Travelling with kids in Madrid: activities and tips for families

Visiting Madrid with kids is easy: the city has large parks with rowing boats and swings, science and railway museums, a zoo, an amusement park, a cable car and, on the outskirts, theme parks such as Parque Warner. The key is not trying to see everything, alternating a “grown-up” visit with something for them and adapting the pace to children's routines, which clash with Madrid's late lunch and dinner times.

El Retiro

The essential outing. Hire a rowing boat on the lake, watch the puppet shows at weekends, look for squirrels, explore the Palacio de Cristal (Crystal Palace) and run around the play areas. If you are staying nearby, the taxi in Retiro page will help with your transfer from the airport.

Casa de Campo: rides, zoo and cable car

The great green lung of western Madrid brings together three outings in one: the Parque de Atracciones (amusement park), with children's areas and roller coasters for older kids; the Zoo Aquarium; and the Teleférico (cable car), which leaves from Paseo de Pintor Rosales and crosses over the Manzanares with views of the city. It easily fills a whole day.

Madrid Río and the Templo de Debod

Madrid Río, along the Manzanares, has play areas, slides and room for bikes or scooters. The Templo de Debod, a genuine Egyptian temple in the Parque del Oeste, tends to amaze children, especially at sunset.

• Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Natural Science Museum): dinosaur skeletons, minerals and animals; one of families' favourites.
• Museo del Ferrocarril (Railway Museum): historic locomotives and carriages in the old Delicias station.
• Planetario de Madrid: shows about the universe in the Tierno Galván park. This one and the previous one are in the Arganzuela district.
• The Museo del Prado as a game: with children, pick just a few works and turn the visit into a hunt for details. One well-spent hour is better than an exhausting morning.
• Bernabéu tour: for football fans, Real Madrid's museum and stadium.

Faunia, in the east of Madrid, combines animals and recreated ecosystems, with penguins and an indoor tropical rainforest. And on the outskirts, in San Martín de la Vega, Parque Warner is the big full-day excursion: in our guide to the best rides at Parque Warner we tell you which ones are suitable for little ones. For hot or cold days, Xanadú, in Arroyomolinos, has an indoor ski slope.

The first journey sets the tone for the trip. After a long flight, hauling suitcases along corridors and platforms with a baby or young children is the last thing you feel like doing. When you book your taxi from Barajas you can:

• Ask for a child seat, giving the child's age; we will confirm availability. To find out which restraint system is right for each age, see the rules for travelling with children in a taxi and our guide to taxis with a child seat.
• Choose a 7-seater vehicle if there are five or more of you, or if you have pushchairs and lots of luggage: the 7-seater taxi in Madrid takes you all together.
• Know the price beforehand: a fixed fare by zone, the same there and back; to the centre, inside the M-30, €33.

If your flight is delayed, let us know the new time by phone or WhatsApp. And to plan your return in good time, remember to be at the terminal about 2 hours early for European flights and 3 for international ones, a little more if you are travelling with young children.