The 10 best holidays for families with babies and toddlers

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20 hours ago

Beach holidays are my favourite choice for young families: the pleasures are simple, the equipment minimal, and the hassle level is low.
But not all destinations are created equal. When travelling with babies and toddlers, it is wise to stick to short-haul flights, and choose villas or hotels that are geared up for families: with high chairs, cots, push-chairs, and even childcare provided, parents may actually have a chance to relax.
Choosing the right beach is another key to avoiding holiday disaster. I can remember a frustrating trip to Miami with my toddler daughter, whose enthusiasm for the giant Atlantic waves was alarming; far better was my toddler son's sojourn to the sleepy lapping Mediterranean waters of a Puglian bay.
While Croatia is a marvellous family destination, I've left its spectacular shingle beaches off this list for young families; save Croatia's coast for when the kids are a bit older and don't put rocks in their mouths. Head instead to the sandy expanses of the best beaches in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece or Turkey, where we've selected shallow, relatively calm waters that will allow the youngest visitors to explore. Parents, if you're lucky, you may even have a moment or two to relax, too.
The dazzlingly bright southern coast of Portugal is among the more dramatic stretches of beach on this list: along with child-friendly golden sand, you'll encounter soaring limestone cliffs, caves, grottoes and arches. Stick to the Algarve's eastern end, if you're looking for gentler and warmer waters, along with more sheltered areas that are perfect for young children.
On the quiet eastern side of the Algarve, Praia do Barril has plenty of attractions for toddlers. First, there is the miniature train which takes you there: eight minutes or so across the bird-filled marshland and out to the island (Ilha de Tavira) where the beach is located.
Then, at the entrance of the beach, there is a beautiful anchor graveyard, an installation of hundreds of rusty anchors arranged in neat rows as a memorial to the tuna-fishing industry, which once thrived in this part of the Algarve.
The beach is well-maintained and the former fishing facilities along it have been converted into restaurants, shops and cafés. The Atlantic seems warmer here than anywhere else, making it good for toddlers' toes. Do note that the westernmost side of the large Praia do Barril is home to a naturist beach.
Jet2holidays offers a variety of hotels with swimming pools within four or five kilometres of this stunning beach; from £1,362 for a week, including flights and rooms for two adults and a child under two.
The main draw for people with young children to this stretch of sand is the supremely child-focused Martinhal Sagres Family Beach Resort, comprising hotel room accommodation, villas, apartments and houses.
The sprawling campus, set in a park overlooking the sea, offers activities and facilities including trampolines, excellent restaurants, a crèche for children from six months old, plenty of childcare and pre-booking of all necessary equipment.
Martinhal Sagres Beach Family Resort offers villas, hotel rooms, and plenty of childcare from £583 per night.
The Balearic islands are surrounded by stunning beaches, but Spain also boasts the lively resorts of Andalusía in the south, and the Costa Brava's tranquil coves. Spain is a top family destination if you want to keep things easy and relaxed; but if you're out and about don't expect dinner at 6pm.
Keep the longer flights to the Canaries for the colder months; and reserve the Atlantic Costa de la Luz, through the provinces of Cádiz and Huelva, for water sports in a few years.
On the north-east coast of Menorca, just six miles from the capital, the shallow water of Es Grau beach is ideal for small children: the Mediterranean stays at shin level for about 130ft out to sea, like a giant paddling pool. A fence consisting of nothing more than a single rope tied around wooden posts divides the beach at Es Grau from the low dunes of the S'Albufera des Grau nature reserve.
This wetland area, set around a 1.25 mile-long lake, sprawls up the north-eastern coast of the island. It won Menorca its distinction as a Unesco Biosphere Reserve more than 30 years ago; a happy decision that has saved most of the island from excessive development.
Oliver's Travels offers 144 villas across the island, with plenty sleeping four to six adults, making this a great option if you want to visit with grandparents or friends who also have young children. Use the 'baby and toddler' filter to hone in on the most appropriate properties.
If you're after a bit of luxury, Port de Sóller is an excellent choice. It's a traditional Majorcan town near the sea, circled by the imposing Tramuntana mountains and surrounded by dense woodland. It has a wonderful, safe beach for small kids – in fact, it's the only sandy beach on Majorca's west coast. It's also a terrific area for walking, cycling or exploring villages and the coastline by car.
Jumeirah Port Sóller Hotel & Spa, set on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean with views of pretty Port de Sóller, consists of 11 white, low-rise buildings stretching up the hillside on various levels for half a mile, with three outdoor pools and plenty of places to sit and take in the view. Rooms from £560 per night in September.
As we move up the coast of the Mediterranean into France, there's the glorious suntrap of Collioure, followed by the glitzier St Tropez and Cannes, all with some lovely beaches. Jump to northern France, and you'll find beautiful stretches of sand in Brittany and Normandy, albeit with more variable weather and wilder water. Pick the end that suits you; either way, France is a great choice for a week or two by the sea.
If budget is a concern, the Languedoc offers a good range of campsites, from minimalist to (more often) all-singing and dancing sites that deliver just the sort of splash pool with fountains and slides that your child will adore, even if you do not.
If the chic sprays of sand along the Côte d'Azur are slightly out of your price range with small children, head a bit further south-west along the Languedoc coast, where you will find that the Med is just as calm and ideally suited to young explorers. From Agde down to Collioure, there are plenty of lively and lovely fishing villages. Head to Marseillan to feast on oysters from the nearby beds, fill your picnic basket with plenty at Les Halles, Narbonne's extraordinarily pretty large covered food market, and visit Narbonne plage, or neighbouring St Pierre.
