Anyone been to Madrid?

[Reborn_]

I was there in September. Like any major euro city, I was wary of pickpockets and scammers, but to my surprise, I encountered very very few compared to other major cities in Europe. I've been to many places in Europe, but I enjoyed Madrid the most. Have a good time.

[dreamingat30fps]

We just got back from a couple weeks in Spain. Spent 5 days in Madrid then drove down to Toledo, Cordoba, Seville and Granada. Only spent a day in Toledo and like 2-3 days in the others. Our original plan was to also go to Valencia but we realized it was to ambitious and so just stayed a bit longer in Seville and Granada.

Let me start by saying I've never been to Europe so I have nothing to compare it to other than the states. If we could do it again we would probably only spend a couple of days in Madrid. It was my least favorite. From the food to the people everything seemed to get better the further south we went. Madrid is basically a big city and it kinda felt blah to me. Like I could of been in New York or Boston or any big city. You also had the prices and attitudes to go with it. That being said I would of still spent like 2 days there to check it out.

Toledo we only spent like a half day there on the way way to Cordoba so we didn't get to do much. Just walk around the tiny streets, get lost and eat good food. It was closer to the vision I had in my head of Spain. However being pretty small there were a lot of crowds etc. I'm not sure that there were more necessarily they just were more in your face since everything was more confined I think.

Cordoba was nice. We loved how they have all the orange trees everywhere (also in Seville and Granada) and went to see the mesquita which is amazing and I would recommend everyone check it out.

Seville and Granda were probably my favorite. Honestly could of spent the whole 2 weeks there. Seville was the perfect combo of narrow old streets with wide open spaces and some modern touches. We probably had the best food here and went to a great free flamenco show in what appeared to be the patio of some house. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the inside of the cathedral here because every time we went it was closed, same for the bull ring.

Finally in Granada we found this great little hotel right on one of the main plazas and also had a great time. A bit more "rural" in feel than Seville but still awesome. We were really pissed because we were told tickets to see the Alhambra were sold out till April. We still went up there just to see what we could from the outside and saw people waiting in a line. Apparently some large tour canceled and they had some tickets available. If you come here do not miss it it's amazing.

My favorite thing about Spain was the price of beer and wine. I was shocked when I ordered a glass of beer and it was $1.50 and a glass of wine $2. I'm not a wine drinker so I'm not sure if it was any good, but my mom and gf seemed to enjoy all the wine and the beer while not the fancy craft IPAs and what not we have here were also great and refreshing. At the free flamenco show a bottle of wine and a liter of beer set us back $16. Not sure I can go back to paying $4-7 for a glass of beer now.

[BEM-S4]

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[Rat3d ///M]

I got back from Madrid a few hours ago, and thought I'd share how the trip went. First, I wanted to say thanks for all the advice. We didn't get to do a lot of what was suggested, but took some of the suggestions posted.

We stayed right by the Airport. This was a huge mistake on our part, as we didn't realize how spread out the city was, and how bad public transport was when you got outside the center of the city. The nearest train station was 9km away, and the nearest bus station was 3km. Oh well, luckily our hotel had a rental car agency in it, so we rented a car for dirt cheap. About 38EUR a day with taxes, insurance, a GPS, a car eat and a booster seat. Sweet deal.

The first day we just drove around downtown and got lost for a few hours. Traffic in Madrid is intense. I've driven in huge cities (London, Amsterdam, Berlin, NYC, Prague, Paris) and this was on par with some of the worst I've seen. Not quite as bad as Paris, but pretty bad. I'm talking 55 minutes to get through one round-about. No joke. Had I the foresight and ability to do it all over again, I would've stayed downtown and walked everywhere.

We went to a bullfight the first night in town and it was insane. Not quite what I expected, much more surreal in person. I can't say I condone what they do, but it's their culture and I wanted to experience it. I truly did feel bad for the animals though, and I'm not even close to a PETA activist or a vegetarian. I eat my steak medium rare but the way they treat those animals was hard to watch. I know, hypocrite.

The second day we did a walking tour to hit all the major spots in one go. We usually do the Sandeman's free walking tours in any city we visit, just to knock all the tourist attractions out. Plaza Mayor and the Palace were among the stops on the walking tour. This wasn't my favorite Sandeman's tour we've done, but it served it's purpose. We didn't go in the palace, though I am now somewhat regretting it.

Day 3 we took a road trip to Avila, and then Segovia. Avila was eh, I could've taken it or left it, Segovia was amazing. We ate at a very nice restaurant and I tried the suckling pig. It was very good, though not what I expected when I ordered it.

Day 4 we drove down to Toledo and spent the day there. We spent way too much on souvenirs there. I ended up bringing back a sword. I had no intentions or desire to even buy one going there. It was definitely an impulse/spur of the moment buy. It isn't one of the expensive 100% handmade ones by M. Zamorano, but it's very nice and wasn't a ton of money so I went for it (paid about 116 Eur I believe. The most important part is it was made in Toledo, so I thought it was cool to bring a nice piece of Spanish craftsmanship home with me.

Knowing what I know now, I would've rather have spent a day in Madrid, and spent more time in Toledo or Segovia. At the end of the day, as someone else said, Madrid is like any other big city, and the hustle and bustle get's old. Maybe because I was driving everywhere so I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I would've liked to.

All in all, it was a good trip. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

[Kolyan2k]

Every time I talk about Spain, most people recommend going to Barcelona instead. Maybe next year. Last year was South France.... Amazing place. This year going to Italy lakes and sea + a little of Swiss Alps

[Alfisti]

Always, always stay downtown, no matter where i go, traffic everywhere is a shit show.