We are an American family of 4 living in Spain and we have loads of inspiration for you on our Spain travel blog. We will highlight many things to do with kids in Spain, most of which can be done without kids too. Sometimes the things we do and share are the obvious Spain adventures, but we are full of good luck too. We have happened upon some amazing adventures during our time in Spain, so come along and travel with us when you visit Spain.
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When you plan your Spain vacation, you may want to be aware of what things may cost. Of course we usually share our Spain Travel Expenses with you as well as our Cost of Living in Spain. Just in case you are trying to figure out a budget and need a data point. We have also enjoyed a few road trips in Europe and share that info too.
Please note this is not an all-inclusive list of everything on our blog, it’s just the highlights of our travel blog Spain portion. Feel free to browse through our Spain Category here or on the navigation bar on the right side of the home page.
2019 Cost of living in Spain. We share all of the details with you on the costs of everyday things and what our expenses are. This is all just data to help you determine what you might expect to spend.
Our Spain Travel Blog!
Tips and Tricks to know when you visit Spain
- Do you tip in Spain?
- Exploring Spain – Tips & Recommendations we cover it all and hopefully you will find all of the information helpful.
- 9 Useful Tips for renting a car in Spain
- How About A Trip To Spain? When to visit Spain and more
- Driving in Spain and Spanish Road Signs, with a little humor
- How do you say “Parking Ticket in Spain”? What to do if you get a ticket
- Exactly when is midnight in Spain?
- A Taste Of Spain – Photo Journey
- Reflecting On Living In Spain for 1 Year! & What is next?
- How to recycle in Spain, what goes in each bin, how do you throw our furniture and appliances and more!
- Facts For Spain & Maps Of Spain
- You would think it would be obvious to tell time in Spain, but when we are one hour ahead of London, yet west of it, things can be a bit confusing! What Is The Time In Spain?
Pleaes read our Complete guide of things to do in Spain by region.
Planning to drive during your Spain vacation?
Check out our Driving in Spain ebook now!
Some of the best places to visit in Spain with kids!
Valencia Spain with kids!
- Lars & Anya in Valencia, Spain. This was just a quick interview with the kids only a few days after arriving in Spain. We took a little vacation before making our way to the town where we planned to live.
- 7 Things To Do In Valencia With Kids, your kids will love it all, so be sure to give it a try!
- Segway Valencia– Adventures with Anya
- This really is a magical city and the perfect mix of old and new. The City of Arts and Sciences Valencia Spain is certainly worth a visit.
- Valencian Paella Recipe & A Cooking Class
- (From our friends at An Epic Education)
Things to do in Costa Blanca with Kids and Visit Valencia with Kids
Of course we still need to make it to the Valencia Fallas in March, when the city is ablaze!
Mallorca Spain with kids!
- Things To Do In Alcudia Mallorca With Kids
- Luxury Villa Mallorca Spain
- Learn to Kitesurf Mallorca Spain
- Adventures with Anya – Watersports Mallorca!
- Mallorca Catamaran Tour with Alcudia Sea Trips
- How To Windsurf Better Than 007
Check out our list of things to do in Mallorca!
Madrid Spain with kids
- Finding Gems in Madrid, a wonderful food tour.
- Of course this city is amazing and may seem vast, so it is tough to narrow down what to do. Here’s our list of Things To Do In Madrid Spain with kids!
- Give Them Wings And They Are Off! Lars Goes To Madrid
- 8 Day Intensive Spanish Course – Did Alan Survive?
Andalucia Spain Region with Kids
- Professional Spanish Fútbol in Málaga
- Segway MálagaExperience – City & Gibralfaro, with amazing views
- Málaga Food Tour – A really wonderful experience!
- The famous Costa del Sol Spain!
- Don’t Miss This Costa del Sol Gem – Estepona
- Out for a drive – Mijas y Marbella
- Meeting the Lobos! You can see wolves. Between Málaga and Cordoba
- You Must Visit Ronda Spain and A Town Where People Live Under a Rock!
