City Stories Index · Spain · 2026 edition
Bilbao vs Madrid
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, they tie 2–2. Character is a different question: Bilbao is the foundry that turned to art; Madrid is the city of kings and canvases.
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| What we measure | Bilbao | Madrid | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 21 | 100 | Madrid |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 226 | 260 | Bilbao |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 2 | 16 | Madrid |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | — | 51 | Madrid |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 10 | 9 | Bilbao |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | — | 60 | Madrid |
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: Bilbao in orange, Madrid in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
BilbaoMadrid
0 places
royalty & nobility43 places
12 places
arts & culture36 places
3 places
faith & churches23 places
2 places
parks & leisure20 places
0 places
crime & dark history19 places
4 places
legends & myths17 places
2 places
guilds & trade10 places
5 places
industry & modern era8 places
Bilbao scorecard →
The foundry that turned to art
Madrid scorecard →
The city of kings and canvases