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Tiled street plaques – In the old quarter of Madrid, look for tiled street plaques, the street names are beautifully illustrated, e.g. Calle de la Sal (Salt Street), Calle del Leon (Lion Street), Calle de las Jardines (Gardens Street), Plaza de la Villa (coat of arms of Madrid), Calle de Calderon de la Barca (famous author). Kids will have fun taking snapshots of their favorite streets. |
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Equestrian statues – Spanish horses are legendary, and you’ll find statues around Madrid with famous figures on horseback. Here’s a few of our favorites – King Felipe III at the Plaza Mayor, Felipe IV at the Plaza de Oriente, statue of Don Quixote on his nag and Sancho Panza on his donkey at the Plaza de Espana, Alfonso XII in the Retiro Park, Carlos III in Puerta del Sol. |
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Ride the Metro – The Metro system here is great so you can discover neighborhoods on foot, knowing the subway is usually nearby. Buy the Abono Turistico (Tourist Travel Pass), unlimited rides day pass, at the tourist office located at the Plaza Mayor. |
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Fun food – |
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A delicious snack is “chocolate con churros,” thick rich hot chocolate accompanied by churros (a doughnut-like pastry). Kids can dip their churros into the hot chocolate for the full effect. Two of our favorite places are Valor Chocolateria and Chocolateria San Gines. |
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Madrilenos have a sweet tooth, and kids will want to sample the wide variety of pastries in the bakeries and sweets such as violet candies. Also, fresh squeezed orange juice (zumo de naranja) is a great snack. |
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For a special dinner treat, have a meal at the Restaurant Sobrino de Botin, the oldest restaurant in Madrid, in business since 1725. The restaurant serves traditional Spanish meat and fish dishes. In the window is a super little model of the restaurant itself, and the interior is atmospheric dining. |
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Shopping – |
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Fun things to buy in Madrid are Spanish style hair combs, shawls (manton de manila), fans, small swords, miniature bulls, Real Madrid soccer shirts, and replicas of the street tiles (pick your favorite street). |
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Fat little book,
perfect for small hands, full of artworks from the Prado – Goya's luminous
paintings, portraits by Velazquez, homey family scenes by Murillo,
Dutch painters Hieronymous Bosch and Rembrandt.
(Picture book)
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Mini-biography
of Diego Velazquez, master portrait painter. Velazquez came to
Madrid to paint the royal family, and spent 37 years in the Spanish
court. He painted princes on horseback, princesses in glittering
gowns, royal pets, and his most famous painting, Las Meninas,
which you'll see in the Prado. (Picture book)
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"I,
Juan de Pareja was born into slavery early in the seventeenth century."
Absorbing fictional story of the boy Juan, who is sent to the home
of Maestro Velazquez, the great Spanish court painter. (Chapter
book)
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Goya (Eyewitness Books)
Patricia Wright
Francisco
de Goya's paintings are a window into Spanish life at the end of
the 18th century – portraits of aristocratic children and families,
pastoral picnics, dark scenes of war and witchcraft. Read about
Goya's life and times. Good for older kids.
(Picture book)
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Before
you see the paintings of El Greco in the Prado, find out this artist
– real name Domenikos Theotokopoulos. He was born in Greece,
but painted his most famous paintings in Spain, where he was known
by his nickname "El Greco," The Greek. (Picture book)
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(More children's
books on other Spain pages) |
