Costa Blanca · Spain♡

Benidorm

Very good

Weather GloriousThings Loads onBeach Great

A high-rise Costa Blanca resort with two Blue Flag fine-sand bays, big theme parks and a famously lively, party-flavoured front.

ConQuiet is hard to find

Mallorca · Spain♡

Port d'Alcúdia

Very good

Beach Top-tierWalking Buggy-easyWeather Glorious

A 10km Blue Flag sandy bay on Mallorca's north coast, with calm shallow water and a packed resort strip behind it.

ConBuilt-up resort setting

Algarve · Portugal♡

Lagos

Outstanding

Beach Top-tierWeather WarmThings Good range

A walled Algarve town of cobbled lanes and golden sandstone cliffs, fronting some of Portugal's most photographed coves and beaches.

ConLively, not restful

Catalonia · Spain♡

Barcelona

Outstanding

Things Loads onWeather WarmCity Great

Gaudí, the Gothic Quarter and nine Blue Flag city beaches with a long seafront promenade - the iconic city-and-beach break, about 25 minutes from the airport.

ConFull-on big-city intensity - hillier than flat Valencia, with proper big-city air.

Costa Dorada · Spain♡

Cambrils

Very good

Walking Easy goingWeather WarmBeach Great

A Costa Dorada beach resort with 9 km of Blue Flag golden sand, a working fishing port and 150-plus restaurants.

ConA built-up resort coast

Costa del Sol · Spain♡

Fuengirola

Very good

Weather GloriousWalking Buggy-easyBeach Great

A big, busy Costa del Sol resort town with 7km of Blue Flag sand and Spain's longest seafront promenade running the whole length.

ConBusy and built-up

Costa Blanca · Spain♡

Calpe

Very good

Beach Top-tierWeather GloriousWalking Some effort

A Costa Blanca beach town of 30,000, framed by the 332m Peñon de Ifach rock rising straight out of the bay.

ConQuiet, mild winters

Algarve · Portugal♡

Albufeira Old Town

Very good

Things Loads onWeather WarmBeach Great

The walkable old-town heart of the Algarve's biggest resort - the most to do anywhere on the coast.

ConBusy, hilly streets - and the Strip's nightlife is a short ride east.

Mallorca · Spain♡

Port de Pollença

Very good

Weather GloriousWalking Easy goingThings Good range

A sandy horseshoe-bay resort in north Mallorca, with calm shallow water under the Tramuntana mountains and Formentor headland.

ConBusy in summer

Costa del Sol · Spain♡

Benalmádena

Very good

Weather GloriousThings Loads onBeach Great

A developed Costa del Sol resort built around a marina, with 10 km of Blue Flag sandy beaches and a 20-minute transfer from Malaga.

ConCool, quiet winters

Algarve · Portugal♡

Praia da Rocha

Very good

Beach GreatWeather WarmWalking Easy going

A big Algarve resort beach: over a kilometre of golden sand under honey-coloured cliffs, with a lively boardwalk of bars and shops right behind it.

ConBusy and lively, not restful

Valencia · Spain♡

Valencia

Very good

Things Loads onWeather GloriousWalking Some effort

Spain's most family-friendly city break: Europe's largest aquarium, a 9km car-free park along the old riverbed, a walkable old town and a Blue Flag city beach.

ConA lively city, not a beach fortnight, and hot at the peak of summer.

Costa del Sol · Spain♡

Torremolinos

Very good

Weather GloriousThings Good rangeBeach Great

A 7 km Blue Flag sand strip on the Costa del Sol, 15 minutes from Malaga airport, with everything packed right behind it.

ConA busy resort strip, not a pretty old town

Algarve · Portugal♡

Praia da Falésia

Very good

Beach Top-tierWeather WarmWalking Hard going

A 6 km golden-sand beach under 40-metre ochre sandstone cliffs on the Algarve, with a clifftop trail running its full length.

ConLittle local character

Venetian Riviera · Italy♡

Lido di Jesolo

Very good

Weather WarmWalking Easy goingBeach Great

Italy's purpose-built family lido - flat golden sand, calm shallow sea and a huge attraction stack near Venice.

ConA dense, buzzing strip all summer - a trade-off if you want a quiet base.

