Itinerary help for travel through Spain with young children
 

Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to read my post :)

Our family of 4 (2 adults and 2 young children aged 4 and 1) will be travelling to Spain in June/July for almost 5 weeks.

We are very privileged to have been asked to join a friend in her family town of Puerto Real (near Cadiz) for the first week of our trip. After that Spain is ours to discover for the following 3-4 weeks, which is very exciting!

We know we definitely would like to visit Granada and Seville and we are flying out of Barcelona at the end of our time in Spain, so essentially I am asking for some advice on places to visit on our way back to Barcelona and suggested itineraries, baring in mind we will have a car, two young children, and would like to avoid large cities if possible.

The northern regions of Spain appeal to us, so our thought is to head in that direction and then over to Barcelona, so any suggestions on must see places and great experiences for the children will be much appreciated.

Thanks everyone!

5 weeks gives you enough time to fit in the North. You might like the Picos d'Europa (really for hiking) but a splendid other world to visit. Cordoba should be included with your Seville trip.

Picos de Europa and Asturias is a good idea. In general I would say: After visiting Sevilla, Granada and Córdoba, drive up north to the wonderful Atlantic coast and "Green Spain" (Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia) before driving through the Pyrenees over to Barcelona. Fabulous landscapes, the best food in the country, spectacular coastline, milder summer climate etc up here. Could be a great adventure, and outside the most beaten foreign tourist track.

Basque Country: http://tourism.euskadi.net/en/
http://www.euskoguide.com/
Cantabria and Asturias: http://www.roughguides.com/destinati...-and-asturias/
Galicía: http://www.turgalicia.es/portada?langId=en_US
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...ers-guide.html

I am very fond of Green Spain and the Pyrenees, and would want the cooler air of the north. However, with two small children, I think you also need to plan a route that minimizes car sickness risks! I wouldn't do a constant road trip and I would skip Galicia (much as I love it) but instead would find two locations -- one in the mountains and one by the sea -- in Cantabria/Asturias/Basque Country, and then take a fairly direct route to Barcelona (not through the Pyrenees).

Were it me, I would save the major sightseeing destinations of Andalucia for a time when your kids are not only older and able to appreciate them, but when you won't be struggling to carry them or help them with stairs and such, especially since THE HEAT of your travel dates is going to be intense. Just go have a relaxing time in the beautiful cooler parts of Spain. That heat can be like a hammer so I wouldn't lock myself into a sightseeing itinerary since you don't know how your kids are going to react to the combo of travel, new food and heat. I wouldn't push it.

Thank you so much for the detailed information everyone, exactly what I needed!

Sandralist, thank you also for being a voice of reason, it's very easy to get caught up in the excitement of planning and forget the practicalities :) Though, in terms of the heat we are not too concerned - we're from Australia so we are very used to a warm climate :)

Christie_W

We are doing the same in one month! My husband and I are traveling with our 4 year old and 2 year old. I'm glad we aren't the only ones! Haha. We fly into Barcelona and then we are going to Granada, Malaga, Seville, Cordoba and then leaving from Madrid. We will be there for 3 1/2 weeks. I will try to do a trip report as soon as we get back so you can see what we encounter.

Remember, if traveling by car with young children, you will need to have two child seats for the children to sit in. You can rent them when you rent your car.

As far as where to go, I would head to the Cantabrian coast for a few days and then head over to San Sebastian-Donostia before finally heading for Barcelona. You can take the train from San Sebastian to Barcelona, or drive, stopping overnight somewhere in Aragon.

There are several excellent properties along the coast where you could stay, including the Casona de la Perra, with 7 apartments (www.casonadelaparra.com).

If you wanted to visit Asturias before heading to the Basque country, then there are a number of great options: http://www.casonasasturianas.com

Thanks again everyone!

mmodrich - can't wait to hear your trip report - so glad we're not the only crazy ones travelling with young kids ;)