Country holidays with the family: three places in Spain that’ll take your breath away

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Take a holiday with the family where you can visit country villages, enjoy nature and the local culture, and get involved in hundreds of activities. Here are three great ideas for combining relaxation and fun.

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Güéjar Sierra and Sierra Nevada National Park (Andalucía)

Güéjar Sierra is a small mountain village in Sierra Nevada National Park in the province of Granada, Andalusia. The park offers lots of opportunities for different activities such as skiing and snowboarding. Although depending on the time of year it might be better to try an excursion on horseback, hiking, climbing, or if you need a bigger adrenaline rush, paragliding. Güéjar Sierra is one of the three highest municipalities in the whole of the peninsula. Along the way you can admire the impressive peaks of Pico Veleta and El Mulhacén, and see where the rivers Genil, Guarnón and Real rise. It's no surprise that this village is the jumping off point for different mountain routes. You can also visit the Canales reservoir, and if you're feeling energetic, have a go at some of the many activities and watersports on offer. Enjoy a landscape rich in flora and fauna, with thick woods of chestnut trees, and local species including the plant that has come to be symbolic of the park, estrella de las nieves (Plantago nivalis). There are hundreds of things to do for a great day out with the family.

The village of Güéjar Sierra next to Canales reservoir in Sierra Nevada National Park

Valdecaballeros and the Siberia Extremeña (Extremadura)

Valdecaballeros is a quiet, peaceful village in Sierra de las Barbas de Oro, part of the Montes de Toledo mountain range, in the immense Siberia Extremeña area. In the village, there is a 15th-century church of San Miguel Arcángel with rib arches. The clock tower, El Reloj, in the centre of the village square was built in the late 19th century. You’ll want to try the local cuisine: specialities include kid, wild mushrooms, and escarapuche, a dish of meat, tomato, and onion. Outside the village you can explore the Siberia Extremeña on a fun trip around the countryside by car. You can explore the cattle trail of the Cañada Real Segoviana, and admire the wonderful views from viewing points in El Morro in Tamurejo, Portillo del Cíjara, and Las Poyatas in El Cíjara. If you feel like cooling down, you can end the day with a boat trip on El Cíjara reservoir.

El Cíjara reservoir with the village of Valdecaballeros in the background in the Siberia Extremeña

Llanes and its old quarter - a Historic-Artistic Site (Asturias)

In the Sierra de Cuera mountains of western Asturias, the fishing village of Llanes has lots of surprises in store for you. Take a walk along the Paseo San Pedro between meadows and cliffs, looking out over the sea and the mountains. You can also visit the Basilica of Santa María del Conceyu with its 13th century tower. And as if that wasn’t enough, you’ll see the city walls, palaces and churches that have earned the old town centre the heritage designation of ‘Historic-Artistic Site’. Take advantage of your visit to explore the Asturian coast, as Llanes has some of the most unusual beaches on the Costa Verde, such as Poo, Torimbia, and the secret Gulpiyuri, one of the smallest beaches in the world. Along the way you’ll see the famous bufones, where jets of seawater spout from holes made by erosion in the limestone cliffs. The bufones of Pría, Arenillas, Santiuste, and Santa Clara are some of the most interesting.