If you are visiting Madrid with your family and you love doing activities with your children, here you can find different places and experiences for having a great time together. You can see all kinds of animals, explore the universe, ride on unique attractions or go on day trips to nearby cities such as Alcalá de Henares. This way you can guarantee that everyone has a great time and you can be sure that your kids will ask to come back again soon. Take note of all these ideas:
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Museums that offer a full-on experience
Even though the city’s most famous museums, like the Prado, often organise workshops and activities for children, there is another type of museum where fun is guaranteed. For example, the Museum of Illusions, a world of optical illusions, which is located very close to the central landmark of the Puerta del Sol square. Another option is the Sweet Space Museum, an original space in the ABC Serrano shopping centre where you take part in the interactive activities and is a paradise for the sweet-toothed members of the family. Want more ideas? The National Museum of Natural Sciences, the Railway Museum and the Wax Museum.
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Amusement parks with shows
A place that children always love is the Parque Warner (in San Martín de la Vega, around 20 kilometres from Madrid). Apart from the amusements and a themed splash park (open in summer) there are live shows staring the characters from Cartoon Village, DC Superheroes World and Warner Bros. Another option closer to the city centre (in the heart of the Casa de Campo Park) is the Amusement Park, with a roller coaster with a 56 km/h drop, and the Nickelodeon Land area, especially designed for small children.
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Up close and personal with all kinds of animals
Animal lovers can visit Faunia for example (in the Vicálvaro area, just 10 minutes from Madrid. You can reach it by car, metro or bus), a large themed natural space with over 300 different species, restaurant and catering facilities and a children’s play area as well as a tour that shows screenings of different dinosaurs. There is also the famous Zoo Aquarium Madrid (in the Casa de Campo Park, next to the Amusement Park) with a setting of the five contents, a farm, a dolphinarium and an aviary… Or the Safari Madrid (in Aldea del Fresno, 50 kilometres outside Madrid).
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Other spaces that are perfect for kids
For example, the Planetarium, a projection room where concerts, exhibitions, observation events guided by experts, etc., are all held under the stars.Talking of the sky, a great way to cover Madrid “by air” is to take a trip on the cable car with unbeatable panoramic views over the greenest part of the city.If you are going to make the most of your stay to visit one of the famous parks such as the Retiro, you’ll be pleased to know that you can also rent boats on the lake and attend the puppet shows that take place there every weekend of the year. In other green areas like Madrid Río there are play areas, a climbing wall, a skatepark, and a BMX track, and lots more besides.Another idea that you may enjoy: Micropolix (in the Madrid town of San Sebastián de los Reyes), a type of miniature city with real streets, a bank, town hall, hospital, supermarket, TV studio, police station, etc., where children are the only citizens and are responsible for making sure everything runs smoothly.
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Day trips from Madrid
If your trip is for several days and you would like to visit some of the nearby cities, a fun option might be to ride a tourist train. For example, the Strawberry Train will take you to Aranjuez with all the staff dressed in period costumes. Other options are the Cervantes Train which travels to Alcalá de Henares with the stewardesses dressed in costumes from the Golden Age or the Philip II Train which goes to San Lorenzo de El Escorial with on-board entertainment.If you are thinking of going on a day trip to Toledo, you’re bound to love the Puy du Fou which re-enacts the history of Spain.If you prefer an activity in the heart of nature, you could all make a trip to the nearby Sierra de Guadarrama National Park to do the “Senda de las Formas” (route of the shapes) and discover rocks shaped like animals. There are also adventure parks with areas for rock climbing, ziplining, etc. like Aventura Amazonia (in Cercedilla) or De Pino a Pino (in Navacerrada).One last original idea: the Enchanted Forest of San Martín de Valdeiglesias, with more than 300 incredible living plant sculptures.
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