Every arrogant king has at least one funny detail on his clothes: bows on his shoes or a ribbon in his hair. And even cities that may seem royally arrogant suddenly wink playfully and become instantly familiar and understandable. That's Madrid, a city whose crown does not prevent it from being a friendly and welcoming to guests host. And while the guidebooks are advertising the serious museums of the Spanish capital, Kidpassage offers the best ways to discover Madrid for kids. Our children's itinerary includes places in the city that young travellers want to visit.
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Day 1: Museums of the Golden Triangle of Arts,
Retiro Park or sightseeing tour by tourist bus and the Perez Mouse Museum
Although Madrid has a central square and a royal palace, the city's tourist centre is considered the "golden triangle of arts", formed by the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Queen Sofia Art Centre. It is an absolute joy for connoisseurs of fine arts to visit them all. You can visit only one museum or go to all of them with children but only see some masterpieces.
For example, in the Prado Museum, you will be offered to see 15 of the most famous paintings in 1 hour. Children will enjoy a museum quest, after which they will quickly recognise the paintings of Titian and Velasquez, Rubens and Dürer.
And you can come to the Prado even with babies: the museum has prams to hire, feeding and changing rooms.
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is very convenient to visit with children on weekends when an interactive game is organised for them — it introduces preschoolers to masterpieces of European art from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Teenagers are often interested in avant-garde painting, which turns the idea of art forms upside down.
But the most extensive collection of modernist paintings is at the Queen Sofia Art Centre. Here, Picasso's famous Guernica, Dalí's surrealist canvases, Gris's cubist collages and Miro's abstract sculptures can be found.
Madrid's museums are sympathetic to children who want to run around and make noise. But for playing and running around, Retiro Park, located next to the Golden Triangle museums, is a much better place.
You can spend your children's energy on one of the playgrounds and then enjoy Palacio de Cristal, a small puppet theatre or a boat ride on the lake.
If you travel with young children, the Madrid City Tour bus is the best way to explore Madrid. You can see the capital city in royal luxury on the "Historic Madrid" tour.
The "Modern Madrid" route includes the famous Cuatro Torres skyscrapers, avant-garde museums, the Santiago Bernabeu stadium and other sights of our days. And among Madrid's museums, visit the most childlike and fabulous one — the Perez Mouse Museum. This mouse lives in a biscuit box and performs the duties of the tooth fairy. The museum is as tiny as its main character, and a visit to it can be complemented by a walk around Madrid's main square, Puerta del Sol — Perez's home is very close to it.
In this square stands the sculpture of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, symbolising the Spanish capital.
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Day 2. Casa de Campo Park: cable car, aquarium zoo, rides. Real Madrid Football Club Museum, Micropolix City of Professions
Magnificent parks are the real pride of Madrid. There is a green zone next to every city attraction where you can relax with your children after a tour. But the enormous Casa de Campo Park is the centre of Madrid's attractions. The 170 hectares of territory includes an amusement park, a zoo-aquarium, several playgrounds for children, a swimming lake, picnic lawns and a gastronomic promenade for those who like to eat delicious and exquisite food. Where to head first? Discuss it with the kids during a ride in a Teleferico cable car, where you can see all the best spots in the park.
The closest thing to the cable car station is the Casa de Campo amusement park. Which is better — to use the Casa de Campo website's advice on organising holidays with children of different ages or to rush to the nearest of the 36 attractions?
There are safe carousels and cartoon shows for toddlers, adventurous mazes for younger pupils, and extreme rides for teenagers and adults.
Many of the attractions are designed for the whole family. There are also toy and sweet shops in the park.
Madrid Zoo is a much quieter place. The animals, brought to Madrid from all continents, feel safe and secure, so they don't fuss but stroll or eat their lunch. Some animals and birds with unique talents can be seen in the show. Seals-acrobats, dolphins-basketballers, eagles-fishermen — some of the skills these animals were endowed with by nature, others they acquired during training sessions with trainers.
The spacious territory of the zoo is only 20 minutes away by excursion train, and then you can visit your favourite animals or join the excursion "Stories about animals". You'll need some English or Spanish, but after you can put your child to bed with a story about a koala or persuade them to have a good bath by reminding them how elephants bathe.
There is complete serenity in the aquarium: in the silent kingdom of fish, you can't help but want to lower your voice. However, some aquarium inhabitants can cause a cry of horror or delight — everyone has a different attitude to sharks, crocodiles or snakes.
And how to build a programme of rest in Madrid with children if it rains or frost, rare in this city, strikes? Of course, to appreciate the convenient public transport of the Spanish capital and go to the museum.
But first, you need to remember the child's favourite activities. If your son is ready to play ball all day, your goal is the Real Madrid Football Club Museum.
Here, you can endlessly revisit triumphant moments from matches or stand breathlessly in front of the trophy cabinet. One of the most exciting moments is a tour of Real Madrid's official stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu. No, you won't be led through the spectator entrances: you'll step onto the pitch as the players of the famed football club do. Perhaps your child has a new hobby every day. Why not try several activities at once in Micropolix?
The interactive edutainment center is very similar to the real life, and it also needs doctors and teachers, bankers and shop assistants, firemen and policemen. Children choose their professions and receive money for their work, which can be spent on shopping or entertainment.
Day 3. Faunia Park or the Museum of the Americas and the Royal Palace in Madrid
No matter how valuable the museum treasures are, taking long walks outdoors with children is more important. And to make the walk educational too, we suggest leaving the bustling centre of Madrid and taking the metro to the nearest jungle. Dense tropical forests, icy expanses of polar latitudes, quiet lakes, tranquil islands and even a garden of paradise can be found in the Faunia Park.
The biopark is divided into thematic zones, where natural landscapes of different parts of the Earth are reproduced. This is a fantastic case when, during one trip, you can see warm-loving flamingos, cold-adapted penguins, mountain-dwelling pandas, and antelopes walking on the open savannah in their natural environment. Bats have been given a dark cave, pampered butterflies a flowering garden, Komodo varans a volcanic island, and dinosaurs a corner of the Jurassic period.
All the animals seem to walk freely on the territory of Faunia, but inconspicuous barriers separate them from the alleys where park visitors walk.
However, some animals are free to roam, are interested in people and graciously accept treats. A curious meerkat or lemur may want to join your picnic. You can also get to know the animals better at the Farm or on special excursions. If the weather doesn't permit a walk, but you still want to travel to other continents, you can have a great time at the Museum of the Americas.
Many of its exhibits date back to the pre-Columbian period of American history, and why not imagine yourself as Columbus, whose ship first landed on unfamiliar shores? Each showcase is a discovery: unknown writings-pictograms, figures of Indian deities, outlandish jewellery made of feathers... A quest, which will be given to you at the museum's ticket office (however, the text of the tasks and the museum signs are in Spanish only), will help stir up children's research interest.
Close to the Museum of the Americas is one of Madrid's best cafés, Los Alpes, which serves delicious Italian gelato. Perhaps children who have tried several varieties of the cold treat will favour visiting the Royal Palace.
The current residence of the Spanish monarchs has a rich collection of paintings that rivals the Prado. Boys are usually interested in the arms and armour exhibition, while girls will want to visit the palace carriage museum. If your visit is on a Wednesday, try to get to the palace by midday to witness the changing of the guard.
What do those who come to Madrid with children regret? Only that the trip was too short. Kidpassage wishes you many more exciting trips to this marvellous city!
