In college, I studied abroad for a semester in Madrid. I loved my time in Spain and always hoped that one day I would find my way back. Fast forward 14 years — my brother-in-law shared with us that he and his girlfriend would be spending time in Spain as a part of their year traveling the world. What better time to go back than to visit family?! It was meant to be!

In the remainder of this post, I want to share some specific details on the cities we chose to visit (Sevilla, Granada, Almuñécar, and Madrid) but first, I’d love to start with some general thoughts and tips on traveling with toddlers! At the time of our trip, our kids were 4 and 2.

General Travel Thoughts and Tips

• Expectations are everything. For example, we expected there to be hard moments — even days! — on the trip; after all, we have hard moments and days at home, in our normal routine. When the hard moments came, they didn’t feel so challenging because we were expecting them.
• Travel days are part of the experience. Travel days, especially long ones, can be really tiring for everyone. However, we have found that our kids actually *like* the travel days! Riding on an airplane is so exciting! When I shifted my perspective to include travel days as part of the experience, instead of just trying to get through them, I was able to more easily notice the small joys that are present within them.
• Take the red eye. This recommendation may not work for all families, but flying a long distance at night worked wonders for us on this trip! It always got a bit dicey right before the kids fell asleep, but once they did, we were golden. Our pediatrician recommended to give them Melatonin the first few nights in Spain, and then again when we got back home, to help their bodies more quickly adjust to the time zone change, so we started this night one on the plane! Additionally, since our kids were still so little, we brought these seat extenders that allowed them to lay more comfortably while sleeping.
• Bring that stroller! What a godsend when doing so much walking! We have a hand-me-down stroller that we use when traveling because if something happens to it, we don’t mind. Airlines allow you to check it at the gate for free.
• Balance is key. Some days were full of activities, while others had no “formal” plans on the itinerary (especially after a big travel day). We tried to keep our normal, at-home routine at least half of the travel days. Allowing time for slow mornings at the Airbnb, or long afternoons to wander and play at the park, was really important. Kids want, and need(!), time to just be kids. I feel like we nailed this balance on this trip, and I really credit how much we all enjoyed our time to this consideration.

We have been asked many times why we travel with such little kids — isn’t it stressful? Is it worth the time, effort, and resources? To us, the answer is a RESOUNDING yes! Travel fosters such wonderful independence — we have our kids pack their own little backpack full of snacks and any special treasure that they are responsible for keeping track of! Throughout the trip, there are so many opportunities to talk with flight attendants or other workers, order food, listen carefully and be responsible in a busy area, etc. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly (to us at least!), traveling fosters curiosity about the world around them — especially about other cultures, languages, climates, and places. What a gift to give our kiddos! These are things they will carry with them for the rest of their life.

And, even if they don’t remember a single minute of it, guess what? We will <3

Sevilla

We spent just under two weeks in Southern Spain, in the beginning of May. In my opinion, it was *the perfect* time of year to visit (especially if you’re from Wisconsin ;)). The weather was incredible. We flew in and out of Madrid, as there was a direct, red eye flight from Chicago. From Madrid, we took the high-speed rail to our first stop in Sevilla (little fact: Spain has the largest high-speed rail system in Europe!).

In Sevilla, we opted for an Airbnb right in the “heart” of the city so that we could easily walk to a majority of the things we wanted to see and do. Our time in the city consisted of park visits, an afternoon in Plaza de España, lots of gelato, another afternoon in the Triana neighborhood and at its big mercado, and many (many) stops at all of the fountains sprinkled throughout the city. We even found a plaza that had some lovely restaurants and a fountain, which was a *dream* as we were able to eat and drink slowly while the kids played near the fountain; I don’t know the name of the plaza but it was by “Joaquin Romero Murube.” We loved Sevilla SO much!

Granada

Our second stop of the trip was Granada; we tried to spend about three nights in each city so that it didn’t feel like we were on the move all the time. Highlights from Granada included a visit to Alhambra*, an afternoon at a Turkish Hammam (Maison), a day hike in the Sierra Nevadas (Caleb), and a Flamenco show. It was nice to have a bit of alone time during this portion of the trip — something we have never done before while traveling with the kids but will certainly continue!

Our Airbnb was really close to both Federico García Lorca Park and a metro stop. Though I didn’t necessarily love the neighborhood we were in, I remember it was a cost-effective choice. The proximity to the metro stop was extremely convenient, and we spent a lot of “down time” with the kids at the park (it’s huge!).

*Visiting Alhambra was a bit challenging with active kiddos — there are signs everywhere that say “Do not touch!” 😉 Despite this, I would still highly recommend visiting. It is an INCREDIBLE site. Be sure to buy your tickets well in advance of your trip as they do sell out!

Almuñécar

It was very important to me that one of our stays was somewhere with room to “breathe”: slower pace, walkable, opportunities to be in nature, etc. We knew we wanted to spend time on the coast as well, so putting these two things together brought us to Almuñécar! I am so, SO happy we spent time in this beautiful little beach town.

From Granada, we took a bus to Almuñécar since the high-speed rail doesn’t go there. The city is VERY hilly and not stroller friendly, so this may be something to consider. We chose an Airbnb that was close to the beach, so our kids did okay walking (especially on the way down) or we carried them (on the way up). It was a good workout for mom and dad 🙂 We spent most of our time in Almuñécar at the beach where the kids loved playing in the water.

The highlight of the trip, by FAR, was helping my brother-in-law plan to propose to his girlfriend while there. We posed the proposal as wanting our own family photos on the beach at sunset, and being willing to take photos of them in return! Everyone got dressed up for pictures, we headed to the beach, and the plan went off without a hitch. She had NO idea!!!! Afterwards, we went to a quiet beach-side restaurant to celebrate and I kept thinking what a truly perfect and magical night we shared that none of us would ever forget <3

Madrid

From Almuñécar, we took a bus to Málaga, and then the train back to Madrid. We decided to spend one full day together, just our family, before heading home. This also gave the kids a break from traveling after the bus and train, and before the long plane ride back. I’m really glad we ended the trip this way. It was so nostalgic to be back in Madrid, and to share some of my favorite places with Caleb and the kids! We did a lot of walking, metro riding, fountain chasing, and gelato eating in Madrid! The kids loved Retiro Park, as well as the park at Plaza de España!

I hope this post was interesting, and helpful! I highly recommend Spain as a wonderful destination to travel to with young kids. For the sake of readability, I tried to keep my city descriptions as succinct as possible, however if you have any more detailed or specific questions about our trip, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and I will be happy to answer!

For more travel posts, read about our recent trips to Iceland (sans kids), and Guatemala (with kids)!