Some cities in Europe are ideal for traveling with children due to the number of proposals they offer for all ages.
That is the case of
Madrid
, Spain, since families have guaranteed fun at any time of the year: in addition to a wide schedule of events designed for the little ones, the Spanish capital offers cultural spaces, parks and many museums.
Next, we offer
a selection of 8 museums
related to history, fauna and flora, astronomy, means of transport and even fantasy.
Playful and educational, some are more classic and others more interactive, all are unmissable options to go with children and adolescents.
1) National Museum of Natural Sciences
This museum guards
more than 11 million specimens
in its natural history collections, and its heritage is one of the most important in the world, covering Zoology, Geology and Paleontology.
National Museum of Natural Sciences, in Madrid.
Photo Shutterstock
On Paseo de la Castellana, the museum was created by King Carlos III in 1771, as the Royal Cabinet of Natural History.
But its initial funds consisted of the collections and the library of Pedro Franco Dávila, a Spanish merchant from Guayaquil, who ceded them to the Spanish Crown.
The collection contained thousands of pieces of minerals, algae, plants, animals, utensils and weapons from various cultures and ages, as well as artistic objects made of porcelain, glass and precious minerals from all continents, ancient bronzes, sculptures, tombstones, paintings by painters famous from various schools and countries, miniatures and drawings.
Since then, the funds have increased with purchases and donations until
in 1984 it was completely restructured as a modern museum
, with permanent, temporary and traveling exhibitions.
Currently, the National Museum of Natural Sciences is one of the
most important scientific research institutes in the country
.
Its current headquarters is the Palace of Arts and Industry
.
It opens from Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission costs 7 euros;
minors from 4 to 16, 3.5 euros.
Admission is free on Sundays from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., except the days before holidays.
www.mncn.csic.es
2) Railway Museum
Opened in 1984, the museum
is located in the old Delicias station
, an example of 19th century iron architecture.
The visit allows you to discover the collection of historical railway material, from locomotives and passenger carriages to photographs, original objects and recreations that illustrate the professions related to the railway throughout its history.
The Railway Museum is in the old Delicias station.
Photo Shutterstock
The building that houses the museum is the other great protagonist.
The Madrid-Delicias station was inaugurated on March 30, 1880 to serve the railway line to Ciudad Real, which would continue to the border with Portugal.
It is, therefore,
the oldest station built with a definitive and monumental character in Madrid
.
It is a project by the French engineer Émile Cachelièvre, following the European advances that innovated in the use of iron and glass for construction.
Different thematic rooms allow visitors to take a tour of Spanish railway history.
The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and has various activities aimed at children and families, such as
educational workshops, theater performances or rides in garden trains
.
In addition to the Railway Historical Archive and the Railway Library and Newspaper Library, the place offers a 300 m2 model made up of a network of 850 meters of tracks on which up to 66 different trains can circulate, made by the Center for Studies and Experimentation of Public Works .
Every Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Ferrocarril de las Delicias works, the garden trains of the CIMAF.
It is an installation with reduced dimensions, and
children and adults can climb on small trains.
From Monday to Friday, general admission costs 6 euros;
weekends, 3 euros.
From October to May it opens from Monday to Friday, from 9.30 to 15;
Saturdays and holidays, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June to September: Monday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The visit to the model has an additional 4 euros on the price of general admission.
www.museodelferrocarril.org
3) Pérez Mouse House Museum
The famous little mouse Pérez
was born in the 19th century by the hand of Father Luis Coloma
, a Jesuit who at that time was an adviser to the Crown and who one day was commissioned to write a story for little Alfonso XIII when a milk tooth fell out. at 8 years old.
The entrance to the Pérez Mouse Museum costs 5 euros.
Photo Shutterstock
In the story it was said that near the Royal Palace lived a rodent with his family in a box of cookies that was kept in the warehouse of a confectionery;
and it was said that every night he visited the rooms of the future king and other poorer children.
This is how this character was born who visits children and leaves them a gift for each tooth they lose.
And this museum is in the place where, according to tradition, the endearing mouse lived.
The museum includes two small premises where children and adults will be able to see first-hand
what the house where Pérez the mouse lived was like
, observe "certified" milk teeth of personalities such as Beatrix Potter, Beethoven or Isaac Newton.
The entrance costs 5 euros from 3 years.
The museum opens on Mondays, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.;
Tuesday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.;
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 4 to 8 p.m.
www.casamuseoratonperez.es
4) Geomining Museum
Through its
collections of minerals, rocks and fossils
from all Spanish regions and former colonial territories, the Geomining Museum has the function of conserving, researching and disseminating the richness and diversity of the geological, paleontological and mineralogical heritage.
A museum that seeks to preserve, investigate and disseminate the richness and diversity of the geological, paleontological and mineralogical heritage.
Photo Shutterstock
To the scientific importance of these collections, we must add their historical value, since their origin dates back to the creation of the Geological Map Commission of Spain in 1849.
The museum is a unit of the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain.
In the building, the impressive imperial staircase bordered by artificial stone columns that support a glass vault stands out.
