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Family Travel

Holidays that work for every age at the table.

Family holidays are planned around nap times, snack stops and the question of how far the pool is from the room. This section covers family hotels, Mallorca and the rest of Spain, city breaks that keep children engaged, theme parks worth the queue and day trips you can pull off before lunch.

Father walking along a Mediterranean beach holding hands with his two daughters
Sunday walk, Cala Millor
Interactive

Family trip matcher

Kids ages, month, mood and budget in, three destinations out.

Family hotels

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A good family hotel is not the one with the most slides. It is the one where the kids club has real staff, the restaurant opens before seven, and the rooms have a door between you and the cot. We look at layouts, kids clubs, food and the small print of "all inclusive" so you know what you are actually paying for.

Good to know

  • Book connecting rooms or a family suite before you look at anything else, the pool can wait.
  • Ask for the kids club age bands in writing. "From 4" often means "from 4 and toilet trained".
  • Half board with a big breakfast beats all inclusive for families that leave the resort during the day.

Guides in the works

  • How to read a family hotel listing like a travel agentsoon
  • Kids clubs compared: what the good ones actually do all daysoon
  • Family suites vs two rooms: cost, sleep and sanitysoon
Tell me when they land

Mallorca

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Mallorca is the family island of the Mediterranean for a reason: short flights from most of Europe, sandy bays with shallow water, and a north that is greener and quieter than the postcard suggests. Alcúdia, Cala Millor and Sa Coma are the classic family bases. Sóller and Pollença suit families who prefer trains, markets and mountain walks.

Good to know

  • Es Trenc and Playa de Muro have the shallowest water for toddlers. Go before ten, the car parks fill by eleven.
  • The vintage Sóller train is a full day out for under 12s: Palma, train, tram, harbour, ice cream, back.
  • Mid June and the first half of September give you summer weather with half the crowds and lower prices.

Guides in the works

  • Mallorca with kids: the honest guide to picking your basesoon
  • Ten Mallorca beaches ranked by toddler friendlinesssoon
  • Rainy day Mallorca: caves, aquarium, science museum and pancakessoon
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Spain

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Beyond the islands, Spain offers families a lot of country for the money. The Costa Brava has coves and Dalí, Andalusia has palaces and horses, Valencia has a science city and paella in its birthplace, and the north has green hills and surf beaches that stay uncrowded in August. Train travel is fast, clean and cheap for children under 14.

Good to know

  • Children under 14 travel on Renfe AVE trains at a 40 percent discount and under 4s go free on a lap.
  • Spanish dinner starts at nine. Book lunch as your main meal and let the kids graze in the evening.
  • Every town has a free playground and most beaches have a lifeguard from June to September.

Guides in the works

  • Spain by train with children: the routes that make sensesoon
  • Andalusia for families: Seville, Granada and the beaches in betweensoon
  • Valencia in three days with kids under tensoon
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City breaks

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Cities and children mix better than you think if you plan the day around one big thing and leave the rest loose. A boat, a tower, a market, a playground with a view: that is a full day. The trick is choosing cities with short distances, good public transport and a park never more than ten minutes away.

Good to know

  • One anchor activity per day. Everything else is a bonus.
  • Stay near a park and a metro station. Central old towns are lovely but rarely have anywhere to run.
  • City cards often include public transport and skip the line entry. Do the maths for two adults plus kids before you buy.

Guides in the works

  • Lisbon, Barcelona, Vienna: three city breaks that actually work with a pushchairsoon
  • How to survive a museum with a six year oldsoon
  • Two nights in Amsterdam with teenagerssoon
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Theme parks

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Europe has world class theme parks that most families have never heard of. PortAventura near Barcelona, Europa Park in Germany, Efteling in the Netherlands and Gardaland in Italy each fill two days with rides scaled to every age. The difference between a magical day and a meltdown is usually the plan, not the park.

Good to know

  • Arrive twenty minutes before the gates open and go to the back of the park first.
  • Measure your children before you go. Most parks list height limits per ride online.
  • Book a park hotel for one night if you plan two days. Early entry is worth more than the room.

Guides in the works

  • Europe's best theme parks by age groupsoon
  • PortAventura with small children: what to skip, what to queue forsoon
  • Theme park food: how to eat well without the queue and the markupsoon
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Day trips

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The best family days are often the ones that need no suitcase. A lake, a castle, a farm with animals, a mountain train, a zoo with a good picnic lawn. Day trips are cheaper, easier and more forgiving than holidays, and children remember them just as vividly.

Good to know

  • Leave by nine, be home by four. Late returns undo good days.
  • Pack the picnic the night before. Buying lunch at the destination costs three times as much.
  • Keep a running list of places you want to try and pick from it on Friday evening.

Guides in the works

  • Fifty day trips within two hours of Palmasoon
  • Farm visits, animal parks and pick your own fields across Europesoon
  • The perfect day trip kit for the car bootsoon
Tell me when they land
Quick answers

Questions parents ask about family travel.

What is the best age to take children on their first flight?

Babies from around three months fly well and sleep through most of it. The hardest ages are between one and two, when children want to move but cannot yet be entertained by a screen or a story for long. Short flights of two to three hours are the sweet spot for that age.

Is Mallorca good for a holiday with a toddler?

Yes, it is one of the easiest islands in Europe with a toddler. Look for the bays on the north and east coast with shallow water, choose a hotel with a paddling pool, and rent a car for a few days rather than the whole stay.

Do children need their own passport in Europe?

Yes. Every child needs their own travel document, even babies. Many countries also require a signed consent letter if one parent travels alone with the children. Check the rules of the country you enter and the airline you fly with.

When are the cheapest times for a family holiday in Spain?

The weeks just outside school holidays are the cheapest with good weather: late May to mid June and mid September to mid October. Prices double in the last week of July and the first two weeks of August.

Keep going

Sections that usually come next.

Activities What to do this weekend, and every one after it. Family Cars Three seats across, a boot for the buggy and cake in every seam. Family Food Dinner for everyone, most nights, without the drama.
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