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.
Our Spain family Vacations
Altiplano de Granada activity vacation, Spain
Multi-activity family vacation in the Spanish Lake District
From
€450 to €900
8 days
ex flights
Catalonia family self guided biking vacation, Spain
Customised road cycling tour in Girona, Catalonia
From
€350 to €770
8 days
ex flights
Catalonia family mountain biking & activity vacation, Spain
Family MTB & activities in the Catalan countryside
From
€670 to €820
8 days
ex flights
Rural hotel in Andalucia, Spain
Off-grid hotel in spectacular unspoilt rural Spain
From
€54 to €105
per room per night
Catalonia family activity vacation, Spain
Family fun with scenic bike rides & adventure activities.
From
€670 to €820
8 days
ex flights
Luxury yurt accommodation in Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Stunning off-grid eco yurt - Wifi & by the beach/restaurants
From
€155 to €285
per accommodation per night (sleeps 2)
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.
Our top Spain family Vacation
Altiplano de Granada activity vacation, Spain
Multi-activity family vacation in the Spanish Lake District
From
€450 to €900
8 days
ex flights
Tailor made:
This trip is available during UK and Ireland school vacations only and can be tailor-made to suit your requirements.
This trip is available during UK and Ireland school vacations only and can be tailor-made to suit your requirements.
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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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.”
“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.”
"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
Our Spain travel guide has top tips to help you travel like a local on your vacation.
Check out our interactive highlights map detailing our favourite places to visit in Spain.
Trek on the Camino de Santiago or learn the language - here are our top activities in Spain.
The Altiplano de Granada and the Sierra de Castril mountains offer everything from hiking and biking to canyoning.
Unlock the secrets of Spain as you walk the country’s mountainous interior and wonderfully wild coastlines.
Catalonia packs a world of landscapes into one region, from snow-capped Pyrenean peaks, to the warm Mediterranean.
Rich with Moorish, Roman, Greek, Phoenician and Byzantine influences, Andalucía is one of Spain's most fascinating regions.
You'll have a wild and wonderful walking vacation in the Picos de Europa, a hiker's paradise with the most bucolic of backdrops.
Yoga vacations in Spain rejuvenate the senses. Try Pilates, language lessons and guided meditation.
Leave the tourist trails on two wheels and see a side of the country far removed from the costas and the big smoke.
Look upwards, to the mountainous magnificence of the Sierra Nevada and the Spanish Pyrenees for your winter vacation in Spain.
Our best small ship cruising vacations in Spain unlock the shared European-North African heritage of the Iberian Peninsula.
First-timers would be forgiven for thinking that Spain was all about the high-rise Costas, but the countryside is a wonder to explore.
Our expertly led small group tours in Spain aim to foster a deep sense of cultural immersion.
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.
Spain's tourism issues are all worth researching before you go, so that you can travel right on your trip.
Find all of our Spain guides in one place, from guides to Andalucia or Valencia, to advice on activity vacations.
