Best Family Holiday Destinations for Every UK School Holiday

Picking a family holiday destination usually comes down to two questions: how much time do you actually have, and what's the weather doing there while you're off? Get those two things right and everything else — flights, budget, what you'll actually do when you land — falls into place.

As a rule: half-terms are one week, which rules out anything that eats two days into flights and jet lag. Easter (two weeks), the summer holidays (up to six weeks) and Christmas (around two weeks) give you room to go long-haul. Below, we've matched each UK school holiday to the destinations that make the most sense for it — based on typical flight time, school holiday length, and when each place is actually at its best.

Quick answer: where to go, when

Read on for the reasoning behind each one, plus what to actually expect from each destination at that time of year.

February half-term: short-haul sun or snow

A week doesn't leave room for a long-haul flight and a lie-down before the holiday actually starts, so February half-term works best close to home — either winter sun or proper snow.

Morocco is at its best in February: Marrakech and the Atlas foothills sit in the mid-to-high teens, without the summer heat that makes hiking with kids miserable. A 7–8 day family trip covers markets, mountains and coast without ever feeling rushed. 

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Egypt offers similarly mild, dry weather in February — comfortable enough for exploring temples and taking a Nile felucca without the 40°C+ summer heat. 

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Lapland is the classic February half-term choice for families with younger children — husky sledding, snowmobiling and a real chance of aurora, all within a 3-hour flight. 

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Easter holidays: long-haul, with spring on your side

Two weeks changes the maths completely. It's enough time to absorb a long-haul flight and still get 10+ days on the ground — and several of our best long-haul destinations happen to be at their seasonal peak in spring.

Japan in late March/early April means cherry blossom season — one of the few times a destination's single best week of the year lines up almost exactly with the UK school calendar. Mild temperatures make it comfortable for sightseeing days too. 

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South Korea shares the same spring blossom window as Japan, with the bonus of being noticeably less crowded. 

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Nepal enters its pre-monsoon trekking season from March, with clearer mountain views and manageable daytime temperatures at lower altitudes — well suited to family-paced itineraries. 

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China in April avoids both the winter cold around Beijing and the summer humidity, making the Great Wall and other outdoor sites far more comfortable. 

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Costa Rica and Mexico are both still in their dry season through April — reliable weather for wildlife-watching, cenotes and beach time without the risk of tropical downpours. 

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May half-term: shoulder-season Europe, before the heat and the queues

Late May sits in the sweet spot for southern Europe: warm enough to swim, not yet at the peak-summer heat or crowds that make July and August harder work with kids.

Italy in May means the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany without the scorching midday heat of school summer holidays. 

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Croatia is comfortably warm by late May, with far fewer crowds around Dubrovnik's old town, the Dalmatian islands and Plitvice Lakes than you'd find in July or August.

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Greece hits the same sweet spot — warm enough for swimming, with sites like the Acropolis and the Peloponnese far more comfortable to explore than at the height of summer. 

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Albania has the same warm, clear Adriatic water as Croatia and Greece, but with quieter beaches and a lot more room to yourselves. Inland, the Ottoman-era towns of Berat and Gjirokastër and the mountains around Theth give families plenty to do beyond the coast, all pleasantly warm by late May. 

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Summer holidays: the long-haul, big-adventure window

With up to six weeks off, summer is the one time of year families can genuinely take on the destinations that need more time — long flights, multi-stop itineraries, or trips built around a specific wildlife season.

Tanzania and Kenya are both in their dry season from June through October, which is also when the Great Migration is at its most active — the single best window of the year for an East African safari.

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Peru enters its dry season from May to September, which is exactly when the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu are at their most reliable underfoot. 

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Borneo is driest from April to September, giving the best odds of good wildlife encounters — including orangutans — without the wettest of the rains. 

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Galápagos works well across the UK summer: expect cooler, calmer seas from June, which actually suits certain wildlife encounters (whale sharks, penguins) even if it's not the warmest sea temperature of the year. 

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South Africa's dry winter (May to September) is prime safari season — cooler days, sparser vegetation, and easier wildlife spotting, all lining up with the UK summer break. 

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Alaska is only really open for tourism from May to September, making it a genuine summer-only destination — glaciers, wildlife and long daylight hours all peak in this window. 

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October half-term: one last short-haul window before winter

Late October is still comfortably warm across much of North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, without the intensity of high summer — and it's short enough haul to work in a week.

Jordan is genuinely pleasant in October, after the peak summer heat has passed — good conditions for exploring Petra and Wadi Rum on foot. 

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Madeira stays mild year-round, making it a reliable pick whenever a shorter window is needed. 

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Morocco is back in shoulder-season territory by late October, similar to its May conditions — good for combining Marrakech's souks with time in the Atlas Mountains without the summer heat. 

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Iceland starts its Northern Lights season again from late October, offering another short-haul aurora option ahead of the winter months. 

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Christmas holidays: escape the UK winter for dry-season warmth

With around two weeks off and the UK at its greyest, Christmas is the other long-haul window — and several of Southeast Asia's most popular family destinations hit their dry season at exactly this time.

Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are all in their cool, dry season from November through February — the most comfortable and reliable time of year to visit all three. 

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Sri Lanka's west and south coasts are driest from December to March, making this the classic window for combining beach time with wildlife and culture. 

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India enters its cooler, drier season from October through March — considerably more comfortable for sightseeing than the summer heat. 

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Belize is driest and outside hurricane season from December, making it one of the safer windows to visit Central America's Caribbean coast. 

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Lapland also works well for a Christmas trip itself, for families wanting the classic snow-and-Santa experience over the holidays rather than in February. 

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Frequently asked questions

Is a week long enough for a long-haul family holiday?

It's possible, but it means losing one or two days of a seven-day trip to flights and adjusting to a new time zone — often not worth it for destinations more than 6–7 hours away. For UK half-terms, we'd generally recommend short or medium-haul destinations instead, saving long-haul trips for the two-week Easter break, summer, or Christmas.

What's the best school holiday for an African safari?

Summer (June to September) is the strongest window for East and Southern Africa. It's dry season across Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa, and it overlaps with the Great Migration in the Serengeti and Maasai Mara.

Which destinations are best for spring school holidays?

Easter lines up well with cherry blossom season in Japan and South Korea, pre-monsoon trekking conditions in Nepal, and the dry season in Costa Rica and Mexico.

Where should families go for October half-term?

Short-haul destinations in their autumn shoulder season work best: Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, Madeira and Iceland all offer comfortable conditions within a manageable flight time for a one-week break.

Is Southeast Asia better at Christmas or in the summer?

Christmas. Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are all in their cool, dry season from November to February, whereas UK summer falls in their hotter, wetter months.

What's the minimum age for family adventure holidays?

It varies by trip, but many of our family holidays are open to children from age 5, with a good number starting from 6 or 7. Check the age range on each tour page before booking.

Ready to start planning? Browse all our family adventure holidays to find the right trip for your school holiday dates.