First Trip to Spain
 

Hello,

We are planning a first trip to Spain for June with our 11 year old twins. We have 3 weeks, but don't like to move around too much, and probably want to limit ourselves to 4 base locations. (Went to France and Italy last summer and learned that 2 nights was not enough for us in any location -- too much moving around especially with the kids.). We want to go to Mardrid and Barcelona and spend the rest of the time in smaller towns.

Beaches with soft sand appeal to our kids, and so I am pretty sure we will also go to Stiges. I am also considering Tossa Del Mar or Nerja. I was thinking about San Sebastián, but it sounds like a big city and after Madrid and Barcelona, we would prefer to have more time in small towns. I would love to do this all on public transportation as we are not fond of driving in Europe, but we will rent a car if need be.

How would you describe Stiges, Tossa Del Mar and Nerja? I've researched, but would appreciate your input.

Can we do day trips from these locations without a car?

Any other small beach towns with soft sandy beaches that you would recommend? Or other small towns, perhaps without beaches, that are lovely?

We love food (basic, local not Michelin stars), beaches, museums, hiking and just soaking up the local culture preferably among more locals than tourists. Our kids love playing outside.

Thank you!

San Sebastian/Donostia is in no way a big city and probably has the best food in Spain. While there are Michelin rated restaurants, the selection of tapas is deep and rich. They also have beaches. You can hike in the nearby hills as well.

Sitges is a beach resort town.

Spanish public transportation, buses and trains, are exceleltn and modern.

As noted above, Belle Epoque San Sebastián is not that big (pop 180 000), and June is an excellent time of year to go, before the most hectic and crowded summer months. The food capital of Spain and some of the finest city beaches on the continent. http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...stian-tourism/

About San Sebastián, kids, beaches, ice-cream and the famous pintxos: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...ichelin-stars/

Small Nerja could be another good, yet very different, option. A beautiful, coastal town that has got all the amenities that makes it popular with tourists, but Nerja has also has kept much of its Andalucian charm, especially up in the old town. http://www.nerjatoday.com/

Nice, small villages into the pretty spectacular Almijara mountain range just above Nerja, and Nerja is also close to fabulous Andalucian capitals such as genuine Andalucian atmosphere Málaga city and Granada with the Alhambra. Buses all the time to Málaga (some 30 miles) and a couple of times a day to Granada (some 60 miles).

Sitges is much party and beaches.

Don't know Tossa del Mar.

Sitges is a small resort town just down the coast from Barcelona and I wouldn't think that you'd need to stay in both, You can see Barcelona easily as a day trip from Sitges-about 30 minutes by train.

Tossa is a nice place, especially the old town. In the 60's and 70's it was much visited by Brits and Germans and was very busy, but not so much now. It's a great base for the Costa Brava, visiting Figueres and the Bay of Roses.

Buses and trains connect lots of the towns up there, but I'd always rent a car for the ability to stop in smaller places.

Some more excursion ideas from Nerja.

- The huge and spectacular Nerja Cave, lived people here more than 30 000 years ago. Buses all the time, takes 5-10 minutes from Nerja, and now also a so called cave bus: http://www.cuevadenerja.es/index.php?lenguaje=en

- The picturesque village Frigiliana just inland from Nerja, buses all the time, takes some 30 mins: https://www.spain-holiday.com/Frigil...-costa-del-sol
http://www.frigilianatoday.com/

- The "lost village" Acebuchal: https://eastofmalaga.net/2014/12/22/...-el-acebuchal/

- The beach in tiny Maro, just east of Nerja, was recently voted #2 beach in Spain on the National TV channel Antena 3. Bus to Maro all the time, and takes some 10-15 minutes (taxi, 10-12€): https://www.spain-holiday.com/Maro/a...-de-maro-nerja

- "Top 10 free and natural places to visit near Malaga with children" (Nerja is in the Málaga region): https://www.spain-holiday.com/Malaga...-with-children

Excellent local atmosphere tapas bars and restaurants, some nice beach restaurants, and also a few upscale Spanish and international restaurants in Nerja. http://www.nerjatoday.com/barsandrestaurants/
https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Rest...11T0RjMk5qVT0=

Sitges, along with Torremolinos, is considered the capital of gay Spain. I would choose the Nerja area for its beaches and the proximity of major cultural sites - Granada, Malaga, and Cordoba.

Thank you all! I know San Sebastián isn't huge, but after Madrid and Barcelona we were looking to add some small towns -- and that it is not. I might consider going to San Sebastián instead of Madrid though. Our kids don't love big cities, and our son has expressed interest in San Sebastián (after watching some travel movies about Spain).

Thanks for your other thoughts too. I had considered that we could visit Grenada from Nerja, but I forgot to mention that my daughter gets very car sick and so we prefer to avoid long drives. That is also one of the reasons we want to avoid renting a car if possible. She did not enjoy all of the driving we did in Tuscany last summer.

I will spend some time with the links you have shared. Thank you again!

Granada is just over an hour from Nerja and it is a good 4 lane highway, no winding roads like Tuscany. Just fyi.

Oh, that is helpful about the 4 lane highway. Thank you!

. I would love to do this all on public transportation as we are not fond of driving in Europe, but we will rent a car if need be.>

Well trains and buses go everywhere -kids can move around trains - anyway for tons of info on Spanish trains check www.renfe.com; www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

But if going to places kimhe mentions car would be the best. Maybe combine cars and trains.

Just wanted to say thank you again now that I have visited all of the links you shared. Special thanks to kimhe. Wow, what great information! I will now be pushing for San Sebastián instead of Madrid (I know we will love it), and am thinking we will do Barcelona, San Sebastián, Sitges and Nerja. It seems like this will give us a lot of variety and keep the kids happy with beaches, and kid friendly activities everywhere we go! We'll see if I can convince the gang of this.

Thanks again.

Daria

Nerja. Sea has sewage "sewage" outlet problems so do not let your children in the water.
It is also unfortunately been colonised by what are called expats.
There are smaller towns around San Sebastián.
I quite liked Zumaia and Getaria, for example. The beach(es) are better at Zumaia. Both have a relaxed atmosphere.
http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres...os/zumaia.html

All beaches in Nerja have the highest bathing water quality ("excellent quality") every year since 2011 according to the European Union's European Environment Agency (EEA). Some 350 beaches in Spain (some 15 %) with less than "excellent quality" in 2015 according to EEA.
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/wate...bathing-waters

The water cleaning plant in Nerja is underway, at least they have again started the works, hopefully to finish it before the summer. http://www.laopiniondemalaga.es/axar...ra/905425.html

Also several buses from Nerja to Granada every day, and plenty of other destinations too: http://www.nerjatoday.com/nerja/bus-timetables/

And two more San Sebastián videos:
"Perfect day in San Sebastián": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzxW2EP3mOU&t=96s
European capital of culture 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRWCdjw1C8Q

And a fine intro to the rest of the small and very diverse Basque region: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaLIAGtCjNQ

Thank you both! Love that site that provides the water quality for lots of different European locations. Thank you!