Anonymous wrote:OP here- update. We traveled to Europe for Christmas break and to say it was a challenge would be an understatement. I did London solo with my 2 kids spring break 2023 and it was fabulous (sure, we had a few hiccups but really, it was terrific). Our trip started off badly when my DH forgot luggage, I was sick with a bad head cold and he was also a little sick with a head cold and he forgot to download things to my kids tablets and then it rained daily....

I will book an apartment in Madrid for the week and I'm bringing our travel stroller. To h*ll what others think about my petite 5 yr old in a stroller. I'm not carrying him around. That is all lol.

Anonymous wrote:Valencia is my least favorite city in Spain, it smells like swamp and is ugly. Many people will disagree with me, but i said what I said.

Girl, go to Barcelona. Yes. The whole week. Just book a flight on iberia's hourly "puente aereo" (air shuttle) from barajas to el prat, and book an airbnb or nice hotel in BCN, and go live life. Enjoy the architecture, your kids can dig in the sand on the beach, bask in the sunshine and palm trees, eat pan amb tomat, etc.

When you have only 6 days and two kids solo traveling, do not bother with second rate coastal cities like Malaga (overrun with tourists now), Valencia, marbella, etc.

Have a solid back up plan in terms of credit cards and phone etc in case you get pick-pocketed. With juggling two little kids as a solo traveler mom who will probably be taking the subway etc, I highly recommend a money belt or something similar under your clothes.

As others have said, you can also stay in Madrid. There are a lot of pros to Madrid--no extra travel, super efficient and clean metro, lots of parks and plazas and playgrounds. But Madrid is kind of a perpetually dreary city, and if it rains, it makes it a lot harder to entertain little kids because there are very few indoor kid-friendly activities in the city.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the feedback! I had thought about Seville, as it looks gorgeous and seems like a good size for a few days with kids, but there will be a religious festival going on the week before Easter and it was recommended to NOT go :/

I also had thought about Barcelona, but when I was doing my initial planning it seemed like it was not recommended to do both Madrid & Barcelona in 1 week...just too much.

My kids are seasoned travelers and are actually better behaved when it is just the 3 of us because they KNOW there is no one else to help, so my big kid takes it upon himself to be my helper (also reduces conflict between him and little bro). The stroller helped too. We went to London for a week last year just us and it was terrific.

My big kid loves museums and is very into history. He's learning a lot about ancient civilizations this year. My little guy does NOT love museums that aren't kid-focused, but does appreciate beautiful architecture and some art (he loved Sainte-Chapelle but only for like 10 min). I'd like to visit some museums and spots that my big kid and myself will enjoy but not for long periods.

My kids absolutely love playgrounds and I love the ones that are fenced-in with cafes lol, so that's a priority too.

I will look into the Marabella! I am open to staying in Madrid the whole time and just doing some day trips, but most of the train rides are just 2 hours so that's also fine. We are trying to keep it affordable. I don't usually struggle this much with planning but my mind has been so scattered!

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the feedback! I had thought about Seville, as it looks gorgeous and seems like a good size for a few days with kids, but there will be a religious festival going on the week before Easter and it was recommended to NOT go :/

I also had thought about Barcelona, but when I was doing my initial planning it seemed like it was not recommended to do both Madrid & Barcelona in 1 week...just too much.

My kids are seasoned travelers and are actually better behaved when it is just the 3 of us because they KNOW there is no one else to help, so my big kid takes it upon himself to be my helper (also reduces conflict between him and little bro). The stroller helped too. We went to London for a week last year just us and it was terrific.

My big kid loves museums and is very into history. He's learning a lot about ancient civilizations this year. My little guy does NOT love museums that aren't kid-focused, but does appreciate beautiful architecture and some art (he loved Sainte-Chapelle but only for like 10 min). I'd like to visit some museums and spots that my big kid and myself will enjoy but not for long periods.

My kids absolutely love playgrounds and I love the ones that are fenced-in with cafes lol, so that's a priority too.

I will look into the Marabella! I am open to staying in Madrid the whole time and just doing some day trips, but most of the train rides are just 2 hours so that's also fine. We are trying to keep it affordable. I don't usually struggle this much with planning but my mind has been so scattered!

Anonymous wrote:Valencia is my least favorite city in Spain, it smells like swamp and is ugly. Many people will disagree with me, but i said what I said.

Girl, go to Barcelona. Yes. The whole week. Just book a flight on iberia's hourly "puente aereo" (air shuttle) from barajas to el prat, and book an airbnb or nice hotel in BCN, and go live life. Enjoy the architecture, your kids can dig in the sand on the beach, bask in the sunshine and palm trees, eat pan amb tomat, etc.

When you have only 6 days and two kids solo traveling, do not bother with second rate coastal cities like Malaga (overrun with tourists now), Valencia, marbella, etc.

Have a solid back up plan in terms of credit cards and phone etc in case you get pick-pocketed. With juggling two little kids as a solo traveler mom who will probably be taking the subway etc, I highly recommend a money belt or something similar under your clothes.

As others have said, you can also stay in Madrid. There are a lot of pros to Madrid--no extra travel, super efficient and clean metro, lots of parks and plazas and playgrounds. But Madrid is kind of a perpetually dreary city, and if it rains, it makes it a lot harder to entertain little kids because there are very few indoor kid-friendly activities in the city.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She’s got tiny babies. They’re going to want to swim and have lunch and roam / walk around. No one is going to museums and the like.

Temper expectations for this trip

+1. Temper expectations. It’s a short trip and long flight likely with a little jet lag. When traveling with little kids, particularly solo, you’re just parenting somewhere else.