Camping La Yole, steps from the sands of Valras plage, has ample choice of mobile homes, safari tents and treehouses to stay in as well as places to pitch your tent; from €81 (£68) for seven nights.
St-Jean-de-Luz curves from headland to headland, with gentle waves unlikely to worry young families. While up and down the Basque coast there's excellent surfing to be found, in this particular spot life is more serene, with beach clubs catering to young families.
Take your two favourite families with you, and rent a three-bedroom villa from £1,100 per family for a week, with Simpson Travel.
Sicily's northern coast and the east of Sardinia are loved by locals for their relatively gentle waters, but you could also easily find your family's ideal break along the Amalfi coast or in sleepy Puglia.
Have a go at being a relaxed, chic Italian parent at the all-inclusive resort of Vivosa on the southernmost tip of Puglia. The series of low-rise rooms scattered in olive groves is just a short stroll through pine forest to the sea, around three-and-a-half miles from Ugento's national park. It offers separate pools for toddlers and primary school children, plus an adults-only soaking pool at the sleek, award-winning spa. The kids' club, which has a distinctly Italian accent, takes children from age two.
The good-quality buffet food means that you can happily stay put for a week, shuffling between naps on loungers in an olive grove, and relaxing on the private beach – which is lively in the crowded summer months. There's also a golf course (lessons are available), a fitness centre with nutritionist and tennis courts, as well as evening entertainment.
A six-night stay at Vivosa Apulia Resort in June for two parents and a baby costs from £1,382. Alternatively, stay for just a few nights and take a road trip around other parts of Puglia; summer months have a minimum stay of two nights.
Greece is the ideal destination for young children: there's the simplicity of island life, unpretentious tavernas and pared back seaside villas, or luxurious hotels that cater specifically and spectacularly well to the UK market.
The impressive heat from June to September, and the relatively long three-to-four hour flight time may be a deterrent for some families, but there's sun, sea and sand just about everywhere you go. It's worth considering a trip in late May, June or September, to save money and escape the intensity of peak summer crowds.
Gerakas beach is the ideal spot for a family on Zakynthos. People come from all over the island to wander its glorious, gently sloping shores.
Handily, it is just a couple of hundred yards' walk from the Periyali Villas, making it easy to wander down to after the fierce heat of the day has passed and the hordes are packing up. This is the best time to take children; you can even load up a buggy and trundle it down a ramp to the firm sands.
If you have a parasol, you will be directed to one part of the beach in order not to disturb turtle eggs – in late May and June, loggerheads haul themselves out of the sea in the middle of the night to nest. Come two months later in the season, and you might see the babies hatch and flip-flop their way back to the sea.
Periyali Villas has 13 two or three-bedroom villas in a complex that includes a children's pool; from £316 per night. Baby equipment and babysitting available on request.
Make your first holiday with a baby as stress-free as possible, opting for an award-winning family-friendly resort in Greece. Sani Resort, in Halkidiki, comprises five hotels, each with a different draw. There are multiple crèches as well as clubs open to children aged four months to 17 years. It also offers a Babewatch service on the beach – so you can then drop your child with nannies while you go for a proper dip in the sea. With five hotels, seven beaches, a spa, marina and 26 restaurants on-site, there is no need for a car.
Sani Beach has rooms that welcome babies and young children with all of the requisite equipment; from £484 per night in September.
From the Mediterranean resort of Antalya to chic Bodrum on the Aegean, Turkey's 4,500 miles of coastline is lined with golden beaches, often backed by dramatic limestone cliffs. Whether you're drawn to snorkelling, diving, windsurfing or exploring ancient sites inland, the beautiful Turquoise Coast offers stunning beach holidays. Best of all, Turkey remains relatively affordable for British travellers, which can make this a budget-friendly choice, though plenty of luxury options are available, too.
For parents ready for a slightly longer flight time of just over four hours, this broad strip of gently shelving white sand in south-west Turkey is the country's longest beach. It is ideal for children, who will love its warm shallows and the serried ranks of dunes backing it.
Should you tire of beach life, there's the Lycian Way to walk (best avoided in the heat of summer), birds to watch, canoeing and rafting on the nearby Dalaman river – plus bustling local markets, secluded mountain villages and remote ancient sites within easy reach.
Development at the beach's beautiful south-eastern end has been confined to one reasonably priced café with umbrellas and sunbeds for hire, reached through the remains of a Roman city preserved in the shifting sands.
Stay at the low-key Patara Viewpoint Hotel, set around a pool on a quiet, leafy hillside behind the ruins; friendly owners offer free rides to and from the beach and a weekly barbecue; double rooms from £60 per night.
If you're looking for a package holiday with the added peace of mind that comes with it, I recommend searching the following operators for more beach holiday ideas with babies and toddlers around the Mediterranean this summer:
Baby-friendly Boltholes specialises in the UK and the rest of Europe, with a few further-flung destinations, highlighting properties which have special services or appeal for young guests.
Scott Dunn delivers high-end villas and resort-based holidays with kids' clubs around the world, with a strong offering of on-site childcare.
Simpson Travel offers on-site childcare from six months, or private nannies, in hotels and villa complexes from Greece to Spain.
To keep a handle on budget, try all-inclusive options from British Airways, Jet2holidays, Tui, easyJet Holidays, Loveholidays or Thomas Cook. Club Med offers elaborate childcare as part of its packages, but only from age four – ideal if you're bringing older siblings.
This story was first published in May 2023 and has been revised and updated.
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