Sup, y’all?
Just wanted to let you know…
I’ve got a new article up on Lonely Planet, in which I compare the incomparable experiences of living in Madrid and Barcelona.
So if you want to here me sound like a real travel writer, not drop any f-bombs, and tone things down for a paying publisher…
Click here: Why I live in both Madrid and Barcelona.
Update, 2026: Okay, Lonely Planet kept that article up for several years, but now the link goes to a much better article here on the Chorizo Chronicles, in which I tell you how I really feel about the whole thing.
But if you’d like, I’ll tell you here as well.
In this newly-updated article on the eternal Spanish debate, I’ll tell you why I prefer one city over the other, and give you plenty of information you can use to make your own decision.
Read on!
I’ve lived in both Madrid and Barcelona, and I have a preference
Spanish people love talking about the cities of Madrid and Barcelona, and which is better to live in.
It’s a bit of a hot topic, actually: Catalans did try to declare independence several years ago, and there’s more than a little animosity between the two cities and their respective regions.
The Real Madrid vs Barça football match is an important national event as well.
(Actually, if you put “Madrid vs Barcelona” into Google, you’re going to get lots of football scores, and nothing about the merits of the two cities. I don’t like it, but it’s true.)
In any case, people’s arguments about the Madrid vs Barcelona debate, if they’re not about football or about nationalism, tend to focus on the beach.
Madrid is obviously better in dozens of ways. But Barcelona has the beach!
For a lot of people, the beach is a deal breaker.
But not for me. I guess as a pale ginger guy who spent the first half of his life in the Arizona desert, actively trying to avoid the sun, I don’t appreciate the beach as much as others. Something about large bodies of water just doesn’t excite me. Also, I can’t sit still on a towel for more than 10 minutes. It’s just not happening.
(Some of my exes were beach-obsessed Mediterranean women, and found it quite frustrating on summer vacation that I couldn’t just relax on a sandy cloth while getting sunburned for several days in a row. Oh well.)
Madrid is obviously better than Barcelona
I still go to Madrid a few times a year.
And every time I’m struck by the same truth: it’s cleaner, more organized, safer, and just generally better than Barcelona. The people dress better, the vibe is more positive. Madrid is awesome.
It’s a controversial opinion, but I’m sticking with it.
I’ve now lived in Barcelona for almost 8 years, and I’m fully Spanish (and legally Catalan as well), and my opinion about Madrid vs Barcelona hasn’t changed.
Now, I hear you saying… what about Sagrada Familia? What about all the modernist architecture?
Well, the fact is, most people in Barcelona don’t care about that stuff at all. Those big Gaudí buildings are the tourist traps we try to avoid, when we’re just going about our day.
Barcelona has had a lot of time to work on charming me. And it hasn’t.
Madrid is just better. So there.
Spanish monuments for the un-photogenic
Also, yes, I used to write for Lonely Planet. I was, briefly, a real travel writer.
I’ve also contributed to Esquire, and I’ve been doing this blog for 15+ years. And if you must know, my podcast Spain to Go is the best source of information about Spanish life in the 21st century.
(It’s not all flamenco and bullfights, in case that’s what you’re expecting.)
But back to my Lonely Planet days, in 2017 or so.
My editor Tom pitched the “Madrid vs Barcelona” story.
I kind of sighed. But money is money, so I agreed to do it. If you’re trying to make a living as a writer, and somebody offers you 200 bucks, you take it!
The main thing I got out of the whole experience, though, was the following: I really don’t like posing in front of monuments.
After I finished writing the article, the editor wanted pictures of me in both Madrid and Barcelona, and I discovered a strange fact: the only pictures of me in Madrid appear to be the “sitting in some bar” variety.
Because in almost 14 years of Madrid life, it never once occurred to me to stand in front of Puerta de Alcalá, or in the middle of Plaza Mayor, for a photo opp.
I had to drag my wife out to take pictures of me, and it was torture.
Here’s me on the beach, here in Barceloneta…
Anyway, I guess I’ve got some more fun stuff about living in Madrid and Barcelona, if you want to check it out. Please explore the following links for much goodness.
Best articles about living in Madrid and Barcelona
For example, if you’re interested:
- The pros and cons of living in Madrid.
- The best restaurants in Barceloneta neighborhood, with a couple of honorable mentions outside the barrio. (That’s where my wife and I lived for our first couple of years in Barcelona).
- Some fun pros and cons from Tetuán, my old barrio in the north of Madrid.
- This fun article about “gentrification” in Madrid, and one about the decline of typical Spanish bars.
- A bit of narrative poetry about finding a flat to rent in Barcelona. And, several years later, the story of buying a flat as well. Those might be useful as guides.
- All the best international restaurants in Barcelona, from your local culinary expert.
- Oh, and if you’re a digital nomad or a startup / tech person, you might be interested in my more recent article about the question Is Barcelona the new Austin? A prominent US entrepreneur said something to that effect on Tim Ferriss’ podcast and I decided to do a deep dive. Have fun!
There are definitely a lot more articles on here. Just click around and find something you like.
Barcelona and Madrid: Spain’s big-city rivalry
Of course, there are plenty of other cities in Spain.
A lot of expats live on the coasts. And I’ve heard that Americans are buying up flats in places like Santander (up in the cooler Atlantic region) like there’s no tomorrow.
On the other hand, if you’re really into the sun, there’s the whole Valencia – Alicante – Málaga area that a lot of people seem to like. But you could also enjoy living in Granada, or Sevilla, or León.
What do I know? Preference in cities is personal, and I’m not saying my opinion is final. But I’ve lived in both, and tried to love them equally, and every time I visit I just end up realizing that I still love Madrid.
There are lots of nice places out there, if you’re an expat looking to settle down in Spain – you could even go to less popular places like Extremadura or the Pyrenees.
It’s probably cheaper, and the lifestyle could be a lot more relaxing than in the city.
Okay, well, I guess that’s about all I’ve got today.
Which do you prefer?
The awesomeness which is Madrid, or the more beachy okayness which is Barcelona?
Or somewhere else in Spain?
Because as I’ve discovered time and again, for most people the debate basically comes down to how much they feel like they need to live near the beach.
Leave me a comment, and most of all, enjoy.
Till next time,
Daniel AKA Mr Chorizo.
P.S. Oh yeah, if you want to know how I feel about travel writing in general, you should definitely check out how to be a respectable travel writer. You’ll see that I don’t follow many of those rules myself, but hey. Call me King Hippo!
P.P.S. I wrote several other articles on Lonely Planet, but they mostly seem to have been taken down. Check out Exploring Madrid’s Barrios for a walking tour through Malasaña and Chueca, if you’d like. Or for something a bit similar, try my love letter to Spanish cuisine. Enjoy!
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