RVing with kids in Spain
We have fallen hard for Spain. It is absolutely perfect for RVing with kids! If you still have doubts about where to go in Europe, read on and let me know if you’re next destination is Spain 🙂
What to expect in Spain?
When RVing in Spain, you’ll find:
- beautiful cities like Barcelona, Sevilla, and Granada
- lots of sunny days (Spain is perfect for spending the cold winter months)
- spectacular beaches, mountains, and national parks
- churches, basilicas, and castles
- the work from famous artists like Picasso, DalĂ and MirĂł
- super delicious food (tapas and paella!)
- and marvellous wines
On top of this all, Spanish people are super friendly and they looooove kids!
Best time to RV in Spain
In theory, you can travel in Spain all year round. However, during July and August, temperatures rise up to 35+ degrees (95 ÂşF). It can be extremely hot, so keep this in mind when you plan your travels.
Spain is perfect for the winter months, though. During the off-season, it is lovely at the coast of AndalucĂa (e.g. Costa de AlmerĂa, Costa Tropical, and Costa del Sol). We have spent two winters in Spain (2015-2016 and 2017-2018). When we were near AlmerĂa from halfway January until the end of February, we had a comfortable 15 to 20 degrees in the afternoon. At the end of February, temperatures even reached 25 degrees during the afternoon.
Although it was chilly in the night, there was almost no rain. In 2016, we had days with lots of wind, though. We heard from other RVers that this was unusual. So maybe it was just bad luck.
In December and January, it can be very cold in the North and Middle part of Spain, so stay South.
Read more about the best time to visit Spain here.
Can I drive in an RV in Spain?
Other (wannabe) RVers ask us regularly if they could drive easily with a (big) RV in Spain. Our answer: yes, you can. The highways and national roads are suitable for large vehicles. The smaller roads can be hard for large RVs, so be aware of this when you navigate to your next stop.
We traveled with a large RV of over 8 meters long and we always checked the campsite before arrival if it was accessible for a big vehicle. I recommend you do this as well, as we got quite a few refusals.
We now travel with an RV of 6 meters and we haven’t had any troubles driving around and finding suitable places to stay.
Highways in Spain
In Spain, there are two kinds of highways: the so-called autopistas and autovĂas. Both are perfectly fine highways, but there are some differences:
- autopistas: some require toll money and there are fewer facilities, so you need to be aware that there can be miles and miles without a gas station. You roads are signaled with the letters ‘AP’.
- autovĂas: no toll required, most often more crowded than autopistas and more facilities along the road. These roads are called ‘A’ roads.
The good news is that there are never traffic jams on the Spanish highways.
Boondocking in Spain
Hooray for free camping! We love it and in Spain, there are like a zillion places you can stay for free. Beautiful places, but with no facilities, so your RV needs to be (partly) self-sufficient. See more about this in my post about free camping in Europe.
We use the app Park4Night almost every day, so I highly recommend this app if you want to free camp. We don’t have experience with this, but we hear lots of positive words about España Discovery.
Our favorite places in Spain for free camping are:
- Aldea Beach
- Playa del Penon Blanco
- Playa De La Muralla
- Playa de Islantilla
Campsites in Spain
We use Great Little Campsites and CampingCard for finding campsites.
We have stayed at approximately 20 campsites in Spain (and the counter is still ticking). Of course, we favor some of these as they were best fitting our needs (like decent WiFi, child-friendly and cheap).
These are our favorite campsites:
- Camping Maz Azul near Balerma (Andalusia)
- Camping Haro near Haro (La Rioja)
- Camping La Garrofa near Adra (Andalusia)
As we are constantly on the road, and also traveling in Spain in 2017-2018, I will continue to add our approved campsites and free camping spots to this list.
Internet in Spain
For location independent families, the number one question is: how’s the WiFi?
There are numerous ways of getting internet into your RV when traveling Europe. You can read about this here.
Click on the image to read more about how to get internet when RVing in Europe
And if you have any questions about RVing with your kids in Spain or about a particular campsite or boondocking site, don’t hesitate to ask! I’m happy to help you 🙂
This blog post was updated on 15th of February 2018.
