Madrid has many faces. The first one is museums, tapas, El Retiro, architecture, and soccer. The second one is the one that many travelers discover when they know what to look for: a city that has built around itself an entertainment infrastructure that few European capitals can match.
International-scale theme parks, natural reserves with animals from five continents, aquariums with over 10,000 specimens, and two of the most important stadiums in the world, all only minutes from the center. All of this exists in Madrid, it is all accessible by public transportation, and as a Royal Holiday member, you have a home base that connects everything.
🎢WARNER PARK MADRID: DC, LOONEY TUNES, AND INTERNATIONAL-LEVEL ROLLER COASTERS
Warner Park Madrid is divided into five theme zones: Hollywood Boulevard, DC Super Heroes World, Old West Territory, Movie World Studios, and Cartoon Village, as well as Warner Beach, a water park available during the summer. Located in San Martín de la Vega, 30 kilometers south of Madrid, it is the main Warner Bros and DC Comics theme park in Spain.
The DC Super Heroes World has the most technical roller coasters in the park, including Superman: La Atracción de Acero and Batman: Arkham Asylum, while Batman Gotham City Escape, opened in 2023, is the most recent incorporation and one of the most popular attractions of the season.
The 2026 season starts on February 28th and ends on December 30th, with special events including the Superhero Month during the spring, Halloween in October, and the Christmas season in December. Three visits to the same park with completely different atmospheres.
Practical information before visiting:
- 🎟️Tickets with a 30% discount are available when booking early online.
- ⏩The Pase Correcaminos system gives you priority access to attractions and spectacles.
- 🌊Warner Beach, the adjacent water park, requires a separate ticket during the summer.
- 🚍Direct bus from Atocha and Moncloa during high season.
🦁SAFARI MADRID AND ZOO AQUARIUM: TWO WAYS TO ADMIRE THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
Madrid offers several animal parks that few European capitals have. Two options that complement each other without repetition:
- Zoo Aquarium Madrid: Located in the Casa de Campo, minutes away from the center, with over 4,000 specimens of over 500 species of every zoological group, including giant pandas Iberian lynx, Indian rhinoceros, white Bengal tigers, and koalas, in addition to an aquarium with sharks and an aviary. It’s open every day of the year and it offers daily exhibitions showcasing sea lions and birds of prey, as well as educational talks about pandas, koalas, gorillas, and Asian elephants. Discover our partners’ favorite destinations.
- Faunia: twenty minutes from the center, it organizes its 14 hectares into 15 areas that replicate real ecosystems: the Poles with over 100 penguins, the jungle with manatees and toucans, the African forest with three species of lemurs, and the Pabellón Veneno, with some of the most toxic animals on the planet. It has a more educational and scientific focus than the zoo and it offers direct interactions with fur seals, penguins, reptiles, and crocodiles.
Practical recommendation: there is a combined pack for Zoo + Faunia that lets you visit both parks on different days at a considerably lower price than getting the tickets separately.
🐠ATLANTIS AQUARIUM: 10,000 MARINE ANIMALS ONLY 20 MINUTES AWAY FROM MADRID
The Atlantis Aquarium Madrid is located in the Xanadú mall in Arroyomolinos, 20 minutes from Madrid’s center, and it’s the first plastic-free aquarium in Spain. It’s 4,645 square meters, combining a traditional aquarium with educational and interactive activities across 20 tanks featuring approximately 10,000 specimens from 150 species, including grey sharks, loggerhead sea turtles, gentoo penguins, jellyfish, rays, and clownfish, each in a habitat that replicates its natural ecosystem.
Atlantis features avant-garde technology, with interactive demonstrations on sustainable water use, speed and weight measurements of marine species, an interactive beach, and a virtual reality simulator with sharks.
It received the “S” Sustainable Tourism Certificate for its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. For families with kids, it is one of the most valued experiences in the Madrid community and a natural stop if the day’s itinerary includes Xanadú, which also has an indoor ski zone that’s open year-round.
🏟️THE MADRID STADIUMS: TWO ICONS IN GLOBAL SPORTS
Here is the information that few travel blogs manage to connect to the rest of the itinerary in Madrid: the city has two of the most important stadiums in the world, both of which you can visit by taking the subway from the city center, and each tour is a cultural experience on its own.
Santiago Bernabéu — The Real Madrid stadium was completely renovated between 2019 and 2023 with an investment of over 900 million euros, making it one of the most technologically advanced sports venues in the world. It features a retractable roof, a stainless steel façade, and a capacity of more than 81,000 spectators. The tour includes the club’s museum, dressing rooms, VIP boxes, the players’ tunnel, and the trophy room. It is available every day of the year except on match days.
Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano — The Atlético de Madrid stadium, opened in 2017 with a capacity of more than 68,000 spectators, offers a tour that includes the dressing rooms, press room, pitch, and the club’s museum. It hosted the UEFA Champions League Final in 2019.
The geographical advantage that makes this especially relevant for members is that the Apartamentos Plaza Basílica are a 10-minute walk from the Santiago Bernabéu.
Having breakfast at the hotel and touring the stadium without using any transportation is one of those combinations that only works when the location is well planned.
YOUR HOME BASE IN MADRID: APARTAMENTOS PLAZA BASÍLICA
The Apartamentos Plaza Basílica are located in Madrid’s financial district, near the AZCA area and Nuevos Ministerios, with direct access to two subway stations, Cercanías stations, and numerous bus lines. All apartments are equipped with a full kitchen, minibar, air conditioning, safety deposit box, and a terrace, subject to availability.
From there, the distance to each attraction is:
- Santiago Bernabéu — 10-minute walk
- Zoo Aquarium — 20 minutes by subway
- Warner Park — 45 minutes on a direct bus
- Atlantis Aquarium (Xanadú) — 25 minutes by car or Cercanías
- Faunia — 30 minutes by subway
As a Royal Holiday member, you can use your vacation credits to stay in Plaza Basílica and use your budget for tickets, tours, and experiences that make Madrid something more than a visit to the Prado.
