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Family outings

Family outings in Madrid

Madrid lives outdoors and late, children included: huge parks with rowing boats, puppets and playgrounds, great museums free at certain times, the largest French-language library in Spain, and the sierra an hour away for skiing or river swims. Here are our addresses, all checked on official websites.

Verified on 30 October 2026

Parks, playgrounds and gardens

The Retiro in the centre, the Casa de Campo to the west, Madrid Río along the Manzanares: there is always a big park within fifteen minutes, with free playgrounds and shade for the summer.

Good to know

  • The Retiro covers 125 hectares with more than 15,000 trees; it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site together with the Paseo del Prado since 2021. It is open 6am to midnight from April to September and 6am to 10pm from October to March, free of charge. Source
  • The Casa de Campo, the former royal hunting estate, brings together the Parque de Atracciones, the Zoo Aquarium, the renovated lake and the cable car linking it to the Parque del Oeste, with a flat 4-kilometre botanical trail. Source
  • Madrid Río, laid out along the Manzanares, lines up 17 playgrounds made of natural materials in the Salón de Pinos, cycle paths and, in summer, the Madrid Río 'beach' with its water jets. Source
  • In the north-east, near the airport and the Lycée français neighbourhoods, Juan Carlos I park lends bikes for free and runs a free little train every half hour. Source

Addresses

  • Parque del Retiro

    Park

    Plaza de la Independencia, 7, 28001 Madrid

    The Sunday ritual: rowing boats on the Estanque, puppet theatre, playgrounds and the Palacio de Cristal, with a municipal canoe school for ages 7 to 17.

    Website Source

  • Casa de Campo

    Park

    Paseo de la Puerta del Ángel, 1, 28011 Madrid

    The big green lung of the west: lake, picnics, zoo, amusement park and cable car, Lago or Casa de Campo metro.

    Website Source

  • Madrid Río

    Park

    Rives du Manzanares, de Príncipe Pío à Legazpi

    Ten kilometres of car-free promenade for bikes and scooters, playgrounds and summer water jets.

    Website Source

  • Parque Juan Carlos I

    Park

    Barajas, près de la Feria de Madrid (IFEMA)

    160 hectares near the Feria de Madrid: lake, canal, olive grove, sculptures, free bike loans and a free little train.

    Website Source

  • Parque del Oeste et téléphérique

    Park

    Paseo del Pintor Rosales, 28008 Madrid

    Madrid's first public park, with the rose garden, the Egyptian Temple of Debod and the cable car to the Casa de Campo.

    Website Source

  • Real Jardín Botánico

    Park

    Plaza de Murillo, 2, 28014 Madrid

    The botanical garden next to the Prado, free for under-18s, with a light show in winter.

    Website Source

  • Zoo Aquarium de Madrid

    Park

    Casa de Campo, Carretera del Zoo

    The Casa de Campo zoo and aquarium, easy to combine with the lake or the nearby amusement park.

    Website Source

  • Faunia

    Park

    Avenida de las Comunidades, 28, Vicálvaro, 28032 Madrid

    A 16-hectare nature theme park with more than 1,200 animals in four ecosystems, penguins, manatees and educational activities.

    Website Source

Go further

Museums for children

The big national museums are free at certain times, often at the end of the day, and many are always free for under-18s: go for an hour, guilt-free, and come back.

Good to know

  • The Prado is free for everyone Monday to Saturday from 6pm to 8pm and on Sundays and public holidays from 5pm to 7pm; families with young children get priority at the ticket desks, and pushchairs are lent free at the cloakroom. The 'Fuera de ruta' family map can be downloaded before your visit. Source
  • The Reina Sofía (Picasso's Guernica) is free Monday to Saturday except Tuesday from 7pm to 9pm and on Sundays from 12.30pm to 2.30pm; its Retiro pavilions, the Palacio de Velázquez and the Palacio de Cristal, are always free. Source
  • The National Archaeological Museum is free for under-18s, and for everyone on Saturdays from 2pm and on Sunday mornings: mummies, Iberian treasures and a replica of the Altamira cave. Source

Addresses

  • Museo Nacional del Prado

    Museum

    Paseo del Prado, s/n, 28014 Madrid

    Velázquez, Goya and Bosch in a free evening hour, with the illustrated family map.

    Website Source

  • Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

    Museum

    Calle de Santa Isabel, 52, 28012 Madrid

    Picasso, Miró and Dalí, and the free exhibitions at the Palacio de Cristal in the Retiro.

    Website Source

  • Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

    Museum

    Calle de José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid

    Dinosaurs, skeletons and minerals: the favourite museum of 4 to 12 year olds, free for under-4s, reduced price up to 16.