Costa Dorada · Spain♡

Salou

Very good

Walking Buggy-easyWeather WarmThings Good range

A lively Costa Dorada package resort built around long golden-sand beaches, a palm-lined promenade and PortAventura next door.

ConCommercialised and built-up

Algarve · Portugal♡

Olhos de Água

Very good

Weather WarmWalking Easy goingBeach Great

Sheltered cove and surviving fishing-village charm on the eastern Albufeira coast.

ConThe beach is down a flight of cliff steps.

Algarve · Portugal♡

Vilamoura

Very good

Walking Easy goingWeather WarmThings Good range

A purpose-built Algarve beach resort built around one of Europe's largest marinas, with Blue Flag golden sand right behind it.

ConManufactured resort, not an old town

Algarve · Portugal♡

Praia da Luz

Very good

Walking Easy goingWeather WarmBeach Great

Calm west-Algarve bay with a flat seafront - easy-going with younger children.

ConSleepy after dark - older kids and teens may find it quiet.

Tenerife · Spain♡

Costa Adeje

Very good

Weather GloriousBeach GreatThings Good range

A polished south-Tenerife beach resort with Blue Flag sand, a 10km seafront promenade and a clinic close by.

ConA busy, built-up resort strip

Algarve · Portugal♡

Carvoeiro

Very good

Weather WarmBeach DecentThings A handful

A compact Algarve cove town built around one sheltered, family-friendly beach, framed by limestone cliffs and Algar Seco rock arches.

ConSummer evenings fill the square

Algarve · Portugal♡

Alvor

Very good

Walking Easy goingWeather WarmBeach Great

A whitewashed Algarve fishing town with a multi-kilometre sand beach, an estuary nature reserve, and a quiet, unhurried pace.

ConTown stays low-key

Gran Canaria · Spain♡

Maspalomas

Very good

Beach Top-tierWeather GloriousThings Good range

A big, busy resort on Gran Canaria's southern tip, fronted by 6km of golden sand and a 400-hectare protected dune reserve.

ConLow-key after dark

Lanzarote · Spain♡

Puerto del Carmen

Very good

Weather WarmWalking Easy goingThings Good range

A purpose-built Lanzarote beach resort: 6km of golden Blue Flag sand, a packed promenade of restaurants, and a 15-minute transfer.

ConA resort strip, light on local character

Lake Garda · Italy♡

Bardolino

Very good

Walking Buggy-easyWeather GloriousThings Good range

An easy-going wine town on Lake Garda's flat eastern shore, with a lungolago promenade and the lake's big theme parks close by.

ConThe lake is cool for swimming outside high summer, and the shore is pebble, not sand.

Dordogne · France♡

Sarlat & the Dordogne

Very good

Countryside Top-tierWeather GloriousWalking Hard going

The Périgord Noir by car: a golden medieval town, the Dordogne valley, châteaux and prehistoric caves - slow countryside days for families.

ConYou need a hire car, and built attractions on the doorstep are few.

Lanzarote · Spain♡

Costa Teguise

Good

Walking Easy goingWeather WarmBeach Decent

A purpose-built resort on Lanzarote's east coast: sandy bay beaches, a seafront promenade, and a 20-minute hop from the airport.

ConBuilt for tourism, not steeped in it

Fuerteventura · Spain♡

Corralejo

Good

Beach Top-tierWeather WarmWalking Easy going

A north-Fuerteventura beach town behind 8 km of white sand dunes, with a long strip of bars, shops and water sports.

ConHospital is a drive away

Algarve · Portugal♡

Armação de Pêra

Good

Walking Buggy-easyWeather WarmBeach Decent

A family beach resort on the central Algarve, built around a long sandy bay with calm, shallow water and a café-lined promenade.

ConAn ordinary resort feel

Lanzarote · Spain♡

Playa Blanca, Lanzarote

Good

Weather WarmWalking Easy goingBeach Decent

A purpose-built resort on Lanzarote's south coast with three calm, Blue Flag sandy beaches and a long seafront promenade.

ConBuilt-for-tourism, not a real town

Tenerife · Spain♡

Los Cristianos

Good

Weather GloriousThings Good rangeBeach Decent

A built-up south Tenerife beach resort with golden imported sand, a shallow gentle bay, and a working fishing harbour.

