Madrid with kids
Travelling with children? Madrid has more for kids than you might think. Here are 14 family favourites, with ages, prices and opening hours, plus ideas for a rainy day and practical tips.
Checked: 20 October 2026. Prices and hours can change; check the official site before you go.
☔ Rainy day? Go indoors
- Santiago Bernabéu stadium tour
- National Museum of Natural Sciences
- Railway Museum
- Faunia
- Madrid Planetarium
- Naval Museum
- CaixaForum Madrid
☀️ Outdoor
☀️ Outdoor · all agesPhoto: Max Alexander / PromoMadrid · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia
Retiro Park
The big city park: a lake with rowing boats, playgrounds, puppet shows at weekends in good weather and plenty of space to run.
☀️ Outdoor · all ages; under 14 must be with an adult over 18Photo: Max Alexander / PromoMadrid · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia
Rowing boats on the Retiro lake
The classic family outing: rent a rowing boat on the Retiro lake, with the Alfonso XII monument behind you.
- 🎟️ Price: €6 on weekdays, €8 on weekends and holidays, per boat (up to 4 people, 45 minutes)
- 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–14:00 and 15:15 to sunset (ticket office closes 17:45 to 6 Nov, 17:30 7–20 Nov, 17:15 from 21 Nov); closed 24, 25 and 31 Dec and 1 Jan
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h
- 💡 Tip: The price is per boat, so it is cheap for a family. Weekends and holidays can mean a queue; go early. Two boats take motorised wheelchairs.
- 📍 Paseo de Colombia 2, 28009 Madrid
- MapWebsite
☀️ Outdoor · all ages; shows for familiesPhoto: Max Alexander / PromoMadrid · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia
Retiro Puppet Theatre (Teatro de Títeres)
An open-air puppet theatre that has entertained Madrid children since the 1950s, just inside the Retiro.
- 🎟️ Price: Free; tickets are downloaded on the theatre's website
- 🕗 Hours: Weekend shows all year, usually at 12:30 or 13:30 in autumn and winter (evenings in summer)
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h
- 💡 Tip: Book the free ticket on teatrotiteresretiro.es; capacity is limited. Shows can be moved or cancelled for weather, so check the site on the day.
- 📍 Parque del Retiro, entrada Plaza de la Independencia, 28001 Madrid
- MapWebsite
☔ Indoor · all ages; best for football fans; the child price is on the websitePhoto: Badefa · CC0 · Wikimedia
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Santiago Bernabéu stadium tour
Trophy rooms, pitch-side views, dressing rooms and the tunnel of Real Madrid's rebuilt stadium; the RM Games ticket adds interactive games.
- 🎟️ Price: Classic tour €37 online, €40 at the box office; with RM Games €59
- 🕗 Hours: Mon–Sat 09:00–19:00, Sun and holidays 09:30–18:30; changes on match days
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: On match days the tour ends hours before kick-off and the dressing rooms close the day before and on the day. Metro Santiago Bernabéu (line 10), far north on the Castellana.
- 📍 Avenida de Concha Espina 1, 28036 Madrid
- MapWebsite
☀️ Outdoor · all ages; children and under-3s pay less (see website)Photo: Tiia Monto · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia
Zoo Aquarium Madrid
Pandas, dolphins, sharks and bird shows in one park: the big family day out of Madrid.
- 🎟️ Price: Adult (8–64) €19.90 online, €29.50 at the box office; ages 3–7 and 65+ €16.90 online, €23.90 box office; under 3 free
- 🕗 Hours: From 1 Nov: Mon–Fri 11:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–18:00 (Oct 26–30 11:00–17:00; Mondays that are holidays 11:00–18:00; 24 and 31 Dec 11:00–16:00)
- ⏱️ Visit: ~4 h
- 💡 Tip: Metro Batán or Casa de Campo (line 10). Entry stops one hour before closing; shows have set times, check them when you arrive.
- 📍 Casa de Campo s/n, 28011 Madrid
- MapWebsite
☀️ Outdoor · all ages; rides have height limits (height guide on the website)Photo: Pavlemadrid Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia
Parque de Atracciones de Madrid
Roller coasters, a drop tower and gentler rides for small children, in the Casa de Campo.
- 🎟️ Price: From €23.90 online (€22.90 offer) for 140 cm and over, €23.90 for 100–140 cm; box office €44.90 / €35.90; under 100 cm free
- 🕗 Hours: Halloween season to 1 Nov (Sat 12:00–22:00, Sun 12:00–21:00); then weekends only: Sat 12:00–20:00, Sun 12:00–19:00 (Mon 2 and 9 Nov 12:00–19:00); Christmas holidays daily to 21:00
- ⏱️ Visit: ~5 h
- 💡 Tip: Outside the season the park is open only on some days, so check the calendar before you go. Same Metro stops as the zoo (Batán, Lago).
