Surviving Summer in Madrid with Children

Parks & plazas: Finding a plaza with a playground and a cafe is not difficult in Madrid. It is the perfect place for adults to cool off with a cold beverage while children can run around and be kids. Most playgrounds have a fountain and all Madrilleno children carry spray bottles and water balloons with them for easy entertainment in the parks.

Our kids spent hours playing with water at various plazas and playgrounds. The best part is that even if they get soaked because the humidity is so low in Madrid, they dry very quickly! Some of our favorite parks and plazas are:

• Plaza Olavide: This plaza was recently renovated and has two playgrounds—one for younger children and one for older children. You can usually get a table at one of the surrounding cafes to be within eyesight of your children.

• Retiro: Retiro is large and has several different playgrounds for children. It is a perfect place to explore. When you need to cool down, head to Florida Park Bar & Restaurant in the northeast quadrant of Retiro. While the adults sit out on the patio, children can continue to run off energy within the park.

• Madrid Rio: Madrid Rio is a massive urban project completed in recent years. There are many playgrounds and green spaces. In summertime, I would recommend making your way to Restaurante Terraza La Playa where there is a large splash pad within view of the terraza where adults can enjoy a well-deserved cold beverage. Don’t forget water shoes or flip flops! Walkable (~20 minutes) from the Piramides metro station.

Museums: While the entrance fees can be steep, the air conditioning and visual stimulation are well worth it! My favorites with children are the Thyssen Bornemiza, the Reina Sofía and Fundacion Juan March.

Public pools: Madrid has many, many public pools that are open to all—including visitors! During the summertime, the outdoor pools operate on a ticketing system. By downloading the Madrid Movil app and using Google Lens Translate, we were able to navigate the system pretty easily.

Entrance fees are very reasonable. Our favorite outdoor pool was Caso de Campo, but there are great indoor pools too, that don’t require tickets in advance. Two recommended indoor pools are Centro Deportivo Municipal La Cebada and Centro Deportivo Municipal San Juan Bautista (an easy Uber ride).

• Eat all the ice cream! Would highly recommend Myka for Greek frozen yogurt in Salamanca (expect long lines), Fre for Turkish-style ice cream in Moncloa and Mistura, with several centrally-located locations.

• Pimiento Verde: This restaurant has several locations, centrally located. Upscale traditional Spanish food.

• Los Madriles: This is a basic taberna with a good menu del dia. Good for weekday lunch when you want to hide out in the A/C for a bit.

• Arroceria La Bahia: OK, this is a bit random and out of the way. In the northern end of the city, near the Bernabeu. It’s a lunch-only paella place (no frills), but it’s a fun experience! Plan on a few hours of multiple courses—not fancy, but delicious.

• Minelli 1960: When you’re tiring of Spanish food, this is a solid option for Italian—good pizza, great pasta. Warm service and very accommodating of children.

• Amicis: This restaurant is right near Mercado San Miguel and has a great terraza to sit on right on the Plaza del Conde de Miranda. In nice weather, the kids can easily run around the plaza (in summertime there is a water fountain for filling spray bottles), but in other seasons it just offers easy space for kids to move around in within sight of the terraza (no playground though). Food was solid, but nothing amazing.

• Mama Campo: Located right on Plaza Olavide. This restaurant is a favorite for families for its solid food and lots of options.

• Humo Peruvian Chicken: Humo was a lifesaver when we needed something basic. Delicious chicken and don’t sleep on the airport rice! They are also on the delivery apps if your kids are not up for sitting in a restaurant.