10 amazing last-minute Easter breaks

Easter is one of the trickiest times to plan a family break. In most of the Mediterranean, it’s too early for guaranteed sun. It’s getting a little late for skiing and it can also be expensive – because so much demand is funnelled into the two weeks when schools are on holiday.

But with some careful plotting and clever timing, it’s still possible to find good value and some attractive destinations – even during peak time.

We have sieved through the available options and picked out 10 great packages to suit different budgets and preferences – from a week in the countryside, to a cultural city break, or three nights at Disneyland Paris. With the school holidays fast approaching, airfares will only rise from now on. It’s time to get your Easter holiday chicks in a row.

Egg hunt in Somerset

National Trust properties across the UK offer plenty of family fun in the school holidays. From March 23 to April 7, Montacute House, a 16th-century mansion near Yeovil in Somerset, has an Easter Egg Hunt around its grounds with activities aimed at younger children dotted around the gardens (£3 per child). Book a stay at Odcombe Lodge, by the gates of the 260-acre estate, with an open fire, private garden and two bedrooms sleeping up to four, plus two dogs.

National Trust Holidays (0344 800 2070) offers a two-night stay at Odcombe Lodge from £233.50 per person, self-catering, based on full occupancy, including free entrance to Montacute House. Excludes travel. From April 1.  

Disney dash to France

Join Mickey and friends for an action-packed Easter break at Disneyland Paris. Special events include illuminations over Sleeping Beauty Castle and a night-time drone show and colourful pixie dust decorations in Main Street (until May 5). A three-day ticket for two adults and two children (aged three to 11 years) covering Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park costs from £899 over the Easter holiday period.

Paris Disney Magic Breaks (0330 880 5001) offers a three-night stay at four-star Paxton Hotel Spa Paris Marne la Vallée with spa, swimming pool, bowling alley and free shuttle to the Disney parks from £444 based on a family of four sharing a duplex room, travelling by Eurostar. Departing April 2.

City sights in Madrid

Soak up the Easter atmosphere in Spain’s capital, where events include street parades and partying alongside the traditional religious services. Check out the Velázquez and Goya collections in the Prado, stroll through Retiro Park, window-shop along the Gran Via and introduce the children to a traditional breakfast of churros dipped in chocolate.

EasyJet Holidays (0330 551 5165) offers a three-night stay at four-star Suites Barrio de Salamanca, near the shopping streets of Serrano and the Sorolla museum, from £501 room only, based on a family of four sharing a standard family room with separate living room. Excludes transfers. Departing April 1.

Easter ski in Italy

Snatch a quick Easter holiday break before the season winds up in April. A combination of short transfer (an hour from Geneva) and high, snow-sure pistes makes the traditional Alpine village of Courmayeur, on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, a good pick for maximising time on the slopes while minimising travel time.

Although best suited to confident intermediates, the resort is good for all abilities with nursery slopes and some challenging off-piste. Plus points also include top-notch restaurants and lively nightlife, centred around the pedestrianised Via Roma.

Ski Solutions (020 3504 3411) offers stays at three-star Hotel Bouton d’Or in Courmayeur from £1,295. Departing March 30.

Beach bunnies in Fuerteventura

Soak up some early spring sunshine in the Canary Islands, where temperatures reach 22C in April. Fuerteventura, one of the largest in the archipelago, has some of the region’s best beaches – including long stretches of pale sand in the protected Parque Natural de las Dunas de Corralejo on the island’s northern tip.

Sovereign Luxury Travel (01293 324 702) offers five nights at the Barcelo Corralejo Sands Hotel in the resort of Corralejo, with two pools and a kid’s club, from £1,070 half board, based a family of four sharing a room. Departs April 1.

Spa hotel in Marrakech

Maximise the four-day bank holiday by treating your older offspring to a short break to Morocco, departing on Maundy Thursday and returning on Easter Monday. The minimum age for guests is 16 years at Riu Tikida Garden hotel and it has four outdoor and one indoor pool and a choice of restaurants. Onsite facilities include a wellness centre with hammam, gym and steam room. There’s also a programme of games and activities, plus cooking classes and fitness sessions.

Tui (0203 451 2688)  offers a five-night break at four-star Riu Tikida Garden hotel from £1,083 all-inclusive. Departing March 28. 

Family fun in Tignes

Take advantage of longer days and warmer weather to introduce young children to skiing or snowboarding during the Easter holidays. Tignes is one of France’s most snow-sure resorts, with high altitude pistes and a season that doesn’t end until early May, so it makes a perfect pick for this time of year. Of the five villages which make up the resort, Val Claret at 2,100m, offers easiest access to the glacial slopes, as well as plenty of restaurants and shops to fill the time spent off the slopes.

Mark Warner (0845 322 5037) offers the slope-side, mid-range Chalet Hotel L’Ecrin in Val Claret, with heated pool, from £949, half board, based on two twin rooms, for families with two children aged up to 15 years. Five full days at Kidz Club costs £380 (including evening childcare). Departing April 7.

Walk ’n’ talk in Cyprus

Make the most of pleasant early spring temperatures – usually around 19C – to explore the quiet and undeveloped northwestern coast of Cyprus. Trails are mostly on paths and tracks, through vineyards, olive groves and orchards, and past beaches, medieval churches and small fishing villages. Choose from longer or shorter routes for each day, depending on energy levels, with accommodation provided in comfortable three-star hotels.

Headwater (01606 218 838) offers the self-guided Walking the Akamas Peninsula in Cyprus from £1,299. Daily departures in March and April.

Feluccas and Pharaohs in Egypt

Bring the classroom to life – and make new friends – on a small group tour to Egypt, with a choice of two Easter holidays organised by Families Worldwide, aimed at adults travelling with children aged 10 and over. The action-packed itinerary from Cairo takes in the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, the temples of Abu Simbel and Philae, and an overnight felucca voyage along the Nile. Winding up in Luxor, there’s an opportunity to visit Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

Families Worldwide (01962 302 062) offers a six-night Pharaohs, Feluccas and Pyramids tour from £1,745 per adult, £1,445 per child aged up to 11, full board. Departing March 23, 30 and April 6.

Adventure in Cuba

Create some standout memories this Easter with a tour of Cuba in the company of other like-minded families. Adventure operator Explore offers an active fortnight for an escorted group, comprising up to 20 adults and children aged from seven years.

After a city tour of Havana in 1950s American cars and a salsa lesson, the tour takes in the spectacular Viñales Valley, white sand beaches of Cayo Levisa island, a zip-wire course in Las Terrazas, the colonial cities of Cienfuegos and Trinidad, and the Topes de Collantes nature reserve. Accommodation is mainly in comfortable hotels, often with swimming pools.

Explore (01252 240 703) offers the 14-night Family Cuba Discovery from £1,679 per adult, £1,499 per child aged up to 11 years (prices include a saving of £120 per person), including some meals. Excludes flights. Departing March 30.

Prices quoted are per person for a seven-night stay including breakfast, flights (from London airports) and transfers, unless otherwise stated, and are subject to availability.

This story was first published in March 2023 and has been revised and updated.