Spain with kids

Posted by stacy (Seattle, WA) on 06/14/15 07:39 PM

We are spending 15 days in Spain this July and looking for some advice and tips on making this trip fun for our family. We are traveling with our two children, ages 8 and 12, both of whom are good travelers but still kids. We don't want the trip to feel frantic or that we are constantly "on the road," instead choosing to be more immersive in the culture and sights of a few cities. We start our trip in Madrid for 5 days, due to my husbands business meetings. We plan to take a day trip to Toledo during this time. From Madrid, our current plan is to then go to Valencia for 4 days for some beach time and up to Barcelona for the remaining 5 days, where we will fly out from.

I'm looking for advice on a few things:
Would you consider Valencia a worthwhile stop? Is 4 days to long?
Does anyone recommend a 2 day jaunt over to Majorca from there?

Is there another destination that we must hit that is family friendly and great to visit?

We really want to go to San Sebastian also but have chosen to not include that this trip because of the location being so far from the others. Any advice or recommendations on Spain with kids is much appreciated!

Posted by Steven

FL USA

06/14/15 10:06 PM

1529 posts

Recommend fulfilling your desire to visit San Sebastian and skipping Valencia (a great place, but I would pick San Sebastian first). From San Sebastian travel to barcelona for the remainder of journey.

Posted by irby.susane

06/15/15 01:26 AM

55 posts

Valencia has some really interesting sites that the kids might enjoy: the Fallas museum, the City of Arts and Sciences. I was there on a tour about 10 years ago and would love to return sometime. I tend to be a "slow" traveler, so I don't think that 4 days is too long, but it depends on what you want to accomplish. San Sebastian has a fabulous, although crowded beach, but not a lot more for young kids. We were there last summer with our 17 year old son and of the places we visited (Bilbao, Lekeitio and Barcelona), we all agreed that San Sebastian was our favorite. We liked the old town, the pinxtos, and the beach. I also enjoyed the more relaxed atmosphere compared to Barcelona. You are wise in planning the transportation the way you have. San Sebastian is a bit isolated from the other places on your itinerary, so it might cost you more travel time. I can't speak about Mallorca, but I'm sure someone else will. Have a wonderful trip and let us know what you decide.

Posted by Joe Aloha

Honolulu, HI

06/16/15 07:59 PM

180 posts

I had three boys in Spain 2 years ago (15, 12, 10). The sights they seem to like the best were:

Army museum and the Alcazar in Toledo. Aquaduct and Alcazar in Segovia. Castle at El Escoril and Valley of the Fallen. Alhambra in Granada. (seeing a pattern here?). Park Guell in Barcelona (they still remember the Wave and Lizard).

Joe

Posted by Travel Boss

Florida, USA

06/18/15 03:41 PM

12172 posts

For Madrid with kids, there are great parks to kill time while your husband is attending business meetings. Retiro park is the most famous. I'd also take the kids to Temple Debod, it's an old Egyptian temple that was relocated to Madrid when Aswan dam was built.

Toledo is great, but include your husband. It's my favorite "twisty" road medieval center in Spain.

If you choose San Sebastian, which should be great in July, there are options for getting there and back. You could probably do a loop with a rental car that includes daystops at Segovia and Pamplona (catch a train back to Barcelona from Zaragosa).

If you stop in Pamplona, there is a great castle in Olite (about 30 minutes south by car) that is one of my personal favorites in Europe. It's partially restored but not furnished, so your kids can climb towers, go up/down stairs, in/out of rooms. Admission includes an audio guide that describes what the castle was like when the kings of Navarre (this part of Spain and part of France) lived there. There are monster castles near Valldolid (a couple hour drive from Segovia), Coca and La Mota are impressive. Penafiel is like a ship on top of a hill - long and thin with pointed ends.