Best Kids Activities for Families Traveling in Spain

Spain is one of the most family-friendly countries in Europe. The Spanish include their kids in everything from street festivals and religious celebrations to family events and late-night dinner parties. It’s perfectly normal to see young children late at night eating with parents in a bodega or hanging out at an outdoor bar. This may seem odd for the first-time visitor to Spain but it’s common, particularly in summertime and for good reason. Remember that in summertime the kids are off from school and sleep for much of the day. For the very young and the very old, the Siesta rule is obligatory. Plus, as the evenings are longer and cooler, it’s actually more pleasant for the kids to be able to be out and about at a late hour.

If you’re traveling to Spain with young kids, this makes life much easier. For example, it’s not necessary to worry about going to restaurants where your kids might not be welcome. With the exception of upmarket hotels, the kids will pretty much be welcome everywhere. But it’s still essential to keep them occupied during the day and different parts of Spain have different activities available for children.

With few exceptions, most kids love the beach so the coastal areas of Spain are going to offer lots to do. Let’s start with the Costa del Sol. This coastline has a great mix of zoos, water parks and adventure centers that are perfect for entertaining your little rascals. Spend the day at the Fuengirola Bioparc, which is a zoo with an ecological focus. The animals are in pens but not caged so the kids get to see them in more natural environment. It’s open till 1:00 am and has a play park next to the restaurant, which means the kids can play while mum and dad have a bite to eat.

Further west in Estepona is Selwo Aventura, an adventure park, which is also a zoo except here the animals roam free. There are safari jeeps to cart family from one side of the park to the other, monkeys, camel rides, and an Indiana Jones style trek through the bush. The kids will be wiped after this day out.

Back up the coast is Parque Acuatico in Mijas. This is a water park with lots of slides and paddling pools. The slides are quite small as are the pools so this park is more suited to children under 10. It’s also possible to buy tickets online, which saves you 10% on the price and ensures you skip any queues.

Further north is the Costa Blanca where there are lots of great resorts and miles of white sandy beaches around the city of Valencia. Just as on the Costa del Sol, there are zoos, water parks and activity parks for kids. There’s a Bioparc here but also an aquarium called Oceangrafic that is the largest in Europe and second largest in the world. It’s located in the City of Arts and Science (Ciudad de las Artes y Las Ciencias) and is home to dozens of amazing species from the ocean. There are a variety of tours available including an overnight sleep over with the sharks. In fact the City of Arts and Science has lots to offer for all the family. An IMAX cinema, high-tech science museum and a planetarium that has lots of shows including a trip to space for the kids. La Rovella, located in the riverbed of the Turia is targeted towards younger kids. Here they can do various workshops such as face painting and balloon making. The dried riverbed is also a great nature walk with playgrounds located at different points.

But if you really want to tire the kids out and give them a skill that they can bring home with them, head to Tarifa. Tarifa is renowned for its winds, which are the reason it’s become the third most popular wind and kite-surfing spot in the world. There are lots of schools teaching learners of all ages. Teenage kids are usually the most difficult to entertain on holiday so Tarifa is a great spot for them. They can be on the beach all day learning how to wind or kitesurf, paddle board or dive. As Tarifa is located on the Strait of Gibraltar, which is home to diverse marine life including whales, dolphins and sharks, it’s also possible to get a boat out into the Strait for a spot of whale watching.

If all this isn’t enough and you plan to be in Andalucia during the summer season, find out when the Feria hits town. The Feria is a summer festival, which travels across Andalucia throughout the summer. It begins in April in Seville and ends in the town of San Pedro in October.

It’s a wild affair with fair rides, games, bumper cars and depending on which town you’re in, also horse riding and Flamenco. It’s a wholly Spanish event so it’s a great way to get a taste of real Spain and entertain all the family at the same time.