Best things to do in Moraira Spain with kids

Moraira Spain, an old fishing town backed by rugged mountains and villa-dotted hills on the Costa Blanca, is a great family holiday destination. Fairly small in size, it’s easy to get around on foot and there’s lots to do in the town and surrounding area.

About an hour from Alicante airport (and just under two hours from Valencia), it’s easy to get to from the UK, and its temperate climate and coastal location certainly attracts us Brits. We’ve visited a number of times without kids and were excited to go back and explore from a family-friendly perspective – seeking out good-looking playgrounds, kid-friendly activities and beaches for optimum sand castle-making.

Desperate to swap endless grey stormy UK skies for a bit of blue, Moraira also gave our pale winter noggins a chance to experience some much-needed February sunshine. Visiting off-season also meant no crowds and empty beaches, so I’d definitely recommend keeping an eye on weather forecasts for the area and booking last-minute flights outside of July and August. While some places are still closed for the season and the water is quite cold at this time, there was still plenty of stuff to do with kids. Whatever time of year you choose to go, here are my best things to do in Moraira Spain with kids.

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Best things to do with kids in Moraira, Spain

Best beaches near Moraira

Playa del Portet

One of the most picturesque beaches in the area, Playa del Portet (or just El Portet for short) is a sheltered horseshoe-shaped bay, with calm turquoise waters, beachfront tapas bars and a palm tree-fringed walkway. Beautiful sea-gazing Spanish villas pepper the hillside and in summer, it’s a popular spot for boats to drop anchor. As well as being the perfect kid-paddling spot, in the summer season you can also hire kayaks and stand-up paddleboards from one end of the beach.

The beach is definitely more tiny stones than super soft sand underfoot, so you’ll definitely feel like your feet have had a good exfoliation if you’re jumping waves, although the seabed is much softer and there were certainly no complaints from our kiddos!

If you position yourselves and your little ones strategically, adults can chill at one of the beachside bars with snacks and a chilled cerveza while the kids play happily on the beach in front of you. There are also public toilets and showers should you need them.

El Portet is an easy, very pretty and buggy-friendly walk with some spectacular viewpoints, about 1km away from Moraira. Depending on how much beach gear you have, you may prefer this means of transport as parking spots are quite hard to come by in summer. If your accommodation is based near the Paichi area, there’s another nice walking route through the back roads.

Kid running along El Portet stretch of restaurants

Playa de l’Ampolla

Moraira’s main beach, Playa de l’Ampolla, found just next to the town centre near the castle, has lovely soft sand and shallow water. It’s central location does mean it gets the busiest in summer, but it also has the added bonus of a playground (one directly on the beach and another just a stone’s throw away), volleyball nets, toilets and sun lounger hire.

At one end of the beach, closest to the town centre, a tiny bridge traverses a small stream that leads to a pond-full of ducks and fish. Kids can play on the little stream that runs between here and the sea and it’s fun just watching the little creatures swim around.

Free parking is available on the road nearby and in the large car park where Moraira market takes place every Friday, but again – go early as it does get very busy in summer.

If you get peckish, El Cafeti de la Mar – (right next to the beach, opposite the castle) and Eleven are both family-friendly and do good food.

Playa La Fustera

This small cove is about a 15-minute drive away from Moraira with free parking right next to the beach (but not to sound like a broken record, this does get very busy in high season). It’s a soft sand beach, although when we visited, there had been recent storms in the area and the place was mostly covered in seaweed.

Huge plus points to venturing over to this spot from Moraira are the enticing beachside restaurant and bar, Mandala, which has indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the sand. There are also toilets here, a play area on the beach for kids and access (via steps) to coastal walks in both directions.

Following the path at the right hand side of the beach will lead you to spectacular views of Peñón de Ifach, or Calpe Rock. If your offspring have got the energy, you can walk all the way to Levante Beach at Calpe. We didn’t wander that far, but even the short section we explored was pretty spectacular.

If you head off in the other direction, up the steps to left-hand side of Playa La Fustera, they will lead you along the coast path to a little rocky cove.

Calpe rock, Playa la Fustera view, footpath with kids

Mum and daughter looking at view of Calpe rock near Playa fustera beach

Playa les Platgetes

This beach, made up of sand and rocks, is fairly miniature, but it’s extremely well-placed next to the fantastic El Chamizo restaurant. You’ll find it just off the coastal road from Moraira to Calpe, or you can walk here easily from Moraira and there is very small car park next to the beach and toilets just off the promenade. Word has it this beach is a good spot for a snorkel.

Best kids’ activities in Moraira

Moraira train

This cute little road train runs from about 10.30am to 8pm (although the hours may vary depending on the season). The 7km round trip stops at Plaza de la Sort Square in Moraira, El Portet beach and Algas L’Andrago (an excellent beach bar).

