Expatriate family life in Spain: Best places to move in with children

Choosing the right location when moving to Spain is always a huge decision, but even more so when you have a young family or are hoping to have children once you are settled. Luckily, given how Spain is such a family-friendly country, you are unlikely to make the wrong decision about where to live – your dilemma will be about choosing between a long list of right decisions.

So, where do you start? Well, firstly you need to be clear about what you as a family most wants to get out of your life in Spain. Work out what is ideal, and what you really couldn't live without, and use this as a baseline. Once you have at least a basic outline of what you want from expatriate family life, you might find inspiration from our suggestions here.

Family life in a city

If you're used to living in a built-up area with all the services and entertainment you need on your doorstep, you might be keen to move to a similar environment in Spain. When moving abroad with children, one of your main concerns is going to be finding a destination that they will adapt to easily and quickly, so a setting not too far removed from where you live in your home country is the best choice – at least in the beginning.

Spain's largest metropolitan areas – the capital, Madrid, and the second-biggest city, Barcelona – and their large satellite commuter towns are popular with expatriates due to their cosmopolitan nature and greater choice of job opportunities. Transport is easy and cheap, with extensive metro networks and bus routes, national and international rail links, and major airports, meaning you may not need to own a car.

A much larger choice of schools – Spanish State and private schools, or international and bilingual schools; Barcelona has over 40 of the latter – mean you will have few difficulties in finding the right educational environment for your children. Arguably, big cities offer a more modern outlook and superior facilities, so living in Madrid or Barcelona means it will be much easier to find the right support if your child has special educational needs.

The main downside of Spain's top two cities is the cost of housing. Renting or buying is much more expensive in either than in most other parts of the country, leaving you with less to spend on childcare and children's activities. But if you are moving to Spain from almost anywhere in northern or western Europe, the USA, Canada or Australia, you will still find homes in Barcelona and Madrid to be generally cheaper than in your country of origin.

Perhaps you prefer smaller-scale, quieter city life, or would like to get more for your money when renting or buying a home. In this case, you'll have plenty of options: Valencia, Spain's third-largest city, is cheaper to live in and more compact than the top two.

Other smaller cities in Spain boast the full list of facilities, opportunities and entertainment options that offer stability and enjoyment for your children, but within a more reduced area. Popular examples of provincial capital cities include Sevilla, Málaga, Murcia, Alicante, Almería, Huelva, and Cádiz.

Which are the safest cities in Spain?

The great news is that Spain is, in general, a very safe country. Violent crime rates are statistically very low, and most expatriates say they feel a much greater sense of freedom on Spanish streets than in their home countries, whether walking alone late at night, or in crowded areas, or letting their children play and socialise unaccompanied by an adult.

You should take the same precautions anywhere in Spain as you would in a similar-sized municipality in your home country, such as keeping a close eye on your handbag in crowds or on public transport, particularly in tourist-heavy areas. The general rule in any European country is that smaller cities are safer than huge metropolitan zones, and certain neighbourhoods are more secure than others, but in reality, Spain has very few, if any, 'no-go areas'. To this end, no single Spanish city is significantly safer than any other, and they are all considered to be very safe to live in or visit.

Expatriate family life by the sea

Whether you prefer big-town living or small-village communities, Spain's mild springs and autumns and hot summers mean beach life is highly sought-after, especially for expatriates with children. Sea air and an open space for walking, playing or picnics out of season, and some respite from the heat in July and August, mean permanent free entertainment for families.

Whilst Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Cádiz and Almería allow you to enjoy city life with a beach close by, more popular coastal neighbourhoods with a lively summer tourism season and without the stress levels of full-on urban life are frequently among the top choices for expatriates of any age.

Living near a beach means free family entertainment most of the year – even when it's too cold for sunbathing – and popular holiday areas have excellent theme parks. Water parks can be found in Benidorm (Alicante province), Cullera (Valencia province), and in the Balearic and Canary Islands. Safari parks can be found in Benidorm, on the Costa del Sol, Valencia, and Cantabria on the north coast.

