20 of the best places to go for an easy bank holiday weekend

Times

4 hours ago

We're a bit hard done by in the UK when it comes to public holidays. Discounting Christmas and New Year, in England we get only five freebie days every year (those of us who live north of the border in Scotland or over in Northern Ireland get one and two more respectively, but it's still remarkably stingy). Contrast that with most other European nations, whose calendars are stuffed with feast days, kings' days, saints' days, holy days and martial commemorations — any excuse for a day off, it seems —and it's hard not to feel a little shortchanged.
So it's essential to make the absolute most out of the few bank holidays we do get. That's where this list comes in: 20 ideas for quick-hit adventures, both close to home and a little further afield, that are easily doable over a long weekend. Spot puffins on Lundy, spy orcas in Shetland, check out street art in Berlin or ride Switzerland's iconic mountain train.
This article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue
Boating around the Broads is a popular bank holiday pursuit, but for something a little different, how about learning to pilot a half decker? These wooden sailing skiffs were the traditional way of getting around in the days before outboard motors and diesel engines, and they have an elegance that harks back to a simpler, quieter age. Hunter's Yard in Ludham has a fleet of half deckers and larger cabin yachts, and runs Royal Yachting Association-approved courses to teach you the boating basics and improve your skills. Since you're in the Broads, you'll want to be by the water, so try the Hotel Wroxham, six miles west of Ludham. It has a lovely waterside location on the banks of the River Bure, and you can watch boats puttering past as you breakfast on the deck.
• Discover our full guide to Norfolk• More great hotels in Norfolk
Hordes of folk catch the Eurostar to Paris every bank holiday, but far fewer make the trip to explore the handsome northern French city of Lille. It's a graceful place, with architecture that blends French and Flemish styles, and it serves some of the best beer and chocolate this side of the Belgian border. A wander around the old town is essential, including the vast Place du Général de Gaulle; the Bourse, the city's old stock exchange; and the fabulous fine arts museum, Palais des Beaux Arts. Have dinner somewhere on Rue de Gand, a lively thoroughfare where you can eat at a traditional estaminet, Lille's version of a Flemish gastropub. Mussels and chips, carbonnade flamande (beef cooked in beer with gingerbread) and poulet au maroilles (chicken pieces in a cheesy sauce) are the classic dishes to try. If you can spare an extra day, a trip to La Piscine — Musée d'Art et d'Industrie, Lille's funky modern arts museum, is a must. Mama Shelter Lille, an outpost of the funky urban chain, makes a fun place to stay, with its characteristic pop art decor and clashing colour schemes, and a very handy location about ten minutes walk from Lille Europe train station.
• Eurostar guide: everything you need to know
It's only ten miles off the north Devon coast, but the little island of Lundy feels a million miles away. Just three miles long and half a mile wide, Lundy is a haven for all kinds of seabirds: gannets, Manx shearwaters, razorbills, kittiwakes and guillemots roost on the island in large numbers, but it's the playful puffins that most people come to see. The only way to the island is aboard the MS Oldenburg, which travels over three times a week from either Bideford or Ilfracombe. While bank holidays can be busy, the crossing takes no more than two hours, so it's eminently doable as a day trip. Privately owned for many years, the island was donated to the National Trust in 1969, and is now managed by the Landmark Trust, which offers a range of holiday cottages on the island. Otherwise, base yourself somewhere near Ilfracombe: the Watersmeet Hotel is a smart seaside choice.
• More great hotels in Devon
This peculiar peninsula is England's strangest landscape — flat as a pancake, mostly treeless and made almost entirely of sand and shingle, it has an edge-of-the-world feeling that's hard to describe until you've been there. The artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman fell in love with its bleak beauty: his house and garden at Prospect Cottage has become a place of pilgrimage. It's a wonderfully odd area to explore, especially for photographers and artists: climb the Old Lighthouse for the views, watch birdlife at Dungeness Nature Reserve, and ride the quaint steam trains of the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. The best sunset spot is near the lighthouse, where conveniently, the Pilot also serves excellent fish and chips. Buses run regularly to New Romney from Rye and Folkestone; better still, catch a train to Folkestone and bring your bike. Stay at a charming clapboard cottage on Dungeness beach — on the same stretch of shore as Jarman's house — which has its own patch of garden looking out over the shingle, so you can watch the steam trains puffing past the front door.
• Best beaches near London• Best hotels in Kent
One way to escape the bank holiday crowds is to go wild — and Shetland definitely fits that particular bill. Shetland Wildlife, run by the renowned naturalist and photographer Hugh Harrop, provides fantastic trips to see some of the island's wonderful wildlife, including seabirds, seals, dolphins and, if you're lucky, orcas and whales. You can book a multi-day tour, or arrange your own accommodation and just sign up for one of their daily wildlife cruises instead. Busta House Hotel has a splendidly remote location on the shoreline of Busta Voe, near the small town of Brae, 25 miles north of Lerwick. Rooms are simple, but the sea views are superb — and will whet your appetite for wildlife adventures.
