Bilbao Or Madrid

[admarlow]

For 3 days in August, which and why?!

[mushroom25]

bilbao - madrid in august is too warm for me.

[jno]

Madrid in summer is hot hot hot - 39 degrees tomorrow. I'd go there in spring or autumn and do Bilbao now (23 tomorrow, much like here).

[jno]

PS Bilbao is in "green Spain", because it rains the way it does here too.

[Buenchico]

All of the guide books tell you to avoid Madrid in July and August.

However (being one of life's rebels) I decided to ignore that advice a couple of years ago when I had a 2-night break in Madrid. Yes, it was HOT but it was a dry heat, without any oppressive humidity. (It was 38C in Madrid and felt lovely. The humidity was so low that all of the restaurants with outside terraces had misting units pumping water into the air to increase it. When I got back to the UK it was 28C here but very humid. I found that much, much harder to deal with than the dry heat in Madrid).

So (along as you handle some dry heat) you shouldn't necessarily rule out Madrid. (It's a fantastic city, with lots to see and do).

[admarlow]

Any non weather related comments :)

[mushroom25]

the guggenheim in bilbao is awesome.

[Buenchico]

Since I don't know Bilbao, I'll offer you nothing more than the official website
http://www.bilbaoturismo.net/BilbaoTurismo/en/tourists
and the (always wonderful) Wikitravel site:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Bilbao

The 'hostal' I stayed in while in Madrid was lovely. It was up on the 4th floor and consisted of only about half a dozen rooms, with a really friendly & helpful proprietor. I had a shared bathroom but I never saw anyone else using the shared facilities anyway, and they were always immaculately clean. The furniture in my room was old but perfectly functional, with an exceptionally comfortable bed. The air-conditioning (operated by a remote control unit) was excellent. There was free wi-fi and a telly too. The location was on a side street just off the Gran Via, with a Metro station very close by. (i.e. about as central and well-located as it's possible to get). The price for all of that (for a single room) was just €22 per night. HIGHLY recommended!
http://hostalmachin.com/ING/index.htm

Madrid is great for art-lovers. The Prado is unmissable:
https://www.museodelprado.es/en/
The modern art museum is well worth a look:
http://www.museoreinasofia.es/en
My favourite art museum, however, was that dedicated to the work of Joaquín Sorolla:
http://museosorolla.mcu.es/

The Railway Museum is interesting too:
http://www.museodelferrocarril.org/en/principal.asp
as is the Royal Botanic Garden:
http://www.rjb.csic.es/jardinbotanico/jardin/

For far more attractions, see Madrid's official website
http://turismomadrid.es/en/
and Wikitravel
http://wikitravel.org/en/Madrid

Madrid has an excellent, modern, air-conditioned Metro system; it's easy and cheap to get around:
https://www.metromadrid.es/en/viaja_en_metro/tarifas/abonos/contenido02.html

There are loads of cheap places to get meals, including this small chain (with 5 centrally-located restaurants): Amazing value!
http://www.allucaneat.es/en/index
(If you fancy something classier you won't have far to look either. Madrid is packed full of restaurants and bars!).

[admarlow]

Thanks!

[jno]

Bilbao is architectural heaven - since the Guggenheim made their name round the world, the city fathers get all sorts of starchitects to design their new buildings. Norman Foster did the subways and when I last heard, Zaha Hadid was working on regenerating an old docks area. Plus the old town is very pretty, well kept and clean. I suppose they've been having troubles with recession like much of Europe, bt you wouldn't know it.

Go on a river cruise or go up to the hills above the city for excellent views. Good public transport to get you around. The airport's very handy for town, just behind one of the hills.

(But the actual content of the Guggenheim is boring.)

[Samuraisan]

I love Madrid and I love Bilbao, but Madrid for me is a no no in July/ August. If you are not bothered by the very dry heat as mentioned before, then ok, I can't stand it and look and feel like a boiled shrimp all day. Great food in both cities, and great bars too.