    Website Source

  • Museo del Ferrocarril

    Museum

    Paseo de las Delicias, 61, 28045 Madrid

    Locomotives in the old Delicias station, family workshops and, on Saturday mornings from September to May, miniature garden trains you can ride.

    Website Source

  • Museo Arqueológico Nacional

    Museum

    Calle de Serrano, 13, 28001 Madrid

    Free for under-18s, a short walk from Colón and the consulate.

    Website Source

  • CaixaForum Madrid

    Museum

    Paseo del Prado, 36, 28014 Madrid

    The cultural centre with the vertical garden, with exhibitions for all ages and family workshops at weekends.

    Website Source

Libraries and French books

To keep French alive at home: the Institut français médiathèque, the largest French-language library in Spain, a French bookshop in the heart of Hortaleza, and the municipal libraries for Spanish.

Good to know

  • The Institut français médiathèque is open to everyone, students or not, children and adults alike: you sign up with ID and borrow up to 25 items (books, magazines, audiobooks, DVDs and CDs) for four weeks, renewable once. Source
  • Its children's collection includes picture books, comics, teen novels and games, with a regular programme: children's films, storytelling in French, creative workshops and the Fête de la francophonie. Source
  • The Eugenio Trías municipal library, housed in the Retiro's former menagerie, has a children's and pre-readers' area, a teen room and storytelling for toddlers. Source

Addresses

  • Médiathèque de l'Institut français de Madrid

    Library

    Calle del Marqués de la Ensenada, 12, 28004 Madrid

    The largest French-language library in Spain, near Colón, with a large children's collection and online access to Culturethèque.

    Website Source

  • Biblioteca Pública Municipal Eugenio Trías

    Library

    Paseo de Fernán Núñez, 24, Parque del Retiro, 28009 Madrid

    The library in the park: pop in between two boat rides, with a baby area and Spanish picture books.

    Website Source

  • La Librairie

    Shop

    Calle de Alcorisa, 41, Hortaleza, 28043 Madrid

    The French bookshop partnering the Lycée français, with a big children's and comics section, and a meeting place for the community.

    Website Source

Activities, sport and workshops

For French, the Institut français and the clubs born around the Lycée; for the rest, Madrid offers free puppet shows, canoeing in the Retiro, children's theatre festivals and big theme parks.

Good to know

  • The Institut français runs classes for French-speaking children aged 4 to 11, designed to strengthen bilingual children's French (reading, writing, grammar) rather than teach it from scratch; the 2026-2027 term started on 30 September. Source
  • The Retiro Puppet Theatre has played all year round, outdoors and free, every weekend since the 1950s: mornings in winter, evenings in summer, with free tickets to book on its website. Source
  • Rugby is the sport of Hortaleza's French community: CR Liceo Francés, founded at the Lycée in 1969, has hundreds of players and about twenty teams, including youth and girls' sides. Source
  • Teatralia, the performing arts festival for children and young people, brings companies from around the world, French ones included, to the region's theatres every spring. Source

Addresses

  • Institut français de Madrid, cours enfants

    Activity

    Calle del Marqués de la Ensenada, 12, 28004 Madrid

    French mother-tongue classes for 4 to 11 year olds in Spanish schools, and DELF Prim for older children.

    Website Source

  • Teatro de Títeres de El Retiro

    Activity

    Parque del Retiro, entrée Puerta de la Independencia

    Free outdoor puppet shows every weekend, a Madrid institution.

    Website Source

  • CR Liceo Francés (rugby)

    Activity

    Hortaleza, autour du Lycée français

    The rugby club born at the Lycée français, from mini rugby to senior teams, renowned for its youth training.

    Source

  • Teatralia

    Activity

    Théâtres de Madrid et de la région, au printemps

    The international theatre, dance and puppetry festival for children and teenagers.

    Website Source

  • Parque de Atracciones de Madrid

    Activity

    Casa de Campo, Madrid

    The Casa de Campo amusement park, a birthday classic, with a little ones' area and a popular Halloween season.

    Website Source

  • Parque Warner Madrid

    Activity

    San Martín de la Vega

    The Looney Tunes and superhero theme park south of Madrid, with its water park in summer.

    Website Source

Through the seasons and festivities

Dry, sunny winters and very hot summers: skiing in the sierra in February, parades for the Three Kings on 5 January, chulapo costumes for San Isidro, and summer lived in the evening, between open-air cinemas and water jets.

