Costa Brava
A Costa Brava Road Trip With Kids
Five days, six villages and the route we would drive again tomorrow.
8 min read
Orihuela Costa · Costa Blanca · Spain
Our Family Life on Spain's Mediterranean Coast
We left Manchester in October 2025 and moved to Orihuela Costa. Now we explore the Costa Blanca and Costa Brava as a family of four — sharing beaches, days out, honest costs and everything we learned about relocating to Spain.
20 towns
Costa Blanca & Costa Brava covered
October 2025
Manchester → Orihuela Costa
Family-first
Written by parents, for parents
About us
Spanish-born, Manchester-raised, now home on the Costa Blanca
Sylvia was born in Spain and grew up in the UK. In October 2025 we packed up our life in Manchester and moved the four of us to Orihuela Costa.
We write about the coast the way we live it — school runs and supermarket prices as well as hidden coves and long lunches. If you are visiting, or thinking of making the same move, everything here is first-hand.
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Where shall we go next?
Tap a town to open its guide — things to do, beaches, family activities, restaurants, markets and hidden gems.
Select a coast — or tap a dot — to open our destination guides, beaches and family days out.
Two coasts
Start with our favourite towns
Costa Blanca
Our home coast — 14 towns from Orihuela Costa to Dénia.
- Orihuela Costa — Our home: sixteen kilometres of blue-flag beaches, coves and year-round sunshine.
- Torrevieja — The pink salt lake, a big working town and long sandy beaches.
- La Zenia — Blue-flag sand, an easy promenade and the coast's biggest shopping centre.
Costa Brava
Pine-clad cliffs, medieval villages and the coastal Camí de Ronda.
- Tossa de Mar — A walled medieval town standing over a sandy bay.
- Begur — A hilltop castle village with a string of beautiful coves below.
- Calella de Palafrugell — Whitewashed arches, fishing boats on the sand and the classic Camí de Ronda.
Featured story
Our First 6 Months Living in Spain – The Honest Reality of Moving from Manchester to Orihuela Costa
Six months after moving from Manchester to Orihuela Costa: the paperwork, the costs, the school run, the homesickness and the mornings that make it all worth it.
Family guides
Free guides for days out with kids
Beaches
Best Beaches for Kids in Costa Blanca
Sandy, shallow and lifeguarded — the bays we go back to with two children in tow.
Beaches
Best Beaches for Kids in Costa Brava
The calmest coves and sandiest bays on Catalonia's rocky northern coast.
Days out
Best Water Parks
Where to go when the children want slides rather than sand.
Days out
Best Theme Parks
Roller coasters, animal parks and the day trips that are worth the drive.
From the blog
Latest from the coast
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- Family days out
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- Hidden gems
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