- Ronda Spain and An Amazing Prehistoric Cave – Off The Beaten Path
- Ronda a week of Spanish Immersion for Alan
- The Nerja Caves Frequently Asked Questions
- 6 Wise Tips – Cuevas de Nerja (Nerja Caves)
- Pueblo Blanco – Frigiliana Spain a “Photo Walk”
- Quad bikes in Spain – A Must Do in Frigiliana Spain
- How To Devour Málaga With All Of Your Senses
- Amazing things to do in Granada Spain!
- An Experience Glamping in Spain! Yurts, Tipis, Igloos, Gypsy Wagons!
- Hiking in Granada Spain – check out Monachil
- Granada Albaicíin on Segways!
- Castril Spain We Are So Lucky! and That’s No Bull
- Day Trip to Pampaneira,Las Alpujarras Mountains (Granada, Spain)
- Water Fight! Lanjarón – Fiesta del Agua y del Jamón
- Meet the Flintstones! Sleeping In A Cave House (Baza Spain)
- How To Ride A Segway Granada Spain
- Córdoba – A Great One Day Itinerary
- Carnaval Cádiz Chirigotas
- Carnaval of Cádiz 2013
- An Experience Glamping in Spain! Yurts, Tipis, Igloos, Gypsy Wagons!
Costa Tropical Spain with kids
- A Roman Bridge – Exploring In Our Own Backyard
- Friday Market – Almuñécar Spain
- Testing The Spanish Fruits Of Almuñécar
- Nude Beaches – Almuñécar
- Where it’s Made – Bodega Montero (Ron Pálido Rum Factory Motril)
- Almuñécar – Costa Tropical Video (Granada, Spain)
- 65 Reasons Why We Love Costa Tropical Spain
- Do you see what I see? (Paragliding – La Herradura, Spain)
- Day Trip to Pampaneira, Las Alpujarras Mountains (Granada, Spain)
- Something Smells Fishy, Grilled Sardines in Almuñécar Spain
- Pops Of Color In Southern Spain – Almuñécar
- What‘s In The Water? Something Exciting!
- Where It’s Made – Lavender farm in Lecrin Valley
- Water Fight! Lanjarón– Fiesta del Agua y del Jamón
- Where it’s Made – Bodega Montero (Ron Pálido Rum Factory Motril)
- Almuñécar – Costa Tropical Video (Granada, Spain)
- How Olive Oil Is Made in Otivar, Spain
- 5 Days of Celebration In Almuñécar – Día de Andalucía and Carnaval 2014
Northern Spain with kids
- This Will Make You Want To Visit Galicia Spain!
- 1 Week Immersed In A Spanish Conversation Course La Alberca!
- 1 Wonderful Week of Rioja Wine in Northern Spain!
- A Day Of Fun Traveling From Santander to La Rioja Spain
- Double-Decker Santander Bus Tour
- It’s Time To Visit Asturias, Get A Taste Of Northern Spain
- 17 Things To Do In Salamanca With Kids
- 1 Day Of Luxury at Marques de Riscal La Rioja
- How To Ride The Waves Surfing Santander
- Rollin’ On The River (Sella)
- An Epic 8 week Summer Road Trip in Europe!
Extremadura Spain with kids
Other info on our travel blog Spain with kids
While I couldn’t possibly list everywhere we have been and explored, I can share a few highlights. We love Spain, Andalucia and especially our town of Almuñécar in Costa Tropical! We have experienced 3 Kings procession in Granada, Carnival in Cádiz and La Herradura, Seville, Water fight in Lanjarón , prehistoric caves in Ronda, awesome Thai food and caves in Nerja, multiple visits to Frigiliana, being covered with mud in Mar Menor, shredding in Zaragoza, visits to Madrid, Córdoba, Antequera, Estepona, Marbella, experiencing Fútbol in Málaga, Lavender in Lecrin Valley, Motril, Otivar and Anya dancing in La Herradura. There is so much more, but we can’t cover it all.
If you are wanting to combine your trip to Spain with other countries in Europe, you should check out this article – When is the Best Time to Visit Europe?. If you have a bit of adventure in you, we highly recommend checking out the rail pass with
GoldenPass Tour.
Things to do in Spain with kids series
- Things To Do In MadridSpain
- Chapel Of The Bones In Portugal and Mérida, Spain Roman Ruins
- VisitingBarcelona With Kids?
- Granada Albayzin on segways!