• Most beautiful places in Scotland• Discover our full guide to Scotland
It's likely that you'll have the wild North York Moors largely to yourself while the crowds head for the Lake District and the South Downs. Take a guided hike from Helmsley to Rievaulx Abbey (above), then spend a day or two exploring the Yorkshire coastline or fossil-hunting around Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay. And don't overlook the night skies: the North York Moors is a Dark Sky Reserve (one of only six in the UK), and many local organisations, such as Adventures for the Soul, offer stargazing adventures. The Feathers Hotel, in the traditional market town of Helmsley, makes a lovely base and is handy for exploring the national park and Castle Howard too.
• Best hotels in Yorkshire
Stirring scenery abounds in Bannau Brycheiniog (formerly the Brecon Beacons) and while some parts are guaranteed to be busy — including the ever-popular summit of Pen y Fan — there is ample opportunity to dodge the crush. Lose yourself among the wooded trails and waterfalls of Fforest Fawr, hike one of the quieter trails through the off-the-radar Black Mountains, head for the River Wye for some canoeing — or just spend a day browsing the bookshops of Hay. Sounds like bank holiday heaven. The Swan at Hay in Hay-on-Wye is perfectly placed for exploring the area and offers some great-value packages including B&B and dinner.
• Read our full guide to Wales
This fortified Breton town can be reached on an overnight ferry from Portsmouth, making it ideal for a quick cross-Channel jaunt. It's a dramatic sight, encircled by walls constructed by the French military architect Vauban. The town's lanes and alleyways are eminently strollable, and you can climb up onto the battlements for a view across La Manche to Blighty. There are pleasant beaches nearby and if time allows it's worth spinning along the coast to the seaside village of Cancale, renowned across France for its oysters. There are lots of hotels in the old town (known locally as 'Intra-Muros'), but unless you want to lug your baggage for miles, it's more practical to stay outside the walls — Hôtel Particulier Ascott is a fine choice, in a 19th-century mansion about two miles south of the old town.
• Most beautiful places to visit in France
Four hours from the south coast by ferry (or an hour by air), Jersey makes an eminently practical place to escape to for the bank holiday — and its beaches are way less crowded than the ones on the mainland. Sea kayaking is a fun family activity, and the kids will definitely want to factor in Mont Orgueil Castle and the underground maze of the Jersey War Tunnels. And for the best beaches? Portelet Bay and Plémont Bay are beauties. Most people stay around the main town of St Helier, but the Moorings is in the little seaside village of Gorey Pier, a picturesque spot on the island's quieter east coast.
• Best hotels in Jersey• What to do in Jersey
The compact capital of Slovenia receives far fewer British visitors than it deserves — and yet it's one of Europe's most ravishing little cities, a perfect concoction of shady streets, riverside cafés, medieval architecture and a belter of a hilltop castle, reached via a funicular railway. It's a fine city to explore on foot or by bike, and there are longer cycling and hiking trails within easy reach of the city. A day trip to Lake Bled is also a must. Direct flights to Ljubljana depart from several UK airports, including Manchester and London Luton. Hotel Cubo has everything you could ask for: art deco style, spacious rooms, attentive staff and a brilliant old-town location. It also hosts one of the town's top restaurants.
Iceland is all about its landscapes, and for the wildest views of all, the fabled Laugavegur trail has a legendary status among hikers: taking in lava fields, glaciers, hot springs, active volcanoes (including the notorious Eyjafjallajokull) and the otherworldly valley of Thorsmork, this is a once-in-a-lifetime route. At 34 miles long, it's doable in a week — Exodus has a well-organised, fully guided seven-day expedition, starting and ending in Reykjavik, with four nights of wild camping in the valley itself.
For your nights in Reykjavik, choose Ion City Hotel, a sleek, modern space where rooms use natural materials such as lava stone and reclaimed wood. Junior Suites have private saunas and overlook the city and mountains.
• More great hotels in Iceland
Best for history
Berlin is one of Europe's coolest cities, and makes a less crowded place for an urban break than Paris, Rome or London. The edgy east is the most interesting part of town: take a street art tour, visit the sobering DDR Museum, browse the artworks of Museumsinsel (Museum Island) and visit Cold War landmarks including Checkpoint Charlie and the Oberbaum Bridge. If you have time, a day trip out to see the ostentatious architecture of Schloss Sanssouci is well worth it. Roomers Berlin Steinplatz shimmers with the elegance of the art nouveau era. It's a favourite hangout for the city's design crowd, with a great restaurant and a knockout rooftop spa.
Best affordable hotels in Berlin
While Amsterdam gets the crowds, Rotterdam is all but ignored. This frees it up for you to see its adventurous architecture and urban design, with innovative buildings like the De Rotterdam tower, the redeveloped Centraal Station, the reborn docklands around Kop van Zuid and the new Markthal (market hall). There's art galore at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen and the Kunsthal too, but like Amsterdam, this is a canal city — and seeing it from the water on a cruise is essential. Best of all, it's easy to reach thanks to the Eurostar, which runs direct in just over three hours. The luxurious — and very modern — Haven Hotel Rotterdam has views over the city's waterfront, but is also very handy for Centraal Station.
