Madrid-great for a family friendly city break
Why
Madrid is a giant and exciting city which also offers lots of options for a family friendly holiday. While the buildings and the climate are not as favourable as those in Barcelona there is a huge amount to offer for a holiday with your children in terms of culture, welcoming people and a vibrant cafe, theme park options and night life. Most of the sites are centred within a relatively compact area only about a mile wide.
When
March, April, May and October are great times to travel to Madrid as the weather is gently mild and it isn't too touristy. May is particularly good because of Madrid’s biggest fiesta, the Fiesta de san Isidro although accommodation may be difficult to find during this period.
How
There are lots of options for flights both scheduled and low cost. For the best deals and special offers on flights to Madrid check here
Family Friendly Accommodation
There are a vast range of family friendly accommodation options in Madrid for families from hotels with fabulous architecture to modern hotels with great facilities and you can book accommodation here with booking.com.
Family accommodation that comes highly rated in terms of facilities and space for families are the Eco Alcala Suites. They feature both suites and family rooms and facilities include a fitness centre and an outdoor swimming pool. You can book this family accommodation here with booking.com.
The Mirasierra Suites Hotel and Spa also feature suites, a spa, a swimming pool (children can only access it at certain times), babysitting and lots more luxury facilities. Cots are free. You can book this here with booking.com for good value family accommodation.
For self catering try the Apartmentos Caballero de Gracia which are very central which you can book here for great value family accommodation with booking.com.Consider also the Apartment Service who have several apartments in Madrid.
Family friendly things to do and see in Madrid
To book family friendly things to do and see with the kids before you go check out isango who has a whole range of things to see. This will help you plan ahead and book at a low price with reliable local operators. They include a bullring tour, a hop on hop off bus tour, a sightseeing tour, a bike tour and a flamenco evening.
If you have time to visit just one of Madrid's world-class art museums the Museo del Prado should be the top of your list. There are a huge amount of paintings by the Spanish masters as well as impressive works by Italian and Flemish artists. Where possible with younger children try to play the "find and win" game where the children are motivated to find a particularly famous piece of work.
A short walk from that is the quirky Parque Del Retiro. It is the city's best park and features a huge pond with ducks and fish, paddle boats and sometimes on a Sunday afternoon a puppet show. There is a children's playground, fortune-tellers, ice cream stands and concerts sometimes on Sundays in the summer.
Kids will love the Museo Naval which features reconstructed ship ship's cabin and will be of particular interest to older children will have studied the European exploration of America.
The San Martin de la Vega’s Warner Bros Park is divided into five interiors. There are shops, cafes, cinemas, a spectacular stunt show at movies world studios. It features superheroes and there are some thrilling rides which will excite teenagers, a giant wooden coaster and various water rides. Younger children will enjoy Cartoon Village where they can meet Loony Tunes characters, Bugs Bunny and Tweety and it also has gentle rides for younger children including Scooby Doo spinning cops.
Another theme park option is Parque de Atracciones with water chutes, roller coasters and freefall rides. There are more relaxing activities such as the Jungle boat cruise and younger children are also catered for with gentle water rides, puppet theatres, an adventure playground and roller coasters.
Madrid zoo in Casa de Campas has everything you would want as a child friendly option for a day out.
Another attraction in Madrid which would be interesting for children who love nature is the Faunia Madrid which creates various ecosystems from tropical to polar.
You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday.
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