- How To Take A Mud Bath – Lo Pagan mud baths (Mar Menor, Spain)
- Nude Beaches – Almunecar
- Professional Spanish Fútbol in Malaga
- Segway Malaga Experience – City & Gibralfaro, with amazing views
- Feria de Abril – Seville Spain
- Carnaval of Cádiz 2013
- Castril Spain We Are So Lucky! and That’s No Bull
- ¡La Tomatina 2012! In Buñol just outside of Valencia every August
- Lars & Anya in Valencia, Spain
- Americans Living In Spain Our First Visit to Barcelona
Organized Tours
If you don’t have the time to do all of the research and planning, then an organized tour is just for you! We have some great offers through City Discovery, all over Spain. Check them out now!
Family Road Trip 2016 8 weeks in Spain & France
- An Epic 8 week Summer Road Trip in Europe!
- The 8 Week Road Trip in Spain & France Has Started!
- Alcudia Mallorca Things To Do With Kids, we spent a full week here and there was no shortage of fun things to do.
- Next we were off to Valencia! Oh how we love this city and here are 7 Things To Do In Valencia With Kids
- This was a great food tour and the kids absolutely loved it too. Finding Gems in Madrid For Foodies
- Salamanca was the next stop and here are17 Things To Do In Salamanca With Kids
- We spent a little over a week in Galicia and it was stunning! This Will Make You Want To Visit Galicia Spain!
- From cider to rolling on the river, we had a blast outdoors in the Asturias! It’s Time To Visit Asturias, Get A Taste Of Northern Spain
- Santander gave us a bit of a surprise. We didn’t know we’d like it so much. Double-Decker Santander Bus Tour
- You can’t go wrong with all of the wine available in this region! We spent a Wonderful One Week in Rioja Northern Spain!
- Time to go to France for a couple of weeks. When You Are Flat-Out Tired,1 Week In France
- This was the most amazing summer destination by far! Here are13 Fun Things To Do In Morzine France
- The kids were able to fly across the French Alps and even into Switzerland! Fantasticable The Most Amazing Zipline Ever!
- Making our way back home after An Amazing European Road Trip. It’s all Winding Down in Week 8
- We just happened upon this and we were so happy, what a great experience. Now It’s Time To Enjoy Some Montblanc French Wines
- Artisan Soaps In Spain – Naturalmente Mediterraneo
- Where did we stay during the 8 week road trip through Europe? We share every place we stayed and how we booked it. From Luxury to Misery, 8 Weeks of Accommodation
- As usual the entire road trip expenses were captured, calculated and shared with everyone! The Wonderful 8 Week European Road Trip Cost
- It wouldn’t be a road trip with out some good music! 8 Week Road Trip Playlist – Make Memories With Music
Other Road Trips from Spain
Getting Around Spain
- Train – If you are wanting to explore Spain or Europe via train, Click here for Europe Rail deals.
- Bus – There are many options for comfort levels and bus options, you may click here to Discover Europe by Bus
Using public transportation in Spain
It is ver easy to make your way around Spain using trains, planes and buses. There are several different options for each mode of transportation. The best way to view all options is to check with Go Euro. They will seek out the best way for you to get from one place to another and then you may filter, but fastest, cheapest, shortest, and so on. You can look between the different modes of transportation and see which works best for your schedule. Click the image to begin your search.
Renting a car in Spain
Car – Rental cars are very inexpensive from the Malaga Airport and many other locations in Spain (excluding high season in July/August). Do keep in mind that 90% of the rentals will be a stick shift (manual) and likely a small car. We always find the MPV to be the best deal for space, size, price. They hold 5 people and loads of luggage. We actually owned a Citroen Berlingo and loved it. We often rent via Gold Car, but have found many other rental car deals using Easy Car. We have rented a car for a few 28 day periods (not high season) for anywhere from €131 to €220 for the entire month! Check prices today and just click on the image below:
9 Useful Tips for renting a car in Spain
Málaga airport transfer – Solhop provide low cost private airport taxi transfers. Reliable, punctual drivers, excellent customer service and free upgrades to luxury vehicles – Book online today.
We also have car rental Spain FAQ’s answered for you here.
Should you be tipping in Spain?
