Warm weather, long days, make summer a preferred holiday season. If you are traveling with children, you are probably looking for an all-inclusive holiday, but there are other places, with many attractions, at a far better price.

Here are my 8 favorite places for a summer family vacation:

1. COSTA DEL SOL, SPAIN

The Costa del Sol impressed us with its many family attractions. We stayed for 5 days at the  all-inclusive hotel Holiday World Village Hotel, which had a wonderful water park, and then another  5 days at  the Magical Sea View  apartment on the beach of Torremolinos. No matter how nice the  all-inclusive hotel was, the beach holiday after that completely competed with it. The sea was cool, but generously carried us some large mussels. The sand was fine, and the promenade was wonderful for walking. We were able to explore SELWO Marina and SELWO Aventura – two large zoos with numerous places to play and attractions such as safaris and dolphin shows. During our vacation there, we also managed to visit Gibraltar, which impressed us with its many monkeys.

More details can be found here.  

2. RIMINI, ITALY

Undoubtedly, Rimini is one of the best resorts for family vacations. The beach is huge and worth paying for umbrellas and sun loungers, as the price also includes the use of playgrounds, trampolines, inflatable castles, as well as animators who entertain the children all day, until the evening, when there is also a children’s disco on the beach. Rimini is home to the Fiabilandia theme park, and not too far away is the Mirabilandia Park, which is also worth visiting.

Right next to Rimini is the fabulous town of San Marino, which will also fascinate you.

A sample program for holidays in Rimini can be found here.  

3. LAKE BALATON

Lake Balaton is undoubtedly one of the best places for a family vacation. It is called the Hungarian Sea, and its shores are covered with fine sand, there are numerous playgrounds and water attractions. Various castles and landmarks are perched on its shores, and in the immediate vicinity is Lake Hévíz, whose warm waters are healing and this is the largest medical lake in the world. Balaton is also considered the ice cream capital of Hungary, which further adds to its charm.

More trip tips for lake Balaton can be found here.

4. LAKE GARDA

Lake Garda is famous for its crystal clear waters, and the thermal springs under it, which visitors can enjoy on the shores near Sirmione. There are several excellent beaches on the lake Garda, but if you are on vacation with children, we recommend the hu campsite with a wonderful water park and attractions for children.  Don’t miss the Gardaland amusement park – impressive for both young and old, as well as the Parco Natura Viva, where you can make a real safari with your car.

More information about this holiday can be found here.

5. MALTA

The Knight Island of Malta offers numerous attractions, wonderful beaches, boat trips, theme and aqua parks, as well as numerous playgrounds that turn the island into a real paradise for families with children. We were personally impressed by the small but full of games Playmobil park, as well as the beautiful capital of Valletta.

More information can be found here.

6. CYPRUS

Cyprus has preserved its millennial history and generously shares it with all its visitors. At any age, one can find here a palette of attractions and sights for every taste and interest. For our family vacation, we chose Paphos, where there are direct flights of Ryanair. Here are the majestic royal tombs, as well as the Cyprus Zoo, where you can feed the giraffes.

Another option is to stay in Larnaca, where there are direct Wizz air flights, and there the promenade is excellent for walking, and the beach is sandy.

You can see both options in the travelogue here  

7. ANTALYA

If you still prefer All-inclusive holidays with children, then Antalya is an excellent choice. The hotels there usually offer plenty of food and especially sweet temptations, water parks, sandy beaches and attractive playgrounds and play areas. Day trips around Alanya will impress even the youngest, with a beautiful Dalmatas cave, the cable car to the fortress and photos with parrots along the way. Another fun day can be spent in the SEALANYA water park and dolphinarium.

8. GREECE

Another lovely all-inclusive hotels option for fun family vacation is Greece. If you have a small baby in a stroller, I recommend the Poseidon Palace hotel in Leptokarya – there is a wonderful green park where you can walk the stroller, as well as huge balconies where you can even leave inflatable pools, the pools in the hotel have pleasantly warm water, and the sea water is crystal clear and shallow, suitable for first steps in the sea. For older children, I recommend Cronwell Platamon Resort in Platamonas, which has a wonderful water park. You can always go to the island of Rhodes, where we recommend the D’Andrea Mare hotel, which very comfortably combines all kinds of aqua attractions with a wonderful sandy beach and all-inclusive holidays with cheerful theme nights.