ConLively front, not a hideaway

French Alps · France♡

Morzine

Good

Things Good rangeMountain GreatWeather Mixed

A summer Alpine valley town in the Portes du Soleil: open chairlifts, a summer luge, mountain lakes to swim in and meadow walks, about 90 minutes from Geneva.

ConA winding ~90-minute transfer from Geneva, and much of the resort sleeps between the ski and summer seasons.

Mallorca · Spain♡

Cala d'Or

Good

Weather GloriousBeach DecentWalking Some effort

A cluster of small sandy coves on Majorca's southeast coast, ringed by pine, low whitewashed houses and a busy marina.

ConHospital is a drive away

Algarve · Portugal♡

Salema

Good

Walking Buggy-easyBeach GreatWeather Warm

A tiny Algarve fishing village with a Blue Flag golden-sand beach, calm shallow water, and limestone cliffs at both ends.

ConSmall and quiet after dark

Algarve · Portugal♡

Galé

Good

Weather WarmBeach DecentThings A handful

A quiet Blue Flag beach resort west of Albufeira: nearly 8 km of golden sand, orange sandstone cliffs and tide pools.

ConVery quiet after dark

Fuerteventura · Spain♡

Caleta de Fuste

Good

Walking Buggy-easyWeather WarmBeach Decent

A purpose-built Fuerteventura beach resort with a sheltered, child-safe bay and the airport just 10 minutes down the road.

ConThin on soul

Gran Canaria · Spain♡

Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria

Fair

Weather GloriousBeach DecentThings A handful

A busy, fully built-up Gran Canaria beach resort wrapped around a sheltered 280m golden-sand bay, warm every month of the year.

ConBuilt for tourism, not soul

Tenerife · Spain♡

Puerto de la Cruz

Fair

Weather GloriousThings Good rangeWalking Hard going

A lived-in old fishing town on Tenerife's green north coast, built around black-sand beaches, Manrique seafront pools and Loro Parque.

ConBusy and lively at the centre

Fuerteventura · Spain♡

Morro Jable & Jandía

Fair

Beach Top-tierWeather WarmWalking Easy going

Fuerteventura's great Blue Flag beach with a real town of shops and restaurants behind it.

ConThe old-town end climbs a steep coastal barranco off the seafront.

Venetian Riviera · Italy♡Not yet scored

Bibione

Not yet scored

One of the Adriatic's biggest flat, gently shelving family beaches, pedestrianised, with a thermal spa.

ConPurpose-built resort sprawl and the longest transfer of the Venetian beaches.

Venetian Riviera · Italy♡Not yet scored

Caorle

Not yet scored

A genuine old fishing town with a colourful historic centre on the sea, plus a pair of long sandy family beaches.

ConAbout an hour from Venice airport, and packed through August.

Venetian Riviera · Italy♡Not yet scored

Cavallino-Treporti

Not yet scored

A long pine-backed Adriatic beach just across the water from Jesolo, with Europe's biggest cluster of family holiday villages and a boat straight to Venice.

ConCampsite-and-holiday-village country, spread out rather than a walkable town.

Venetian Riviera · Italy♡Not yet scored

Eraclea Mare

Not yet scored

Jesolo's quiet neighbour: a calm, pine-fringed family beach with a nature reserve behind it.

ConSleepy, with little to do on a rainy day.

Algarve · Portugal♡Not yet scored

Meia Praia

Not yet scored

Four kilometres of flat sand and a short hop into Lagos old town.

ConExposed and breezy on windier days.

Cyclades · Greece♡Not yet scored

Naxos

Not yet scored

The Cyclades' family island: shallow, calm Agios Georgios beach walkable from a real medieval harbour town, with miles of quieter sand at Plaka beyond.

ConNo direct UK flights - it's a ferry from Mykonos, Santorini or Athens, and the big package operators don't go.

Algarve · Portugal♡Not yet scored

Praia da Oura / The Strip

Not yet scored

Walkable to everything, but this is the bar-and-strip end of Albufeira.

ConRowdy at night; not for light sleepers with little ones.