Best family holiday destinations in Europe for 2024
For fabulous family holiday locations to suit all budgets, travel company TUI has you covered.
Are you currently planning your next family getaway? With sunny weather, sandy beaches and turquoise seas all a few hours’ flight away from the UK, there’s no better location for a family holiday in 2024 than Europe.
Travel and tourism company TUI has a whole host of European packages on its roster, from the Balearic Islands of Majorca and Ibiza to the historic Greek island Crete and the Canary Island famed for its water sports: Fuerteventura.
As well as straightforward family-friendly hotels which include features such as TUI Kids’ Club and child-only pools, TUI also goes one step further and has created Holiday Villages and SplashWorld resorts. Holiday Villages were created with active families at the core — switch between Aerial Adventure courses, Total Wipeout-inspired inflatables, football pitches and waterparks, then enjoy a theatre show in the evening. In a similar vein, SplashWorld resorts come with free access to a waterpark, and all waterparks are either onsite or a short trip away.
We have selected packages below to accommodate a range of budgets, and TUI offers certain benefits to keep the cost down, too, for example, kids activities and no extra cost and the promise of no hidden fees. TUI also provides Free Kids Places: one child per two paying adults can stay for free at selected accommodations.
If you’re not bound by the school holidays, we’d recommend going on holiday in late spring as not only will the weather be less intense (at around mid-20s degrees) and the beaches quieter, but it will also be cost-effective.
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All TUI packages include flights, and you can select your local airport to suit, with the option to change flights for a supplement.
Let’s take a look at some of the best family holiday destinations in Europe for 2024.
Best family holiday destinations in Europe for 2024
Majorca
When we think about Majorca (or Mallorca, as it’s sometimes known) we imagine sandy beaches, sunny skies, turquoise waters, and even some pine forests, too. The appeal of Majorca is certainly in its landscape and climate, but a further draw is its proximity to the UK. Flights to Majorca from the UK average just over two hours, which is fantastic news for parents travelling with kids who might be a little fussy on longer flights.
The selection of hotels we’ve picked include plenty of family-friendly features, such as Tui Kids’ Club, waterparks, toddler splash pool, an Aerial Adventure course, and a football pitch.
If you’re not bound by the school holidays, we’d recommend travelling to Majorca in May or September, as temperatures will still be in the high 20s, but beaches and hotels will naturally be less crowded.
- Book Protur Safari Park at TUI
- Book Holiday Village Majorca at TUI
- Book Protur Bahia Azul Apartments at TUI
Mainland Spain
Families have enjoyed water parks for over a century, and Spain got its first one in the 1980s. Since then, it’s been a hub for water lovers, with around 100 water parks up and down the country.
It’s not just water-based activities that British holidaymakers love so much about Spain, it’s also the white-sand beaches, esteemed cities such as Barcelona, Madrid and Seville, a warm climate, and great food, too. Plus, with flights to Spain lasting around two hours, you’ll be on your family holiday quicker than you can say “one sangria, please!”
Our selection of Spanish hotels include incredible activities such as entry to Waterworld Lloret, which includes a rafting river and rides such as X-Treme Mountain.
- Book Evenia Olympic Park at TUI
- Book Golden Taurus Aquapark Resort at TUI
- Book Golden Avenida Family Suites at TUI
Tenerife
In a Family Travel survey conducted in 2023 by our friends at MadeForMums, Tenerife was named the second most popular destination for holidays, with a huge 32% of parents naming the Spanish island as the next spot for their family break.
The island attracted 5.3 million visitors in 2021, with a huge 1.2 million of them from the UK, and there are a few reasons why Tenerife is so popular with Brits: there’s the sunny climate all year round, gorgeous beaches — Tenerife has almost 400km of coastline and 70km of beaches to explore — as well as the last remaining laurel forests, and the dramatic dormant volcano, Mount Teide.
Tui has a fantastic selection of Tenerife holidays, and the hotels we’ve chosen for you have plenty of features which are sure to keep your kids entertained, such as an adventure playground, waterpark and Tui Kids’ Club.
Ibiza
We know what you’re thinking: isn’t Ibiza a party island? If you visit places like Ibiza Rocks and Ocean Beach, sure, but Ibiza has plenty more to offer.
