When to travel to Spain with children: seasons, heat and camp dates
Spanish school holidays, the camp season, summer heat by region and when to book — a planning calendar for families.
Spain is a year-round family destination, but the camp calendar follows the Spanish school year, which is different from that of most other European countries. Planning around it gives you more choice and better prices.
The Spanish school year
Spanish schools close for the summer around 20 June and start again in the second week of September; exact dates are set by each autonomous community. There are also two weeks at Christmas (roughly 23 December to 7 January) and a week around Easter (Semana Santa). Camps are planned around these dates.
The camp season
- Late June to the end of July — the main season. Almost all day camps, sports campuses and residential camps run, and the choice is widest.
- August — many school and municipal camps close, especially in the week of 15 August, a public holiday. Holiday-oriented organisers such as sailing schools, surf schools and kids clubs stay open.
- First week of September — a few “last week” camps run before school starts.
- Christmas and Easter — shorter campus de Navidad and campus de Semana Santa, mostly sport and English, in cities and some resorts.
- Autumn, winter and spring — surf camps and activity schools in the Canary Islands and on the Atlantic coast, plus weekend programmes.
Heat: where and when
In July and August inland cities such as Madrid, Seville, Córdoba and Zaragoza often reach 35–40 °C in the afternoon. That is why most Spanish camps run in the morning, finish activities before the hottest hours and plan swimming or water games after lunch. The Mediterranean coast is warm and humid, usually 28–32 °C. The green north — Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country — is much milder, typically 20–26 °C, and is ideal for active camps in midsummer. The Canary Islands stay around 20–27 °C all year.
When to book
- Spanish families book summer camps between February and May; popular residential camps and English camps can be full by spring.
- Municipal day camps often open registration in April or May, sometimes with priority or a lottery for residents.
- Holiday-oriented activity schools usually have places at short notice, even in August.
- Organisers publish next summer’s dates between January and April. Until then, our site shows last season’s dates moved to next year and marks them “Dates as last season”.
Daily rhythm
Spanish days start and end late: lunch is around 14:00 and dinner after 21:00. Day camps typically run from 9:00 to 13:00 or 14:00, with optional early drop-off from 8:00 and lunch with pick-up until 15:00–17:00. Use the filter “Late pick-up until 17:00” if you need a full working day.
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