• Best underrated cities in Europe• Best things to do in Rotterdam
Estonia's capital has history in spades, fascinating architecture and a thriving café culture — and its old town is a pleasure to get well and truly lost in. Our advice is to take a guided tour on the first day to get your bearings, then spend the rest of the holiday exploring on your own. Don't miss the Kohtuotsa viewing platform for the best view of Tallinn's rooftop jumble. You should easily be able to find budget flights from most major UK airports. Splash out at the smart Schlossle Hotel, with a super location in the heart of the old town, and lots of antique atmosphere thanks to its 13th and 14th-century architecture.
• Best Baltic cruises
The peaks of Switzerland are perfect for an easy, accessible Alpine adventure. Grindelwald, overlooked by the Eiger, makes a great base: it's perfectly placed for walks around the Jungfrau, and kids will love riding the gondolas up to the mountain tops, or catching the train up to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe at 3,454m (11,332ft). The best way to get there is a flight to Zurich followed by a train ride to Grindelwald: it's doable over a long bank holiday weekend, but better if you can allow four or five days. The Romantik Hotel Schweizerhof has bags of Swiss charm, with its traditional timber architecture and epic views of Grindelwald's peaks. It also has a great spa, and a restaurant serving gastronomic Swiss delights.
• Most beautiful places in Switzerland• More great hotels in Switzerland
Few cities are as instantly charming as the capital of Denmark — although there's a lot to see, so you might not pack it all in. In a weekend in Copenhagen, you should be able to cover the castles of Amalienborg, Christiansborg and Rosenborg, as well as a visit to the National Museum, the city's Botanical Garden and the Round Tower, which offers the best vistas in the city. Save the best for last: the magical pleasure gardens and rollercoasters of Tivoli are utterly magical after dark. Modern Danish design (and art) is showcased at the über-stylish Hotel Skt Annae, located on the edge of the lovely harbourside neighbourbood of Nyhavn — super for dinner and late-night drinks.
• Best affordable hotels in Copenhagen
On the northwest coast of Wales, the island of Anglesey is within a few hours' driving distance of Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol. Encircled by craggy cliffs and coves, it's super for a wild weekend away. Try sailing, surfing, coasteering, kayaking or a white-knuckle Rib ride along the coast; alternatively, go birdspotting in Breakwater Country Park, ponder the past at the castles of Beaumaris or Aberlleiniog, or explore the post-industrial moonscapes around Amlwch, once home to the world's largest copper mine. For ostentatious architecture, Château Rhianfa is the only choice. Inspired by the châteaux of the Loire, it was dreamt up by Sir John Hay-Williams, 2nd Baronet of Bodelwyddan, who created a fantasyland of turrets, battlements, gables and towers.
• Best beaches in Wales
If you're dead set on the Lake District, you need to choose your spot. The eastern part of the park, especially around the Eden Valley, generally stays much quieter than the busy area around Windermere. There's excellent hiking around Haweswater; a wonderful steam-powered railway in Alston; and one of the Lake District's most evocative ruins, Lowther Castle, where the restoration of the once-grand gardens is well under way. Stay at the George and Dragon in Clifton, a popular gastropub that offers smart, cosy rooms and top grub. Most produce comes from the owner's family farms and kitchen gardens at nearby Askham Hall.
Read our full review of the George and Dragon
Cornwall's idyllic archipelago is perfect for a last-minute getaway — and it's now possible to fly direct to the main Scilly island of St Mary's from Exeter and Newquay, which avoids the long journey down to Penzance. The islands' temperate, Gulf Stream-warmed climate means more sunshine than the mainland, so it's a good bet for some beach time. Most people base themselves on St Mary's, but the smaller island of Tresco makes a quieter alternative: bikes are the only way to get around, and the renowned Abbey Garden is right on your doorstep. The New Inn in Tresco has bags of island atmosphere, and even if you're not staying, it's a cracking spot for a pint — the sunsets over to New Grimsby are something to behold.
tresco.co.uk
Read our full review of the New Inn
A weekend in the woods awaits at these forest cabins, which — despite their rustic location in the Forest of Dean — come with luxuries including an outdoor hot tub, underfloor heating and even wi-fi. Activities such as archery, riding, mountain biking and canoeing are all on your doorstep, making the forest ideal for a family adventure — and a yomp up to the top of Symonds Yat Rock is essential for the views. The impressive Golden Oak Treehouse occupies a secluded corner of the forest, and even has a spare bedroom reached via its own rope bridge — the kids will love it.
forestholidays.co.uk
• Best romantic breaks in the UK with a hot tub
Do you have a favourite spot for a bank holiday weekend break? Please share in the comments below