UK Easter Vacations: Where to Go This Easter

While you may know Easter as a date in the Christian calendar, in the UK it's a 4-day holiday weekend that's celebrated and enjoyed by everyone.

Much like Christmas in winter, Easter in the UK is rooted in Christianity but also incorporates pagan symbols that celebrate the arrival of spring. These include images like eggs, daffodils, chicks and bunnies.

As such, Easter traditions in the UK are a beguiling mix of church services, Easter egg hunts, and countryside days out with friends and family. Here's a selection of what to look out for:

Easter egg hunts 

Easter egg hunts are perhaps the most traditional of Easter events and involve following a trail to find hidden chocolate. Just keep in mind that, in the UK, Easter eggs are large, hollow egg-shaped chocolates (and not plastic shells filled with candy).

You’ll typically find Easter egg hunts everywhere, from shopping malls to parks and playgrounds. For visitors to the UK, some of the most unique Easter egg hunts are those held at historic properties (think Roman ruins and medieval castles). Some of the most popular venues include:

• Kew Gardens, London
• Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
• Warwick Castle, Warwickshire
• Dover Castle, Kent
• Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh

Traditional Easter food

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, the UK is a paradise for you during Easter—the season is all about chocolatey treats. And even when you’re not craving sugar, traditional Easter meals like roast lamb are a must. Here’s some of what to try and ideas for where.

• Chocolate is everywhere and usually comes in the shape of eggs and bunnies. For an extra sweet Easter, consider visiting attractions like Cadbury World in Birmingham. This themed attraction offers factory tours and chocolate-making demos, along with a huge shop selling some of England’s most prized chocolate.
• Hot cross buns are soft, spiced bread rolls often raised and marked with a cross (a Christian symbol of Easter). They’re traditionally eaten on Good Friday but you’ll find them at bakeries and cafes across the country from February onwards. Be sure to try them toasted with butter at cafes in historic areas like the Cathedral Quarter in Leicester and Derby.
• Roast lamb is the classic Easter Sunday lunch. It’s a traditional British roast dinner and is similar to a Thanksgiving dinner in the US—just with lamb instead of Turkey. One of the best places to try roast lamb is in a traditional village pub after a countryside walk in places like the Cotswolds or Lake District.

Traditional Easter services

With its origins in Christianity, there are countless religious events held over the weekend. You’ll encounter sermons on Good Friday to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus, candle-lit vigils on Holy Saturday, and traditional church services on Easter Sunday celebrating the resurrection.

Events take place across the country, from small parish churches to grand cathedrals. Even for non-religious visitors, attending an Easter service at one of the UK’s historic cathedrals can be a memorable experience for the architecture, music and atmosphere alone. Here are few suggestions:

• Westminster Abbey, London
• St Paul’s Cathedral, London
• Canterbury Cathedral, Kent (the seat of the Church of England)
• York Minster, Yorkshire (one of Europe’s largest Gothic cathedrals)
• St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh (known for its Easter Sunday choral service)

One of the great things about the UK is how compact it is and how well connected everywhere is by rail. For an international visitor like you, you can easily visit more than one destination across England, Wales, and Scotland during the four-day Easter weekend. With spring weather and long days, it’s a great time to explore. 

Here are some popular places to go for Easter in the UK:

Easter vacation in London

The capital also makes a great base for day trips by train:

• London to Cambridge (around 50 minutes from King’s Cross). Go punting on the River Cam and visit King’s College Chapel.
• London to Oxford (around 1 hour from Paddington). Explore the Bodleian Library and Christ Church, a Harry Potter filming location.
• London to Bath (around 1 hour 20 minutes from Paddington). The Roman Baths, Royal Crescent and Thermae Bath Spa are all within walking distance of the station.

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Trip to Edinburgh

Edinburgh is one of the UK’s most popular city breaks and takes on special charm at Easter thanks to its uniquely Scottish traditions. One of the most eye-catching events is egg rolling. 

Here’s how to get to Edinburgh:

• London to Edinburgh (around 4 hours 20 minutes from King’s Cross with LNER)
• Manchester to Edinburgh (around 3 hours 20 minutes with Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry)
• Glasgow to Edinburgh (around 50 minutes with ScotRail)

Trip to Cotswolds

If you’ve ever seen a photo of a stone cottage with a thatched roof and rolling green hills behind it, chances are it was taken in the Cotswolds. This part of central England is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and about as close to the “classic English countryside” as you can get.

At Easter, it’s at its best, too, with lambs in the fields, daffodils in bloom, and village fairs and farmers’ markets in full swing. Villages to check out include Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadway, Bibury and Castle Combe. National Trust properties like Hidcote Manor Garden and Snowshill Manor usually run Easter egg trails over the long weekend, too.

Just remember that the Cotswolds isn’t a single town, so you’ll travel to a train station and explore from there by bus, taxi or rental car. The main stations are:

• Moreton-in-Marsh (around 1 hour 30 minutes from London Paddington on GWR, with bus links to Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold)
• Cheltenham Spa (around 2 hours from London Paddington, a good base for the northern Cotswolds)
• Banbury (around 1 hour from London Marylebone on Chiltern Railways, for the eastern Cotswolds)

Discover the York chocolate story

York is a compact, walkable city in the north of England that’s famed for its remarkably well preserved medieval old town, Gothic cathedral and city walls in Europe. At Easter, York’s Chocolate Story is a must. This is a guided tour starting at King’s Square with tastings and chocolate-making demos.

York is quick to reach by train:

• London to York (around 1 hour 50 minutes from King’s Cross with LNER)
• Leeds to York (around 25 minutes with Northern)
• Newcastle to York (around 1 hour with LNER, CrossCountry)

Check rail network change information 

Planning to travel around the UK by train over Easter? Then you’ll want to be aware that there may be reduced schedules, diversions and even buses replacing trains at certain stations. That’s because maintenance work is often scheduled for this weekend—with fewer commuters using the lines, it’s the least disruptive time to carry essential upgrades.

Luckily, you’ll still be able to get from A to B as train operators always put alternatives in place. You’ll just need to allow for extra time. Be sure to double-check your journey using the Trip.com journey planner to see if work.

Book train tickets in advance 

• Advance tickets. These are often the cheapest way to travel by train in the UK. They go on sale 6 to 12 weeks before the travel date and are valid for the specific departure time you choose when booking. Be quick, though—they sell out fast on busy routes over Easter.
• Off-Peak tickets. These give you more flexibility and allow you to travel on any off-peak service, which generally means after 9:30am on weekdays and anytime on weekends. Luckily, bank holidays like Good Friday and Easter Monday are off-peak all day.
• Anytime tickets. These let you travel on any train at any time of day, and book at anytime up until departure. These are the most flexible option and handy if your plans are still taking shape.

If you’re planning an Easter vacation or weekend break in the UK, the trains make getting around a breeze. Even if there are engineering works taking place on your route, you can often zip around the country to different parts of the countryside in no time.