A kid’s ticket costs €3 and an adult ticket will set you back €4. You can hop on and off the route at two stops, with the same ticket – just make sure you tell the driver.

Brevis, Moraira

If only ALL soft plays served gins as big as your head, were located outdoors surrounded by atmospheric palm trees and allowed you to sun yourself while the kids played!

We felt like we’d struck gold when we discovered Brevis. Not only do they serve very reasonably-priced beverages (and humongous gins), they have outdoor soft play, a big bouncy slide, trampolines, a cute push-along car go-kart style track and mini golf, so you can sit at your table sipping on a cheeky tipple at the same time as keeping an eye on the kids – the holy grail of family holiday bars!

It only costs €2 for the kids to play and is the perfect spot for a bit of late afternoon/sundowner time entertainment. Needless to say, all of our family members loved it! When we were there, they closed on Tuesdays, so be mindful of that to avoid disappointment.

Soft play and mini golf at Brevis, Moraira

Moraira Market day

Moraira market takes place every Friday from 9am in the large car park behind the town (not far from Ampolla Beach). While there is a lot of tat on offer, it’s worth going for the amazing local fruit and veg stalls (a kilo of strawberries is a mere €3), magnificent olives (also cheap), tasty-looking saucisson and the churros van.

Stall owners are happy to barter and if you’re on the lookout for a cheap beach towel, sun hat, vibrant child-size flamenco dress or some beautiful flowers, this is the place to go!

Moraira funfair

Moraira funfair is based right next to the car park where the Friday market is held. Open during the evening in the summer months, it’s a good one to take to the kiddos to post-dinner when it’s not so hot. Here you’ll find fun houses, powered trikes, trampolines, train rides, dodgems, ‘hook-a-duck’ and cork gun shooting games.

Moraira night market

In July and August there is a night market every night of the week in Moraira. It takes place Avenida de Madrid, near the castle and pavement stalls sell all sorts of jewellery, gift, leather and the like. It’s impossible not to stop and browse on a balmy summer’s evening.

Best place to get ice cream in Moraira

Tutto Frutto, off the main beach, Playa Ampolla, is hands-down the best place for ice cream in Moraira. There are all kinds of scrumptious flavours including some vegan options and the options are all presented enticingly (think Frozen decorations, slices of fruit and the like). If you’re visiting in low season, don’t get your hopes up too much as it might well be closed.

Best Day Trips from Moraira

Algar Waterfalls

The Fuentes del Algar are a series of cascading waterfalls, natural pools and river channels located in a jaw-droppingly beautiful inland nature reserve. The 45-minute drive from Moraira takes you along winding mountain roads, past lemon and orange farms to the small town of Callosa d’en Sarria where you’ll find parking, restaurants and swimming pools (the latter aren’t open in low season).

The entrance fee to the nature reserve is a very reasonable €4 for adults, €2 for children aged 4-10, and I think it rises by €1 in high season. Purpose-built pathways make it a great place to stroll around with children – our two were really excited about walking alongside and dipping their hands in the rushing water and there wasn’t a single demand to be carried, or complaint about having to use their own two legs. Be aware though, there are a few heart-stopping, very-close-to-the-edge points where you will need to watch little kids near the water to make sure they don’t fall in.

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There are several points where visitors can take a (safe) dip near the waterfalls, but the water is extremely chilly, even in the summer! All in all, the entire walking trail around the falls is about 1.5km. If it helps, you can motivate little legs with the promise of a picnic in the dedicated area and a turn in the kids’ playground.

In the town, be sure to look out for places selling local produce incredibly cheap – we spotted a giant crate of avocados (1kg for €3!) and bags of freshly-plucked oranges which were swiftly converted into a lip-smackingly good freshly-squeezed OJ.

DinoPark Algar

DinoPark Algar can be found just 1.5km away from Algar waterfalls (keep your peepers peeled to spot a dino on your way into Callosa d’en Sarria!) It’s a smallish amusement park containing dozens of animatronic life-size dinosaurs, a kids’ paddling pool, playground, 3D cinema and lots of cactae!

We ran out of time to explore the park this time around (although our daughters were desperate to go!), but if you’ve got dino-loving fans in your brood, I’d suggest combining with a trip to Algar waterfalls rather than make a separate trip from Moraira.

Half day trip to El Castell de Guadalest

Guadalest is an ancient hilltop town with breathtakingly beautiful views over a reservoir, rolling mountain chains and the distant sea. Unbelievably it’s only 20km from the tower-blocky Benidorm, but you’d never know it from the rural surrounds and winding country roads past acres of citrus groves that lead you there.

Only 200 people live here, but thanks to its incredibly picturesque setting, it’s a very popular tourist destination (it’s said to be the most-visited village in Spain), so my advice would be to go early, find a parking space (it cost us about €2) and then wander the old stone streets before the crowds.

