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25 virtual tours of museums and landmarks

There’s a great opportunity at the moment to visit museums and landmarks from home. Google Arts and Culture is an online platform (also available on the app store and Google Play) where you can get your daily dose of arts and culture. There are videos, high res images and street views with activities to do with the kids as well. Here’s a list of some of the museums and landmarks offering virtual or 360-degree tours.

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Europe, Family, Off the beaten track, Spain

A monastery, waterfalls & birds of prey

Imagine staying in a 13th-century monastery where Cisterian monks lived for hundreds of years? That’s exactly what a small group of us did when we discovered the Aragon region in northeasterly Spain. We explored Huesca in the foothills of the Pyrenees and the Teruel region provided us with distinct Mudéjar architecture and gothic-style buildings. But in Nuévalos, part of the Zaragoza province, we got to experience the Monasterio de Piedra, its exquisite gardens and spectacular birds of prey display.

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Adventure, Europe, Family, Spain

Fuente Dé and the Picos de Europa

If you’re looking for a family-friendly destination in Europe, Cantabria is a great fit. We’ve had three road trips in Northern Spain now and it largely remains beautifully unspoiled with spectacular scenery and lots on offer especially for adventurous families like us. We stayed in a 200-year-old cottage in the Liébana area with mountain views and not far from the medieval town of Potes. This provided us with access to the Fuente Dé cable car which is in the heart of the Picos de Europa.

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Adventure, Europe, Family, Spain

21 places to see in Northern Spain

If you’ve not visited Northern Spain before, you really should. We’ve had family road trips in Cantabria and Asturias with a press trip to the Aragon region in-between. Northern Spain is very different from its southern counterpart in that it’s largely untouched by tourism. Everywhere we’ve visited we’ve loved, the scenery is nothing short of spectacular and there’s plenty to keep everyone occupied. Green Spain, as its often referred to, is easily accessible too. We’ve travelled by ferry from the UK with Brittany Ferries (Santander and Bilbao) and flights are available to both destinations and Zaragoza. We’d recommend driving from the UK, or at least hiring a car, so you can make the most of your trip. We’ve had a lot of people asking about where to go so this post is designed to give you a taste of what’s on offer in Cantabria, Asturias and Aragon.

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Europe, Family, Off the beaten track, Spain

Time for another road trip?

Having had an unforgettable time in Cantabria and Asturias, with a press trip to the remarkable Aragon in-between, we’ve relished the time we’ve spent in Northern Spain. Ripe for discovery and exploration, each region we’ve visited is beautifully unspoilt offering something different with landscapes so spectacular they’ve taken our breath away. We’re craving another road trip but where to next? Here are a few things we’ve loved about our travels in Northern Spain and where we’re thinking of heading.

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Adventure, Europe, Family, Off the beaten track, Spain

7 brilliant things to do in Northern Spain

If you’re a regular visitor here, you’ll know we’ve spent a fair amount of time in Northern Spain. In fact, over the last couple of years, we’ve taken road trips around Cantabria and Asturias, not to mention exploring the Huesca, Zaragoza and Teruel provinces. In a stark contrast to its southern counterpart, Northern Spain remains largely untouched by tourism. I’m sure I could write a list of many things to do in Northern Spain but for now, let’s stick with seven. If you’ve not been before, here’s just a taste of what you can expect.

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Europe, Family, Off the beaten track, Spain

A wander around Espinaréu, Piloña

One of the things we love about travelling is discovering places that are largely untouched by tourism. Driving around Asturias for two weeks, and Cantabria a few months prior to that, we explored many beautiful villages and towns. You might think this kind of trip isn’t suitable for kids but six-year-old POD relishes being an adventurer whether she’s collecting water from a spring, exploring a mountaintop or wild swimming with the locals.

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Europe, Family, Spain

7 awesome things to do in Lanzarote

The Canary Islands, off the coast of northwestern Africa, are well known for their all-year-round temperatures. With each of the 7 islands offering something different, Lanzarote is the most easterly offering a diverse range of landscapes. The fourth-largest of the islands, it’s just 60 kilometres long and 20 kilometres wide making it ideal to explore by car. The Doves love a good road trip so with our base a villa in the south, we set about discovering what Lanzarote had to offer a family of three.

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Cottage & villa holidays, Europe, Family, Spain

A rustic cottage in the Sierra del Sueve

The Sierra del Sueve is a limestone massif located in the Central Eastern area of Asturias. A Northern foothill of the Cantabrian mountains, the range is situated between Colunga and Caravia in the North West and Ribadesella, Piloña and Parres in the East and South. Our base for two weeks was a rustic cottage surrounded by a private meadow and offering views of the Ponga National Park.

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Europe, Family, Off the beaten track, Spain

7 things to do with kids in Asturias

We got our first taste of Northern Spain back in 2016 when we holidayed in Cantabria. Having taken a cruise ferry from the UK to Bilbao, it was only a two hour drive to our accommodation. Much of the area we explored over that two week period was untouched by tourism which is why we loved it so much – that and the incredible views every which way we turned.

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