Instead of taking your family to “the beach,” we recommend THE beach. That’s the Costa Brava on Spain’s gorgeous Mediterranean coast just north of Barcelona. We start in the city with its great Gothic Quarter and off-the-charts Gaudi architecture. There’s time, as well, in countryside that looks more than a little like Tuscany. The walking is great. The villages are soooo old. And our parador is a great family retreat with terrific views and an even more terrific pool. Then we arrive at the main event: Our luxury hotel overlooking the sea and with every amenity your family could hope for. We’ll hit the beaches for sure. But we’ve planned a ton of other pastimes from biking, to exploring Roman ruins, to sea kayaking on some of the clearest, bluest water you’ve ever seen. In the company of our local guide, you’ll all get a great feel for the Catalonian culture—and a mix of excellent eating, energy-burning activities and memorable sightseeing that will make this a way-better-than-the-beach vacation!

DAY 1 - BARCELONA
We meet in Barcelona (1 night), one of the best family cities in Europe. We’ll walk in the mazelike Gothic Quarter, tour the unusual basilica of La Sagrada Familia, and stroll to dinner on La Rambla with its lively mix of street performers.

DAYS 2-3 - VIC
A brief drive out into the Catalonian countryside puts us in the midst of stacked-up stone villages and on a trail to some amazing waterfalls. A scenic one-hour walk lands us in the ancient town of Vic and our 4-star boutique parador (2 nights). The views are great—out to the Pyrenees and overlooking a wide valley. From here we’ll take sojourns into Europe’s largest region of extinct volcanoes…meet our potter friend in Santa Pau…and visit a 10th century monastery that looks more like castle.

DAYS 4-7 - GIRONA - BEGUR / BARCELONA
In Girona, you’ll wonder how the orange houses lean over the river without falling in. And a guided afternoon bike ride on pave trails winds through the hills to give us our first look at the Costa Brava and the bright blue Mediterranean. Our hotel (3 nights) has great views of the sea…and an excellent swimming pool on its grounds. It’s the perfect base to go exploring Empuries, where we get to walk among ancient Greek and Roman ruins. We’ll also visit the out-there Dali Museum. And a cool, morning sea-kayak paddle takes us along the coast, with time to hang out on the beach and get into a spectacular cave. Our time together ends back in Barcelona.