Places To Stay In Spain
- Check this out for Almuñécar holiday rentals and hotels
- Córdoba– A Great One Day Itinerary
- Meet the Flintstones! Sleeping In A Cave House (Baza Spain)
- Places to stay – 6 Weeks Of Accommodation in Spain and beyond
- If you are specifically looking for a self-catering place to say, click here for holiday rentals Spain
Agencies will only show you what they have on hand and many people don’t list with an agency, so look at all options. Here are a few of the property search sites I have used for both long-term and short-term. If you plan to visit Spain for more than 1 week or 1 month, you should be able to negotiate.
- Flipkey – click here for pricing and availability, with so many great places to choose from, including apartments and homes.
- Booking – click here for availability and pricing. This covers it all from hotels to hostals and even apartments too. Our favorite in Europe!
- A Variety of Hotels – click here for availability and pricing. Sometimes you just want a hotel and you are sure to find great deals here.
- AirBnB – click here for availability and pricing. We have had mixed experiences with this, but it is nice to have extra space in an apartment or home.
Please also view our Spain Travel category for all posts Spain!
Pin me to visit Spain later!
We have so much more to share with you and will update this page as we go along. What would you like to see when you visit Spain? Maybe we can make a visit and check it out.
Are you planning to move to Spain? We have a wealth of information available to you for free! Click on an image below to go to the appropriate section.
Help with your Move to Spain
We hope this helps you with your move to Spain. We do offer hourly consulting to help you with your relocation and we also offer move to Spain consulting packages. Learn more about a family gap year in Spain! Try new foods, language, routines, & different way of doing things. Give the gift of experience, culture and the world to your kids.
Sign up for the Wagoners Abroad Newsletter and for a limited time, receive your free ebook “Experience Spain – Getting Started With Spain Facts and Information”.
You guys are walking encyclopaedia’s of Spain. This is a practical and very handy resource list. Well done Wagoners
Aw thanks Paula! We have so much more to share and to see as well. In time, it will all make it back here to this one page.
What a great resource! Thanks for putting this together! Will definitely bookmark it for when we head to Spain!
Thanks Jenna. It will continue to grow, as we spend the next year with Spain as our home base.
Honestly the information you offer is amazing. You should be the first port of call for anyone wanting a visit to Spain!
Oh that is so nice of you to say Sarah. We do our best to provide useful information. We will be creating a couple of ebooks in the coming months as well.
Being Portuguese, I’ve visited Spain countless times. After all, it’s a neighbour country.
There are certainly lots of things to see and do in Spain, and this is a great resource to find out exactly what and where.
Cheers!
Hey Hugo. Yes there is plenty to do. We love Portugal as well and have visited a few times. So many cool things to see.
Great guide! I’ve only been to Seville and Madrid, so this will come in handy for my next trip to Spain.
Thanks Christy. We are a few hours from Seville on the coast, but we love both of those cities too.
Wow! What a great resource. Will bookmark your page so when we do get to Spain I will have a massive read through! Thanks!
Ha! Thanks for stopping by Anna. Yes, it is a good read with a glass of wine. 😉
You have covered so much here that my trip to Spain is going to be a breeze using the information you have provided.
The experts in Spain! I’ll be keeping track of this page for future travels to Spain. Its a place I’ve longed to visit for some time but it just hasn’t happened yet. Well done on making such a complete resource here.
Oh thanks Jen. Yes, there will be more travels, as we are here for at least the next year. We are just about finished with an ebook too! Thanks for stopping by.
Such an amazing resource – thanks so much for putting all of this together! We haven’t managed to make it to Spain yet though it’s super high on my list, so bookmarking this right now to come back to when we book our trip. And thanks for the tip on most cars being manual; sadly neither myself or husband can drive a stick, though we do love renting cars for our own ease of transport when abroad. We might need to start learning fast!!!
Hey Meg! Thanks so much for stopping by. Yes, bookmark this bad boy. Of course we will continue to add to it, but loads of good info. You better start practicing on those stick shift cars, there are plenty of hills around too. Ha! Or be prepared to spend a bigger chunk of money for an automatic and peace of mind. 🙂
Thanks for compiling all this info bits of my country! It looks like you guys have visited lots of interesting spots here 🙂
Oh Inma, we love Spain. This is our home base for travel and Spain is Amazing. What part of Spain is your home?
