Hi - My husband, me, our 12 yr old daughter & 9 yr old son will make our first trip to Madrid, 8 days in mid-September. Hubby & kids can travel during days, based in Madrid. I have meetings most days so free to travel first 3 days, then just evenings after that.

For KIDS - Any tips on day trips or Madrid area sites that are fun for pre-teens? They are active kids, not much exposure to art or history, may get bored if too much "culture".

For MOM - Recommendations for those precious 3 days sightseeing (plus 5 evenings in Madrid)?

We're reading guides etc. but prefer your first-hand accounts and ideas.

By the way MadridMan - this is a great site!! :p

Regards,
Judy5

The other day my girlfriend and I went to the Warner Brother's park, which i would say is probably the best place to go for teenagers.

The park is split into 5 different zones based on different things, such as the Studio part. I think it's worth going.

http://www.warnerbrospark.com

I think it's only availble in Spanish at the moment.

No, here you have aquapark, in madrid sorroundings, with water attractions (I never go, so I hope they have not closed), and of course you have the ' Parque de Atracciones de Madrid ' in the very Casa de Campo, with as good attractions as the Warners', only that they are mixed with other older ones no longer atractive, and much, much cheaper and convinient( re location).

But it's not tematic in case you like that stuff.

And to a minor extent (of fun), there are plenty of malls in Madrid neighbouring cities (few in Madrid itself), with video games, cinema, shopping, sweeties shops, and a couple of them have laser light games (I hope they still do).

Or skiing / snowboarding at the indoor ski hills of Xanadu.
Parque de Nieve - Xanadu

Prety cool to be doing that in September.
It's in (part of) a shopping mall so the non-participants can have something to do too.

They'll also love El Teleférico , a gondola ("sky ride") from/to Parque de Rosales to/from the Casa de Campo. It's a nice view over the mini-river valley on Madrid's western edge. Upon arrive at the platform in Casa de Campo park you can sit out on the terraza for a coke and a view of the "valley" towards Madrid city.


And don't forget the puppet shows next to the "lake" of Retiro Park on Sundays!!

Saludos, MadridMan

When I was at the the Rail Museum it was packed with school kids who were completely entranced by the sight of all the trains. It is several blocks south of the Atocha station.

Everyone, (reposted from earlier)

Thanks for all the great suggestions!!! The gondola sounds like a keeper. I believe (per Fodors) the puppets at Retiro start in October so may not be available. On the theme park, we live near one in USA & avoid it if we can :-)

Is a bullfight too gory for kids? My sense is that it is but being a naive American want to confirm.

Any suggested day trips, taking train or bus from Madrid? Is the AVE fast enough for daytrip to beaches? Any recommended sites in-between?

Since we will be based in Madrid 5 days, do you suggest we spend our first 3 "free" days outside Madrid in Toledo, Sevila, etc.? I see lots of itineraries and will review them. Any hotels recommended (non-Madrid) for reasonable cost and clean?

Thanks again!!
Judy5

Judy:

I hate bullfights. When I was a kid I saw them frequently in TV, and, as happens nowadays with many foreigners, didn't really get the taste of the slaughter that was going on down there.

There is an animal whose only effective defence, its horns, have been filed.

That animal is in front of a multitude that makes him nervous and disoriented.

The poor beast is then tired by some toreros, who work as a team, until he is pretty exhausted and can only run short distances.

Then he is pricked with two short harpoons for three times (banderillas), a total of six. Most of those harpoons remain in his body, tearing skin, flesh and most times his lungs (easily reachable from upstairs), making him begin to bleed by the injures and sometimes by its mouth, and making it more painful to run because of the pain (because the movement makes harpoons, that are united to a 15/20 inches pole, tear more and more flesh and lung), and because of the blood flooding in its lungs.

Then comes the 'picador'. That's when a 'brave' man, in a specially protective suit, with huge wood or metal protective stirrups, riding a horse specially protected also, uses a pike to stick around the very same area the harpoons are several times, until the President of the 'artistic events' considers himself satisfied , because he thinks the animal is drained enough strength not to be a real danger for the bullfighter. Of course, sometimes the President is wrong and the bullfigter is injured or killed, what only makes them torture the bull more the next time , to make them sure.

Then the bull really starts bleeding profusely by mouth and nose. He would probably be dead no matter what happened next, in one hour or so, unless urgent medical help was given to him.

Then, the bullfighter comes, and armed with a specially designed sword (curved), that is designed to reach better its entrails, and tries to reach the heart of the animal. By then, many times, the poor beast cannot move, much less run, sometimes it has fallen to the floor because it can't stood any more. In these cases, the rest of the 'toreros' incite, provoke it, so that out of its fury it stands up and can be killed 'honourably' by the 'matador'.

Many times,because of the evident danger that the bullfighter is in (he kills the bull while the animal is trying to kill him with his horns, makes him not to be accurate, and he punctures lung instead of heart, again, real deep. The bull shivers with pain.

Then, if the bull isnt dead, but falls on its knees, the matador hits it with a short knife in his back, trying to reach the brain. If he is good, he kills the bull inmediately, but I have seen nervous ones hit like 5 or 6 times out of nerves.

Then the suplice ends, and the public applauds.

From the distance, and not aware of all this, it's difficult to understand how much suffering and horror is going down there, but its like sickening.

I do not consider it an art as some say, it's obvious that it's got a technicque, but slaughters in slaughterhouses have dexterity too.

It is true that although the bull is severely castigated, you have to be valiant to be in fron of it, although most of the times he is befouled with the red clothes, but the risk is worth because of the huge amounts they get (when they reach fame) for the right person, that's why they do it and that's why there are sometimes 'espontáneos' (spontaneous amateur toreros jumping to the ring). It's a position many would like to have.

I wouldn't go to such sickening performance, much less with children: They will either not know what's really going on, so they won't 'enjoy' it, or they will be traumatized by the extreme violence. I saw very few or no children in bullfights the two times I have been personally there.

Besides, today I heard that it`s forbidden under 14.

I had NO IDEA bullfights were like this. Truly sickening. My mental image that has always come with bullfighting is a naive one and based on American television. I had no idea it was that horific.

My kids love the bakeries, candy stores and the ice cream sold in various places. Also the markets are fun to explore. My son bought a sword in Toledo and it remains one of his prized possessions. There are also lots of movie theaters and we like to see the movies in Spanish. Often they are ones we have seen in the US and it is fun to see them a second time. Just walking around is fun. We like the parks but have not done the amusement park. The Rick Steves' guide book has remained my favorite for the basics!! Enjoy!!