- 📍 Casa de Campo s/n, 28011 Madrid
- MapWebsite
☔ Indoor · all agesPhoto: RealGrouchy · Public domain · Wikimedia
National Museum of Natural Sciences
Dinosaur skeletons, a blue whale model and minerals in a classic natural history museum.
- 🎟️ Price: €7, reduced €3.50
- 🕗 Hours: Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat, Sun and holidays 10:00–20:00; closed Mon (except holidays), 1 and 6 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec; August 10:00–15:00; 24 and 31 Dec 10:00–15:00
- ⏱️ Visit: ~2 h
- 💡 Tip: A rainy-day stop north of the centre (Metro Gregorio Marañón, República Argentina). Free slots exist on Tuesday afternoon and Sunday evening with a web ticket.
- 📍 Calle de José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid
- MapWebsite
☔ Indoor · all ages; reduced price for ages 4–12Photo: Barcex · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia
Railway Museum (Museo del Ferrocarril)
Steam locomotives, royal carriages and a model railway in the Art Nouveau Delicias station.
- 🎟️ Price: €7, reduced €4 (ages 4–12, 65+, students); 3 tickets for €15
- 🕗 Hours: Mon–Fri 09:30–15:00, Sat and holidays 10:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–15:00; closed 25 Dec, 1 and 6 Jan
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: Closed some weekends for fairs (16–18 October 2026 and the second weekend of most months for the Mercado de Motores), so check the website.
- 📍 Paseo de las Delicias 61, 28045 Madrid
- MapWebsite
☔ Indoor · all agesPhoto: FDV · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia
Faunia
Indoor habitats with penguins, a tropical forest and bird flights, 8 km east of the centre.
- 🎟️ Price: Online from €16.90 (adults and ages over 100 cm); box office €33.95 over 140 cm, €27.95 for 100–140 cm and 65+
- 🕗 Hours: Autumn–winter: Thu–Fri 11:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–18:00; closed Mon–Wed except holiday dates (calendar on the website)
- ⏱️ Visit: ~3.5 h
- 💡 Tip: Metro Valdebernardo (line 9), then a 10-minute walk: plan a half day.
- 📍 Avenida de las Comunidades 28, 28032 Madrid
- MapWebsite
☔ Indoor · from about 5; under 14 and over 65 pay lessPhoto: Ayuntamiento de Madrid · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia
Madrid Planetarium
A dome with films about stars and eclipses and a free exhibition in the lobby: a good rainy hour.
- 🎟️ Price: Dome show €3.60, under 14 and over 65 €1.65
- 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–13:45 and 17:00–19:45 (box office closes 13:30 and 19:15); closed Mon, 1 and 6 Jan, 1 May
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h
- 💡 Tip: Show times change: book on planetmad.es. Next to Méndez Álvaro (Metro line 6).
- 📍 Calle de Méndez Álvaro 20, 28045 Madrid
- MapWebsite
☔ Indoor · all ages; under 16 freePhoto: Fernando · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia
CaixaForum Madrid
Exhibitions in a rebuilt power station, with the vertical garden next door that children like to look at.
☀️ Outdoor · all agesPhoto: Antonio.velez · CC BY-SA 3.0 es · Wikimedia
Campo del Moro Gardens
Royal gardens below the palace with peacocks, fountains and shady paths where children can run.
☀️ Outdoor · all agesPhoto: Nicolas Vigier · CC0 · Wikimedia
Madrid Río playgrounds
A riverside park along the Manzanares with 17 playgrounds in wood and rope, a water-jet beach in summer and cycle paths.
- 🎟️ Price: Free
- 🕗 Hours: Open all day
- ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h
- 💡 Tip: The playgrounds are along the Salón de Pinos, some for small children, some for older ones; the water 'beach' (three oval pools with jets) works in summer. Good after the Royal Palace or Matadero.
- 📍 Paseo de la Ermita del Santo, 28011 Madrid
- MapWebsite
- 🚶 Near Basilica of San Francisco el Grande: 🚶 1.0 km · 12 min walk
Tips for families
Strollers on the Metro and bus
Use the lifts at Metro stations when you have a stroller, and check crtm.es for the fares and free ages for children on the Metro, EMT buses and Cercanías before you buy tickets.
Eat late like Madrid
Lunch is 14:00–16:00 and dinner 21:00–23:30, and many kitchens close in between. With young children go for a menú del día at 13:30, raciones of tortilla or croquetas in a tapas bar, or a chocolatería (chocolate con churros) in the afternoon.
Free museums and gardens
The Naval Museum, Campo del Moro and Retiro are free; CaixaForum is free under 16. Check before you go: the Retiro's Crystal Palace and several museums have changing hours.
Check the calendar in autumn and winter
The Parque de Atracciones is open only on selected days outside summer, and the zoo and Faunia change closing time by date: look at their calendars on the day you plan to go.
Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.
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