I love visiting El Rastro on Sundays when I am in Madrid and will going back for the third time on April 6. However this time I will be accompanied by my niece and my nephew and it will be the first time for each of them. (They are both young adults.) I'd be interested in any suggestions as to how I might entertain them after we will have finished our visit to El Rastro. Thanks.

Roughly how old is a "young adult " ? arthurg ...I will ask around my Madrileno friends here for you .. I was at the Rastro yesterday on a BEAUTIFUL day here in Madrid .. Crazy amount of people as usual but some great pieces of old Spanish history for sale ..Books , bullfighting postcards , Civil war memorabilia , beautiful old furniture , some great old music etc .. fascinating !For your niece and nephew they'll be so much temptation to buy other stuff too ..some really good souvenirs ( and some really tacky , as i'm sure you know ) . The market seems to be getting bigger and bigger stretching through Lavapies and into Tirso de Molina .. Steve

arthurg writes: I am not a fan of el Rastro. When in Madrid Sunday mornings after Mass (i.e., around 11:00) I make my way to the Puerta de Alcalá entrance to Retiro Park. Inside the Park, I find Street performers of many kinds. They perform for what people drop 'in the hat,' but they're not agressive like those at Pier 39 in San Francisco or Washington Square Park in New York.

Problem is: 'peak time' for both is the same day, same time. So it might be an 'either or' situation.

Eddie, After going to El Rastro, I tend to wander the streets of the Old section of Madrid around the Plaza Mayor ending up in a restaurant for a leisurely lunch. After lunch on Sunday is a perfect time to see a movie and then stroll some more. That is what I love to do on a Sunday in Madrid. Have a great time!!

I think there is plenty for the kids at the rastro - However they might also enjoy the peddleboats at the Retiro...

Esperanza writes: Hola Esperanza! The original post on this thread is not mine; it's arthurg's.

Unfortunately, I am not bound for Madrid anytime soon. The weakness of the U.S. Dollar vs the Euro makes it prohibitively expensive.

The area you describe in Old Madrid (near las Cuevas de Luis Candelas & Botin's) is actually Madrid de los Austrias, from when Carlos I of Spain was Carlos V of the Austria / Alemania Empire.