What was Madrid like when it was a Moorish Fort? What changed about the city when it became the seat of the Castilian Crown?

The answers to these and many more questions will be explored during this 2.5 hour Madrid walking tour for kids, visiting the major sights of the city like the famous Plaza Mayor and Puerto del Sol. They will have the services of a specialist guide who is also a historian with significant training in visual thinking techniques and has lots of experience working with children. They will be asked to imagine Madrid as it was one, two, even five centuries ago and with the help of hands-on activities the guide will bring Madrid’s history to life and teach the children how to view this marvellous city with “new eyes”.

The tour begins in central Madrid near the Opera House. We take a walk back in time to where Madrid was founded, at the remains of the 9th century walls of the original Muslim settlement. Here we shall consider how the walls may have been constructed and discuss what life might have been like during these ancient times. Next we move to the exterior of the beautiful Royal Palace and think about the young princes and princesses who lived in the castle. How did their lives differ from the lives of other children and their parents living at the time?

The tour also takes us to see the Plaza Mayor where we shall reflect upon the various uses to which the famous square has been put over the centuries; it has held markets, bull fights and even football matches! We also take some time to look at the many shops under the archways and envision what they might have sold in times past. We may even have time for a short visit to a nearby historic café, still today used by the “madrilènes”, where we can enjoy a drink and a traditional sweet.

We wend our way through the small back streets of Madrid to the Puerto del Sol which is the city’s current central square and take the time to talk about Madrid as it is today.

The kids will love this tour and come away having learned about modern-day Madrid and how it has evolved over the centuries into the thriving, cosmopolitan capital of Spain.

The tour can be a 2.5 hours or 3.5 hours walking tour (depending on how much time you want to spend with your guide and which are the monuments you do not want to miss!)