Hello, we're just starting to plan a trip to Spain in mid July. My first concern is whether it would be prohibitively hot that time of year. My husband and I have, separately, been before, and now we are looking forward to going there with our kids. Looking for a mix of local culture, architecture, beach, and activities that would be fun for the kids. So far, we are interested in Barcelona, San Sebastien (some surfing), Mallorca. Would prefer to not move too often and have lots of non-touristy days. We have lots of ideas for Barcelona but not very much information on San Sebastien or Mallorca. Looking for any suggestions for those places and anywhere else of interest. Thank you!
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7937 posts
San Sebastián (also called Donostia in the local Basque language) has a very nice aquarium. We stayed several nights in October a few years ago, and it was cool and rainy. Surfing wasn’t on our agenda, but good food was. July high temperatures are the low 70s, with nightly lows in the mid 60s - not as hot in Spain as farther south.
The aquarium was especially good to be inside on one extra-rainy day. We stayed in the old town part of the city.
Posted by
8246 posts
Skip the surfing and beach stuff. You are missing so much history, art and wonderful cities like Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Segovia and more.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5541 posts
San Sebastien won't be prohibitively hot at that time of the year, it's not a part of Spain that experiences a very hot climate. It does tick the boxes for surfing and food.
Mallorca will be hot but as it's an island you're never far from water. There are also a number of fantastic cave systems to explore and which can be a welcome respite from the heat. My favourite are the Cuevas de Artà whilst the Cuevas del Drach are way too gimmicky for my liking but others enjoy the experience. Surfing is popular in Mallorca and it's regarded as one of the best places for surfing in the Mediterranean however in July the waves are most likely not going to be conducive for surfing
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
Andalucía and Extremadura are very warm in July. If you enjoy wind surfing, then I suggest Punta Paloma near Tarifa. I know nothing of regular surfing. If you want non-touristy days, then you need to go to places tourists don’t go; those small towns with no wow sights that attract tourists. Both Barcelona and San Sebastián will be overflowing with tourists and it will be difficult to get away from touristy things in those cities. For activities the teens would like, let them do some research and tell you what they’d like to see and visit.
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
There is no need to "Skip the surfing and beach stuff." The American idea that relaxing vacations and cultural or historic exploration are mutually exclusive, and that Europe is a destination only for the former, is outmoded. Mix it up as you like, and utilize your precious vacation time for the best enjoyment of the whole family. Besides, half of Europe is on Spanish beaches in the summer—that itself is a foreign cultural experience.
That said-
Barcelona will be hot. And humid. And crowded.
I know nothing about surfing. San Sebastian's beach is famously well protected—maybe there are better waves outside of town?
I would suggest you be mindful of how much travel time gets embedded in your plan. San Sebastian to Barcelona is a longer train—many people choose to fly. Barcelona to Mallorca is a flight or a ferry. There's no wrong answer, but it's and allocation of effort, expense, and time. (United flies into Mallorca now, so you could avoid some back-tracking.)
Posted by
la rioja
590 posts
You could substitutue Bilbao for San Sebastian and Hendaye for Mallorca.
San Sebastian in nice, but as mentioned the beach there is not really good for surfing. If you search the forum for comments on Bilbao, you will see that a lot of people like it more than SS. It is a bigger city and there is probably more interesting things for your kids. You did not mention if you had a car, but you can take the local trains to the beach from Bilbao.
Hendaye, just over the border has a very big beach and there are surf schools there. While it is not Mallorca, you can get there easily from Bilbao without a car. One advantage of staying in Hendaye is if the weather is bad you can take a train to visit Saint Jean de Luz/ Bayona or even Burdeos (about 2hr buy train)