Family Summer Vacation – 12 Sustainable Ideas

The best ideas for a family summer vacation are less about where you go and more about the experiences you have together. And they should be as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible! Want to bring history lessons to life? Paestum or Paris are great for this. Or is it nature that brings you together as a family? Mountains, the sea, national parks, jungles. Of course, depending on the region, there are also exciting animals to discover. Wolves, for example. Find out where you can get active with your teens this summer or relax at a resort with your baby.

Our family vacation tips

1 Family Adventure in the Black Forest (Germany)

“380 meters of pure adrenaline” promises the Wildline Suspension Bridge in Bad Wildbad. It is a narrow bridge 60 meters high with a view 300 meters below – down into the Enz Valley and Bad Wildbad. It is the only suspension bridge of its kind in Europe. The adventure destination is also directly connected to a fairy tale trail.

• Suitable for: Families with children aged 6 to 14
• Web link: https://wildline.de/
• Suitable accommodation:

SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA, Bad Herrenalb, Germany: This sustainable hotel has a large spa area for parents and a snack garden with insects and small animals that kids will love. Especially practical: At the hotel, you’ll receive the KONUS guest card, which gives you free rides on public transportation in the Enzkreis region for the duration of your stay.

2 Golf (Gran Canaria and Austria)

Golf is a much less “environmentally unfriendly” sport than many people think. At least if you choose a golf course that is close to nature. These are not only meadows, but also lakes, streams, planted (native) trees and flowers. You will find more biodiversity than in any football stadium. As a golf vacation destination, we recommend the Canary Island of Gran Canaria, because here the golf season has 365 days. Now in summer, the Bucklige Welt in Lower Austria is especially beautiful if you are looking for golf courses close to nature!

• Suitable for: Families who know how to play golf or want to learn. Many golf professionals have started playing golf as young as 5 years old, so you are the best judge of whether this is suitable for your children. Otherwise, we have heard from golf professionals that 14 is a good age to start.
• Suitable accommodations:

Casa León Royal Retreat, Gran Canaria: This boutique hotel is close to five golf courses and offers a shuttle service. Family weeks are offered in the summer for families with young children between June 12th and September 4th (and in winter between March 18th and March 31st).

Gut Guntrams, Schwarzau / Steinfeld (near Vienna), Austria: The “Bio-Refugium” has several exceptional accommodations, including two family apartments for 4 people. You stay in the middle of nature with a natural pond, organic farming and the forest nearby. The owners themselves have recommended golf as a natural summer activity for families and will be happy to advise you.

3 Mountain Hiking (Austria and South Tyrol)

Hiking is considered one of the healthiest sports and is suitable for all ages. In the Alps you will find a wide variety of hiking trails, from easy and short to multi-day tours. There is something for everyone.

• Suitable for: Vacations with hiking kids, spry grandfathers, aunts from Overseas and other relatives.
• Accommodations:

• Summit Lodges Pfunds, Tirol, Austria: In the center of Pfunds are two American-Canadian-style log cabins that you can book for your family summer vacation. Each has two bedrooms, a living room and a fully equipped kitchen. They host up to six people, and the Tyrolean mountains start right outside your door.
• Paradiso Pure.Living, Seiser Alm, South Tyrol, Italy: The first purely vegan/vegetarian hotel in the Dolomites is located at an altitude of over 2,000 meters and has developed a special hiking guide for mountain hikers, “5 Epic Hikes around Paradiso,” which details the best tours.

You’ll find plenty of room here with your family

4 E-biking in Allgäu (Germany)

Do you feel like everyone else has an e-bike but you? Electric assistance is extremely practical, especially off-road and in the mountains. In many places you can rent e-bikes and explore the surroundings on extended bike tours.

• Suitable for: Families with teenagers or if you already have an e-bike with a seat for smaller children
• Suitable accommodation:

HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu, Germany: Not only can you rent e-bikes at this sustainable wellness hotel in the foothills of the Alps, but you can also book a bike safety course. There’s a special bike guide, and Karl or Marc Traubel, members of the owners’ family, accompany guests on the “Hike & Bike” activity themselves. “We want to encourage our guests to do outdoor sports and enjoy nature,” says HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio.

Sporting activities weld families together.

5 SUP in Croatia

Stand Up Paddling (SUP) is also one of those trendy sports that everyone has been doing for a few years now! Why not you too? A beautiful place for it is the island of Korčula in Croatia. In the Adriatic Sea you will find not only turquoise water, but also great rocky coasts with caves to discover.

• Suitable for: the whole family 🙂
• Suitable accommodation:

ECO-APARTMENT HOTEL THE DREAMERS’ CLUB, Korčula, Croatia: The eco-aparthotel rents out six apartments for 2 to 5 people, including a breakfast made from organic ingredients, which you can enjoy on the terrace. It’s only 50 meters to the sea, and you can rent SUPs right there. There is also a playground for small children.

6 Boating and wild beaches in Italy

Another great destination for those who love the sea is Italy. Here are two places to stay that are right on the beach:

• Suitable for: Young parents who know that their children can happily spend hours on the sand and then enjoy some togetherness in the evening.
• Suitable accommodations:

A’ Cràpa Mangia, Salerno, Italy: There are several well-appointed apartments for 2 to 8 people. All have a terrace with sea view. In addition to boat trips, you can make various excursions in Campania from here. A highlight is the Greek archaeological site of Paestum.

ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA, Italy: If you really want to pamper yourself, you’ll find everything your heart desires at this Sicilian spa resort. In addition to direct access to the beach (a designated WWF nature reserve), there’s an indoor/outdoor pool and a large spa area. There’s also regional cuisine. A new feature is a signposted biodiversity trail through the Torre Salsa nature reserve to the beach.

