Madrid

Three kids, foreign country, and you need pharmacy. We've been in that exact spot in Madrid.

Madrid is packed with farmacias. You'll find them along Gran Via, around Puerta del Sol, and in every residential neighborhood. They use the same green cross signage as the rest of Spain. Spanish pharmacists are knowledgeable and can sell you many things directly, including some medications that need a prescription elsewhere in Europe.

For after-hours needs, Madrid has several 24-hour pharmacies. Farmacia de la Paloma at Calle Toledo 46 near La Latina is open around the clock. There's also a 24-hour pharmacy at Calle del Conde de Penalver 32 in the Salamanca district. The farmacia de guardia rotation covers the rest of the city. For kids, the same pediatric staples as elsewhere in Spain: Apiretal, Dalsy, and rehydration salts (suero oral). Madrid summers are scorching, so stock up on high-SPF sunscreen and oral rehydration salts from the pharmacy.

Pharmacists in central Madrid often speak some English. In the tourist areas around Sol and Gran Via, you'll usually manage fine. Having medication names or symptoms written down helps in the neighborhoods further out.

Spanish pharmacies are great for children's needs. Apiretal (paracetamol syrup) and Dalsy (ibuprofen syrup) are the standard children's pain and fever medications. Pharmacists will ask your child's weight to recommend the right dose. Diapers, formula, and baby sunscreen are stocked at most pharmacies.

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Sources: Colegio Oficial de Farmaceuticos de Madrid · CDC Travel Health: Spain