Spain Family Holidays & Breaks

Take the Family is a travel agency specialising in active, adventure and luxury holidays. Your personal travel advisor will create the perfect Spain holiday for your family, with expert advice and dedicated support throughout.

Places to visit in Spain

Andalucia

Barcelona

Ibiza

Madrid

Mallorca

Menorca

Canary Islands

Spain for family holidays

With its seaside resorts of the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca and Costa Brava attracting millions of visitors a year, Span has earned a reputation among some as a tourist trap – albeit a child-friendly one. But there are plenty of destinations beyond these, whether you’re seeking an adventure holiday, a quieter family-oriented resort, or cities and villages in which to discover the culture and traditions of the Spanish people.

Book a holiday in Spain with Take the Family and discover or re-discover this classic family holiday destination with tits endless stretches of sandy beach and rocky coves. Whether you have tots, teens or something in between, there’s everything from world-class museums to nature reserves via incredible theme parks.

As a specialist UK-based family travel agency, we can tailor-make the perfect holiday in Spain for your family. Contact one of our travel advisors now and let's discuss your trip of a lifetime.

Below is everything you need to know to inspire you to book a Spain family holiday.

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Things to do with kids in Spain

Most Popular Family Destinations in Spain

• See our guides to Andalucia in the south, Barcelona in the province of Catalonia in the north-east (see below) and the Spanish capital Madrid.

• Or consider the Spanish islands: read up on family holidays in the Canaries (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Tenerife) and Menorca, Mallorca and Ibiza in the Balearics.

Catalonia Family Holidays

• Drive or take the train an hour south from the Catalonian capital Barcelona to PortAventura just outside Salou. Spain's answer to Disneyland Paris, this theme-park takes you on a journey of rides in exotic lands around the world.

• Enjoy Salou itself – the biggest resort on the Costa Dorada, named for its 216km of golden beaches. Smaller ones include laid-back Cambrils.

• Explore the city of Tarragona, UNESCO-listed for its Roman ruins but also boasting Blue Flag beaches, for a double-whammy of culture and relaxation.

• Or head north of Barcelona, to Figueres and then to the old fishing town of Cadaquès: both have museums dedicated to the Surrealist Salvador Dalí. Cadaquès is part of the Costa Brava, which has some very touristy resorts but plenty of more low-key, traditional coastal towns to seek out.

Valencia Family Holidays

• Discover the charming city of Valencia in the south-eastern province of the same name, where paella originated. Its other big draw is the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) designed by Santiago Calatrava and including a science museum, planetarium, IMAX cinema and one of Europe’s biggest and best aquariums (partly open-air). There’s a city beach too, and in spring there's the fabulous Fallas festival with huge papier-maché models and fireworks. See our best things to do in Valencia with kids.

• In August, head for nearby Buñol, host to the world-famous, riotous Tomatina – a tomato-throwing contest.

• Check out the province of Alicante, where the Costa Blanca is a popular family destination for its soft sands, warm seas, wonderful climate and historical cities and towns, as well as major tourist resorts such as Benidorm.

The Basque Country with Kids

• Experience this relatively untouristy and tranquil region of northern Spain, especially the revitalised port of Bilbao, home to the Guggenheim Bilbao and the Museum of Fine Arts.

• Venture 50 minutes from Bilbao, to Karrantza and Karpin Abentura (Karpin Fauna), a plant shelter and eco park serving mainly as a rescue centre for rescue animals that can’t be released into the wild, with themed dinosaur and palaeontology areas.

• Enjoy the delights of Donostia-San Sebastian, a cosy seaside town popular with Spaniards for its three lovely beaches (four in summer, when tiny Santa Clara island is accessible by ferry) and its surfing and other watersports. Free of gaudy resort trappings, it has a lovely old quarter opening onto the harbour with its aquarium. There’s also an amusement park on Monte Igeldo, reached by a historic wooden funicular.

The Spanish Pyrenees with Kids

• Come skiing in the Spanish section of the Pyrenees (part of which is in Catalonia; see above) with its small family-oriented resorts with crèches, snow-parks and other facilities for kids, as well as vast skiable areas.

• In the Catalan Pyrenees, not far north of Barcelona, try the little resort of Vall de Nuria, accessed by funicular railway. It has only 10 pistes (from easy to difficult) but includes a children’s activity centre. Ice-skating is also popular here, as, in the warmer months, are white-water rafting, hiking, riding, cycling and flights in static hot-air balloons.

Eating in Spain

Food in Spain is one of its biggest attractions. Resorts are full of places offering the ubiquitous global fast-food options, but because of the country’s vast coastline, fresh fish is a mainstay of restaurant menus. Meat dishes are popular and many feature sausages, which locals adore. A lot of dishes are uncomplicated, which is great with fussier kids.

The Spanish are very tolerant of young children, so don't worry if yours are not accustomed to sitting still. It’s also worth remembering that Spaniards take their kids out with them at night and that dinner often starts late (9pm or after), so plan your day accordingly if you want to follow suit – a large lunch followed by a siesta helps, followed by una merienda (late-afternoon snack).

When to go to Spain

The best time to go to Spain depends on where you want to go and what you want to do.
Most of Spain has dry summers and winters, so – with the exception of the odd blip – almost any time of year is good for a visit.

That said, with young children it’s best to avoid some parts of the country, including Madrid, in the height of summer, when the heat can be fierce. Instead, do as Spaniards do and head to the north, where there is less humidity.

Even in winter, you can enjoy the warmth of the Spanish sun, but spring is probably the most pleasant season of all in which to visit Spain – you can experience some of the country’s well-known festivals but also benefit from fewer crowds than in summer.

How much does a family holiday to Spain cost?

We offer plenty of luxury family resorts and hotels with vast amounts of family facilities and amenities that might include kids’ clubs, sports academies and spas, as well as stylish city boutique hotels, so there’s plenty of scope to splurge if you want to.

Alternatively, we can include mid-range options including apart-hotels and holiday villages into the bespoke family holiday we create for you. And flights, which we will also take care of as part of your package, are often reasonably priced thanks to the amount of competition on the various UK–Spain flight routes.

How to get to Spain

There are direct flights from the UK to Spain serving around 30 destinations in mainland Spain and the main islands of the Balearics and Canaries, from London and regional airports. Depending on what part of Spain you are flying to, it takes about two and a half hour to fly to Spain.

We will include the most convenient options for your family in the tailor-made Spain holiday we put together for you. If you like, we can also include internal travel or car hire.

To get to Spain by ferry, there are services from Plymouth and Portsmouth to Santander and from Portsmouth to Bilbao on the north coast of Spain, taking around 24 hours. Whales and dolphins are often spotted en route. We recommend booking a crossing on the Pont Aven, the largest vessel and the one with the best family-friendly facilities, including a cinema, pool and playrooms.

Spain

Hotel Barcelo La Bobadilla

Mandarin Oriental Barcelona

El Palauet Hotel

DestinationBCN

Gran Hotel Bahia Real

Hotel Barcelo Fuerteventura Thalasso Spa

TUI Magic Life Fuerteventura