Hi
I’m a 24 year old female from the US and I’m applying to graduate school in Spain. I am not sure if I want to live and study in Barcelona or Madrid though. I have been to Madrid and I know people who live there, but it seems too big of a city, but they do speak more spanish there. Everyone tells me I should go to Barcelona because it is a cooler city. I need to know which place would be better for me in terms of public transportation, cost, safety, etc. I have been asking people and searching online and I just keep getting conflicting answers. Any help would be much appreciated!!

It’s a difficult question.  In terms of size, expense and safety, I don’t think there’s much to choose between them - OK, Madrid is bigger, but BCN is big too and if you want a smaller city then you wouldn’t choose either.  I don’t think there’s much doubt that Barcelona is prettier, and it’s easy to get out to beaches and mountains from there.  If your primary consideration is language learning, go for Madrid, as the status of Catalan as official and primary language confuses the matter a lot in Catalunya.  I would say that living in Madrid you’ll have a more Spanish experience anyway - there are plenty of expats in both cities but in my experience they have to make the effort to integrate more in the capital.

😊 thanks for your help!!

smeeby - 21 September 2009 04:41 AM

Hi
I’m a 24 year old female from the US and I’m applying to graduate school in Spain. I am not sure if I want to live and study in Barcelona or Madrid though. I have been to Madrid and I know people who live there, but it seems too big of a city, but they do speak more spanish there. Everyone tells me I should go to Barcelona because it is a cooler city. I need to know which place would be better for me in terms of public transportation, cost, safety, etc. I have been asking people and searching online and I just keep getting conflicting answers. Any help would be much appreciated!!

I?m From Madrid and, of course, I prefer it.
Madrid is a city famous for its culture, its traditions and its night-life. Madrid is more authentic, warm and more open.

Since 1561, it has been the capital city of Spain, and, with the passing of time, has become a modern city, looking to the future and constantly developing.

Madrid has a privileged location that makes for easy access to visit other towns and cities of interest; Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca or ?vila are just some of the places of interest for those visiting the Spanish capital.

And the people? Many Madrile?os today come from different parts of the country, which is why Madrid doesn?t just have one single aspect to/of itself, but thousands of diverse ways of thinking and feeling, which is precisely the attraction of its distinct personality.

Saludos,
Pilar