Galicia! 😀
Oh that is one area we haven’t visted yet. It is on our to do this for this year.
Hi Heidi,
Great information here. I can’t believe how cheap the car rentals are through gold car. I will definitely use them on our next trip to Spain which I hope is soon. I have sort of an off the wall question for you. We are U..S citizens with U.S. passports but will be on a one year non-immigrant visa to Thailand. Do think it is possible to apply for a non lucrative visa to Spain from Thailand or do you believe that we will have to return to the U.S. to apply from there? If you have any thoughts on this I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Louis
Hey Louis, Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Oh how we loved Thailand, you are going to have a blast. Check out all of our guides to Thailand too. We spent almost 4 months in Chiang Mai, as well.
Now on to your question. Fortunately it is an easy question, unfortunately the answer is, you need to apply in your country of residence! We do have a link from our home page all about moving to Spain and especially the Non Lucrative Visa Applicaiton. Just click on the image “Move to Spain“.
When I say you need to apply in your country of residence, it would be the USA for you. Now if you had a “resident” visa in Thailand, but you were from the USA, you would be able to apply from Thailand. It looks like you have a “non immigrant” or a type of tourist visa.
sweet Heidi!
I am very impressed with your posts and believe it’s the most informative site I have visited about overseas.
Where do you recommend as a small town that has historic charm and is cost effective and close to a big city that is not too humid or hot?(tall order)!
My husband and I are planing to get a non lucrative visa and move to Spain in less that a year.
I wish you a great life full of joy and health.
Hey Vida! Thanks so much. Wow, you will be amazed at how many places will fit the bill for you. There is so much coastline in Spain, so your desires for winter temps and summer temps may dictate the area for you. The south is hot and humid in July/Aug, but if you are on the coast you almost always have a breeze. In the winter they are more mild, maybe 50’s during the day. That said up north is milder in the summer, but still humid and colder in winter.
The Atlantic (west and north) are “windy” so better for waves and surf, the med side can be more mild.
I guess all of this to say, you will need to determine your real priorities down to the detail and then narrow things down. Of course we do offer consulting to really narrow things down or help you with your visa or move too.
Here is our Moving to Spain info and also read how to decide where to live in spain.
So far I have only fond memories of travelling to Spain. Ok, it has so far only been to 3 major cities, Barcelona, Valencia and Zaragoza. But it has for sure been nice trips. The favourite of those three is actually Zaragoza. Barcelona was way to turistic and Valencia had sadly to many unfinished building projects. Zaragoza was just a good mix of good food and nice sights. 🙂
Hey Jesper! Thanks so much for checking out our posts. We just love Spain and Europe for that matter. We did enjoy a few days in Zaragoza on our way back from our 6 week European Summer Road Trip. We really had a nice time there and the city is beautiful with all of the lights at night. How often do you visit Spain?
Hi we have been planning to visit barcelona and madrid with my wife and little girl. Would you recommend a budget hotel for family ? thank you in advance hope to see your reply
Hi Enes, it has been a while since we have visited Barcelona. We have a post with some info, “Visiting Barcelona With Kids“. At the end there are links for rentals and hotels,which may help you. This may help you find some as well >>
This is an awesome and exceptional guide! I need to reread it again for sure!
Thanks Agness!
Indeed you have put together a fantastic guide for those wanting to live in Spain. But there is one topic you seem not to have addressed — one which is critical for most Americans. Spanish taxes and the 182-day rule of financial residency.
Income taxes in Spain are 2-3 times higher than in the US and include world-wide income. After an intensive search of accounting firms all over Spain, we did not find any gestor familiar with IRA investments. We were only able to determine that they are treated as pension income. But no one was willing to provide us with a paid estimate of what we would pay if we have residency. Therefore, we advise potential retirees to Spain to investigate this issue very carefully before getting a residency permit. Tip: Portugal apparently has a much lower and more relaxed tax situation – alas, we discovered this too late.
Hi Carole. Thanks so much for your comment. Thanks for your compliment and yes we have intentionally excluded the topic of taxes. It is very different for every individual or family, so we won’t even try to cover such a can of worms.