Madrid family holidays and breaks

Though one of Europe's party hotspots, Madrid has a lot more to offer than unadulterated night-time fun and can be a great place for family city-breaks or longer family holidays taking in the surrounding area.

The country's capital, situated in the centre of Iberia on a fairly bleak and vegetation-free plateau – baking in summer, chilly in winter – Madrid is probably the most modern of Spanish cities and after years of problems and neglect is finally coming into its own.

Don’t come here for beautiful buildings or for the climate, but do come for the culture, the people and the cafés. This is a city that hums with life and that is often eccentric (think Almodovar films) but always fun.

Flying Time	2.25 hours
Carbon Footprint	1.12 tonnes CO2
Timezone	GMT +1
Local Currency	Euro

What to Do

Take the kids to the Palacio Real – an enormous, sumptuously decorated palace boasting more rooms, more books and more treasures than any other European palace (don’t even attempt to see everything). This is mad Baroque at its showiest best.

Take the exciting 15-minute trip on the Teleférico cable-car from Paseo del Pintor Rosales to the Casa de Campo, where you will find the Parque de Atracciones, Madrid's main amusement park and a highlight of most family holidays here.

Head for the gargantuan weekend fleamarket, El Rastro.

Visit the Prado, with one of the most important art collections in the world, with works by Bosch, Velázquez, Goya, Titian and El Greco (interest younger kids by asking them to spot animals and the like). It ihas a good restaurant and café to keep you going.

Take young footie fans on a tour of Real Madrid's famous Santiago Bernabéu stadium, to see the President's Box, dressing room, players' tunnel, benches and coaching area, pitch, and Trophy Room – and the official Real Madrid shop.

Where to Stay

For hotels and self-catering recommendations and deals suitable for family holidays in Madrid, see the right-hand column of this page. One of our recommended properties ideal for a short family break is the self catering apartment Apartamentos Sandoval in the city centre.

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When

As in much of the rest of Spain, spring (March–May) and October are great times to take family holidays in Madrid, as the weather is generally mild and it isn't too packed with tourists.

May sees Madrid's biggest fiestas, the Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid (2 May) and Fiestas de San Isidro (15 May), but accommodation is trickier to find during this period, so do book ahead.

How

You can fly direct to Madrid from many UK airports including Liverpool, Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow and most if the main and regional London airports. Flight times are approximately 2.5 hours and the airport is only a 20min drive from the city centre. You can check out the latest deals with our selected travel partners on our flight page.

Eat

Madrid offers some of the best and freshest food of the whole country, although it has yet to embrace international cuisine so family holidays will probably involve introducing your kids to the likes of chickpea stew, garlic soup, snails, potato omelette and baked bream. Snacky tapas can be a handy fall-back.

Don’t forget that the Spanish take their kids out with them at night and that dinner often starts at 10pm, so plan your day accordingly.