Viator Viator Travel Blog

There are not too many places – so we were told – better to travel with a baby than Spain.

Still, my wife and I were feeling low-level anxiety as we arrived at our apartment in Madrid’s Sol district for five days of intentionally unplanned vacation time. The loooooong flight from Australia was a week behind us; our arrival in Madrid was just a short hop from Rome. Our little one, 8-month-old Seamus, had proven to be quite the little traveller, enduring long flights and long car trips with only as much complaining as his adult companions.

John & Seamus in Madrid

Still, we were a bit nervous: Would the apartment be ok? Would he settle into another new environment? With not much of the local language, would we be able to find suitable food? Would we be able to get about the city ok?

And, importantly, would we get the opportunity to sample the city’s famed nightlife, bar hopping and tapas-stuffing into the wee hours?

We needn’t have wasted our time worrying. Madrid was marvellous from start to finish. A great city, and also a great city to explore with a young child. Seamus wasn’t really crawling, but he was increasingly interested in his surrounds – his talent for smiling at strangers opened many doors for us (literally and metaphorically).

His sociability combined with the wonderfully generous Madrileños; from a 10-year-old boy playing peek-a-boo while both boys’ mothers browsed in a shoe shop to a twenty-something metro worker playing with Seamus’s toes while we waited for a train to a middle-aged shop attendant holding him while both mum and dad tried on clothes, our daylight wanderings were easier than anywhere else we’d been (including home).

Spanish locals operate to a different rhythm; a different sense of time. With a siesta during the day, it’s entirely common to see families - including children - eating and enjoying each other’s company at 11 and 12 at night. Dinner time in Madrid isn’t really until 10pm. How would our little man cope, given his usual 7pm bed time? For a couple of nights, we decided not to risk it. We’d have lovely long lunches, then retreat to the predictability of the apartment where we’d cook up some food, have him in bed at the regular time, and spend the evening reading, chatting and watching a dubbed version of Jaws on the TV (“Necesitamos un barco más grande”… still scary).

Miracle of miracles: Seamus has a kip in Madrid

Three nights in, we arranged to meet a guy I’d corresponded with as part of my work. He was English, living in Madrid with his Spanish wife, and they wanted to take us out. So we fearfully popped Seamus in the pusher and headed off at 7pm for the Plaza Major. Meeting up successfully, we went off towards La Latina and settled around an outside table at one of the many similar bar/restaurants that fill the streets. And – miracle of miracles – Seamus fell asleep. We kicked back, talked, laughed, drank and ate through the evening.

At about 11pm, the kid woke up for a feed. We’d moved inside by then, and he perked up more than usual. No problems, though – he was in a room full of locals! Everyone wanted their turn – grinning, talking, playing, nursing. By midnight, it was time to head home – our hosts had to work the next morning, and Seamus was starting to get a bit ratty – but we’d certainly proved a point to ourselves.

–John Ryan

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in Madrid and Spain.