Good to know

  • Christmas and the Three Kings: lights all over the city, Cortylandia, markets and ice rinks, then the Cabalgata de Reyes, the Three Kings parade, on the evening of 5 January; presents arrive on the 6th. Source
  • Spring: Carnival in February, then the Book Fair and the San Isidro festivities in May, when children dress up as chulapos or chulapas and eat rosquillas and candyfloss in San Isidro park. Source
  • Summer: open-air cinemas, the Veranos de la Villa festival with its closing fireworks, water parks and the Retiro puppet theatre's summer festival, from June to September. Source
  • Autumn: in mid-October, the Fiesta de la Trashumancia sends flocks of sheep through the city centre, a sight children have loved since 1994; then Halloween at the theme parks and, in December, the Juvenalia fair. Source
  • Winter: the Puerto de Navacerrada and Valdesquí ski resorts are within the Madrid region, about an hour away, and the Madrid Snozone indoor slope lets you ski even in summer. Source

Addresses

  • Noël à Madrid

    Plaza Mayor, Cibeles, Puerta del Sol

    Lights in all 21 districts, Christmas markets, ice rinks and the big switch-on at Cibeles.

    Website Source

  • Playa de Madrid Río

    Park

    Madrid Río, Salón de Pinos

    Three oval pools with water jets to cool off in summer, surrounded by loungers.

    Website Source

  • Puerto de Navacerrada

    Activity

    Sierra de Guadarrama

    The sierra's historic resort, reachable by train from Cercedilla, for sledging and first slides.

    Website Source

  • Valdesquí

    Activity

    Sierra de Guadarrama, Rascafría

    The largest ski resort in the Madrid region, with a children's ski school.

    Website Source

Go further

Getaways under two hours away

In the middle of Spain, Madrid is a hub: Toledo and Segovia by high-speed train, El Escorial and Aranjuez by commuter train, the Guadarrama sierra for hiking and swimming, and tourist trains children adore.

Good to know

  • The Sierra de Guadarrama National Park offers the best family walks, such as La Pedriza's 'trail of shapes', where children hunt for animal-shaped rocks; in summer, people swim at the natural pools of Las Presillas in Rascafría or Las Berceas in Cercedilla. Source
  • The region's tourist trains are an outing in themselves: the Tren de la Fresa to Aranjuez with staff in period costume, the Tren de Cervantes to Alcalá de Henares, and the nature train from Cercedilla to Puerto de Cotos. Source
  • Puy du Fou España, near Toledo, tells the history of Spain through grand shows; closer in, Micropolix in San Sebastián de los Reyes is a miniature city where children play firefighters or journalists. Source

Addresses

  • Tolède

    Castille-La Manche, en train à grande vitesse depuis Atocha

    The city of three cultures on its rock, its alleys, swords and marzipan, with Puy du Fou España close by.

    Website Source

  • Ségovie

    Castille-et-León, en train à grande vitesse depuis Chamartín

    The Roman aqueduct, the fairytale Alcázar said to have inspired Disney, and roast suckling pig for the grown-ups.

    Website Source

  • Monastère royal de San Lorenzo de El Escorial

    Museum

    San Lorenzo de El Escorial, en Cercanías

    Philip II's monastery-palace at the foot of the sierra, to combine with the Insect Park or a forest walk.

    Website Source

  • Palais royal d'Aranjuez

    Museum

    Aranjuez, en Cercanías ou en Tren de la Fresa

    Palace and gardens on the Tagus, tourist boat and strawberries in season.

    Website Source

  • Alcalá de Henares

    À l'est de Madrid, en Cercanías ou en Tren de Cervantes

    Cervantes' birthplace, with a historic university and pedestrian streets, ideal for half a day.

    Website Source

  • Parc national de la Sierra de Guadarrama

    Park

    Cercedilla, Rascafría, Manzanares el Real

    Hikes, natural pools, Manzanares el Real castle and winter skiing, an hour from Madrid.

    Website Source

  • Ávila

    Castille-et-León, en train ou en voiture

    The city ringed by medieval walls you can walk along, a life-size castle for children.

    Website Source

  • Cuenca

    Castille-La Manche, en train à grande vitesse

    The hanging houses above the gorges and the Ciudad Encantada, with its erosion-sculpted rocks.

    Website Source

Go further

A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Madrid will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Office de tourisme de Madrid (esMADRID), parc du Retiro
  2. 2 esMADRID, rendez-vous annuels pour les enfants
  3. 3 esMADRID, en famille autour de Madrid
  4. 4 esMADRID, Museo del Prado
  5. 5 Institut français de Madrid, médiathèque
  6. 6 Institut français de Madrid, cours pour enfants francophones
  7. 7 lepetitjournal.com Madrid, Hortaleza, le quartier français

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