Almudena Cros is the founder and director of Across Madrid, a top-quality walking tour company based in Madrid. Almudena holds a BA, MA and PhD in Art History from Warwick University and offers history, culture, food and art- based walks in Madrid (including the Prado Museum, Archaeological Museum, Sorolla, Madrid in the Spanish Civil War, and Tapas Culture). She offers several itineraries specifically designed for young children and families: an interactive city centre walk, the Prado for Children, Archaeology for Children and Toledo for Children. A Madrid native, Almudena has lived in England, Germany and Italy and leads her walking tours in Spanish, English or Italian.
Recommended by:
GV
My 11 year old son asked me as a birthday gift to go to Madrid for a Real Madrid football experience. As I am a fan myself, I immediately agreed but under a condition: that he would also join me for a cultural experience in one of Madrid great museums. My choice was the Prado, but to make it more interesting, I searched for a guide with experience with children. I found Almudena and she came to meet us in the last day of our trip. I was afraid that after 30 minutes my son would be bored – to my surprise, the tour of 2 1/2 hours passed as fast as 15 minutes. It was extremely interesting, I think I learned more with that experience than any museum visit before in my life. She prepared paintings search games that made him glance from room to room of the museum, she also allowed him to make observations on paintings such Las Meninas from Velasquez that were incredible. He will never forget. Only an experienced and well educated guide like Almudena Cros could make that happen. I really recommend, if you are in family visit to Madrid, you can’t miss it !!! (GV)
El sabado pasado hemos hecho la visita “El Prado para niños” que ofrece Across Madrid, nos ha encantado ver como nuestros hijos han pasado dos horas sin sentir que estaban aprendiendo algo en un museo, ellos sentian que estaban jugando y ademas despues de la visita pudimos comprobar que habian interiorizado muchas cosas que niños de 5 y 7 anos normalmente no captarian. Todo gracias a la gran experiencia y actitud de Almudena, quien los mantuvo motivados e interesados durante toda la visita. Como padres fue sorprendente vernos a nosotros mismos aprendiendo cosas que no habiamos visto de esta manera y disfrutamos muchisimo como familia un museo al que le teniamos un poco de respeto. Recomiendo totalmente este tour, proximamente haremos mas rutas de las que ofrece Across Madrid. (Pilar)
My wife and I took the Spanish Civil War tour in October 2017. Almu brings visual aids to the presentation (toting them on a cart even though 7 months pregnant!), a mix of photos, newspaper clips and other complementary materials. She is very knowledgeable and passionate on the subject, and she will provide as much information about the war that you require. I’m very well read on it, my wife less so. I still learned many new facts about the war.
Almu literally brings the war to life. Moving to a corner of Puerta del Sol, she pointed out bomb damage on the side of a building then showed us a photo of a large crater in the square. Looking at the photo, I asked, “We’re standing on top of the crater, correct?” We were.. Later, we were shown a photo of the Republicans crowding a narrow street, with a banner above. We were standing right underneath where the banner was strung.
You are given the option of going to battlefield sites near the university or the Reinia Sofia Museum, where Guernica is housed. We chose the latter, which was free with the presentation of your passport or a photocopy of it. She took us up to the painting and gave us terrific insights into the work. She also talked about the Robert Capa photos also on display.
The tour was the highlight of our five-day stay in Madrid. If you have any interest in the Spanish Civil War, you should take this tour.
My seven-year-old daughter and I recently took a children’s tour of the Prado with Almu, and I don’t think I have ever been more impressed with a guide. It was clear that she has a knack for working with children and making art history accessible to them. My daughter had been traveling for a number of days and has a very short attention span, yet Almu was incredibly patient with her and even worked in breaks as necessary. My daughter remembered so much of what Almu taught her and was able to share her knew knowledge with her dad several days after the tour. I learned a lot as well, and Almu even provided me with links to articles and websites so I could further explore the points that interested me. If you are traveling to Madrid with children, book a tour with Almu. You won’t be disappointed!