Traveling to Madrid with a Toddler

This is us – Manuel, Julia and little Mrs T. We live in beautiful Vienna, Austria and love to travel with our kids. We recently went to Madrid with our toddler to visit my sister-in-law, who was teaching at a Spanish school at that time, and my husband was running the EDP Rock ‘n’ Roll Madrid Half-Marathon.

Madrid is a wonderful city to visit. There are so many things to do in Madrid with toddlers that you will probably have to come back a second time.

To get the most out of your visit to Madrid with a toddler, here are our best tips:

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How to Get to Madrid with a Toddler

From Vienna to Madrid it is only a 3-hour flight so we decided to book our flights with Wizzair and RyanAir. For our 5-day family trip to Madrid we checked in only one piece of luggage and the rest we carried in our baby backpack diaper bag for travel. We decided to bring our travel stroller which was free for both airlines and we could even take it all the way to the gate.

How to Get From the Madrid Airport to the City Centre

Thankfully, it is very easy to get from the Madrid airport to the city centre.

1. The Airport Express Bus operates 24 hours a day which is very convenient even if you arrive in Madrid with a toddler very early or late. It runs every 15 minutes during the day and definitely is one of the cheapest and most convenient transport systems in Europe, since it can get you from and to the Madrid airport in just 40 minutes.

2. A taxi costs is a very convenient door-to-door service, but then you have to worry about traveling with a car seat.

3. But after 3 hours on the plane and sitting, we decided to take the Madrid Metro to our accommodation because we were sure that our toddler would not want to sit still in a taxi or on the bus. Madrid’s Barajas Airport has two Metro stations (Terminal T1-2-3 and Terminal T4), both on line L8.

Metro trains leave every 5 minutes from 6 am to 2 am. Line 8 goes straight to the Nuevos Ministerios Metro station in the centre of Madrid (approx. 15 minutes).

The price of a single metro journey to or from the airport is roughly 5 EUR, which already includes a supplementary airport charge.

4. If you’d prefer a car to the metro, Welcome Pickups offers an affordable family-friendly private airport transfer service where your driver meets you at the gate. Baby and child seats are available upon request.

Where to Stay in Madrid with a Toddler

We decided to stay at a vacation home rental apartment in the central Madrid – close to the train station and bus/metro stations. When traveling with toddlers, it is much easier to have an apartment with a separate bed and living room since you never know when your little one needs to go to bed and you do not have to be super quiet like in a hotel room (or go to bed super early).

In Spain breakfast is super cheap (coffee, fresh orange juice and tostada for only a few Euros) so we did not miss having a hotel breakfast.

You can learn how to find the best baby-friendly hotels, then browse a selection of top family-friendly Madrid hotels on Booking.com.

How to Get Around Madrid With a Toddler

The very best way to get around Madrid is definitely on foot. There is so much to see and you would not want to miss out on all the beautiful corners Madrid has to offer.

It’s also very easy to get around Madrid by bus or metro – just in case you are tired from all the walking.

We planned on walking a lot around Madrid but since it was pouring, and the weather was not supposed to be much better for the next 2 days, we decided to get a Tourist ticket. The Tourist ticket allowed us unlimited public transport trips within a chosen timeframe (including the 3 EUR airport supplement, blue city buses, Renfe trains zone and A and Metro Ligero light rail train).

Stroller or Baby Carrier for Madrid

What’s better for Madrid: travel with a stroller or baby carrier? Definitely both!

Even though our little one was already 2.5 years old, we knew she would need a nap after lunch. We brought our umbrella travel stroller so she could either rest and enjoy beautiful Madrid or take a nap (which she did every day).

Also, last minute I decided to borrow a friends’ back carrier for toddlers. The weather forecast said that it would be raining for the first couple of days, so I was so glad to have brought it.

The first day it was pouring! She was not super happy in the baby carrier since she has never really liked them, but she was glad not to get soaking wet like we did.

