Madrid or Barcelona: which should you visit first?

21.07.2023 - 07:56 / roughguides.com / Reina Sofía / Ferran Adrià

Spain’s two biggest cities have long had a friendly rivalry – and it goes far beyond football. Madrid is, of course, Spain’s capital city and as well as being more or less geographically at the centre of the country, it is also the centre politically, economically and culturally – as well as the home of the Spanish monarchy.

But Barcelona is a capital city too, of the autonomous area of Catalunya, in Spain’s far northeast. On the coast, it has a more Mediterranean vibe, which means both a more laidback character and higher numbers of more tourists.

So, Madrid or Barcelona, which should be your next city break destination? Here’s our lowdown on what they have to offer.

Being the capital, Madrid has several of the country’s – if not the continent’s – leading art museums. The Prado is the country’s national art museum and home to a collection of European art from the twelfth to the nineteenth century.

The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza has nearly a thousand works of art on display including an American art collection and the Reina Sofía has the country’s national collection of twentieth century art, including Picasso’s famous Guernica. Few cities can boast quite as much historic art as Madrid.

The Garden of Earthly Delights in Madrid's Prado.

/ CC0

But Barcelona has Gaudí. This Catalonian architect certainly made his mark on the city and there are beautiful examples of his work all over Barcelona, from the still unfinished modernist masterpiece that is the Sagrada Familia basilica to the magical, sculpture-filled Parc Güell.

There’s plenty more modern art here too, at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA), Museum of European Modern Art (MEAM), Picasso Museum and Miró Museum.

Madrid sits inland and its traditional dishes tend towards the heartier – there’s plenty of stew. Two typical meals are the cocido Madrileño, a hearty, chickpea-based stew, and the callos a la Madrileña, a stew made with beef tripe and blood sausage. But it's not all about the meat: bocata de calamares is traditional a fried squid sandwich – try one at the Mercado de San Miguel.

Madrid also has plenty of restaurants serving other regional Spanish cuisines such as Andalucían and Galician, as well as international cuisine of every flavour – there’s plenty of choice here.

Barcelona is a more touristed city and so food tends to be more expensive. Eating is taken very seriously by the Barcelonans, though, and if you know where to go you’ll eat very well here.

La Boqueria on Las Ramblas is one of Europe’s best food markets, and Catalunya has a reputation for creative cuisine, thanks to famous chef Ferran Adrià, who was born in Barcelona. Most meals are anchored by pa amb tomàquet, toasted bread topped with a delicious mix of tomatoes, olive oil, garlic