Behind it is the showroom.
The Geomining Museum continues to have great activity today.
Some weekends and during the holidays he usually organizes
educational workshops for children and adults.
It usually goes unnoticed despite occupying
one of the most unique buildings in the Chamberí neighborhood
.
The work of Francisco Javier de Luque, it is an extraordinary example of a scientific museum from the early 20th century, with a central room full of carved wooden display cabinets and covered by a glass rack that hangs from a wrought iron and lead structure.
Admission is free.
Monday to Sunday and holidays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
www.igme.es/museum
5) Planetary
The Madrid Planetarium is a center that depends on the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports of the City Council, which was inaugurated in September 1986. But in 2016 and 2017 it underwent a major renovation, both technological and of the facilities and building
.
, thanks to a collaboration agreement between the City Council and the “La Caixa” Foundation.
The Madrid Planetarium, renovated in 2016 and 2017. Photo Shutterstock
During the school months, the center reserves the mornings for school visits, while the afternoons, holidays and weekends are open to the general public.
"A center to learn about the cosmos and its history, concerts under the stars, exhibitions, a projection room and observations under the supervision of experts", promises the Planetarium when disseminating activities aimed at discovering the secrets of the Universe of a fun way.
It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., and from 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Adults pay 3.60 euros;
boys from 2 to 14 years old and over 65, 1.65 euros.
www.planetmad.es
6) Naval Museum
Located in the Army Headquarters, in the heart of the Paseo del Arte, this museum run by the Ministry of Defense has the objective of "acquiring, conserving, researching, communicating and exhibiting for educational and exhibition purposes all kinds of pieces and collections of historical value , artistic, scientific and technical related to the naval history of Spain, from the Middle Ages to the present".
Naval Museum is in the General Headquarters of the Navy.
Photo Shutterstock
Its origins go back to 1792
, thanks to an initiative of Carlos IV's Secretary of the Navy, Don Antonio de Valdés y Fernández Bazán, for which it was proposed to create a marine museum that would bring together all the sciences necessary for the instruction of the corps of the Navy, materialized in 1842.
In 1932 the museum was inaugurated in the current headquarters, which was later expanded and remodeled on various occasions.
The collections of ship models and cartography
stand out
, as well as astronomical, scientific and navigation instruments, plastic and decorative arts, weapons and flags, uniforms and decorations, sailor equipment, ethnography pieces and personal belongings of illustrious sailors.
It opens from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. At the entrance, a donation of 3 euros is requested for its maintenance.
7) Wax Museum
The Madrid Wax Museum is a fun proposal for adults and children.
Inaugurated in 1972, it is a way to discover part of history through
more than 450 figures
that represent personalities from all eras and from all disciplines and professions.
Famous athletes, politicians, celebrities and historical figures
such as Cleopatra, Napoleon or the Kings of the Austria and Bourbon dynasties
stand out .
More than 450 figures in the Wax Museum.
Photo Shutterstock
The museum has placed special interest in reflecting the world of children and adolescents with the presence of the
Simpson family, Harry Potter, Snow White or Frodo
from "The Lord of the Rings".
One of the most successful sectors is the gallery of crime and the room of terror with the most famous and bloodthirsty characters, from Count
Dracula
and
the Mummy
to
Freddy Krueger
.
In addition, the museum has a
Simulator
, which consists of icy tunnels, the center of the earth, space, and all at a speed that makes visitors dizzy.
Although the Train of Terror is temporarily out of service, you can enjoy the
Multivisión room,
which offers a fascinating view of the history of Spain on 27 projectors and hexaphonic sound.
The museum also organizes
exclusive mentalism sessions
led by Pablo Raijenstein and Lorena Toré, in which the museum will be toured in the dark, guided only by flashlights, once the center has closed to the public.
During 80 minutes, the secrets that the museum keeps and the enigmatic events that occur in it will be discovered.
From October to May, the museum is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and from June to September, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The entrance costs 18 euros and children from 4 to 12 years old pay 14 euros.
Information:
www.museoceramadrid.com
8) Museum of Illusions
Sometimes the eyes see things that the brain cannot understand.
For this reason, this museum consists of a space for social and entertaining tours that delve into
the world of optical illusions
and delight audiences of all ages.
In more than 18 countries around the world, this original museum is also found in Madrid, in the area between Lavapiés and Puerta del Sol.
Optical illusions in the Museum of Illusions.
Photo Shutterstock
It is divided into several rooms in which the visitor can live different visual, experimental and educational experiences where
nothing is what it seems
.
Among them, the Inclined Room, the Infinite, the Inverted
or the Vortex Tunnel
stand out .
In addition, there is an Intelligent Games Room, where you can train your brain in a playful way, and the Room of Dilemmas.
Through holograms, tricks and games the public will learn new things about vision, perception, the human brain and science.
In the store you can find
more than 80 dilemma games
, wooden puzzles, construction games, educational games and all kinds of souvenirs.
It opens from Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and weekends from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission costs 14 euros and for children from 4 to 12 years old, 10 euros.
museumofillusions.es
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