Historic estate in the Cilento National Park in Italy

7 Discovering the jungle (Amazon, Peru)

Are you one of those who, as a family, loves to watch National Geographic and your greatest desire is to discover the jungle? Then the Peruvian dry season between May and September (i.e. winter there) is the best time to travel!

• Suitable for: Adventurer families
• Suitable accommodation:

Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica, Peru: The rooms and suites are located directly in Amazon Rainforest and there is a wide range of different guided tours on which you can discover the unique flora and fauna with an expert. If you are interested in history, Inkaterra also offers accommodations at the ancient excavation sites of the Incas (Machu Picchu etc.).

8 Sustainable Diving (Thailand and the Seychelles)

The fact that the underwater world has a delicate balance has become known worldwide thanks to the Thai island of Ko Phi Phi Leh, where “The Beach” from the Hollywood movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio is located. 18 years after the movie hit the big screen, about 90 percent of the coral at Maya Bay was damaged because motorboat tourists dumped their trash there and inexperienced snorkelers touched coral.

Dive resorts, on the other hand, teach you to respect the marine environment. There are even dive schools that clean corals of marine plastic or replant coral fragments in coral nurseries.

• Suitable for: There is no age limit for snorkeling; scuba diving should begin no earlier than age eight, according to the Association of German Scuba Divers.
• Suitable accommodations:

Zeavola, Ko Phi Phi, Thailand: Located on the aforementioned dream island of Ko Phi Phi Leh, Zeavola is a designated dive hotel that offers PADI courses and rents equipment.

Cerf Island Resort, Seychelles: Cerf Island Resort is located in the middle of the aquatic reserve, Sainte Anne Marine National Park. The resort consists of 24 villas and suites where you can enjoy privacy as a family. Snorkeling equipment can be rented for free and there are daily guided diving tours – e.g. to Turtle Rock or Shark Bank.

9 Relaxing in Germany

Just longing for relaxation and a beautiful place to enjoy nature with your family? There are plenty of corners to do that in Germany! How about the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Rhön or the Baltic Sea?

• Suitable for: the family, with big and small (up to 6 people).
• Accommodations:

Küchenhaus STURM, Mellrichstadt, Germany: the Küchenhaus STURM includes an upper floor with 3 bedrooms (6 beds) and a basement with living area and open kitchen. Not only are you in the middle of nature here, but you’re also close to Hotel STURM, where you can use the swimming pond and spa area for free. The highlight is the 3,500-square-meter snack garden. “See, smell, collect, taste or simply relax.” is the motto here. The whole area is managed ecologically and all discovered fruits may be snacked.

Gut Nisdorf, Baltic Sea, Germany: Here there are family-friendly vacation apartments, each with two or three rooms. The children can occupy themselves in the garden or on the playground, while the parents relax in the beach chair.

10 City trip (Milan and Paris)

City trip as a summer vacation with the family? A wonderful idea! With so much cultural input, your kids will have plenty to talk about at school after the vacations. An ecological advantage: you can reach metropolises in an environmentally friendly way by train or long-distance bus, and you can also get around locally by public transport.

• Suitable for: Families with interested children who can be taken to the museum or young parents whose baby still sleeps in a sling most of the time.
• Accommodations:

Green Spirit Hotels, 7th district, Paris, France: To discover Paris, we have a real insider tip for you: In the lively 7th district, there are three green budget hotels: Hotel Le Pavillon, Hotel Malar and Hotel Amélie. Here you are surrounded by boutiques and cafés and can reach the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Élysées and other sights within walking distance. The 2- and 3-star hotels are creative and individual – each room is different.

Hotel Milano Scala, Milan, Italy: Hotel Milano Scala was the first ever zero-emissions hotel in Milan and is a pioneer in the sustainable hotel industry. It is centrally located in the Brera district. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Castello Sforzesco, La Scala and the city’s luxury shopping streets are all just a stone’s throw away. The hotel also has a gorgeous rooftop terrace.

11 Visit Wolves (Germany)

Wolves are predators with a sense of family. Mother and father wolves live together in a monogamous partnership throughout their lives, guiding their children. Although the wolf is not considered an endangered species globally, it was virtually extinct in Western Europe for over a hundred years. It is only in the last 70 years or so that wolves have returned. How this came about is one of the many exciting stories you can learn with your children at the Wolfcenter Dörverden.

• Suitable for: Families with elementary school children and “Twilight”-loving teenagers.
• Web link: https://www.wolfcenter.de/
• Accommodation:

Okelmann’s, Warpe, Germany: The family members running the hotel, recommended to us by the Wolfcenter. “We’re happy to help and advise our guests,” they report, “There’s super much to do!” In addition to wolves, alpacas are also on the list of exciting animals to discover here.

12 Family vacation for train enthusiasts in South Tyrol.

Many children are fascinated by train rides. As an adult, you may have had some annoying experiences and therefore you may not be so euphoric anymore – but get infected – there are the platforms, the announcements, the rails, the compartments, the flying landscape, the tunnels… South Tyrol in the Italian Alps is one of the destinations that can be reached by train on beautiful routes.

• Suitable for: the whole family
• Where to stay:

Hotel Weihrerhof, Ritten, South Tyrol, Italy: The Weihrerhof is a family-friendly hotel located on the shores of Lake Wolfsgruben at an altitude of over 1,200 meters. In addition to a bathing lake with boats, there is also a stream and a playground where children can have a great time. And back to the train: “A nice activity for the young and the young at heart is certainly a ride on the Ritten narrow-gauge railway – free with the RittenCard and, of course, environmentally friendly!