UK Family Holidays and Breaks

England Family Holidays 

With everything from thrilling modern cities such as London and Manchester to wonderful coastlines, from world-class cultural institutions to dramatic forests and other fantastic landscapes, it's often hard to see why anyone wants to spend money leaving England. Read more on family holidays in England.

Wales Family Holidays

This is a longstanding favourite with kids, with Pembrokeshire especially fêted for its beaches, and nearby Cardiff a great place for a city break while having good beaches within a stone's throw and easy access to the outdoor activities paradise of the Brecon Beacons. Snowdonia and North Wales offer more superb landscapes and opportunities for outdoors pursuits, plus fantastic seaside resorts and castles. Read more on Wales with kids.

Scotland Family Holidays

This has always been a good bet for a UK family staycation, with wild landscapes studded by wonderful cities, especially capital Edinburgh. To the north of it, Perthshire boasts mind-blowing landscapes of mountains, lakes and rivers offering lots of scope for getting active and feeling at one with nature. Read more on Scotland with kids.

Northern Ireland Family Holidays

Belfast and County Antrim are an interesting destination with kids –  combining a city that has undergone remarkable changes over the past two decades, and is now full of culture, entertainment and great shopping, with gorgeous countryside including Northern Ireland's most popular attraction, the Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO-listed array of 40,000 basalt columns formed more than 60 million years ago through volcanic activity.

Must-sees include the Titanic Belfast built beside the site of the world-famous ship’s construction and comprising a state-of-the-art visitor experience telling its story from its conception in the early 1900s to its tragic end, plus the W5 scientific discovery centre and Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory. Outside Belfast, there’s also the famous Carrick-a-Rede ropebridge spanning a 24m-deep chasm, originally used by fishermen to bring back freshly caught salmon.

Channel Islands Family Holidays

Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm, situated nearer to France than to Britain (and so benefiting from finer weather and, some would say, better food), are very quick to get to, by boat or plane, and very easy to get around. They are part of the British Isles but not the UK so have their own government, taxes, stamps and currency. 

All boast magnificent beaches and all have unique feel – a sort of old-fashioned Englishness without being dated. Jersey's wide array of beaches are ideal for anything from swimming and sandcastle-building to surfing, coasteering, kayaking and Blokarting (land-yachting), making it a great place for teenagers as well as toddlers. Guernsey appeals more to families with younger children.

The highlights of Jersey include Plemont Beach on the north coast, the Jersey War Tunnels, Mont Orgueil Castle and Corbière Lighthouse. We don’t usually recommended zoos, but Jersey Zoo, run by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, was created by the famous author and naturalist to save endangered species and is still considered a pioneer in ethical conservation. You can even stay on-site in glamping tents.

Guernsey’s main attractions include the beaches of L’Eree on the west coast and Portelet in the south-west, the ancient harbour fortress of Castle Cornet with its maritime museum, and Saumarez Manor, which has a pitch-and-putt course, a mini train and a sub-tropical garden. You can also take the kids surfing in Guernsey.

Alderney is more off-the-beaten track – you  take a boat, a passenger ferry from Guernsey or Dielette near Cherbourg in Normandy, or a connecting flight from Guernsey in a 19-seater plane. Cycling, canoeing over Roman ruins, visiting the lighthouse for views of northern France, and exploring old forts and World War II remnants are all part of the fun here, but the beaches are bliss too. Read our feature on an Alderney family break.

Sark is a tiny island with bays and caves, green paths and valleys to roam, and family-friendly cycle paths. The easiest way to get to Sark is by passenger ferry from Guernsey (35-55 minutes).

Herm is the ultimate escape from modern life – a car-free island occupied by just a handful of families. Pristine sands are the main draw, especially at Shell Beach, and rock-pooling is popular. There’s a single pub, two restaurants in the sole hotel, and beach cafés, plus campsites and self-catering cottages. Ferries from Guernsey take 20 minutes.

Flights to Jersey and Guernsey from UK airports can be expensive in peak season, so contact us early about booking your Channel Islands holiday. Otherwise, there are ferries between Portsmouth and Jersey and Guernsey, with the journey taking 7–10 hours, or fast ferries to both islands from Poole in Dorset, taking from 3 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes. The smaller islands are served by little ferries, among other options.