The town itself is full of old whitewashed buildings bursting with colourful trinkets and souvenirs. You’ll find cobbles underfoot, a picturesque square, palm trees dotting the pathways and several small museums (including one dedicated to salt and pepper shakers!), many of which have been created inside little caves in the mountainside.

Castillo de Guadalest, the town’s ruined castle, is one of the main attractions here. It can only be reached by walking through the Portal de San Jose – a natural tunnel hewn into the rock, and then paying the small entrance fee to pass through Casa Orduña, the restored house of the wealthy Orduña family who lived here for generations. It’s well worth it to find the highest viewpoints in Guadalest, and get up close to the white bell tower of Penon de la Alcala, which balances, seemingly miraculously, on a pinnacle of rock.

Castel de Guadalest view of mountains and reservoir

I would say though, if you have wild toddlers, it can feel a little precarious as walls are low and heights are high, so we made sure we kept a tight grip on our three year old. It’s not really one for buggies either, due to the number of steps you have to climb to get to the top.

We found a great place for lunch, L’Hort, with unrivalled views across the valley and right next to a childrens’ playground! The food wasn’t spectacular, but the kids devoured a whole spaghetti bolognaise, I had a tasty salad and Doug tucked into a tasty frittata on their outdoor terrace.

From Moraira Guadalest is about a 50-minute drive and can easily be done as a half day trip, however the Algar waterfalls aren’t that far away, so you could try and combine both in one go if you have the energy!

Altea

We didn’t make it to Altea, but this glistening white hilltop town comes highly-recommended by my sister-in-law who visits Moraira every year. The blue and white tiled dome of the church is the town’s most picture-postcard-famous asset.

There are two main areas to visit in Altea – the typically Spanish Old Town with its little narrow cobbled streets, open squares, little shops, restaurants, and the beach. The historic buildings, authentic Spanish feel, beautiful views and colour-popping mediterranean flowers unsurprisingly lure painters, poets, musicians and photographers with their charm. Be warned though, the walk to the Old Town is a steep climb so little ones might not be so enthusiastic! Don’t miss magnificent bakery, Pasteleria de Sabors, with its delectable cakes near the church. Yum!

The beach at Altea is sand and shingle and the seafront brims with seafood restaurants offering local specialities such as arroz a la banda (fish and rice), paellas, sea urchins, and the catch of the day. Alternatively, find something scrummy around the Plaza de la Iglesia in the Old Town.

Best rainy day activities in Moraira

Although the weather was beautiful for the week we visited in February, we haven’t been a stranger to rain on previous visits. It can be a bit tricky to entertain kiddos in seaside destinations when it’s pouring, so worth having a couple of options up your sleeve if you want to get out and about.

Divine Beauty & Hair

Run by English lady, Becky, this can be a fun place to go and get your nails done if you’re in need or have youngsters who would be into this too. I half considered getting their haircut here while we were at it and ticking off one big holiday chore! There are also massages on offer and a range of beauty treatments, so this could also be a place you retreat to while someone else looks after the kiddos. Make sure to book in advance.

Ale-Hop Moraira

Prepare your wallets as you’ll no doubt leave this place at least 30 euros lighter. Located on Calle Castillo, just down from the castle, this shop is sure to keep your little ones amused for a while. Inside you’ll find everything from funky notebooks and pens, to quirky slippers, toys, masks, hair accessories, gadgets, stationary, beachwear and jewellery.

Best massive G&T for the grown-ups

It’s VERY hard to narrow it down to one place as I’m a fan of massive G&Ts at several places in Moraira:

Hotel Mañet in El Portet mixes a dreamy poolside tipple overlooking the gorgeous bay.
Algas L´Andragó, with its rustic beach bar vibes, has prime position next to the sea and serves a mean goldfish bowl-esque gin and tonic as well as a number of other aesthetically-pleasing cocktails.
Brevis – as mentioned above – oversized gins to sup on while the kids do softplay. What’s not to like?

Best places to eat out

El Chamizo serves really delicious food in elegant surroundings, right on the waterfront. Seafood is big here and you can pre-order paella here to takeaway.
Casa Lili does really delicious Asian food – their sushi, tempura prawns, sliced duck dish, massaman curry and rosé wine are fantastic. Not only did our kids go our of their comfort zone and eat the food, the portions are big and it’s really good value. It’s slightly out of the main town (not far from Brevis), but was really close to where we were staying which meant we could easily walk from our accommodation.
El Cafeti de la Mar is run by Dutch owners and close to Moraira’s main beach, Playa Ampolla, opposite the castle. The restaurant serves really big, tasty salads, a great bolognaise for the kids as well as burgers, sandwiches, frittatas etc.
Eleven, just round the corner from El Cafeti is on the front, across the road from the sea. Their speciality was large coffees which came served with a mini ice cream on the side! They also have an extensive lunch menu with salads, ribs and kid-friendly food.