Day camps during a family holiday in Spain: how to use casals and activity schools

How to use a day camp, casal or activity school on a family holiday in Spain: single weeks, half days, beach resorts, what to ask and how to plan.

A day camp can turn a holiday into a better one for everybody. The children spend a few hours doing something new with other children, and you have time for a walk, a swim, a coffee, a bit of work or a quiet morning. Spain is a good country for this: almost every beach town and big city has a casal, a campamento urbano or an activity school that runs weekly programmes during the school holidays. This guide explains how to use them well as a visitor.

What kinds of day camps are there

• Casals and campamentos urbanos: general programmes with games, sport, crafts, swimming and outings, usually run by schools, clubs or town councils. Often 9:00 to 13:00 or 17:00. See what is a casal
• Activity schools: sailing, surf, kayak, SUP, diving and similar. They usually offer a morning course of 2 to 4 hours, and many can sell a few days or a single session
• Sports and language campus: football, tennis, padel, swimming or English, normally weekly

In our catalogue, we have 257 full-day camps, around 185 half-day camps and 23 camps with single days or flexible blocks. Barcelona (76 full-day and half-day camps), Madrid (72), Mallorca (32), the Costa Blanca (29), Tenerife (25), Gran Canaria (19), the Costa Brava (19) and Asturias (19) have the most. Browse Mallorca, the Costa Blanca, Tenerife or the Costa Brava.

Booking a week, a few days or one day

Most casals sell by the week, Monday to Friday, and this is the standard for a camp. If your trip is a week or longer, you can usually register for one or several weeks. Some organisers, especially activity schools, sell days or single sessions. A smaller number of camps, around 23 in our catalogue, are set up for single days. If your trip is short, write to the organiser to ask whether they accept a few days or a part week, and whether there are spaces in the specific week. Many local camps give priority to families who registered months ago, so ask early, even if the website is for the previous year.

Half-day or full day?

• Half-day (mornings): perfect for beach holidays and ages 3 to 8. Lunch together, rest, afternoon free. Often cheaper: median about 160 euros a week
• Full day with lunch: good if you want a whole day for yourselves or have to work. Median about 195 euros a week. Check whether lunch is included, since in our data it is stated as included for only about a third of full-day camps
• Mixed: a morning camp for the week plus lunch included, or the choice of a half-day or full-day place in the same camp

For the price, see our guide to prices in Spain.

Near beach resorts

Coastal towns have the best selection of water sports schools and multi-activity camps, with swimming and beach included. The highest concentration in our catalogue is on the Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, Costa Blanca, Mallorca, the Costa del Sol, the Costa de la Luz and the Canary Islands. On the Atlantic coast (Galicia, Asturias, the Basque Country), surf and kayak programmes are more common than in the Mediterranean. See best regions in Spain for a family holiday, kids camps on the Costa Brava in August and water sports camps.

When to go

Day camps run mostly in the summer holiday, from about the last week of June to the first week of September, with the peak in July and August. In our data, July is the busiest month, with more than 2,600 weekly sessions listed for 2027, and August has about 1,500. A few camps are also open at Easter, Christmas and in autumn: see Easter camps in Spain. Check the exact dates of the camp, since not every organiser runs every week of the summer.

What to ask before booking

• Dates and hours, including drop-off and pick-up flexibility and whether there is a morning care service (acogida)
• Is lunch included, and can the camp cater for allergies and special diets?
• What is the language of the camp and do the monitors speak English? See camps for children who do not speak Spanish
• How many children per monitor, and how old are the groups?
• Where is the meeting point, and is there a transport service from the resort?
• What to bring each day: swimsuit, towel, cap, sunscreen, water bottle, a change of clothes
• What is the cancellation policy, if it rains or the child gets ill, and are there discounts for siblings?

How parents plan the day

• Check the distance: the camp should be no more than 15 to 20 minutes from your accommodation, particularly on busy summer mornings
• Plan the first day: arrive early, speak to the monitor and show your child where you will pick them up
• Use the morning for something you enjoy: a walk, a coffee, a swim, or remote work
• Avoid a full programme in the middle of a heatwave: the sun is strongest from 12:00 to 16:00
• For children with different ages, look for a camp with groups for each age, or for two camps near each other
• Leave a phone number that you answer, and a local contact if you are going away for the day

How much to book

For a first try, book two or three days or a week, not a whole month. If your child enjoys it, ask whether you can add more weeks. For siblings, try to book the same camp so that you only have one place to go. Keep one free day for the beach or an excursion each week.

Using our site

Use the search page to filter by place, dates, age and "OK for children without Spanish", and the compare tool for the shortlist. Every camp links to the organiser's own website or shows their phone, email or WhatsApp. We do not take bookings and do not charge any fee.