(Tip!) Costa Brava with kids: 10x things to do with the family!

Costa Brava with kids: 10x things to do with the family!

Every year thousands of families go to the Costa Brava with kids. You have several popular resorts here, fun water parks and plenty to do in the area for kids. In short, you can have a great vacation here in the summer months with the family. The Costa Brava covers the area from the resort of Portbou in the north to the resort of Blanes in the south. We list the best activities on the Costa Brava with kids below.

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Costa Brava with kids: fun seaside resorts

Most families visit the Costa Brava because of the nice weather in the summer months and the beaches. You have a number of well-known seaside resorts on the Costa Brava that are fun to visit for a day. We list some of them below.

#1 Tossa de Mar: this is a family-friendly resort, where it is a lot quieter than many other resorts around it. Tossa de Mar is located in a beautiful bay and at the end of the beach there is also a medieval castle on the mountain. Tossa de Mar is also sometimes regarded as the most beautiful town on the Costa Brava, because of its beautiful white beach and the lovely old town center. The town also has old city walls and several buildings in the center that are worth seeing. You can walk straight from the old town to the beach, making for a great day out in this resort with the family!

#2 L’Estartit: This is another fairly quiet resort on the Costa Brava with a wide beach. The resort has no less than three different beaches that are also quite different from each other. The busiest beach is Platja Grande, which actually has all the amenities on the beach, such as beds, umbrellas, showers and a first aid. This beach faces the Medes Islands, giving you a great view of this beach. The other two beaches in L’estartit (Els Griells and La Pletera) have a lot fewer amenities and are therefore a lot quieter. So there is something for everyone here.

The Medes Islands are very popular with people who enjoy diving and snorkeling, as there is a fair amount of coral and many different fish to admire. You can easily book a family snorkeling tour from L’Estartit. In addition, near L’Estartit is the largest water park in Europe, which we will discuss in more detail later in this blog.

#3 Blanes: This fishing village is also known as one of the best family destinations on the Costa Brava. For example, the village has plenty of playgrounds, has a long beach promenade where there is plenty to do, and seventy restaurants in Blanes have a family certificate that they get if, for example, they offer a children’s menu and have high chairs in the establishment. Blanes’ various beaches are generally very suitable for kids with calm waters and plenty of amenities.

You can also hike from Blanes to the castle of San Juan on the mountain, where you will have a beautiful view of the surroundings. In addition, Blanes also has very beautiful botanical gardens such as Marimurta, Pinya de Rosa and Santa Clotilde, the former being one of the Costa Brava’s best-visited attractions.

#4 Lloret de Mar: we know this resort mainly from the place where Dutch young people go to party en masse, and you should definitely not go here as a family if you like peace and quiet. You have plenty of Dutch restaurants here with simple names like Friet van Piet and Patathuis de Koe. You understand that you should go here especially if you like conviviality. We always find this kind of place very pleasant for a day and can have a great time on the promenade and on the beach. Lloret de Mar also has two castles you can visit with your kids (Castell Sant Joan and Castell d’en Plaja).

Costa Brava with kids: water parks

You can go to a number of fun water parks on the Costa Brava with kids. We list the region’s biggest and most fun water parks below.

#5 Waterworld: this is the largest water park in Europe and has no less than twenty spectacular slides. Located in the resort of Lloret de Mar, the water park has enough slides for both young and older kids to have a great day of family fun here. In addition to the fast slides, the water park also has several pools for small kids with different play equipment in the pool. The water park has a family pass that provides discounted admission for families. Just keep in mind that wait times at the slides can be very long during the summer months. For more information about this water park, click on the blue link.

#6 Aquapark Aquabrava: Also at this water park on the Costa Brava with kids you can have a great day with the various slides. The water park is located near the town of Roses and has some more pools where things are more relaxed. For example, the water park has a lazyriver (Rio Tranquillo) for kids, a relaxation pool and also several pools with slides designed mainly for young children. At this water park, keep in mind that you are not allowed to bring food and drinks and that bags are carefully checked at the entrance.

#7 Aquadiver: this water park is located near the town of Platja d’Aro and this water park also has plenty to offer in terms of fun for both young and older kids. While this park is a lot smaller than the other two, there is still plenty to do. Keep in mind to bring your flip-flops as the ground can be very hot and slippery at the water park. You should also keep in mind that you have to pay for a lounger at the water park.

Costa Brava with kids #8: day trip to barcelona

When we visited the Costa Brava, trips to Barcelona were offered everywhere. If you visit the Costa Brava yourself by car or rental car, it’s even easier and in many cases you can drive to Barcelona in an hour. Barcelona, of course, is a big beautiful city, where you can easily spend a whole day with the family.

