Spain

Southern CA like Palm Springs/Mojave area or LA? Southern Spain is more like the former in summer.
What concerns you about driving? Public transit does exist, mostly in the form of buses, as I understand (certainly some trains!), but with a family of 4, you might find that a rental car is cheaper than 4 tickets, and gives you more flexibility then taking the bus. To me, 3 weeks of buses does not sound as relaxing. But there are people here who have done it so Ill let their answers speak. I have only planned a three week trip to the area with our kids but haven't been yet; we leave later this summer ;p I will add that we have driven in several places in Europe and find it to be exactly like driving here (haven't driven yet in England with the wheel on the other side)

Hahah for sure LA as in Southern California.... well the roads in Spain aren't what we have in the states, they are much more narrower, that is one concern.... when i say public transport, I really mean fast trains not buses...... parking would be another issue... for example while we were in Greece, driving on the islands was challenging so that would be a concern if we were in spain. so for that reason we prefer public transport such as trains....

Driving is really the way to go if you want to fully experience Northern Spain without feeling limited. I find Northern Spain (especially Cantabria and Asturias) to be one of the more interesting and picturesque corners of Spain and Europe as a whole, very unique, the Cantabrian Mountains are one of the last wild places in western Europe (France and Belgium are relatively tame compared 😉). However this unspoiled nature does mean that driving can be a bit difficult and the mountain roads can be narrow, as infrastructure is not what it is down south.

If you want a nice relax-cation with a good beach and public transportation, my recommendation would be the coastline between Valencia and Barcelona, the Costas Dorada and Azahar. This area has sandy beaches, Templar castles, Roman ruins, posh beach towns, well connected public transport, and relatively less tourists as one would find at the Costa del Sol or the French Rivera.

Based on what you have said in your posts, I suggest you do what you've already said: re-think your European travel and your resources and preferences, to see whether Northern Spain is really your best choice.

Ah, trains. Then yes, you will need a car. But if you've driven in Greece, I think you'd be fine. But yes, the Costa Brava might be good. Cathedrals, villages, beaches, museums...

I was in LA last July. You may remember the 7-day heat wave right after July 4th with temps well over 100? That's Madrid and Andalucia all summer. That's why it's low season there. The eastern coast is less hot but noticeably humid. Beaches in Northern Spain will be on the Atlantic, where, I'm guessing, the water is pretty chilly even in summer - but maybe not. I'd check into that.

Roads in Spain may sometimes be narrower than you're used to, but you'll be shocked at how much better maintained they are compared to parts of the US. Similarly, public transport means using buses and trains that aren't fast services, you just need to accept that.

You can get around northern Spain easily, but if you require ten lane freeways, then you'll be lost. However, if you survived Greece driving then you'll survive Spain.

Personally, if Andalucia was your first choice, then I'd go there. Sure it will be hot, but it will be a dry heat and most survive. Just plan your days to take account of the weather. Otherwise, I'd skip Spain entirely and go to one of Europe's more clement Summer countries such as England or Sweden.

Agree with Nick, I live in Los Angeles now and the condition of the roads here look like they are from the middle ages. The condition Spanish roads will be a breath of fresh air :)

When you say narrow roads I think you are thinking of stories you've heard about rural roads in England and Ireland. Most of the rest of Europe, including Spain are not like that. Driving into old city centers there can be some very narrow streets but driving in cities is not recommended anyway. We drove all over Northern Spain - the highways and larger secondary roads are equal to or better than most of the US.

Buses are also way better than in the US. Haven't taken a bus in the US in decades and don't plan on it. But my kids have and I've had to pick them up at sketchy bus stations. So different in Europe. Buses are the main form of transportation in areas without great train lines (like Northern Spain). Clean, comfortable, efficient, inexpensive.

On a five week trip to Northern Spain a couple years ago I took buses between the cities - San Sebastian, Bilbao, Santandar, Burgos, Leon. And we drove between the smaller villages on the coast and in the Picos mountains.

I have a trip report here: https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/blog/2017/9/crisscrossing-the-camino---five-weeks-in-northern-spain-and-basque-france-part-1

Be European: Take the trains. No driving stress, lots of room to move around, great views, and they go everywhere all the time.

How well you can do in northern Spain, sticking to trains (not buses) will depend on where you go. I found it most efficient to use a combination of the two. Between San Sebastian and Bilbao, for example, the bus is much faster than the train because the train takes a very circuitous (but pretty) route.

It's one thing to go to one super-hot destination because you've been dying to see it; it's another matter to spend most or all of a 3-week trip in such conditions. Day after day of 100 F heat wears you down, and it becomes tempting to stay in your air conditioned hotel room.

First thank you to all for your input. I haven't bought the tickets or any hotels as of now. I know that the highways are much better than the ones here, I'm not questioning the highways but more of the little town or such. I lived in Europe for about first 10 yrs of my life. I remember taking the trains and subways, and I don't mind doing it now with my family. I was more concerned about driving in the mountainous region of Spain that would be difficult. The heat is a concern but............ we live in LA and it's 100 degrees for 3 months of the year..... Let me look into to this more carefully with all of the input from all of you and see what happens. Thank you again for all the details....

Yes it's hot in Southern Spain during the summer but we're not talking Death Valley or the Danakil Depression, millions of people visit every year plus live there throughout the year but what you need to take into account is what you intend to do if you do visit in the summer. I'll happily spend August on the Costa Del Sol, Brava or Dorado but it'll be a relaxing time spent in and around water. I'll certainly not be wanting to traipse through old historic towns and cities and definitely not with children so young.

I fully appreciate that I'm fortunate to live so close that travel is relatively cheap (bar the school holidays) so I can explore the historic sights in the cooler months so I understand your desire to cram as much in as you can and would likely see two weeks at a beach resort a waste of your valuable time. Northern Spain would be a good choice but less in the way of sights and less interesting for your children. The beaches will be on the cool Atlantic and therefore a far less attractive proposition than those down south on the Mediterranean.

Driving is a breeze. The roads are excellent (the worst road conditions I've ever encountered were the ones approaching San Francisco), you'll encounter narrow streets in the older parts of towns and cities but it's no big deal. I recently drove a large Mercedes 7 seater through very narrow roads in Mallorca with no problems and that's on a different driving side than I'm used to. Driving in Spain is a far more pleasant experience than driving in the US.

If beach time is important then I'm afraid Northern Spain isn't going to tick the box so it's all a bit of a quandary.

You could consider the eastern coast of Italy or the coastal area of Croatia or Montenegro. It'll still be hot but not as hot as Andalucia. We'll be in Montenegro for two weeks this August but we'll have a villa with a pool and mere steps from the beach. I plan on doing some exploring but much of the time will be blissfull relaxation.

Even the South of France can be too hot, we stayed in a villa near Nice a few summers ago and there was a heatwave where the temperatures reached the upper 30's(c) every day. We would venture out during the morning, find somewhere shaded and outside for lunch and then return to the villa and straight into the pool for relief and stay there for the rest of the day.

Another option is the Baltic Coast, particularly Gdansk and Sopat. It's a very popular summertime destination and whilst the sea isn't going to be as warm as the Med it'll still provide plenty of enjoyable beach time. There's also plenty to see ithout the enduring the oppressive temperatures and it's reasonably cheap.