Overall

Am dismayed by the superficiality of some of the other reviews here. "The most elegant city in Europe" one person wrote. No it isn't! Paris is more elegant, Rome is more elegant, London has far more culture and pzazz, and Barcelona puts Madrid in the shade. I've just spent nine months in Madrid. To be fair, it's attractive enough: it has wide leafy boulevards lined with cafes, lots of tapas bars, some grand architecture and atmospheric old lanes in La Latina or Lavapies. It's also buzzing and almost always sunny. But let's face it: Madrid ain't Paris or Rome or London. It's pretty underwhelming really - the Retiro is not a patch on Hyde Park, the Castellana is no Champs Elysees and for all those much-quoted people who are out to party there are all those conservative, reactionary, fur coat and Barbour jacket. Your reviewer who rated Madrid above London, Paris or Rome needs a reality check. It's a nice enough city, it's warm, grand, attractive - but it's pretty provincial and has a long way to go before it's a "world city".

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Value

Great for: History/Culture, Nightlife

Last Visit: July 2005

20 August 2005 | A Yahoo! User

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