Thread: Madrid or Barcelona?

It could be related to my schools question, but I wanted to find out which of the cities were best for raising children?

When I say "best", I mean in terms of school quality and things for kids to do. Suggestions?

Are you planning on sending your children to public school?

Are you aware of the "language" in Barcelona?

I'm not sure whether to go public or private. Does anyone have any experience with either?

I do know that Catalan is spoken in Barcelona.

If I have kids the first thing I would do is leave Barcelona. I would never bring up kids in this city. For numerous reasons... But if you are going to do it one thing is sure:

Public schools, as far as I know will be Catalan - so definitely not public schooling.

Private schools outside the city are very very sought after (the better the school, the bigger the waiting list). I know of British School which is probably the best out of them all. The American school is definitely not so good. Perhaps some other members on ASF can give you some more insight.

Good to know about the private schools. Part of the reason we homeschool our sons now is because of the quality of American schools.

I would like to know if any members have experience with private schools.

So you wouldn't raise children in Barcelona? Do you know if Madrid is more family oriented?

Originally Posted by Eric Ogunbase

So you wouldn't raise children in Barcelona? Do you know if Madrid is more family oriented?

If I had kids, no way! Madrid either (I have lived there a few years too). I grew up down south (Costa del Sol), can't imageine a better place to grow up for a child (< 18) than there...

Having only visited Barcelona, i cannot really comment although states schools will be primarily Catalan. British Schools are present although can be expensive and as for quality of life, i don't know.

For Madrid, however, i can give you a bit of information on life here and schooling. I have lived in Madrid for 18 months and alongside my business interests, work for a British private school in the North of Madrid. Although private, the costs are relatively low in comparison to the UK and the 99.7&#37; pass rate (many of them A's) speaks volumes on the quality of the teaching. Madrid city centre is nice, relatively friendly although there are some barrios that are run down with crime, in general, Madrid is a safe city with the majority of crime coming in the form of pick-pockets in the city centre. If you live outside of the centre, there really is a totally different way of life considering that 50km away from the centre are beautiful mountains, lakes, open space and large houses. Even between the mountains and the city are some stunning areas, and nice towns with a high quality of life.

If you need any more details, feel free to contact me. As i have said, i have lived in Madrid for 18 months and i love it. My friends and their children are really happy here and the 1800 children that attend the school are extremely happy to live in Madrid - regardless of whether it is in the city or on the outskirts.

Cheers


Colin

why not take a look at Valencia? it is the new Barcelona! the housing prices are alhtough rising are still cheaper thatn barcelona and madrid. Here they speak valencian but there are several european schools where they teach castellano, valenciano and english. The lifestyle here is very family orientated, there are some lovely villages and towns on the outskirts of the city and the people are very welcoming. well worth looking into, i don&#180;t regret a minute of moving here. My family all come and visit and the kids love it.

Or Sevilla, this school has a good rep amongst friends of a friend who have just moved to be near the school which is in Juliana near the Skydive site. It also has the one mentioned in link at Mairena


The British school of Seville