Our two sons, Damian and Marc, play basketball, and for the last few years our family holidays have followed the tournament calendar. Since 2024 they’ve played eight youth tournaments: in La Roda, Puigcerdà (twice), Lloret de Mar, Valencia and Blanes in Spain, and abroad in Pesaro, Italy and Serbia. Their teams came home with four titles across three tournaments (Pesaro, where both boys’ teams won, Serbia and Puigcerdà), plus a 2nd and a 4th. Between tournaments there were camps, from the Pau Gasol Academy in Barcelona to a Lakers camp in California.
This is the page I wish I’d had before the first one: what basketball family travel actually looks like, where parents stay when the team has its own hotel, and how to turn a tournament weekend into a trip the whole family enjoys.
Quick answers
- Where do parents stay? Usually not with the team. At La Roda and Lloret the players slept in the team hotel and we booked our own, from next door to 30 minutes away.
- Book early: tournament weekends fill every hotel in a small town. Book the moment the dates are confirmed, with free cancellation.
- Playing up an age group is common at international tournaments. Damian played at 13 with a Canadian U16 team at the Euro Youth Basketball Cup in Blanes, a spot he got because we asked the organisers.
- Budget the drive: La Roda is 6–7 hours from Barcelona by car. Puigcerdà and Lloret are around 2 hours or less.
Our tournaments so far
| Tournament | When | Who played | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| L’Alqueria Copa Mini, Valencia | June 2024 | Damian | — |
| Puigcerdà | 2024 | Damian, with a team a year older | 4th |
| Pesaro International, Italy | October 2024 | Damian and Marc | 1st (both teams) |
| International tournament, Zrenjanin (Serbia) | 1–4 May 2025 | Damian | 1st |
| Lloret de Mar | 6–8 June 2025 | Marc | — |
| Puigcerdà | 13–15 June 2025 | Damian, his own age group | 1st |
| La Roda International | 2–6 July 2025 | Damian (12) | — |
| Euro Youth Basketball Cup, Blanes | June 2026 | Damian (13), Canadian U16 team | 2nd |
| Krauklis Cup, Riga (Latvia) | August 2025 | Marc (U11) | 3rd |
Where we stayed for tournaments
Palacio Albacete – 30 minutes from the courts. Our base while Damian slept with his team.
Hotel Parada Puigcerdà – our base for the 2025 tournament weekend, which ended in a title.
Hotel Garbí Park – 200 m from the beach. Our base while Marc’s team stayed at Hotel Surf Mar.
Youth basketball tournaments in Spain
La Roda International Tournament (Albacete)
Our biggest Spanish trip, and the one other parents ask about most. In July 2025 we drove 6–7 hours from Barcelona. Damian slept with his team at Hotel Flor de la Mancha in La Roda, and we stayed 30 minutes away at Palacio Albacete. The full guide: La Roda International Basketball Tournament.
Puigcerdà: 4th one year, champions the next
Damian played Puigcerdà twice. In 2024 he played up, with boys a year older, and his team finished 4th. In June 2025 he played in his own age group, and they won it. Puigcerdà is also a lovely family weekend in itself: the lake, the Cerdanya valley, and the Pyrenees all around. Our Puigcerdà weekends.
Lloret de Mar
Marc’s tournament, in June 2025. His team stayed at Hotel Surf Mar, and Damian and the two of us stayed at Hotel Garbí Park, 200 m from the beach. Our Lloret tournament weekend · 5 Lloret hotels we’ve stayed in, compared.
Valencia: L’Alqueria Copa Mini
Damian’s tournament in June 2024, which we combined with the city. Our Valencia tournament weekend · Things to do in Valencia with kids.
Euro Youth Basketball Cup, Blanes: playing up with a Canadian team
In June 2026 Damian, aged 13, played the Euro Youth Basketball Cup in Blanes for a Canadian U16 team, three years older than him, and they finished 2nd. It happened because we asked. My husband asked the organisers whether any of the competing teams had a spot for Damian. The Canadian team was missing players, because not all of their squad could fly over, so they took him. If your child wants to play at an international tournament, ask the organisers. Teams travelling from far away are often short of players.
International youth tournaments: Italy and Serbia
Pesaro, Italy (October 2024)
Both boys played, and both of their teams won. Our Pesaro trip: basketball, pasta and family adventures.
Zrenjanin, Serbia (1–4 May 2025)
Damian played an international tournament in Zrenjanin, in northern Serbia, organised by Basketball Serbia, and his team won it. My husband went with him. They spent the first night together in a hotel, then Damian moved to the team hotel with his teammates, and my husband stayed nearby in an Airbnb. It’s the same pattern as La Roda and Lloret: the player goes with the team, and the parent finds their own bed.
Krauklis Cup, Riga, Latvia (August 2025)
Marc’s U11 team took 3rd at the A. Krauklis Memorial Tournament. We stayed two tram stops from the courts and flew on to Moldova afterwards. Our Krauklis Cup parent’s guide · Riga with kids.
Basketball camps between tournaments
Summers are for camps: the Pau Gasol Academy, FC Barcelona’s Campus Bàsquet, a Lakers camp in California, a camp in Milwaukee, the OSE residential camp and the Šarūnas Jasikevičius camp in Seva. What each cost and who it suits is in our guide to basketball camps for kids.
Basketball trips for fans
When the boys aren’t playing, they’re watching: a Barça game at the Palau Blaugrana, Joventut vs Real Madrid in Badalona, and the Crypto.com Arena and its statues in Los Angeles. For destinations built around basketball, see our top 5 family destinations for basketball lovers.
Travelling to a basketball tournament with kids: what we’ve learned
- The team hotel isn’t your hotel. Players usually sleep with the team. Book your own room nearby, with free cancellation, as soon as the dates are confirmed. Small tournament towns run out of beds.
- Look one town over. At La Roda, Albacete (30 minutes) had far more choice and better prices.
- Bring the sibling into the plan. When only one son plays, the other needs his own reason to come. In Lloret it was the beach and the splash pool at our hotel’s sister hotel.
- Turn it into a trip. Puigcerdà, Lloret, Valencia and Pesaro were all better because we added a day around the games.
- Ask about spare spots. Teams flying in from abroad are often short of players. That’s how Damian ended up playing for Canada.
- Playing up is normal. A 4th place a year up, then a title in your own age group (Damian at Puigcerdà), is a good outcome, not a bad one.
- Pack like it’s two trips: kit, snacks and a water bottle for game days, and normal holiday clothes for the rest.
Basketball family travel: FAQ
Where do parents stay at youth basketball tournaments?
Usually in a separate hotel. At La Roda and Lloret de Mar the players stayed in the team hotel, and we booked our own: Palacio Albacete, 30 minutes from La Roda, and Hotel Garbí Park in Lloret.
When should you book a hotel for a basketball tournament?
As soon as the dates are confirmed, with free cancellation. Tournament weekends fill small towns quickly.
How far is the La Roda basketball tournament from Barcelona?
About 6–7 hours by car. We drove down for the July 2025 edition.
Are there international youth basketball tournaments in Europe?
Yes. Our sons have played international tournaments in Pesaro, Italy, in October 2024, where both of their teams won, and in Zrenjanin, Serbia, in May 2025, which Damian’s team won.
Can a child play for a team from another country?
It happens. In June 2026 Damian, aged 13, played for a Canadian U16 team at the Euro Youth Basketball Cup in Blanes, after we asked the organisers whether any team had a spot. The Canadians were short of players, and they finished 2nd.
