Rathma

Which two would you pick? I'm leaning towards Madrid over Barcelona because it has 2 great daytrip cities within reach I think look interesting.

I want to do Rome, but surprisingly my brother thinks Rome would be "boring". On the other hand, I think Milan would be boring, so we're stuck on this one.

Canadian Bacon

Why must you pick only one?

If you HAD to choose I would vote:

Barcelona - think of Madrid as DC and Barcelona as New York. (Or, Madrid as Ottawa and Barcelona as Toronto). Basically Barcelona is bigger, livlier and more colourful.
All that being said, Madrid is still my favorite city in Europe.

Rome - never been to Milan, but how could Rome be "boring"? I guess it could be boring if you don't like history, partying or culture... but then why would you go backpacking in the first place? And besides, Vatican City is there... and even if you're not religious, Vatican City has some trippy stuff... all those optical illusions in St. Peters. I swear Michaelangelo (or whoever) must have been smoking something when he got the idea for that.
That being said, I wasn't really impressed with Rome - but mostly because my hostel was all the way in the burbs near Termini station.

Hope it helps

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Rathma

I'm only going to europe for 3 weeks so I don't have that much time. That being said, if the high speed train linking barcelona and madrid is complete in March (which it's supposed to be), I can do both of them.

joe7f

I am not sure if Eurail covers that AVE Barca-Madrid train or not but if it does GET THE PASS! The ticket is 120 Euros...ONE WAY! The local spanish newspaper in Marbella had a cartoon about a family that traveled roundtrip from Madrid to Barcelona but didn't have enough money to leave the station :D

While I prefer trains, with that price, I would line up a cheap Spanair flight, personally

Edit: I just read an El Pais article that said by your summer visit they hope to have a 47 euro ticket if you book 15 days in advance using the web.

--Joey

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freespiritz

Well, I'll be hitting up Madrid and Barcelona in about two weeks, so I'll let you know my thoughts after.

And Rome, boring?? I had an amazing three-day weekend in Rome and loved every part of it, and my hostel was out in the 'burbs near Termini as well. Didn't stop us from walking everywhere in the city, and we took a daytrip out to Tivoli to see the Villa d'Este and Villa Adriana as well, which were beautiful.

I haven't made it to Milan and don't know if I will, but my host mom keeps telling me I have to go there as well.

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offhegoes03

I'm planning on going to Spain this summer, and I was talking to one of my friends who has been to Spain a couple times and he recommends Barcelona over Madrid. He also likes the southern cities as well (Sevilla, Granada, etc.). I'm planning on starting out my trip in Barcelona and making my way to some of those cities he has recommended. I wish I could offer more first hand advice, but I trust my friend's advice.