Madrid With Kids
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One of the stops on our European trip in March 2016 was Madrid. After just a few hours, it quickly became one of our favorite European cities! We were only there for 2 days, but managed to see a lot of the city. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, it was in the high 70s the entire time we were there, a drastic change from the dreary and wet Paris and London! We stayed at the Westin Palace Madrid, which I booked using points from my Chase Sapphire Reserve. The property is beautiful, and in an awesome location. We were able to walk to so many places from here. I highly recommend it, especially if it’s free! We had a king size bed with a rollaway bed for Milana, and it was perfect.
Less than a 20 minute walk from the hotel is Plaza Mayor, one of the most famous plazas in all of Madrid. Beautiful place to walk around and great for photo ops!
Just behind the plaza is one of the best markets you will ever go to, Mercado de San Miguel. There, you will find many vendors selling different tapas. You can walk around the market and sample many different dishes. Milana loved the cheese vendor and of course the desserts! We tried many things and everything was delicious.
I grew up in Poland and moved to the US when I was 9. My best friend from Poland moved to Madrid a few years after that, and we were reunited in Madrid. It’s been nearly 20 years since we last saw each other! She took Friday off from work and showed us around her beautiful city. We walked around for 9 hours, exploring so many beautiful neighborhoods. I highly recommend walking in Madrid, you will see so much more stuff!
Of course, you can’t walk everywhere so the next best thing is the Metro. Very clean and fairly easy to navigate, it’s a great option for visitors.
For the best views of the city, head to Tartan Roof. You pay 4 Euros to go up and there on the rooftop are some of the best views of Madrid. There’s a restaurant up there as well, where you can enjoy some cocktails or tapas while you take in the beautiful views.
No trip to Madrid is complete without a walk through El Retiro Park. There is a nice playground for the kids, a small lake where you can rent rowboats and plenty of photo ops. Don’t miss this gem!
And of course tapas! We travel for food and love tapas. Madrid had no shortage of tapas restaurants, much to our delight. Since we were only there for 2 days, we didn’t get to try as many as we wanted to, but the ones we did try were really good! I recommend heading to the market I mentioned above if you want to sample lots of different things, but sitting on the patio at local restaurants was great too!
One place we went to was Meson Rincon de la Cava. It was half a block from the market and about a 2 minute walk from Plaza Mayor. Milana loved the garlic shrimp and mushrooms, and probably ate her weight in manchego while in Madrid!
Another place we tried was Pizkolabi, in the Latina district of Madrid. We had paella, aioli potatoes, pork skins, sausages and a traditional egg/ham/potato dish. Everything was really good, though I don’t recommend ordering this much food!
Churros are really popular in Madrid, and many places specialize in making them fresh when you order. We chose Valor and followed the lead of the locals by ordering 6 freshly baked churros with some chocolate for dipping. I’ll be honest, not the best churros we’ve had! I definitely think the ones here in SoCal are much better. This place is really popular, so be sure to try some if you end up in Madrid. Besides churros, there were lots of other desserts on the menu too.
We had a great time in Madrid and wish we could have stayed more than just 2 days! We hope to go back and explore Madrid some more, as well as the surrounding cities. It’s a great place for families with young kids! The only downside was the amount of smokers in the city. You couldn’t walk or sit at a restaurant patio without being exposed to a ton of cigarette smoke. Coming from a place where barely anyone smokes, it was very noticeable and took away from being able to enjoy a meal or walk without feeling like you’re suffocating in smoke. I actually found it funny that people mention Vegas casinos being filled with smoke and not kid friendly, but this was a lot worse and way more noticeable.
23 Comments
cliftc1
Wow! The pictures are stunning and your kid is adorable. Some people I know who will be traveling to Europe only have limited time to explore some city. This guide is definitely a greet help.
tatumskipper
Okay, cutest kid award. I actually thought for a second she was holding a huge camera haha. I can’t believe you did all of this in just two short days! Wow, you packed so much fun activities into a short period of time. I admire people who travel with kids and plan on doing that one day myself. Great pictures.
Candiss
Mmm all the food looks amazing! I will definitely have to go to Madrid when I make it to Spain! 🙂
Joanna
I think that Mercado de San Miguel is one of the best places to visit in Madrid if you don’t have a lot of time to spare. I was there for one day only between flights and this was my favorite place to stop at. 🙂 You seem to have been able to included so many amazing places in your itinerary through Madrid. It’s really cool, especially that you have a small kid! 🙂
Elisabeth King | A lot of world to see
These pictures are sooo cute! Also Madrid looks stunning.
ilive4travel
I love Madrid it is a great city. There is so much to do and the food is so good. I loved the Churro’s when I was there. I can’t believe how big Milana is getting now, she is growing up fast.
missairportsandpassports
There have been quite a few flight deals to Madrid from the US, and I have been tempted to purchase one. The only problem is I don’t have much room on my calendar. And those desserts don’t help at all! Lol. Hopefully, my visit to Madrid will be sooner than later.
Milana's Travels
I know the feeling! First world problems. So many deals, so little time!
waitingforrain28
Looks like such a great day! Great guide for anyone looking to see the city with kids. Very cool!
ARIANA DEL RIO
Madrid can be very Family Friendly, in good weather there are a lot of outdoor things to see. So cute the photos in Plaza Mayor!!!
Marteen Lane
I’ve heard wonderful things about Madrid. The photos of the food are making me hungry 🙂 It’s amazing to meet up with a friend after so long and it’s like no time has passed at all.
Jean
Madird certainly looks like a delicious place to explore. Glad to see you both had a lot of fun here. This is a great guide for anyone travelling with children.
Sam Sparrow
I’ve wanted to visit Madrid for a while now, and this post has made me want to grab my credit card and book! I love Spain, especially the food and wine and your recommendation on Mercado de San Miguel is one I’ll definitely remember for when I visit. Food markets are the best!
Hot Foot Trini
I’ve never been to Madrid but would go there just for the food! The tapas and churros look scrumptious! Also, I love the fact that the city is easy to explore on foot. I love to spend hours meandering around city streets to discover its essence.
abby@thewingedfork
I love Milana’s expressions, especially the one where she’s standing in front of the small lake in the El Retiro Park. The food at the Pizkolabi and the churros at Valor sound amazing. On my bucket list now!
Rebecca
All of that food looks divine. Love that your traveling with your children. I didn’t travel at all growing up so it was a very new experience for me once I graduated from college.
The Travel Ninjas
Madrid is gorgeous. It been too long since we’ve visited. Your visit was wonderful. Having a local friend show you around is always the best. Thanks for sharing those insider tips. It’s like we all have a friend in Madrid.
Sarah
Thanks for the tips! I’m looking at European cities for weekend trips and added Madrid to the list! Love the insider tip about the roof with amazing views (I always try to find those spots! I love high places haha) and park! Adults can enjoy just hanging around there as well 🙂
Nadine Smith
Wow! I’d definitely want to visit Mercado de San Miguel and sample all the tapas I can eat! That’s such a perfect foodie destination. I love the views from the Tartan Roof! That’s just gorgeous! The food you had at Pizkolabi looks amazing too. And of course, your kid is just so adorable!
Global Girl Travels
Oh wow, Madrid looks so beautiful! I love the architecture and the open spaces. I love that you ate out a lot too, because that’s what I would do. Love exploring restaurants and places to eat when I’m in a new city!
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Kristin
My friend moved to Madrid a few years ago and I keep meaning to visit, thanks for sharing how nice it is!