Help with Itinerary in Madrid

My experience with a 2 year old is limited to say the least, but I don't see nap time, tantrum time or play time in there... In all seriousness, your first day seems very daunting with jet lag and a toddler. You might do the Sofia Museum on Thursday since seeing Guernica won't take long. Move one or more things on Thursday to Sunday when you will be fresher.

Thanks for your thoughts on this! I think it might be a little too much as well, though we have never been ones to spend much time sleeping even with jet lag. The last couple of times that we have done this, we have been able to do more in the first day than we anticipated, but it's hard to say with an almost 2 year old. She is a lot like us in that she has a lot of energy and does pretty well napping in her stroller and just eating and sleeping on the go, but she is a (almost) 2 year old, so things could change at any time! Basically, we want to have a tentative itinerary in place and we will adjust it as needed, based on how tired we are and how our daughter is handling things. Somehow these things tend to work themselves out when we get there and there ends up being more time in a spot we didn't anticipate and less time in a spot that we thought there'd be more time in. Eventually, it all works out and leave the city feeling like we got a good feel for everything.

We just got back from Disneyland with our two year old (not Madrid, I'll grant you...), but she was pretty done about 7pm (refusing to stand, throwing herself on the floor/ground, whining and moaning instead of talking), so your hopes to go on a 3 hour Tapas tour on Friday night and flamenco on Saturday night seem to be, in my estimation, long shots. I hope they work out, and maybe with the time difference and how she is adjusting to sleeping they will, but try to not be too disappointed if they don't (and it sounds from your post like you're ready for that). I don't know how your little girl is, but if we keep ours up past bedtime, we sure hear about it the next day, and the day after, even if she seemed fine at the time. She is cranky as all get out, and we've learned it's totally not worth it to keep her up. Be careful, know your kid, and I'm sure you'll have a great time! Good luck!

Do you even know if you can check into your hotel before late afternoon? Is the Essential Madrid tour a walking tour? It seems a bit impossible to get your bags, get into town (at least a 30 minute drive), check in (if you can), and be ready to meet up with a tour by noon. How long is the tour? I can't see you doing any of the things listed for the first evening. It will be a struggle to get your child and yourselves much past early evening before the time difference catches up with you. And you haven't slotted in any meal times or nap time for the child. You need to be OK with covering much less ground with a toddler than you can on your own.

Yes, I have checked with the hostal and they will hold our bags even if we cannot officially check in. And yes, I know we have a lot planned, but that's why I said we will play it by ear when we get there. We went to Chicago this past summer and had a jam-packed itinerary just like this. Our daughter was with us and she napped in her stroller when she was tired. I know she will have her moments because she's a child, but she is used to being on the go. I figure we will do what we can and will make changes as needed. The Essential Madrid tour is a walking tour through a specific company and I believe it is an hour and a half. We plan to stop and eat when we get hungry, but we usually stop and get more snack-type things instead of a big sit-down lunch, etc. A lot of times we like to buy food that we can get to-go and eat in a park or something. I didn't put meal times in because we usually just bring snacks with us and we stop to eat wherever and whenever we're hungry.

I will guess that your plane arrives 8 - 9, not being sure where your flight starts. If this is the case, I think you would be realistic in planning to reach your hotel (again not sure of the location) and be chedked in by 11:00. Tranport from the airport will most likely be easiest by Aerocity van, not the taxi or the metro, or the train. Not sure where the Essentioal Madrid tour begins, so you will be moving quicly to get to it as well. The Thyssen will take more time to see and enjoy. It has a great number of good paintings. There is a restaurant in the street level. Not many grocery/snack shops in the area. Several eating establishments, however. There is a VIPS restaurant, American style, Spanish food that is at the Cibeles Fountain just up the street. I have not visited the other three items listed on your arrival day, but do know they are widely scattered. I have driven by the Debod Temple with a local resident and he said there was not much more to see of it. For your second day, the Prado, get there early to get in before the crowds. If there is a special exhibit, there will definitely be a line. You will have seen the Paseo de Prado when you go to the Thyssen the day before.. Both are along it...large median, park like between the opposing lines of traffic.

Continued - The Royal Palace and Cathedral Alumedena are at the other end of the tourist area of Madrid from the Prado. The Palace can be closed for one reason or another. The Armory at the Palace is definitely worth seeing, although most pass by. The Cathedral is not considered to be "fine" like the others in the country, as it is so relatively new. But it is a masterpiece. The flea market is basically a place for pickpockets. Again this is from native Madridallenos. The Retrio Park is a must! You can spend hours there, literally. The mimes, etc., will be great for your child. Avoid the rosemary sellers at all costs. You can get lunch there. Have a great trip! Toledo is also wonderful.

Thanks for your thoughts. I think the Essential Madrid tour starts near our hotel, so it may not be too big of a deal, but we'll see how it goes. If we miss it, then we'll do our own little stroll around town. Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 8:25 am. Everyone else on other forums has suggested the taxi instead of the other options, mostly because we will have luggage and our daughter with us. Is there an advantage to the Aerocity Van? I would be interested to hear more about it. I have heard mixed things about the Temple de Debod as well. Some say it is neat to see and some people say it is not worth the time, so I figured we would see how we were doing on time. I have heard the exact same thing about the Cathedral...that it is not very "pretty" but I guess I feel like it is something we should see...

I agree that this is a pretty ambitious itinerary, especially with a 2yo...from our time in Madrid last May it would be tough to see all of that without a child and stroller to push. I would skip Debod. There's not that much to see there, its tiny (you'd need to leave the stroller outside) and we saw everything in about 10 minutes. You have a lot of ground to cover that evening. Are you planning to walk from place to place or take taxis or metro? I hate to say it but I don't see a 2yo on the Tapas tour. The bars will likely be crowded and noisy and she will be staring at people's backsides for hours on end. You could do a portion of it yourselfsee Mercado San Miguel first (beautiful offerings but expensive) then head to Cava Baja before it gets too busy, it is full of tapas bars, look in and see which ones look good. In between the two areas you might see some places that interest you too. I'm thinking that a lot of the streets you'll be walking will be cobblestone or some other not-smooth surface. Depending on the stroller it could be pretty bumpy for your little one. Just sayin'. On Sunday the Reina Sofia closes at 2:30pm so time your Mass so you have time to get in and view the painting (it will be quite crowded in that gallery) before they kick you out! The EMT Express to/from the airport might work for you. Its a bus with a large luggage rack in the middle and a lot of regular bus seats. You board, stow your luggage, then sit until your stop. It costs €2 per person, takes about 45 mins and stops at 3 places in Madrid, the last being Atocha train station. From there you can get a taxi to your hotel, or walk or take the metro. http://www.emtmadrid.es/lineaaeropuerto/index.html
There is also a smaller shuttle van called AeroCity which may take you directly to your hotel but will be more expensive than the Express bus. You can google it for details. Have fun!