Madrid with DS 14. Ran out of ideas and now regretting booking holiday!

[sunshinechaser]

We (me, DH and DS age 14) usually go on holiday to London every Easter and we absolutely love it. Love the shopping, Thames boats, going to see shows and eating out. However after going to the same place every year for the last 3 or 4 years I suggested we broaden our horizons and go somewhere different for a city break. After a little research I decided on Madrid.
However I’m now slightly regretting this as I can’t really find a lot of activities that DS might enjoy. He isn’t into museums/art galleries or football so most of the big tourist attractions in Madrid are out!
I’ve got the following loosely planned but would love any more ideas if anyone has been to Madrid with teens and enjoyed it-

Day 1
Retiro Park. Get rowing boats and maybe rent a bike.
Crystal Palace
Visit Mercado San Anton in Chueca
Walk around Chueca

Day 2
Visit the Royal Palace and possibly cathedral next door.
Visit La Latina and Plaza Paja
See Plaza Mayor and Sol. See kilometer zero.
Chocolateria San Gines
Mercado de San Miguel
Rooftop drinks at Palacio de Cibales

Day 3
nothing!

Any ideas welcomed. Thanks

Thanks all. I’ll take a good look after work tonight and get some more activities booked.

You're just sqeezing far too much into one day, a cycle ride for example, spend the day doing that with lunch and various tapas stops along the way. You can spend hours and hours walking if you want

Retiro park is massive

The Royal palace and cathederal will take ages, plus build in long lunches

Theres tons of shops which would take all day just in one stretch really

What about a flamenco show, although its aimed at tourists they are fantastic

Sorry I should have specified the cycle ride you do up and down the river, not Retiro, they do have bike rentals at Retiro, walk to Principe Pio and along the bank there is a good bike shop, the cycle route goes for miles

It is more of an adult city i think- the art galleries are a big part of any trip. I've thought of going back and taking my teens and I too though they might get bored - so it's not just you.

Definitely hire bikes to cycle round the park. The flee market is interesting as is the covered food hall. You will find enough to fill a long weekend.

Not helpful really but for the next trip go to Berlin - it is great for teens.

We are off to Madrid soon. Some great ideas here.

We hired segways to do a tour round a different city with our teen and he loved it. Alternatively there are also e-scooter tours as well in Madrid that you could do and would be fun,
I went to Madrid in my late teens and thought it was boring compared to a lot of other European cities but i definitely want to go back at some point and give it another chance now I'm more into galleries and museums.

We have done food tours in lots of cities using With Locals - they have all been fantastic. My teens loved them. We haven't done one in Madrid but have done in other Spanish cities.

Thanks all. I’m trying to find theatre shows that are performed in English but not having much luck.
The hope on hop off bus isn’t a thing anymore apparently according to the Madrid travel Facebook group. I don’t think the tourist buses are allowed to stop.

OP can highly recommend the free walking tours where you tip at the end (a great way to see different areas). If you're there at Easter, the celebrations are a whole new level with processions through the streets through the days and night. You do not need to be religious to appreciate the enormity of the effort, with each float on average being carried by 200 people. Also don't forget down time and people watching! Enjoy ☺️

@isthatmyagegood to know. We leave on Good Friday so hopefully there will be some fun on the lead up to Easter.

@soupyspoonis the bike shop you recommended for bike hire in Retiro Park or the river one? I have no bearings yet so the names of streets don’t mean much to me. Thanks

City breaks are just that. The DC will just enjoy what you will. Exploring and seeing new sights

you're over thinking this. Go to something he suggests if he can be bothered to google Madrid otherwise you choose where to go.

Are you all into food? A walking food tour is my go to in a new city, usually on my first day there. You get to walk around the city with a local guide which helps get your bearings, learn some history, and try lots of delicious food and work out what you want to find more of!
I always use Eating Europe, but there are lots of companies out there who do similar tours.

@KittenPauseI agree I’m overthinking the trip. I love my holidays so much the thought of them being not perfect stresses me out! I’m also peri menopausal and things that would never stress me out years so now make me a complete anxious mess.
@MoodEnhancerwe are all massively into food. I will take another look at food tours. The first one I looked at was about €80 each so I felt it was too expensive. I quite like planning things myself though and feeling like a local so was put off food tours as I thought they would be too touristy. However loads have recommended them so I will take another look. Thanks.

I love Madrid.

i haven’t seen the Temple of Debod mentioned yet. It’s an egyptian temple complete with a little museum and hieroglyphics in the middle of a park. In fact it’s the park you get the cable car from to casa del campo so could combine it with that day. That park also has some hidden civil war bunkers

I wouldn’t worry about your watch and ring too much though, the Madrid women are extremely well dressed and accessorized and wear a lot of bling. Just be street smart.

Check out air b and b experiences for some ideas

Day trip to Toledo

Why are you ignoring all the suggestions of creating your own free food tour, using AI or otherwise? And the free walking tours? Every city has them and they are great.

@CountryQueen I’m not ignoring them. I’m getting as many ideas as I can and then I’ll think about how they can all fit in my itinerary.

We booked a tour with an electric tuctuc. It was a great way to see the city as it’s small enough for the narrow streets. Our guide was pretty good, and there are different types of tours to choose from.

@17CherryTreeLaneI saw that and thought my DS would love it so think we’ll try and do this on our first day. Thanks

Check if the Prado still has a free entry hour at the end of the day. Then dash in and cherry pick a handful of the best artworks, and out again.

Its the river, its this one

https://www.mibikerio.com/

You can walk up to the massive lake as well

There also exhibitions on, a dinosaur one at the moment and over Easter, which we are roped into attending!

You need to go to the best tapas in Madrid, just off Sol, near one of the entrances to El Cortes Ingles

Casa Labra

Thanks so much everyone for all the recommendations. I’m feeling much better about our holiday now. I’ll pull everything together at the weekend as I’m knackered with work this week. I think I’ll fill our time with fab things to do.