When we zeroed down on Spain for our annual international travel, we had only football and bull fighting on our mind. Bull fighting we finally ditched because we had no idea that the bull is actually killed in the end and we didn’t want to promote such a sport. To our surprise, Spain with kids turned out to have many more interesting activities which was a treat for the whole family.
Like always, we booked serviced apartments throughout our trip. They are super convenient and gives us a feeling for space. You can order in if you don’t want to cook or eat out. Cleaning is done by the housekeeping so that’s not an issue at all. So in this post, I will share details of where we stayed and how we went around Spain.
Madrid- 3 nights- (Spain With Kids)
Accommodation Apartment: Casa Malasana
Location: Central. Restaurants at walking distance. Attractions 10 minutes away by Uber/cab. Free wifi.
Since we went in November, the weather wasn’t the best. It was cold and rained every second day. Madrid was a bit of a let down and while we visited the National history museum, the royal palace and the Prado museum, my kids didn’t enjoy it much. Of the three I will highly recommend the Prado museum.
Tip: To keep them engaged do a bit of homework. Give them things they need to locate in the museum and talk about. Each one gets them two points and the winner gets a prize or choose where they can eat. I have finally, figured out this idea after years and years of trips to museums.
You can also take the kids to Puerto de sol which is also known as zero kms and is always spurting with crowds and surrounded by restaurants as long as you hit the place before 7 pm in the night. Walk from here to Plaza Mayor to get the feel of the buzzing city.
Other things to try:
- Take the cable car, Teleferico to get to Madrid Rio and Casa de Campo. Also, get ariel views of the city from the top.
- Try a Hammam experience at Hamman Al Andalus
- Shop at Mercado de los Motores- located in a vintage train museum, you find furnitures, antiques, jewellery and gourmet food here.
While you can always fly the best and the easiest mode of transport from Madrid to Seville is the train. It takes just 2.30 minutes to travel in between the cities.
Seville- 2 nights (Spain With Kids)
Accommodation: Real de la Carreteria
Transport- Where we stayed was pretty central and also it’s a small town. So all attractions were 500-700 mtrs away. It had free wifi.
Seville was a wonderful surprise. Unlike Madrid, Seville is a small pretty town. Cobbled streets, narrow lanes, stretch of narrow multicoloured row of townhouses make for a very pretty sight. The weather was warmer, the colours brighter and it is not doubt that I fell in love with the city at first sight. If you head here, do not miss to watch the Flamenco dance at the Flamenco museum( arrive early for better seats).
Alcazar Palace is a must visit especially if you are a Game Of Thrones fan. I would recommend hiring a guide to go deeper in it’s history. The intricate tile work and it’s beautiful gardens just mesmerise you.
They also have a Game Of Thrones tour, which we didn’t try but sounds interesting.
The Seville Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral is a World Heritage and is the third-largest church in the world as well as the largest Gothic church.
Other things to do:
Visit the Triana neighbourhood. It is on the other side of the harbour and in the early days, this was the fishermen settlement. There is a different feel and culture to this part of the town and is famous for it’s painted ceramics and flamenco. Here you will also come across Plaza de Toros, the 250-year-old bullfighting arena.
Tip- The kids will find this place more interesting as it’s colourful and quaint but to make it
A 2 night stay in Seville is good enough, but if you want to soak in the culture a bit more then you can easily extend it.
Seville to Barcelona- By train it takes 5 hours.
Barcelona- 3 nights (Spain With Kids)
Accommodation- Vale Apartments
Transportation: Vale apartments was in a lovely neighbourhood, surrounded by restaurants and shops and just 10-15 minutes cab ride away from all major attractions. They provide a free airport shuttle and free wifi.
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