Plans for a Sunday in Madrid - please critique
 

I will be in Madrid for 3 days in June, one of which is a Sunday. I thought we could do the following:

Start out In the early morning by browsing through El Rastro Flea Market - which would please my 17 year old daughter
Check out the coin and stamp market in the Plaza Mayor - my 23 year old son would love this
Visit either the Prado or Reina Sofia Museum
Hang out in Retiro Park

My main concern is the visit to one of the museums. My instinct is to get to it when it opens to avoid the crowds. However if we do that I guess we should cut out something from our plans.

Is is a mistake to get to one of the museums in the late morning or early afternoon?

Which of these two museums would you visit on a Sunday? Our other museum visit is planned to be on Saturday. Thanks for any imput.

they are both huge and rather crowded. Sofia is opened on Monday, so Sunday may not be bad.
I would select a few things you wish to see instead of just wondering around.

Went to a free day that was also a Sunday at the Prado, only a 30 minute wait at noon

Last year in March we went to El Prado on a Sunday around 1pm. The line moved quickly, no more than 15-20 mins.

great way to spend a full Sunday. You'll be exhausted. Isn't the Prado free on sunday?

Thanks everyone. Glad to hear that the crowds might not be too horrible.
danon - I plan to have an idea of what I want to see in both museums. Nothing is worse than trying to see too much in a museum. After awhile you can't focus anymore, as much as I love art. In any case, my daughter is not the biggest fan of museums so I'm trying to balance our time.

I have fond memories of a Sunday at Retiro Park, puppeteers, families strolling, a lovely day.

Praso is virtually in Retiro.

And you will not find bargains at the stamp dealers at the Plaza Mayor.

I spelled Prado incorrectly.

Aduchamp - Fortuately my son's interest in the stamps will be to browse. He has a large collection which he hasn't paid much attention to in the last few years, but he would enjoy looking around. Thanks for the heads up in case he gets in a mood to buy.

I was leaning towards going to the Prado as I saw how close it was to Retiro Park. My concern is whether the Prado or Reina Sofia is especially crowded on Sundays. Thanks for your input.

jerseysusan,

You previously posted a question about flamenco in Madrid in early June. You might be very lucky as the city's greatest flamenco festival opens 4th of June (until July 2).

World famous Estrella Morente sings in Teatro Auditorio San Lorenzo de El Escorial just outside Madrid on Saturday the 5th. Both the artist and the setting suggests that this might be a night to remember. I've seen her three times, two of them were outstanding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGrbW44ek_o

Why not go earlier in the day and see the austere royal palace/monastery El Escorial? A monument to Spain's self-perceived role as the center of the Christian world, few things tell more about 16th century Spain on top of its powers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Escorial

The day after, up and coming David Palomar sings in Centro Cultural Pilar Miró. He uses to collaborate with some of the best dancers. Here from a performance I saw in Málaga a couple of years ago, together with brilliant El Junco:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq4WDTXGtCQ

From the rest of the programme, I would higlight the days from 9 to 16th. These days see performances of absolute top artists such as Manolo Sanlúcar (guitar), Miguel Poveda, José Mercé, Enrique Morente (in my opinion the three best cantaores (flamenco singers) in the world today) as well as the dancers Israel Galván, Pastora Galván and Joaquín Grilo.

Full programme: http://www.flamenco-world.com/notici...ca19042010.htm

kimhe - thank you so much for this information. I have been checking to see if any performances were scheduled in the flamenco venues that I am aware of on the dates I will be in Madrid. So far I haven't found any. Maybe too early?

I am intrigued by seeing David Palomar. However I know my kids want to see dancers. Forgive my ignorance but I assume that there would only be dancers on stage with him for some of the songs, or am I wrong?

Anyway thanks again for taking the time to post this information.

Right downtown but off the beaten track: You may want to book a tour on the weekend at the Palacio de Linares ( casa de america).

They only have three tours a day and they are on sat and sunday. It is a lovely place. Tours take less than one hour and can be in English, just let the guide know. They show you an 8 minute video before the tour.

Here is a link to a video.. or you can tour it that way! I was unable to find the info in english but I imagine it exists on some tourist website.

http://www.casamerica.es/opinion-y-a...cio-de-linares

I think your son might be interested in the museum of the Royal Spanish Mint.
Opening : Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 5:30pm. Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 10am to 2pm. Closed on Monday.
Members of the public will be able to strike a medal during their visit. Ask at the information desk.
http://www.fnmt.es/index.php?cha=citizen&scha=22

You're right, Palomar will only have dancers on stage on some of the songs. To be sure to see great flamenco dancers, I think you should go to either Cardamomo or Casa Patas close to Plaza Santa Ana or the world famous (and more touristy) Corral de la Morería. Program not yet set, but none of these places will ever contract less than excellent artists.

lincasnnova and Revulgo - thank you both for your suggestions. I checked them out and I agree that my son would be interested in these ideas. I will talk to him and see what we can fit into the too short time we have in Madrid.

kimhe - I will keep checking the schedules for the flamenco venues. My kids and I are really looking foward to seeing a performance. I wish we could go on more than one night. If only we had more time...