Sweet Space Museum

The basics

A great rainy day activity, the Sweet Space Museum offers kids and the young at heart the opportunity to pose with astronauts, throw shapes with giant lollipops, and navigate between digital marshmallow cables or through a candy forest. Most families spend less than an hour discovering the 11 themed rooms, enjoying the soft play, filling up their camera rolls, and sampling the ice cream offerings at the “laboratory.” There’s also a gift shop to keep the sugar rush buzzing.

Things to know before you go

• The Sweet Space Museum is a good choice for families with younger children.

• The venue has themed displays around Halloween and Christmas.

• The museum is not accessible to travelers who use wheelchairs, but parents are welcome to bring strollers.

How to get there

The Sweet Space Museum is in the ABC Serrano shopping mall in Madrid’s Salamanca neighborhood, about a 3-mile (5-kilometer) drive northeast of Plaza Mayor. If using public transit, the closest metro stations are Rubén Darío (Line 5) or Núñez de Balboa (Line 9): They’re both less than a 10-minute walk away.

When to get there

The museum is open daily from mid-morning to 8pm, with a 2-hour closure for lunch in the early afternoon (typically between 1:30pm and 3:30pm). If booking timed tickets, aim for at least 45 minutes before the final time slots: Tickets for 1:30pm or 8pm only allow 15 minutes in the venue. It’s the quietest midweek and outside school vacations.

After candy, why not try the Tooth Fairy?

If you’re looking for a complement to the Sweet Space Museum, consider the House Museum of Mouse Pérez (Casa Museo de Ratón Pérez), devoted to Spain’s answer to the Tooth Fairy. This kindly mouse, named Ratón Pérez, lived in a cookie tin in a candy store. Spanish-speaking families will get the most out of the museum, as tours are in Spanish only, but everyone can download the mouse’s family-friendly guide to Madrid, complete with activities.