Despite the Spanish culture being family-oriented, most of Granada’s top sights and attractions do not offer activities that cater specifically to children. In general, kids are welcome everywhere and can easily accompany their parents on regular outings and sightseeing tours. It is also customary for little ones to tag along when parents go out to dinner or to socialize with friends, sometimes lingering long into the night.
Although more challenging to find, there are kid-friendly and kid-focused activities in Granada if you’d like to organize a special treat for your child. Here are some ideas to please the whole family.
LEARNING AND FUN
Granada’s most family-friendly museum is undoubtedly the Parque de las Ciencias, a 70,000 m2 complex a 10-minute cab ride from the city center. The Science Park is a vast interactive complex with a museum, a planetarium and a biodome, all full of exhibits perfect for multisensory learning. The museum invites children to get curious and touch everything, and even has exploration rooms for kids as young as three. Families can discover the intricacies of the human body, wonder at inventions, and analyze tricks of perception at their own rhythm. Best of all, the exhibits and types of learning are not language-prohibitive.
The planetarium, a window onto our universe, offers Noches de Astronomia, or astronomy nights, three times a month, when little ones can squint into a telescope to admire the moon and stars. The biodome has hundreds of species of flora and fauna, and kids are bound to be amazed by the winged and crawly creatures they’ll find along their biodiverse journey to Madagascar, the Indo-Pacific and the Amazonian Jungle.
Spending a whole day at the science park is easy and worthwhile. A combined ticket for the museum and biodome costs 11€ for adults and
9€ for children, with the planetarium an extra 2.50€. There is a restaurant on-site, but feel free to bring your own snacks and picnic, as there are plenty of outdoor tables and green spaces on site. More information can be found at parqueciencias.com.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Granada’s surrounding natural beauty is perfect for outdoor fun. Sierra Nevada Natural, a local travel agency specializing in ecotourism, offers a calendar full of reasonably priced excursions that include bird-watching and easy hikes into the mountains. Check out their calendar of activities at sierranevadanatural.com. Families who are particularly adventurous and unafraid of heights can head to nearby Monachil to explore the Ruta de Cahorros, a 10-kilometer circuit famous for its hanging bridges, narrow ledges and spectacular views. For those who have rented a car and wish to splash around in mountain water not far from the city, the Dilar River’s recreational areas make for a refreshing half-day excursion.
In the heart of Granada, families can do like the locals and relax in a park with a blanket and snacks. Favorite picnic spots include Carmen de los Martires and Fuente de Avellana, a pretty area at the end of an easy path just under the Alhambra, facing Sacromonte.
FUN INDOORS
As in all cities, Granada has its share of organized recreational spaces with all the bright colors and fanfare children love. Paraiso Jump in the centrally located Neptuno Shopping Center is open Thursday to Sunday for kids five and up. The space offers plenty of activities to keep kids entertained for hours, such as big bouncy surfaces, slides into a pool of balls, a climbing wall and obstacle courses. Check out paraisojump.com for more details. The Nevada
Shopping Center, a little further away but easily reachable by metro, offers much of the same, along with giant Lego blocks and a video arcade. If rounds of family bowling sound more appealing, Ozone Bowling, just north of the city center, has plenty to offer for a fun-filled afternoon, including an arcade and a nearby ice skating rink. Find out
more at ozonebowling.com. In the same part of the city, the Rock n’ Bloc climbing center offers daily classes specifically designed for kids. You’ll find schedules and prices at rockandbloc.com/clases-escalada-ninos.
For teens 12 years and older, the City of Granada also organizes a long list of classes, including breakdancing, manga and textile upcycling. These activities are free, and there’s usually no need to book in advance. So, if your teen wants to make new friends and practice their Spanish language skills, check out the calendar of events at granajoven.granada.org.
StayLonger Guide Tip:
As Spaniards like to congregate outside and eat later than most, you’ll often see youngsters playing in nearby squares while parents leisurely finish their meal. Granada is a safe city, and it’s not uncommon, especially in warmer months, for kids to gather at the adjacent playground or park—or improvise a football game while parents socialize and afford themselves a little bit of “me” time.
