Spain with kids

2 min summary When to go Map & highlights Catalonia Andalucia Picos de Europa Activities Top 10 walks Cycling Families Advice Responsible tourism

Traveling in Spain with kids

Venture beyond the Costas and you'll find a family-sized welcome for little ones - and activities to keep kids and their parents entertained.

Active teenagers will enjoy mountain biking, rafting, kayaking and canyoning, while the more culturally-minded can get stuck into life in the pueblo – shopping at local markets and picking up Spanish words along the way. There are horses to ride, flamenco dresses to gawp at, natural pools to swim in and some impressive wildlife to track down. And at the end of the day, there’s also likely to be a swimming pool – or a sandy beach to dig around in. Don’t worry about whether there’s any British restaurants nearby – Spanish food is child friendly, as are the restaurants; you’ll see toddlers out and about at 10pm.

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Activities for families in Spain

Stay in a cave!

Surrounded by gorgeous natural parks, natural pools, horse riding trails and tiny traditional villages, the cosy cave houses of Granada make an excellent base for adventure or culture vacations for those traveling in Spain with kids. The inside temperature remains pleasantly cool year-round.

Watersports

There’s more to Spain’s water activities than swimming pools. Try whitewater rafting or open kayaking on the rivers of the Pyrenees, kayaking around the turquoise lakes of the Andalucian Altiplano or even sea kayaking off the coast of Cabo de Gata.

Cabo de Gata

Cabo de Gata, famed as the setting for “Spaghetti Westerns” due to its bizarre desert landscape, is a great choice for families seeking something a little different. Dry weather is virtually guaranteed, but the coastal location keeps it slightly cooler than the rest of the province. As well as exploring Europe’s only desert, kids can visit the genuine Western film sets in Mini Hollywood.

Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about Spain or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.

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Toll free 1-866-821-6866

Calling us from outside the US?

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Responsible Travel asks the experts

Tom Powers, from our supplier Pura Aventura, shares his advice on traveling in Spain with kids:
“Kids being up at midnight in a restaurant is perfectly normal and accepted. When I go to Spain with my young children, within about a day they’re on an adult timetable. It can be difficult for parents who think “What do we do – we’re feeding the children now, but then how can we go out after – bedtime is at eight o’clock, so they’ll be asleep by then…” But in Spain, they do what you do, at the times you do it. So the conflict of trying to make sure everyone’s in bed at the right time disappears; everyone goes to bed at midnight or one o’clock. I find that kids step right into that and they love it. The Spanish don’t separate the kids from the adults – and that makes it a wonderful stress-free experience as a parent.”

Andrew Appleyard, from our supplier Exodus, shares his top tip for traveling to Spain with kids:
"A great area for families is the Picos de Europa in northern Spain. You can get the ferry to Santander which works well, and you’ve got good accommodation, great cities like Bilbao, wonderful museums... On that coastline there is lots of family-run, small accommodation, all locally owned. So the Picos is absolutely fantastic for families, but also accessible – you can take the car on the ferry so the packing is one less thing to worry about! So that’s one of my top picks.”

More about Spain

Best time to visit Spain

Spain holds a rich variety of landscapes which will no doubt have an effect on the best time to visit Spain where personal interests are concerned.

Spain travel guide

Our Spain travel guide includes everything from a brief history of Spain to food, shopping & people to help you travel like a local on your Spain vacation.

Places to visit in Spain

Check out our interactive highlights map detailing our favourite places to visit in Spain as well as information on travel times between larger cities such as Barcelona and Madrid.

Things to do in Spain

Our top activities in Spain take you off, or on, the beaten track and range from cycling and languages to a trek on the Camino de Santiago.

Activity vacations in Spain

Areas like the Altiplano de Granada and Sierra de Castril mountains will make you forget days by the pool, offering everything from hiking and biking to canyoning.

Top 10 walks in Spain

Unlock the secrets of Spain as you walk the country’s mountainous interior and wonderfully wild coastlines, discovering an authentic slice of Spanish life, with not a parasol in sight.

Things to see & do in Catalonia

Catalonia packs a world of landscapes into one region, from 3,000m snow-capped Pyrenean peaks, to the warm turquoise waters of the Mediterranean.

Things to see & do in Andalucia

Rich with influences from Moorish, Roman, Greek, Phoenician and Byzantine civilisations, Andalucía is one of the most diverse and fascinating regions of Spain.

Things to see & do in the Picos de Europa

You’ll have a wild and wonderful walking vacation in the Picos de Europa, where small group and tailor made trips get your adrenalin pumping against the most bucolic of backdrops.

Yoga vacations in Spain

Yoga vacations in Spain rejuvenate the senses with a combination of Pilates, language lessons and guided meditation adding to the joys of year round warmth and sensational Spanish cuisine.

Cycling vacations in Spain

Leave the tourist trails on two wheels and see a side of the country far removed from the costas and the big smoke.

Winter vacations in Spain

Winter vacations in Spain don’t necessarily mean sun-seeking along the coast. Instead, look upwards, to the mountainous magnificence of the Sierra Nevada and the Spanish Pyrenees.

Spain travel advice

We value tips from our friends in Spain really highly so read on for recommendations from the experts and from travelers who have been there.

Responsible tourism in Spain

Travel right in Spain and you’ll quickly discover why the brain drain, dolphinaria, bull fighting and corruption in the construction industry are all worth researching.

All our Spain guides

Find all of our Spain guides in one place, from guides to Andalucia, Valencia or the Canary Islands to advice on activity vacations including walking and cycling.