Pineda de Mar Beach: Free Parking, the R1 Train and Prices
Pineda de Mar is the last town of the Maresme, and the single most useful thing about it is that the train stops there. That puts it in a very small category: a proper beach…
Spain
Family travel in Spain from a Barcelona family: over ten years of trips with our two boys, and 14 years on the hotel side of the industry. Start with our Spain with kids guide to pick a region, or jump straight to Barcelona, the Costa Brava, the Balearic Islands, the Costa del Sol, Valencia, Madrid or the Basque Country. Every guide has real prices and the hotels we’d book with kids.
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Symphony at CaixaForum Barcelona: €8, 35 Minutes, Age 8+
We went to Symphony at CaixaForum after a morning on the Las Golondrinas boat, and I want to start with the thing most write-ups get wrong — including, until now, mine. Symphony is not an…
Las Golondrinas Barcelona: Prices, Routes and Is It Worth It
Barcelona, a city known for its vibrant culture, stunning architecture, and beautiful coastline, offers some truly unforgettable experiences. One of the most unique ways to see the city is by taking a scenic boat ride…
Museu Blau Barcelona: Free Sundays, Under-16s Free, €6
Quick answer Barcelona’s natural history museum sits out at the Fòrum, in a building that looks like a rusted triangle dropped on the seafront. It’s further out than most visitors go, which is exactly why…
Biblioteca Arús Barcelona: How to Visit (and What It Costs)
We found this library by chance, because we have local friends who knew about it, and proposed us to go here and visit it. It is true, that a lot of locals don’t know about…
Palau Güell Barcelona: Free Days, Hours and What to Expect
Most people in Barcelona walk past Palau Güell without going in. It sits on a narrow street just off the bottom of La Rambla, it has no spires and no queue snaking round the block,…
El Nacional Barcelona: Four Restaurants, Four Bars, No Booking
El Nacional is a 2,600-square-metre hall off Passeig de Gràcia with four restaurants and four bars inside it, sharing one enormous modernist room. It was a theatre, then a leather tannery, then a car dealership,…
Monestir de Pedralbes: €5.20, Free Sundays, and No Crowds
There is a fourteenth-century monastery at the top of Barcelona where a closed order of nuns lived from 1327, with a three-storey Gothic cloister that is one of the largest in Europe. Adults pay €5.20.…
Casa SEAT Magic Days: Free Christmas Event in Barcelona
Every Barcelona Christmas guide sends you to the same outdoor markets. This one is indoors, it’s free, and it’s on Passeig de Gràcia — which makes it the answer to the question those guides never…
Käthe Wohlfahrt Barcelona: Hours, Prices & Is It Worth It?
There is a shop five minutes from Barcelona Cathedral where it is Christmas in August. Käthe Wohlfahrt sits on Carrer dels Banys Nous, in the Gothic Quarter, and it sells German Christmas decorations three hundred…
Things to Do in Figueres with Kids: Dalí Museum, Castle & More
Figueres is the town Salvador Dalí was born in, and the town he turned into his own museum. It’s under an hour from Barcelona by fast train and the gateway to Cadaqués and the northern…
A Family Day Trip to Las Casetas del Garraf
We spent a day at Las Casetas del Garraf in August 2024. It’s the row of green-and-white fishermen’s huts on a small cove just south of Barcelona, one of the most photographed spots on this…
Empuriabrava Boat Hire Without a Licence: Prices & Our Trip
If you’re looking for a unique way to explore the stunning canals and natural beauty of Empuriabrava, renting an eco boat is an experience you won’t want to miss. Recently, our group of four had…
Ponient Dorada Palace Salou Review: Rooms, Pools & Park Tickets
We paid for every PortAventura stay ourselves, including this one. Ponient Dorada Palace is in central Salou, and it’s now part of PortAventura World’s partner hotels, so a stay comes with park tickets. You’ll also…
Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Review: Rooms, Pools & Who It Suits
Recently, I had the chance to stay at the Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Resort & Spa during a business trip, and I must say, it was an impressive experience. Even though I was there for…
Meliá Lloret de Mar Inauguration: New Luxury Hotel on the Costa Brava
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the official inauguration of Meliá Lloret de Mar, an exclusive event organized for selected partners of Meliá Hotels International. This special day offered a first look at one…
Guitart La Molina Aparthotel Review: 200m From the Lift
We booked this one for a basketball tournament, not for skiing — which turns out to be a useful way to see a ski aparthotel, because you notice everything that isn’t the slopes. Where we…
Sercotel Hotel President Figueres Review: Our Family Stay
Recently, we had the pleasure of staying at Sercotel Hotel President Figueres for a two-night getaway, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Located in the heart of Figueres, this hotel is perfectly…
Best Beaches Near Santander for Families: Costa Quebrada & More
The Best Beaches Near Santander for Families The beaches around Santander split into two kinds. There are the easy city beaches, and there are the wild coves of the Costa Quebrada, the “broken coast” just…
Santander with Kids: Things to Do, Beaches & Where to Stay
Santander with Kids: Things to Do, Beaches and Where to Stay Santander was our first proper city after a week of Asturian villages. We visited in July 2021 with Damian (8) and Marc (5), on…