The 5 Best Things to do in Madrid With Toddlers

1. Royal Palace

Little Mrs T loves princesses and since I’ve never been to the Palace before and the weather was still not that great, we decided to visit the Royal Palace. We loved the extensive rooms and there is a lot to see (even though little Mrs T didn’t find the real princess she was looking for).

It is fine to take the stroller around the grounds of the Royal Palace.

Skip the Line Royal Palace Tickets

2. Temple of Debod & Plaza de España

After visiting the Royal Palace we decided it was time for us to have some coffee and let our toddler run around at a playground. We headed to the nearby Plaza Espana with the monument of Miguel Cervantes, who wrote the famous novel Don Quixote, and the Temple of Debod, an ancient Egyptian temple gifted to Spain by the Egyptian government (it was dismantled, moved to Madrid and reconstructed brick by brick).

The area around the Temple of Debod is a nice park with a playground where toddlers can play and you can relax and have a quiet cup of coffee.

3. San Miguel Food Market

We decided to visit the San Miguel Food Market on our first day in Madrid. It was pouring all day but the San Miguel Market is covered, making it a great thing to do in Madrid with a toddler on a rainy day. It has many different stalls and you can get everything from croquetas to sweets, wine and beer.

We went to the market in the afternoon so it was not too busy but in the evenings or during (Spanish) lunchtime it can get pretty crowded (not very easy to get through with a stroller). Also, seating is very limited, but if you are into food a visit to the San Miguel Food Market is a must.

4. Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor is the central and most popular plaza in Madrid. It has a statue of King Philip III in the middle of the square. Many street artists/living statues, restaurants and shops are located there.

I would not recommend eating at one of the restaurants/bars near Plaza Mayor since they are very expensive. It is a real tourist trap, but I have to admit the architecture and street artists are amazing. If you are hungry, get some tapas on one of the nearby streets instead.

We bought a cup of coffee to go (yes, I like to drink a lot of coffee), sat down next to the statue and little Mrs T was happy to watch the artists and run around.

5. El Retiro Park

After my husband’s half-marathon, we decided to spend the rest of the day at the El Retiro Park.

This Madrid park is HUGE. There are several playgrounds at El Retiro Park for toddlers to enjoy, making it such a great place to go in Madrid with a toddler.

There are several entrances to El Retiro Park – we used the one near Puerta Alcala and strolled around the park, had a cup of coffee at one of the small coffee shops and watched people passing by. There were also various entertainers on the sidewalks of the main walkway at the park as well as vendors selling food and drinks.

For the longest time I wanted to rent a boat and “tour” the artificial Lake Retiro. The line was very long but we decided I would wait in line while my husband entertained little Mrs T nearby. After about 30 minutes we were able to rent a boat. We really enjoyed it and recommend it as one of the best things to do in Madrid with a toddler.

Where to Eat in Madrid with a Toddler

Spanish people in general are very kid-friendly and you can eat almost everywhere in Madrid with a toddler. There are restaurants and tapas bars around every corner.

Everyone loves tapas. Tapas are simple and inexpensive small plates.

If many people in a group want the same thing, they may opt to order a media ración (half portion, good for about two or three people) or a ración (full portion, good for four or five) rather than everyone ordering the same tapa. 

We do not have a very picky eater and tapas and raciones are great for eating in Madrid with toddlers. This style of eating allows for plenty of variety.

Unfortunately many tapas bars are very small and usually have very small tables so this was a bit challenging with a toddler and a stroller but we managed (bring a foldable stroller so you can put it in a corner of the restaurant/bar).

We loved visiting Madrid with our toddler. There are so many playgrounds and squares where the toddlers can just run around and play. We tried to balance the sightseeing and fun time for Little Mrs T. It made for a great toddler friendly vacation and I think she really enjoyed it.

What to Bring for Visiting Madrid With a Toddler

For your family trip to Madrid, we have a complete packing list for travel with a baby or toddler, which covers all the essential toddler travel gear. but we included a few items to pack for Madrid with a toddler or baby below. If you are looking to pack light, you can rent baby gear in Madrid.

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