Barcelona vs Madrid
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Barcelona leads 3–1 (2 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Barcelona is the city the modernistas built; Madrid is the city of kings and canvases.
Change the matchup
Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Barcelona
130
Madrid
100
Barcelona leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Barcelona
272
Madrid
260
Tie
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Barcelona
23
Madrid
16
Barcelona leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Barcelona
24
Madrid
51
Madrid leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Barcelona
9
Madrid
9
Tie
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Barcelona
76
Madrid
60
Barcelona leads
| What we measure | Barcelona | Madrid | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 130 | 100 | Barcelona |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 272 | 260 | tie |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 23 | 16 | Barcelona |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 24 | 51 | Madrid |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 9 | 9 | tie |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 76 | 60 | Barcelona |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Barcelona in orange, Madrid in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Barcelona scorecard
The city the modernistas built
Madrid scorecard
The city of kings and canvases
