sheebs

Hello, we are planning to visit Spain during Christmas holidays from US. Based on my review of some of the threads already, it sounds like Barcelona is likely going to require more time. It has too much to offer especially if you are traveling with kids (2 teens here). So thinking about 5 days in Barcelona and around 2 days in Madrid.
1- Any recommendations of places we should cover outside Barcelona and Madrid
2- What's the best way to go to Madrid from Barcelona?
3- Is cold bearable during this time of the year?
4- Places to stay in Barcelona that are easily accessible by public transport

Maribel

How many nights do you have on the ground?
If you have 7 nights, with teens I would split it this way:
4 nights in Barcelona, 3 in Madrid. If you think your teens will enjoy Barcelona more.
It does have a great deal that teens enjoy, ime, especially the uniqueness of the Gaudí architecture.
But during the holidays in Barcelona you'll need to deal with some closures both on Christmas Day and "Boxing Day", Sant Esteve, Dec. 26.
State-run monuments are closed in Barcelona on Dec. 25 and Dec. 26, but Gaudí sites are not, which are privately run.

Sagrada Familia is open on Dec. 25 and 26 but with reduced hours, from 9 am-2 pm.
Parc Güell is open year-round every day.
Casa Batlló is open year-round every day
Casa Milá (La Pedrera) is closed on Dec. 25 but open on Dec 26.
Casa-Museo Amattler is closed on Dec. 25 but open on Dec. 26.
Picasso Museum is closed on Dec. 25 with reduced hours on Dec. 24 (10-2)

1. With 4 nights in Barcelona you might want to take the fast train to the over-the-top Dalí Museum in Figueres. Teens do like Dalí's quirkiness or... staying closer and depending on the weather, the train/cable car or rack railway ride to Montserrat.
https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide....ontserrat.html

2. The best way from Barcelona to Madrid, city center to city center, is the high-speed rail--
Renfe's AVE, its low cost AVLO, the French low cost OUIGO or the new IRYO (consortium between Air Nostrum & Trenitalia) that launches in Nov.
www.renfe.com
https://avlorenfe.com/vlc/home.do?c=_oxGw
https://www.ouigo.com/es/en/madrid-barcelona-train
https://iryo.eu/en/train-barcelona-madrid

3. Yes, the cold is bearable. Barcelona will probably be 5-10 degrees warmer than Madrid. Last Christmas-New Year's in Madrid we actually had high temps of upper 50sF even lower 60s (NYE) and lows at night in the mid 40s. Expect some rain.

4. Places to stay---many, many are walkable to most sites and most all are accessible by public transportation (metro/bus). An apartment or hotel? Budget?

Maribel

BTW, the Christmas holidays are absolutely magical in Madrid these days! (just a plug for my favorite Spanish city)
you have...
the wonderful Christmas light display (taking the Naviluz bus), the special Naturaleza Encendida light show in the Royal Botanical Gardens, the ice rink and giant Veázquez Menina statue at Plaza Colón, the elaborate Nativity Scenes displayed in churches and at the Cibeles Palace, the giant Christmas tree and market on the newly renovated Plaza de España
for treats...
churros and chocolate with the crowds at Chocolatería San Ginés (a Christmas tradition), sampling turrón (almond nugget) at Lhardy, viewing the beautiful Christmas basket displays in the indoor markets and the market buzz-iness, the wonderful displays in the pastry shops, enjoying a King Cake (Roscón de Reyes) at La Mallorquina on the Puerta del Sol or El Riojano on the Calle Mayor.

https://www.esmadrid.com/en/christmas-in-madrid
https://planletsgo.com/naturaleza-encendida/madrid (tickets sell out fast!)
https://www.alsa.com/en/web/bus/naviluz-christmas-bus. (not yet for sale, but when they do, they sell like hot cakes)

Traveler_Nick

Madrid will be colder. Bearable? That depends on what you consider cold. The millions that live year round in Madrid manage.

Train between.

In both cases stay in the city centre. Assuming you're flying into Madrid and out of Barcelona (Or the reverse) the question is how are you getting into the city? Both cities have a relatively economical bus but with a group a taxi might end up cheaper. If you take the bus in Madrid stay not too far from the airport bus stop. Either the last one at the train station or the one just before that. In Barcelona stay not too far from plaça catalunya. In both cities if you stay central you can walk to most of the sites easily.

With kids I'd check if the Palace changing of the guard in Madrid works for your schedule. I think it used to be the first Wed of the month. But check.

You don't really have time for day trips out of either city IMHO.

