Family holidays in Spain

It isn’t always easy to get the kids interested in going to a museum during a family trip. But what if the museum has activities designed for children and they can interact with everything? Science museums are perfect for this. We have plenty in Spain, like the entertaining CosmoCaixa science museum in Barcelona with its “Universe Gallery”, taking you on a journey from the Big Bang to the evolution of animal species, and its “Flooded Forest”, recreating an Amazon ecosystem. More examples? The Príncipe Felipe Museum in Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences, where you can conduct interesting experiments.In Andalusia, the Granada Science Park lets you see human DNA, play with a gyroscope, or experiment with light and sound in its “Perception” gallery.

We’ll guess that hearing the words “roller coaster” brings a smile to your child’s face. Spain has amusement parks to suit all tastes. The most famous is probably PortAventura World, an hour’s journey from Barcelona. This enormous complex includes the attractions of PortAventura Park (with one of Europe’s highest roller coasters), Caribe Aquatic Park, and Ferrari Land.Amusement parks in Madrid include Parque Warner, where you can see the famous Looney Tunes characters in action. A few more unusual theme parks: for example, Terra Mítica in Benidorm (dedicated to Mediterranean cultures) or Isla Mágica in Seville (a voyage to 16th-century cities, the Amazon jungle, and pirate lairs).Are you visiting in summer and looking for something cooling? Try a water park, like Siam Park (on Tenerife, Canary Islands), one of the largest and best rated in Europe, with attractions ranging from nearly vertical slides to a river ride with tropical fish, a floating market, and the world’s largest wave pool.

Would you like to see some amazing scenery? You could go to Tenerife (Canary Islands), an island full of volcanoes, including Mount Teide, the tallest mountain in Spain and the world’s third highest volcanic structure. It’s such a unique landscape, you’ll feel as if you were on the moon. You can take a cable car to the top of the mountain, go on a guided tour of the Teide Observatory and take part in astronomical activities at night. And while you’re on the island, take the chance to go on boat trip to see whales and dolphins.In different places in Spain there are also adventure parks set deep in forests. Another unusual idea? Taking an environmental cruise in Arribes del Duero Natural Park or Lake Sanabria Natural Park. At Lake Sanabria you can interact with the biologist divers of the International Biological Station and watch what happens underwater, and also enjoy a cider tasting.

Another fun way to keep the children entertained, which adults like just as much, is a trip on a tourist train. There are several in Spain, including luxury trains with trips over several days like the Transcantábrico and the Al Andalus, but we have some options which children find fascinating, with actors in character playing out scenes. They all start from Madrid and return the same day. For example, the Strawberry Train takes you to the nearby town of Aranjuez and its Royal Palace, with ladies in 19th-century costumes bringing you strawberries during the journey.There is also the Cervantes Train to Alcalá de Henares, where the trip is enlivened by actors presenting some of the most famous scenes from the famous novel Don Quixote. More options? The Philip II Train will take you to the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial with actors in costume as characters from the court of King Philip II; and the Medieval Train to Sigüenza is a fun way to discover a historic town and travel accompanied by troubadours.

What would it be like to star in a western? You can find out in Almería (Andalusia), the setting for legendary movies like “A Fistful of Dollars”, where the whole family can swagger around like cowboys in the Wild West in film-set villages, the Oasys Mini Hollywood theme park, and Fort Bravo.Would you be surprised to hear there is a whole town inside Madrid which is run by kids? This is Micropolix, a huge enclosed space where children are firefighters, journalists, musicians, and much more.Also close to Madrid are Parque Europa (with replicas of famous European buildings) and Bosque Encantado (a park with over 300 topiary sculptures). In Barcelona, Poble Espanyol has life-size copies of real buildings, streets and squares from different parts of Spain, and you can see artisans working in their workshops.