For example, you have some of Barcelona’s famous sights such as the Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell and the Ramblas that are fun to visit. You also have several fun parks, which are great for kids. When we went to Barcelona the first time from the Costa Brava, we took the Hop on Hop off bus to still get a quick impression of a city.

In addition, the city has several fun museums for children, it has an amusement park and a zoo and you will make a lot of kids who love soccer very happy with a stadium tour in the stadium of soccer club Barcelona. We already wrote about the city in the blog Barcelona with kids with more than 20 fun activities in the city.

Costa Brava with kids: Parks for kids

There are a number of other fun parks where you can spend a day on the Costa Brava with kids. We list them below.

#9 Adventure Parc Costa Brava: you can also go tree climbing on the Costa Brava with kids. You can go climbing with kids at two places on the Costa Brava with this organization. For example, there is a climbing park at Platja D’Aro and a climbing park at Pals. You have different colors of courses for different lengths at both climbing parks.

Kids as young as three can climb at this climbing park and can then climb a course that is one meter above the ground. This allows parents to help the kids. The most difficult courses are at ten meters and here you must have a height of at least 150 cm. From a height of 120 cm, kids can already complete several courses in these climbing parks.

#10 Gnomopark: this park focuses entirely on young kids. Gnomopark is located on the main road from the resort of Blanes to the resort of Lloret de Mar. You can park your car in front of the door for free. There are different sections in the park, which you also have to pay for separately.

So you can buy a ticket for the children’s section. This consists of a mini disco, indoor playground, a water park, a slide, climbing equipment and some bouncy castles. Then you also have trampolines, a miniature golf course and one with an inflatable tire, which you can pay for separately. There is also another separate climbing forest (Troll Avontura). So check carefully in advance what you want to do with kids here at this Costa Brava park and then choose a package.

#11 PortAventura World: if you really want to go to a big amusement park with kids, you have to drive a bit for this. You can then choose to go here for a few days, as there is enough entertainment here for several days. Located near the resort of Salou, this amusement park has not only a large amusement park, but also a water park (Caribe Aquatic Parc) and a park dedicated to car brand Ferrari (Ferrari Land).

In the PortAvontura amusement park you have different areas and in this you have both areas for young and older kids. For example, there is a section dedicated to Sesame Street, where the attractions are entirely for kids up to about eight years old. But you also have a section (China) dedicated to very spectacular attractions that are sure to please adolescents. This way there is something for everyone and if you really want to see the whole amusement park at your leisure with all the shows that are there then especially in the summer months when it is busy one day is not enough.

Also for the water park with more than ten slides, you can easily set aside a day to visit it. It also has an indoor pool, so you can come here even with less weather. Ferrariland is a small park and for the price you have to pay, it is far too expensive. You can see this park in three hours, provided the lines at some attractions are not too long.

Costa Brava with kids: other activities

In addition to the eleven activities described above, there are a number of other activities you can do on the Costa Brava with kids. We briefly name them below.

#12 Butterfly Park Empuriabrava: if you want to get into nature on the Costa Brava with kids, this small butterfly garden is an option to visit during your vacation. There are beautiful butterflies, parrots, wallabies, bats and toucans. Most of the animals are not really human-shy and this allows you to get close to them. The parrots come and sit on you, and of course you can take fun pictures with your kids this way. Expect to walk around this garden for about an hour.

If you love nature and hiking, you can also walk part of the Camino de Ronde hiking route on the Costa Brava with kids. This is a hiking trail no less than 583 kilometers long. If you are interested in this, read the blog Camino de Ronda, which describes part of the route.

#13 Dali Museum: if you want to visit a museum on the Costa Brava with kids too, this is a good option. You have in the museum besides different paintings, several funny artworks such as different faces. Your kids obviously have to like this kind of museum, otherwise you can skip this one. Expect to spend about an hour to two hours walking around the museum with kids. By the way, kids up to seven years old do not pay admission to the museum.

#14 Rose Express train: you can also see the area on the Costa Brava with kids in a little train. The tourist train runs five different routes on the Costa Brava, and you have beautiful views of the surrounding area during the train ride. See which ride is close to your hotel and check in advance exactly what area it passes through. In general, kids really enjoy being transported in a train.

Where to stay on the Costa Brava with kids?

You can stay at the Costa Brava with kids just fine. We have selected well-reviewed hotels in three popular resorts among families in the different price ranges.

Tossa de Mar:

Budget hotel: Hostal Can Tort

Middle class accommodation: Camping Cala Llevado

Luxury hotel: Hotel Diana

For all accommodations in Tossa de Mar, take a look here.

L’Estartit:

Budget hotel: Fonda Can Dalfo by Vivere Stays

Mid-range hotel: Hotel Panorama

Luxury hotel: Hotel & Diving Les Illes

For all accommodations in L’Estartit, take a look here.

Lloret de Mar:

Budget hotel: Aparthotel Costa Encantada