VANAARLE

Please be aware that Spain closes down from around midday Christmas eve until the day after Christmas. Restaurants tourists site and shops. Some public transport will be restricted too. The same will happen NYE and for New Years day for a lesser extent.
To answer point 4 look on booking and they will tell you distances from metro stations. You do not have to use Booking to reverse try find the hotels own website.
Madrid will be colder than BCN if the weather gods play nice. It is the highest capital city in Europe. Having said that weather is unpredictable.
Do not bore the children with adult things all of the time.
https://www.timeout.com/madrid/thing...drid-with-kids
https://www.timeout.com/barcelona/barcelona-for-kids

Revulgo

A google map with tips for Madrid
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer...sHRuQt4A7FG-Tf

EnricM

1.) How long are you staying in Barcelona?
2.) Definitively by high-speed train (AVE-type)
3.) In Barcelona it's never "that" cold -well, that'll depend on what you're used to- we are a seaside city so temps don't go down too much.
4.) Public transport covers the whole city, so... Have you had a look at different neighbourhoods? any preferences?

-.) How old are your teens?
-.) Nah, Barcelona doesn't "close" for X-mas, albeit in specific days you might have less things available to do/see

Maribel

I completely agree with EnricM, who is a Barcelona resident
Barcelona doesn't "close down" for Christmas.

Nor does Madrid close down. We spent 3 weeks there during the holidays (with no day trips) and found plenty to do. There was the minor inconvenience of shops not being open on Christmas Day, but even the shops of the Salamanca district, near where we stayed, remained open until the late afternoon on Christmas Eve for last minute shoppers.

Although quite limited, we did find nice restaurants open for our Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day dinner (hotel restaurants will have special, often pricey, menus for Christmas Eve/NYE).
Public transport runs on a slower schedule but is still available.

Christmas Day and New Year's day mornings were quiet until around noon, but then we found the Retiro Park jam packed with families out for a stroll. Retiro Park's Florida outdoor terrace was open for food/ refreshments as was Cappuccino cafè on the Puerta de Alcalá on both mornings.

There are outdoor Christmas markets, including the artisans' fair on the Paseo de Recoletos that runs until Dec. 31. There is ice skating at Plaza Colón, Cortylandia for the little ones, Circo Price (circus), and families pack the Naviluz bus. The new-ish Illusions Museum might be fun for your teens.

https://www.granhotelingles.com/blog...this-christmas
https://www.stepsintospain.es/christ...ren-in-madrid/

As to where to stay, as Traveler_Nick suggests, in Barcelona for convenience, stay in the area around Plaça de Catalunya, if the airport bus works better for you (you may find a group taxi less exp.).
In Madrid the airport bus departs from Atocha rail station then makes a stop at Cibeles, so anywhere in that area would be convenient. Fare; €5/p. It has luggage racks and stops at all terminals.
https://www.esmadrid.com/en/airport-express

Revulgo's nifty map gives you absolutely everything you need to know about a Madrid holiday.

VANAARLE

Spain is closed. It is not like the home.
https://www.foreverbarcelona.com/spa...mas-barcelona/
https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide....christmas.html
https://infoaboutspain.com/article/shops-open-christmas

Maribel

Madrid wasn't "closed" at Christmas from our recent, personal experience. It's our favorite time to be there. And Christmas lasts for 12 days.

sheebs

Thank you, Amazing feedback!!! Love this community. You've given me a lot to think about in terms of planning this trip!

janishart8232

About getting from Barcelona to Madrid the best way is by train. The fastest trains from Barcelona to Madrid can arrive in under 2 hours and 30 minutes instead of the typical 3 hours and 23 minutes.

EnricM

Hi from the other world, Earth people!
uhmmm... it seems I must have been living in a parallel world for the past 50 years because the Barcelona I live in is not "closed" during the Xmas period (except for the afternoon of Xmas day and Boxing day). Just reflectin'.

Maribel

Yep, EnricM. Madrid either!

Traveler_Nick

These other worldly threads are spooky.

VANAARLE

So it is closed. Thank you.

EnricM

Whatever @vanaarle, you can believe what you like, but your information is wrong and you are misleading other visitors.

Barcelona and Madrid, much like Paris or London, are never fully "closed". In Barcelona, for example, even on the morning of Xmas day, you can visit many attractions, from Casa Batlló to la Pedrera or Sagrada Família among others, there are literally hundreds of restaurants offering X-mas lunch -which is the tradition here in Catalonia, rather than X-mas Eve, like in many parts of Spain- and all the cinemas are full of people in the evening -following another classic old X-mas tradition, I must say. We can joke here in the forum, we can argue and have different points of view, and we can tease each other... but conveying incorrect information should be a red line because it can screw somebody's vacation.

Maribel

Thanks, EnricM! And very well said.

Revulgo

Naviluz Christmas bus. Tickets on sale from November 22 at 9 AM (local time), exclusively at http://www.naviluz.es

Revulgo

Boxing Day is an ordinary workday in Madrid, nothing closed.