Great destinations for active holidays in Europe
For many people the perfect holiday means an active holiday: doing the activities you and your family enjoy the most. Lazing on the beach soaking-up the sun has its place but most of us want more from our holiday. Cycling horse-riding scuba-diving and theme parks are increasingly popular family holiday activities and many places now cater for these active families. Spain and the Algarve are particularly good destinations to enjoy an active holiday not least because you can easily mix active days out with some relaxation by the sea.
Active holidays in Spain
Cycling through the beautiful scenery and pretty villages of Andalucia or Catalonia is a wonderful way to explore these areas. The warm sunny days lend themselves to this activity and there are many guided or self-guided options available for individuals and families who love the freedom that cycling offers. Organisers of family cycling holidays in Spain will develop great family-friendly routes that are not too strenuous and provide plenty of places to stop relax and have some refreshments.
Pony trekking and horse riding are increasingly popular ways to get out and about as a family. Whether you are exploring the old Andalucian mule tracks in the sierras or the rugged coastlines of Catalonia horse riding holidays provide a gentler experience than cycling but still allow you to explore off the beaten track. You don’t have to be an experienced horse rider to enjoy these holidays as many Spanish providers of these activities will be able to give you a little tuition before you set out.
Active holidays in the Algarve
There are plenty of water-sports activities available for families at popular Algarve coastal resorts. If jet skiing or paragliding is not what you’re looking for there are also plenty of scuba-diving opportunities here. Whether you and your family are used to scuba diving or want to try it out for the first time there are certified divers that can take you on everything from shallow shore dives through to deeper shipwreck dives for the bolder and more experienced family members. And if you are serious about learning to scuba-dive why not sign-up for some courses that could lead to you and your family becoming PADI qualified if you continue your studies back home?
The beautiful Algarve coastline is perfect for those families that want to take in the natural beauty of their holiday destination with a walking holiday. There are many well mapped walking trails although an increasingly popular way to add a bit of a challenge to walking holidays is to go geocaching and the Algarve caters well for people wanting to try out this activity. In many ways geocaching is an old-fashioned treasure hunt but brought up-to-date by using GPS-enabled smart phones etc. The challenge (usually set online) is to find a cache hidden at a specific GPS location. The routes you will need to take to find the cache are usually designed to show off the best of the scenic Algarve coastline and countryside.
These are just a few examples of different activities that these great destinations for active holidays in Europe have to offer. However both Spain and the Algarve have so much more to keep you actively enjoying your time there from fun family days at top theme parks like Spain’s PortAventura and the Algarve’s Zoomarine Park to holiday orienteering packages that are well catered for in both destinations. Whatever activities your family likes to do chances are Spain and the Algarve will suit you perfectly.
