Spain with kids: Visit the best places in gorgeous Andalucia

So many families visit Spain with kids and we know why. It is very family friendly with mountains, cities, beaches, white washed towns and so much to do.

The south of Spain has long been a favourite of ours for winter sun escapes with (and even pre-) the kids. In fact we just returned from another great week there in February 2026!

This is our guide to the best places to visit in Andalucia with the kids in tow!

Spain with kids: How to get there and the best time to visit Andalucia

With cheap flights in and out of Malaga, and a host of towns to visit and beaches to enjoy within an hour either side of the airport, each time we go we discover and enjoy something different. Even in school holidays, if you book early enough and are flexible you can get 4 flights with luggage for under £500. We’ve also seen great deals to Almeria from the North West, Seville and Granada (from London) so there are plenty of options.

We often visit Spain as a family in winter, and we been on the beach in both December and February (even in the sea)! If you are lucky you will enjoy some half decent daytime weather hovering around 20/22 C in February, but don’t forget your jumper and jeans for the evenings. It’s a great temperature for hiking and exploring the greener side to Spain. From April to October you can guarantee a whole lot of sun and a low chance of rain.

The other thing we love about Spain is how family-friendly it is. There is so much to do in Southern Spain with kids. We usually stumble across some family event in the towns we are in, whether it is a procession for carnival, face painting, balloon modelling, or street entertainers and we are always welcomed to join in.

Here’s our favourite family favourite places to see and stay on the Costa del Sol. There’s also a more detailed guide to the Costa de la Luz and our campervan adventures here. Or if you are visiting Granada, be prepared for the Alhambra with our practical guide here or our blog on the best things to do with kids in Granada, Spain.

Nerja: the best beaches and meandering streets

Nerja has always been one of our favourite towns to both stay and visit when we are in Spain with the kids. It is a beautiful place of narrow cobbled streets filled with local eateries, shops and bars around the old town, plenty of apartments to rent (we always opt for apartment over hotel in Nerja), one long beautiful beach and several smaller coves.

Playa Burriana is the standout beach here. It is both long and wide and perfect for families with a gradual slope into the sea, playgrounds on the sand, and a promenade with shops and restaurants for takeaway pizzas, sandwiches, ice creams etc. And during the winter months it is not at all busy! Parking is free is you manage to grab a space or there is a multistorey just set back from the coast if it is busier.

The walk down to the beach is quite steep, mostly noticed when you try to push a pushchair back up at the end of the day, but there is also plenty of parking there is you choose to skip the walk. Burriana beach to the old town is a good 15 minute walk (including the hill) and the main feature of the town is the Balcon de Europa, a square that juts out over the sea giving amazing views of the coastline. From here there are shops and restaurants a plenty, including some very traditional tapas bars.

If you don’t want to walk from the beach to the town, then drive to Balcon de Europa car park. It’s a couple of euros per hour but you’ll come out right in the centre. Great for little legs (and there’s even toilets in the car park) – just watch out for the huge array of ice creams on offer in the square!

Our favourite Nerja restaurant is El Redondo which gives free small tapas with each drink, is family friendly, and additional tapas is reasonable and delicious. The kids did so well trying so many different tapas.
 

The main non-beach attraction of Nerja is the Cuevas de Nerja (the caves) which I would whole-heartedly recommend. I was a little sceptical before our visit, but we spent a full morning there and the caves are enormous, much bigger than my expectations. There are several main caverns to explore, and when you are finished inside, there is a lovely playground for picnics and a play. The photos do not do this place justice, it massively surpassed my expectations. Entry is around £15 or you can get a family group ticket for £50.

Nerja is an easy 45-60 minute drive from the airport and you’ll find plenty of reasonably priced apartments on air bnb or booking.com.
 

Frigiliana: Mountain town for train and tapas

Frigiliana is a town that lies about 15 minutes inland from Nerja and is a favourite of ours for a late afternoon mooch around and a cerveza. There is a bus from Nerja, or if your have a car then drive the windy road up high into the hills and park in the main square. Once again, there are several cafes and restaurants for refreshments, a park, a main square with some incredible views back down towards the coast, and even a little train that costs a couple of ££ for a little tour of this town.