Where are the biggest expatriate communities near the beach?

More cosmopolitan beach towns include those on the Málaga-province coast, or approximately 50 kilometres north or south of Alicante city. In the Murcia Region, which has some of the warmest coastal summers, the La Manga del Mar Menor area has a year-round holiday feel, but is less crowded than in the key package resort destinations, as are other towns close by to the east of Cartagena, along the Costa Cálida.

A large expatriate community may help your children to feel at home in the beginning, when they are starting to adjust to their new environment. Also, as highly-international areas, they are well-served by bilingual schools.

Mixed 'traditional' and expatriate coastal communities

Bustling beach destinations that offer a 'more Spanish' feel – with multiple nationalities, but where expatriates are still in the minority – mean your children will be able to make friends with others in the same boat, whilst 'growing up Spanish'. They will have contact with many different cultures and languages, not just their own, whilst acquiring the language skills and integration needed for their future adult lives.

Great family locations that offer the best of both worlds include the Cádiz-province and Huelva-province coasts, known as the Costa de la Luz; the Tarragona-province coast, known as the Costa Dorada; the Girona province coast, known as the Costa Brava; the northern half of the Costa Blanca, and the southern half of the province of Valencia.

In the east-coast region of the Comunidad Valenciana, the general rule is that, the farther north you travel, the 'more Spanish' and 'less expat-heavy' it becomes. This means you can choose the level of immersion or familiarity you want. If you decide to live close to lots of people from your own or a neighbouring country and with a shared language, to help your children adapt to their new environment, you can still get away from it all and submerge yourself in traditional Spanish culture just a few kilometres up the road.

Family life in rural Spain

If your home nation life has always been in the depths of the remote countryside, it is easy to replicate this in Spain. Over 53% of villages in mainland Spain are in isolated rural areas, with natural scenery to suit every preference. Plenty of healthy, clean air for your children to explore, and for family days out.

The downside for families in rural Spain is the lack of facilities and transport connections. Even if you have a car, some of Spain's more remote countryside areas can be tens or even hundreds of kilometres via single-carriageway mountain roads to a town large enough to contain essentials like schools, hospitals and major hypermarkets. But there are many small villages that feel cut off from civilisation and yet are just a short trip away from bustling urban hubs and major beaches, allowing you to enjoy rural life with greater convenience.

Most countryside locations are several kilometres inland from the coast, but if you don't mind a half-hour drive whenever you feel like a family trip to the beach, it is perfectly possible to enjoy both.

One example of rural destinations a comfortable drive to the nearest main town – for school runs, health centres and shops – include the valleys in the northern Alicante province. The Vall de Pop, comprising the villages around Jalón are about 20 minutes by road from the lively beach town of Benissa, and a school bus serves children from these villages to take them to Benissa for class. Close by, the valleys around the small town of Pego are very remote, but only 30 minutes from the popular coastal tourist town of Dénia.

Similar well-connected rural treasures can be found a few kilometres in from the coast of the province of Castellón, an up-and-coming beach holiday destination as yet undiscovered by package tourism operators.

For village life close to a beach - even if not wholly rural - options could include Calella de Palafrugell on the Costa Brava, Fornells in Menorca, Agua Amarga - which overlooks the Cabo de Gata coastal nature reserve in the province of Almería - and Tazones in Asturias, in the north. All of these villages have fewer than 1,000 inhabitants so you'll quickly become part of the community. If you're not bothered about being near a beach, though, huge parts of Spain's centre and north are very remote and rural, meaning the choice is endless.

If you want to learn more about what life is like in Spain for expatriates with children, check out our article Raising a family in Spain: Expatriate life with children.

Many new expatriates, especially those with families or who need to work, prefer to rent for a short period after moving to Spain, to see whether their chosen area is going to be right for them before committing themselves to buying their forever home. Before considering this, you may like to read our article Why you should rent before buying a property in Spain.