It’s the third largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, coming in after Majorca and Menorca, and it boasts 3,000 hours of sun each year and 130 miles of beaches. While a lot of Ibiza’s beaches are tucked away in beautiful, sheltered bays, there are also larger beaches centred around family activities such as water sports and pedalos.
If you and your family are keen to explore Ibiza’s history and culture, Ibiza Town has a cathedral and castle, and quaint narrow lanes within its fortified ancient walls which you can spend hours exploring.
The hotels we’ve carefully selected for you include plenty of things to keep your kids entertained such as splash parks, evening shows like Flamenco dance duos, karaoke, and magicians, and kids’ clubs.
Crete
In the MadeForMums’ 2023 Family Travel survey, Crete was named the fourth most popular destination for those planning their upcoming family holiday.
Are you ready to soak up the sunshine in the gorgeous Greek island of Crete? The vast Mediterranean island has a multitude of beautiful beaches, seaside tavernas and restaurants.
If it’s culture that you’re keen to soak up as well as the sunshine, Crete is certainly the destination. With plenty of ancient ruins, museums and galleries to visit, there is a lot of rich history just waiting to be explored in Crete.
- Book TUI BLUE Sensatori Atlantica Caldera Palace at TUI
- Book TUI BLUE Elounda Breeze at TUI
- Book Nana Golden Beach at TUI
Gran Canaria
One of the great things about Gran Canaria is that it can be easily reached from plenty of places in the UK: flights go from London airports like Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, as well as cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Nottingham, Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow. While travelling to and from your destination is one of the less exciting parts of the holiday, it’s important to consider.
Gran Canaria is the third largest of Spain’s Canary Islands; it’s home to 40 miles of beaches along its impressive 150 mile coastline, and you’ll probably already be aware that Gran Canaria is famed for its black sand beaches.
The hotels we have included below have great activities for children, such as day and night entertainment, and the Angry Birds Activity Park is just a short drive away.
When booking accommodation for you and your family, be sure to look out for something called ‘Family Fun highlight’ — this means that TUI’s already high-quality family facilities are even bigger and better with kids’ clubs, detailed activity itineraries and evening shows.
Fuerteventura
Did you know Fuerteventura translates as either ‘strong fortune’ or ‘strong wind’ (the Spanish word for wind being ‘viento’) — we prefer to believe the latter translation as if you’re a family who loves to get active on holiday, Fuerteventura is a hub for watersports like windsurfing, jet skiing, parasailing, surfing, standup paddle boarding, kayaking, and more.
If you’re not confined to the school holidays, we’d recommend visiting the second largest of Spain’s Canary Islands during late spring or early summer as rainfall and humidity are low, yet the temperature is still in the mid-20 degrees with approximately nine hours of sunshine during the day.
We have selected plenty of action-packed holidays for you to discover in Fuerteventura, but rest assured that if you’d prefer a relaxing, firmly planted-by-the-pool-reading-a-book holiday, TUI has plenty of holidays for that, too. The below packages include activities like mountain bike tours, kids-only pools, and kids’ clubs.
Cyprus
Have you heard of TUI’s Holiday Villages? These resorts were created with families in mind; they pack in fun-filled activities such as Aerial Adventure courses, Total Wipeout-esque inflatables, West End style shows, and splash-tastic waterparks, as well as trained swimming and football coaches who are on hand to help your children channel their inner sports star.
At the Holiday Village Aliathon in Cyprus, the whole family can test their nerve on the Aerial Adventure course, and your kids will be able to let off some steam on the football pitches, tennis courts, and pirate-themed splash park.
Turkey
If you and your family are big waterpark fans, why not venture to one of TUI’s SplashWorld holiday resorts? All of TUI’s SplashWorld holidays come with free access to a waterpark, and all waterparks are either onsite or a short trip away.
The two SplashWorld-friendly holidays we’ve handpicked from TUI have some of the best waterparks in the game — think speedy flumes, lazy rivers and splash zones. Most of the SplashWorld hotels are all-inclusive, but some offer self-catering, too.
Each room at a SplashWorld hotel is designed for families, with some even offering swim-up suites!