Spain in December with kids

[Mrs Acer]

We want to travel in Spain from mid December to the first week in January. We like the beach, walking and visiting cities and villages - in fact we probably like everything. We like exploring and love to get a cultural experience rather than a tacky tourist one. We are happy being off the beaten track. We have 2 girls aged 11 and 13.
Can anyone recommend places to go and sites to stay in?

Thank you.

 

[Hotel California]

Hello and welcome on your first post ,
i can not give any tips on Spain as i never been there with the Cali , last time in Spain was at least 20y ago party at Loret de Mar ...so not much for a family of four i guess?

Some others wil sure try a better effort than me and help you with some tips

 

[BerndRos]

I think it's all down to personal choice and your own planning really.

Best I guess if you head for the places with likely better weather.

Am at Valencia right now and it's been a lovely week with warm conditions but cold at night due to the clear sky's.

You could explore Valencia for a week and still not see everything.

Seville is great. Madrid, likely too cool when your over.

Suggest you do as I do, buy an 'insight guide' for Spain and work from there.

 

[Mrs Acer]

I think it's all down to personal choice and your own planning really.

Best I guess if you head for the places with likely better weather.

Am at Valencia right now and it's been a lovely week with warm conditions but cold at night due to the clear sky's.

You could explore Valencia for a week and still not see everything.

Seville is great. Madrid, likely too cool when your over.

Suggest you do as I do, buy an 'insight guide' for Spain and work from there.

Thank you, that is helpful. I do have the Lonely Planet but it just doesn't give you the must sees or little tips like it used to. There is lots of information but each place just blurs into one and nothing stands out. I love to hear from other travellers as sometimes that information is not in the books! We love to stumble on things ourselves too. We are looking forward to our adventure. We hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

[BerndRos]

Race day tomorrow, MotoGP, then will knock off 150 miles and park for the night at lovely high up Alcaraz where it will be cold !...then Monday cover the other 350 miles back home to Alcoutim in Portugal.

Remember my tip...'insight guides' you won't get better.

 

[estresao]

Hi,

There are plenty of places to visit in Spain loaded of history and very nice in Xmars.

The more the south the warmer. Mediterranean sea water is warmer than Atlantic ocean water.

If you go to Madrid, of course there is no beach, but it's plenty of stuffs to do, and there are some cities near Madrid plenty of history. I recomend you lay a visit to Toledo or Segovia.

If you want to head to the very south, I recommend Seville, Cordoba and Granada.

Granada is amazingly beautifuk IMO. Aside of a city with a big arabic influence, you can visit the Alhambra palace. Very close to Granada you have ine of the best sky stations in Spain, Sierra Nevada, plus you also got the bech pretty close.

Barcelona is also beautiful and it's right next to the coast.

Maybe, in your way to the spot of your choice, you can pass by Burgos, León, Salamanca..... Salamanca is a very nice place, plenty of students, history.

If yiu decide to head to Galicia, at the north west, the ocean water migth be very cold, and the weather pobably a little miserable, but there ade nice places to visit as Coruña, Santiago de Compostela.

A plus in Spain: if you love your food, you can have very good food for cheap virtually anywhere. And if you like wines, the whole country produces lot of very good and different ones (we usually don't drink imported wines)

 

[Amarillo]

Can anyone recommend places to go and sites to stay in?

My favourite town in Spain is Cadaques, but probably a bit for north for December.

 

[estresao]

My favourite town in Spain is Cadaques, but probably a bit for north for December.

Cadaques is veeery beautiful, and I would recommend a cam site in Port de la Selva, right next to the beach, but probably in December/January is not the best season to ennoy the area.

Very near there are very good sky stations I you like the snow.

 

[Amarillo]

Cadaques is veeery beautiful, and I would recommend a cam site in Port de la Selva, right next to the beach

That is probably where I camped for three nights after I had cycled along the Pyrenees, unsupported for 590 Km over 9 days, from Hendaye.

 

[estresao]

Wow! you are like a professional!!

 

[Amarillo]

Wow! you are like a professional!!

Not any more - I've put on nearly 30 Kg in the 12 years since then!

 

[Paulro]

I think estresao is about right. I have spent a lot of time in Seville and Portugal during December and early January. The weather can be lovely and most likely will be.

 

[Tony Beretta]

Forget about bathing in the sea unless you are brave or take the stationary heating with you into the water. Spain is much warmer than UK but is not the caribbean. I would head to Madrid, spend a few days around there. There is a nice camping in El Escorial (40 km from Madrid) and visit the village and its monastery. From there I would go to Salamanca and head south to Sevilla. If you have time you can move around and visit Cadiz, Tarifa...
There is a lot to visit in Spain and you can enjoy it in the winter months but dont expect beach weather just about anywhere unless you catch a plane and go to the Canary Islands.

 

[jess]

We spent last Christmas on the Costa Blanca, full sunshine most days and warm enough to sit outside restaurants (during the day)

We are going back again this year

 

[Mrs Acer]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions. I am expecting lots of open campsites to choose from. Let me know if I am wrong.

Does anyone have any nice ideas as to what we could do on Christmas day - something to make a special Spanish Christmas memory?

 

[rditt]

Spain is very nice...but you shouldt have in mind that it is definitly not allowed by law to stay on a beach or other interesting places which are no campsites or spaces which are explizit defined for mobilehomes. On the other site you must have in mind that (my assumption) a lot of official campsites are closed.
We have been 4 weeks (sept / oct.) in spain and find at the the end of our vacation a lot of closed sites. Sorry for my bad english but my mother tounge is german.

Have fun in Spain rolf

 

[shudycamps]

We want to travel in Spain from mid December to the first week in January. We like the beach, walking and visiting cities and villages - in fact we probably like everything. We like exploring and love to get a cultural experience rather than a tacky tourist one. We are happy being off the beaten track. We have 2 girls aged 11 and 13.
Can anyone recommend places to go and sites to stay in?

Thank you.

Costa Blanca between Gandia and Xávia.

 

[warny15]

We want to travel in Spain from mid December to the first week in January. We like the beach, walking and visiting cities and villages - in fact we probably like everything. We like exploring and love to get a cultural experience rather than a tacky tourist one. We are happy being off the beaten track. We have 2 girls aged 11 and 13.
Can anyone recommend places to go and sites to stay in?

Thank you.

Depends on where you are starting from (i.e. by ferry or driving down) Fantastic route we drove last year (but not in our Cali) Madrid, Cordoba, Seville, Rhonda, Nerja