Benalmadena: A family hang out

Back towards Malaga and to the West of the airport, beyond the manic tourist town of Torremolinos, is the port town of Benalmadena. This offers a good balance of quaintness, family-friendly activities and a bit of tourist atmosphere.

The town is built around the marina where boat spotting always goes down a treat and you can spend your evenings walking all around the marina with restaurants and shops lining the walkways. There is also a long beach, one either side of the marina, which again are gently sloping and perfect for young children whether it’s a calm sea day or with a bit of winter surf for wave jumping. There’s plenty of restaurants and chiringuitos along the front and don’t miss out on the espetos – sardines on a skewer and a speciality around Malaga.

There are also several attractions here is the weather isn’t on your side which is part of the pull to this town in the winter months. There’s a sealife centre and a butterfly park for indoor wet days, and a beautiful parque de palomas with wild birds and a beast of a playground when it’s maybe not hot enough for the beach. All these attractions means there is so much to do all year in Spain with kids.

Whilst there are more hotels here than in Nerja, we always opt for an apartment or villa rental, and stock up at the local supermarkets with Mercadona, Lidl and Aldi all in the town. Benalmadena is also only 15-20 minutes from Malaga airport.

There is also Benalmadena old town, set 10 minutes drive back from the coast which is definitely worth an explore and enjoy an evening meal at one of the beautiful restaurants here. You’ll find more traditional local food in the old town compared to the coastal ones.

There is a train line for easy non-car exploration and it stops at all the smaller towns along the coast on it’s way to Malaga which is another good city to explore if the weather isn’t delivering on the beach front.

Mijas: beautiful mountain views and white washed streets

Mijas is a beautiful charming town, once again up in the hills and the drive to get there is stunning, if not windy. There is a bus from the coast, and driving is around 25 minutes from Benalmadena. Once you arrive there is plenty of mooching around to be down. You’ll have stunning views of the hills down to the sea again, and the streets are lined with ceramic tiles, colourful flowers and painted houses which brings a happy character to this place. Definitely enjoy a drink whilst taking in the views.

Estepona: an upmarket town, without the influencer tag of Marbella

Moving further west towards Marbella is the small town of Estepona which is definitely our preference over the beach club scene of celeb Marbella. Again the beach is long and wide with restaurants and beach bars (chiringuitos) lining the coast, and play areas for the kids to enjoy.

Malaga: A city break with or without the kids

Malaga is a great family city – or a city break to escape without the kids. It offers culture, art, history and attractions just like so many other places, which make Spain with kids so great.

The Picasso museum, waterfront and Pompidou museum are all worthy of your time. There’s also Malaga beach if you need space for some running around and playing after the art has worn thin for the kids.

Parking is easy if you are driving in, and the streets in the oldest part of town around the cathedral are perfect for just adventuring and exploring. You’ll find several parks and squares for people watching or playground fun.

One of the main attractions of Malaga city is the Alcazaba – very similar but smaller than the Alhambra in Granada.

You can opt for the fort or the Alcazaba alone, with the walk to the fort being the highest of the two structures you can see from all around. We opted just for the Alcazaba (entrance 7 euros, and 3.5 euros for kids, under 3s free), and spent a good 2 hours in there exploring with the kids leading the way. There’s some great view, ornate stonework and narrow passages to explore. We didn’t pre-book but the queue was only 10 minutes.

Other places you can visit from this area if you have the time and the inclination are listed below. You may have guessed that we love to visit Spain with kids and think it is such an easy family friendly destination.

Marbella – 1 hour from Malaga Airport

Granada – 1.5 hours from Nerja and we recommend 2 days here if the Alhambra is on your list.

Gibraltar – 1.5 hours from Malaga Airport

Seville – 2 hours from Malaga Airport

Ronda – 1 hour from Malaga airport

The costa de la Luz – the best Spanish beaches – 2 hours from Malaga airport