things to do madrid/barcelona

[ros74911]

hello, pelincanites. how are things? hope all is well. i am traveling to madrid/barcelona in the near future. what's the inside scoop? i.e. eats, sightseeing, do's and don'ts, etc... i appreciate any insights. thanks in advance.

[imcarthur]

Madrid has the Big 3 Museums. The Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza & the Reina Sofia. Even if you aren't an arty, you should see Picasso's masterwork - Guernica at Reina Sofia. We spent the morning in the Prado, had lunch in the Retiro Park behind it & part of the afternoon in the T-B.

Everyone congregates in the Plazas - Mayor & Santa Ana etc - in the evening to eat, drink & socialize. Great eats can be found on the Cava Baja south of the Plaza Mayor.

Ian

[imcarthur]

I looked in my trip report from 2005:

"Dinner at Vivaejo Madrid - sister restaurant of Casa Lucio - both on Cava Baja - when the latter turned us away without reservations. Churrasco (?) which is beef seared & sliced & served on a hot clay plate & you finish the cooking at the table. Awesome! . . .

Dinner at Posada de la Villa on the Cava Baja again. Very good atmosphere in this old inn. B. had baby lamb chops - delicious - must be illegal in Canada - the bones were so tiny. I. had veal chop served like the steak the night before on hot clay . . . Wine: Vega Real Reserva 1999 - Ribero del Duero. Bill was 97€."

Report here.

Ian

[Dottore]

Drink Fino and heat serrano ham.

[spuggy]

Only time I went to Spain I spent my days jumping at Empuriabrava (Costa Brava) and the evenings drinking in the town. Very popular town with German tourists, so good brats, beer and the like everywhere.

I always regretted not stopping by the Dali museum in Barcelona about 70-odd clicks away...

[Monza_dh]

Both are great cities, but just that.... cities. I would try to hit a few towns on the coast or Segovia or Toledo near Madrid if you can. Definitely hit the Prado and have a drink outside at the Ritz next door, They have a great ouside area. Around the Plaza Mayor, Salamanca are decent and Parc Del Retiro is worth a trip.

As for Barcelona I would stay away from the lower Ramblas and hit the upper Garcia area, the Gothic qtr and the areas on the beach, again by the Ritz. You also have to see the Sagrads Familia and Parc Geull. If you can swing it I would also recommend hitting a soccer game if Royal or Barca are in town. I hit a Barca game and it was one of the best parts of the trip.

Barcelona:

[Paco Anton]

What Ian and the rest said...

In Madrid:

- Do the museums Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofia. In that order.
- Walk the Gan Vía and Plaza Mayor areas for tourist sightseeing
- Walk the Serrano and Ortega y Gasset streets for high end shopping
- If taking a woman go to Zara (cheap & chic clothing)
- Use the Metro (subway) to go anyware. Fast modern an reasonably safe
- Take care of your wallet. Pickpoketing is faily common (as in any other large city, think NYC) mugging is not
- If you have time visit Toledo, El Escorial and/or Avila (all three are 1 hour away by car)
- Eat "raciones" (portions) 5-10 € each. Try jamon serrano (cured ham) jamon iberico (the best quality cured ham, more expensive), chorizo (spicy sausage), morcilla (blood sausage), manchego cheese, calamares a la romana (fried calamari- onion ring style)
- Go to "El Corte Ingles", Spanish major department store. they sell everything. If possible visit the one in Castellana Avenue (the largest by far).
- Try the soccer match as suggested. In Madrid do the Real Madrid (best club in history) not the Atletico. the stadium is in the middle of the financial district. You can buy tickets directly there, no need to go to resellers unless they play Barcelona.

In Barcelona:

- Don't miss the Sagrada Familia cathedral. Amazing
- Go to Parc Güell for quiet relaxation
- Walk the Ramblas to the sea. Beware of pickpockets
- Walk the "eixample" (expansion) quarter. Nice geometric street design
- Be prepared to be spoken to in Catalan (similar to Spanish but not the same). however everybody speaks Spanish if you ask nicely
- Do soccer if possible. You want Barcelona FC (called Barça), not the Espańol

PM or email me if you have any specific questions.

[gunlover05]

been to both for work, and loved barcelona...spain has become a true global culinary destination....but to be honest, i loved the tapas the most...absolutely fantastic....you could not eat a traditional sitdown meal and just eat tapas outside everyday and be in heaven...yes, also take one of the double decker tour buses to see the whole city...Barcelona is now one of my favorite European cities.

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by Paco Anton

What Ian and the rest said...

In Barcelona:

Beware of pickpockets

Barcelona has a real problem with pickpockets and thieves that target tourists. My wife and i were followed by a guy for several blocks, he eventually tried to steal my wife's purse. She was bruised pretty badly when this guy tried to yank it off her neck (hoping the strap would break). Luckilly the strap did not break, she screamed, I ran towards her (I was 10 - 15 feet away) and the guy fled into the bush.

We reported it to a nearby police station who didn't really care. We left barcelona and never returned. This was during the F1 race in 2003. My sister in law had a similar experience in Barcelona as did a co-worker of mine.

[ros74911]

Thanks a lot fellas. This is very helpful. I'll make a note of it.

[Monza_dh]

I was in Barcelona for 5 days and never once ran into issues,day or night, though many have. Before I went I spent some time reading this:

Kovaks Street Scam Forums • View forum - Barcelona Scams

In my 20 years of world travel I can happily say I have never been scammed, or robbed and alway let anyone approaching me I have no patience for them. (one close encounter in Rio but thats it)

The street scams in Barcelona are legendary so just be smart and enjoy!

[red-beard]

Didn't they just find a terrorist nearby? You could vist him...

[ros74911]

@monza - thanks. i'll read up on it.
@ red-beard - i'm worried about that and austerity protests throughout europe.

[Garp]

If you want to go to a seaside resort near Barcelona than I would recommend Sitges. We have a place near the church and we still enjoy it after going there for over 20 years. Only 20 minutes by train from Barcelona.

[gunlover05]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

Barcelona has a real problem with pickpockets and thieves that target tourists. My wife and i were followed by a guy for several blocks, he eventually tried to steal my wife's purse. She was bruised pretty badly when this guy tried to yank it off her neck (hoping the strap would break). Luckilly the strap did not break, she screamed, I ran towards her (I was 10 - 15 feet away) and the guy fled into the bush.

We reported it to a nearby police station who didn't really care. We left barcelona and never returned. This was during the F1 race in 2003. My sister in law had a similar experience in Barcelona as did a co-worker of mine.

extremely good point, take note of this for sure...massive problem in Barcelona...