The best regions in Spain for a family holiday with kids camps
Beaches, mountains, islands or cities: what each Spanish region offers families and what kinds of children’s camps you will find there.
Where you stay decides which camps your children can join, because most day camps do not travel and few offer transport from hotels. Here is a short tour of Spain’s main family destinations and the kind of camps each is known for.
Catalonia: Costa Brava, Barcelona, Costa Dorada and the Pyrenees
Catalonia has the densest network of casals and colònies in Spain. The Costa Brava combines sheltered coves with sailing, kayak and snorkel schools; Barcelona has hundreds of city day camps in English and Catalan; the Costa Dorada around Salou and Cambrils is built for families; and the Pyrenees offer residential camps with hiking, climbing and rafting.
Costa Brava · Barcelona · Costa Dorada · Pyrenees
Balearic Islands: Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza
Calm, shallow bays make the islands a natural place to learn sailing, paddle surf and swimming. Mallorca has sports campuses, English day camps and international schools with summer programmes; Menorca is quieter, with nature-based activities; in Ibiza look for watersports schools and hotel kids clubs.
Valencia, Costa Blanca and Murcia
Long sandy beaches, a large international community and many English-speaking camps, especially between Valencia and Alicante. The Mar Menor in Murcia, a warm and shallow lagoon, is one of the safest places in Europe for children to start sailing and windsurfing.
Costa Blanca · Valencia · Murcia & Mar Menor
Andalusia: Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz
The Costa del Sol around Málaga and Marbella has international schools, English camps, tennis and golf academies. The Atlantic Costa de la Luz, around Tarifa and Cádiz, is famous for wind: kitesurf and surf camps for teenagers. Inland, Granada and Seville are very hot in summer, so camps there are mostly in the morning.
Costa del Sol · Costa de la Luz
The green north: Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and Galicia
If your family prefers cooler summers, the north is ideal. Cantabria and the Basque Country have many surf schools and surf camps; Asturias and Galicia offer adventure and nature camps with kayaking, horse riding and farm activities.
Cantabria · Basque Country · Asturias · Galicia
Madrid and inland Spain
Madrid has a huge choice of city campuses in English, sport and technology. The Sierra de Guadarrama, Castilla y León and the Aragonese Pyrenees host residential camps with hiking, climbing and horse riding, at altitudes where summer nights are cool.
Madrid · Castilla y León · Aragón
Canary Islands: camps all year
Thanks to a mild climate, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are the only Spanish destinations where surf and outdoor camps run comfortably in autumn and winter as well as in summer.
Tenerife · Gran Canaria · Other Canary Islands