Things to do in Madrid with Children

The Spanish take their children everywhere ... to bars, restaurants and sometimes even to pubs. You'll find that children are always well looked after anywhere you go, so don't let having kids put you off visiting Madrid or participating in any of the activities the city has to offer. So if the kids get bored of the Prado, you may find the following suggestions useful :-

TELEFERICO: the Teleférico is a cable car which runs from the Paseo del Pintor Rosales (Metro Argüelles or Moncloa) to the Casa de Campo in a journey lasting approximately 15 minutes and giving excellent views of the Parque del Oeste, the Manzanares River, the egyptian Debod temple, the Royal Palace, Almudena Cathedral, and the Casa de Campo with its lake and Amusement Park. The teleférico runs almost every day from 12pm to 9pm. More information at their website

PARQUE DE ATRACCIONES: Madrid's main amusement park is located in the Casa de Campo (Metro Casa de Campo) and is open almost every day during the summer months (May to mid-September) and weekends the rest of the year, but please check exact opening hours at their website. There is a special area for very young children and white-knuckle rides for the "older" kids. Numerous bars and restaurants, together with outdoor shows and street theatre make it possible to spend the whole day here and never get bored with the young ones.

RETIRO PARK: A stroll round the Retiro Park will always content the kids. Head for the boating lake area where there is always a lot of street theatre, buskers, puppet shows, etc. and of course you can rent a rowing boat out on to the lake itself. If you want to create your own diversion, take a football along with you for a kick around in one of the many open spaces. Open-air cafeterias give plenty of opportunity to take a well-earned rest with a refreshment or two and both the Centro Cultural Casa de Vacas and Palacio de Cristal buildings offer exhibitions several times a year.

VISIT REAL MADRID: Children under 14 can take this tour of Real Madrid's stadium at reduced rates. The tour includes a panoramic view of the stadium and visit to the President's Box, dressing room, players' tunnel, the benches and coaching area, the pitch itself, the Trophy Room and the official Real Madrid shop. More information here.

MADRID'S ZOO: Madrid's zoo is located in the Casa de Campo (Metro Casa de Campo) and is considered one of the best in Europe. It includes more than 3000 animals, an aquarium, a performing dolphin show and an aviary. Areas such as the "Pequeña Granja (Small Farm) allow city-dwelling kids close contact with domestic and semi-domestic farm animals during a pedalogical visit interesting for children and adults alike. The zoo has plenty of snack-bars and restaurants to allow you to spend all day there if necessary. Check opening times at their website.

FARO DE MONCLOA: This 92-metre high communications tower made of steel and glass offers spectacular panoramic views of the city. It is open daily (except Mondays) although may be closed if there is bad weather. The glass elevator takes you up to an observation deck for just over 1 euro. The nearest Metro is Moncloa.

MADRID VISION: Madrid Vision offers tours around the city in open-topped double-decker buses. The bus operates in a hop-on, hop-off fashion, allowing you to take a quick 75-minute tour of the city and hop-off to further explore any sights or monuments that take your interest. There are 3 different routes to choose from - more information here.

MUSEO DE CERA: Madrid's wax museum located just off the Plaza Colón shows historical figures and famous Spanish personalities. The museum includes a Horror Train, a Virtual Reality Simulator and the Multivision show - a history of Spain shown using 27 projectors and hexaphonic sound. The museum is open daily and the nearest Metro station is Colón - visit their website for more information.

IMAX MADRID: This IMAX cinema in the Méndez Alvaro area (Metro Méndez Alvaro) offers IMAX (600 m2 screen), Omnimax (900 m2 dome screen) and Imax 3D film projections. There are several different films to choose from throughout the day, although there are more shows on weekends. More information is available at the Imax Madrid website (in Spanish).

AQUARIUM: Another possibility for tourists with kids is this small but interesting aquarium in the centre of Madrid (Calle Maestro Victoria, Metro Callao). The piranas, sharks, snakes and other reptiles will amuse, scare and delight the youngest members of the family and possibly the more squeamish adults as well!