Barcelona, take a half-day tour around some of the old city's medieval and gothic highlights, including the cathedral, and ending at the Palau de la Musica Catalana.
• Best things to do in Madrid• Best things to do in Barcelona
Winner Madrid
As the crucible of molecular gastronomy, Barcelona has gained a fearsome reputation among chefs. Many who worked under überchef Ferran Adrià in the kitchens of El Bulli went on to set up their own restaurants in the Catalan capital, such as the trio behind Disfrutar, voted No 1 in 2024 by the World's 50 Best Restaurants, or Ferran's brother Albert, who is behind Enigma. Local produce is highly prized, and Barcelona has a number of excellent neighbourhood food markets, including one of Europe's biggest, La Boqueria.
Where Madrid excels is in its wonderfully atmospheric taverns and tapas bars, still going after decades or even centuries. The almost 200-year-old Casa Alberto is a classic must-visit for its oxtail stew, or you might try Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world, for some suckling pig or roast lamb. This is not to say that Madrid can't play Barcelona at its own game — see, for example, the boundary-pushing DiverXo, where some of the most creative food around is served in a wildly futuristic dining room.
Secret Food Tours promises an epicurean voyage with its Madrid Walking Food Tour, showing you how to eat out like a local, guided by an expert in the city's history and culture, and stopping off for tapas, treats and tipples along the way.
Intrepid's nine-night Northern Spain Real Food Adventure does as the name suggests. Food is front and centre in the varied itinerary across the north of the country. The trip begins in Barcelona, with a tapas crawl as well as a cava or vermouth tasting, with subsequent stops in Logrono, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Oviedo, La Coruña, and Santiago de Compostela.
• Best restaurants in Barcelona
Winner Barcelona
For all its award-winning cocktail bars, Barcelona's greatest contribution to the proud art of drinking is probably cava — which knocks prosecco into a cocked hat and at its best matches many champagnes. It's mostly a summer tipple, best sampled on a sunny terrace or at one of the many xiringuitos (beach bars). In winter head to a wine bar (such as the excellent Mon Vinic) and try some of the many superb reds produced around Catalunya (most famously in the Priorat DO, but there are many others).
Still, Madrid also excels when it comes to tipples. Hacer el vermut — 'doing vermouth' — does not just mean going out for a vermouth, it encompasses a whole tradition that might involve olives, crisps and a saucerful of fresh anchovies, and will almost certainly involve a table in the sun and a group of friends. It's mostly a late morning drink and serves as a lunch aperitif, unlike sherry, which is drunk at any time of day or night. Sherry is best experienced in the delightful La Venencia, a century-old bar with sherry barrels on the wall and where your order is chalked on the counter.
Madrid is also a hot bed of microbreweries and craft beer bars. Visit some of the most interesting and meet the brewers on an evening tour with Get Your Guide.
Take a trip out to the Codorniu winery, a major cava producer housed in a stunning Modernista building.
Winner Barcelona
Nowadays neither of Spain's major cities wants for hotel opulence — Barcelona has the Versailles-inspired El Palace, beachside Hotel Arts and its own branches of Mandarin Oriental, W, Nobu and Edition, to name but a handful. Where the city really excels, however, is in quirky boutiques, from the clubby Wittmore to the secret Neri, tucked away next to the cathedral. For a great-value option, try one of the Praktik hotels, each with a very individual concept, or one of the Chic&Basic hotels, which do exactly what you'd expect.
The opening of the jawdroppingly luxurious Four Seasons Madrid in 2020 means that the capital just pips Barcelona to the post in terms of luxury, though. The city also has a glitzy Edition and Mandarin Oriental, along with a clutch of similarly upscale five-stars with little to choose between them, such as the Palacio de los Duques, Westin Palace and JW Marriott. The city doesn't lack for stylish budget choices either, and was the birthplace of the excellent value Room Mate group (in Madrid there are five, all wonderfully central) and also has five of the cheap and cheerful Petit Palace hotels.
Request a room on one of the upper floors at Nobu Hotel Barcelona for spectacular views across the city (not to mention dreamily comfortable beds).
• Best luxury hotels in Barcelona• Best family hotels in Barcelona
The Madrid Edition stands out for its excellent Mexican restaurant, central location, and sleek, cream-toned rooms.
• Best hotels in Madrid• Best affordable hotels in Madrid under £200
Madrid
It's an impossible choice and will very likely depend on where your interests lie — one, after all, has a beach, while the other is home to some of the world's best-known paintings. Barcelona's architecture is utterly unique, while Madrid's is more in line with the grand capitals of Europe. Both have a generous sprinkling of Michelin stars. In the end, though, it is perhaps Madrid that's done a better job of preserving its character — its convivial old taverns and elegant gardens, its slap-up hearty lunches and anarchic cultural scene — while incorporating the new.
• Best boutique hotels in Barcelona• Best places to visit in Spain
Which Spanish city do you prefer — Barcelona or Madrid — and why? Let us know in the comments below