Missed your chance of a family holiday this summer? Whether booked-up Britain, the pingdemic or post-lockdown jitters scuppered your plans, you still have one last chance to rescue your holiday year – the autumn half-term break.
It’s not the easiest time of year to plan a holiday. The weather in some parts of the Mediterranean is long past its best and the tight window of opportunity – most schools break up on Oct 22 and return on Nov 1 – means that some flights to popular destinations are in short supply.
But if you choose carefully – heading well south in the Med or to the Canaries if you want a beach holiday, or plan a different type of trip where hot sunny weather isn’t so crucial – then there are still lots of excellent options. And if your children are lucky enough to have two weeks off, or break up the previous week, then you really are in clover.
From sunny escapes to cultural breaks, here a 14 last-minute holidays to book for October half-term.
Fun and games
Disney delights
While Mickey Mouse and friends may not be hugging visitors, they are back in action. Allow a couple of days to explore Disneyland Paris and nearby Walt Disney Studios Park. Magic Breaks (magicbreaks.co.uk) offers a three-night stay at Campanile Val D’France from £478 B&B for up to five passengers and a car, including Eurotunnel crossing, with free shuttle to Disney. Park and ticket information at disneylandparis.com.
Theme and holiday parks including LEGOLAND Windsor are always a winner
Credit: fabpix.co.uk
Parc life
High demand means it’s tricky to find availability at Center Parcs (centerparcs.co.uk) in the main week of half term, but families who can travel earlier can track down stays around the UK, with large subtropical waterparks and activities on tap. A self-catering, three-bedroom Executive Lodge, at Sherwood Forest Center Parc in Nottinghamshire, sleeping up to six people, costs from £1,299 for a three-night, weekend stay.
Families who can travel earlier than high-demand half-term can track down stays at Center Parcs
Credit: Center Parcs
Towering times
Get the adrenaline flowing with a stay at Alton Towers (altontowersholidays.com) near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. This year, families can make a bid to grab the crown jewels on the newly launched Gangsta Granny ride. Most on-site accommodation is sold out, but there are still a few rooms available at the Alton Towers Hotel. From £809 B&B for a family of four for two nights. Theme park passes £156 one-day, £196 two-day and Waterpark £58.
This year, families can make a bid to grab the crown jewels on the newly launched Gangsta Granny ride
Credit: Alton Towers
Up and active
Bravo for the Brava
Families who prefer to go at their own pace can opt for a more leisurely, self-guided itinerary with Headwater (headwater.com). Its “Catalonia Activities” tour is based at three-star Hotel Garbi near the resort of Calella de Palafrugell on the Costa Brava. Optional activities include a visit to the botanical gardens at Cap Roig or cycling to the medieval town of Pals and there’s plenty of opportunity for beach picnics. From £979, throughout October.
Families who prefer to go at their own pace can opt for a more leisurely, self-guided itinerary with Headwater
Credit: Alvaro German Vilela/Alamy
Go for Gozo
Flopping on the beach isn’t everyone’s idea of an ideal half term. An “Active Gozo” itinerary with Families Worldwide (familiesworldwide.co.uk) is aimed at energetic families with children aged eight and over. Based in a beachfront resort in the small fishing village of Xlendi, this small group tour includes climbing, abseiling, kayaking, mountain biking and an optional catamaran excursion. From £799 including two lunches. Excludes flights.
Winding through the willows
Potter along the leafy banks of the Thames on a six-night, self-guided “Trails of the Riverbank” walking tour with Inntravel (inntravel.co.uk) with overnight stays in Oxford, Goring and Henley-on-Thames. There are barely any hills to worry about and optional extensions include the Pangbourne loop, which takes in Mapledurham House, thought to be the inspiration for Toad Hall in Wind in the Willows. From £895, including three dinners.
Wildlife in the wilds
Families with children aged from six to 12 can join a four-night “Great Outdoor Adventure in the Lake District” break offered by the Field Studies Council (field-studies-council.org) at its Cumbrian residential centre, FSC Blencathra near Keswick. Activities include ghyll scrambling at Honister waterfall, a nature night walk with a bat detector, orienteering and bushcraft in the company of an expert wildlife guide. From £274, including all meals.
Keswick is a top spot for families with children
Credit: Job Kuipers/Getty
Creative and cultural
Roman holidays
Enrol the kids into gladiator school on a four-night break in Rome – it’s one of the activities offered by the five-star Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel on the outskirts of the city. The hotel’s Kids IT Club for children aged over seven also has pizza-making classes and a city tour, and baby-sitting is available. From £622 for travel on selected dates between Oct 16-24, room only, through British Airways Holidays (ba.com).
Rome Cavalieri’s kids’ club offers a gladiator school, pizza-making classes and a city tour
Credit: ANTONIO SABA
Capital treat
Costs on family break in London soon rack up, especially once you’ve paid for entry fees and a West End show. But you can save by booking a self-catering apartment in Citadines (discoverasr.com), which offers good value family accommodation near Trafalgar Square, within walking distance of the National Gallery, Covent Garden and London Eye. From £223 a night for a one-bedroom apartment sleeping four people during the half term weeks.
Going Dutch
Canal trips, Van Gogh sunflowers, the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum – there’s plenty to entertain children on a cultural break in Amsterdam. Eurostar (eurostar.com) can arrange a two-night, room-only stay in the five-star Pestana Amsterdam from £183, based on four sharing a studio room. By the Amstel river, close to the café district of De Pijp and a six-minute tram ride to Museumplein, the hotel has a big swimming pool, a rarity in Amsterdam, and a spa.
There’s plenty to entertain children on a cultural break in Amsterdam
Credit: Lucy Lambriex/Digital Vision
Cast-iron fun
Immerse the family in the fascinating museums of Ironbridge Gorge, birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and world heritage site, near Telford in Shropshire. Highlights include a recreation of a Victorian town including shops and fairground at Blists Hill and Enginuity, a hands-on science and engineering centre. Two nights at Ironbridge Best Western Valley Hotel (thevalleyhotel.co.uk) from £342, room only, based on two standard double rooms; site and ticket information at ironbridge.org.uk.
Sun and sand
Teenage treat
The small beach resort of Nerja, 50 miles east of Málaga, is a good pick for families with older, independent teenagers who want to head out to small bars and restaurants locally. First Choice (firstchoice.co.uk) offers a half-board stay in a one-bedroom apartment with a balcony at four-star Marinas De Nerja on Playazo beach, which has two outdoor pools, spacious gardens, kids’ club and spa. From £882 for the week of Oct 16-23 or £1,161 from Oct 23-30.
The small beach resort of Nerja is a good pick for families with older, independent teenagers
Credit: Calum Davidson/Alamy
Sea and Sicily
Long hours of daylight and pleasant heat makes Sicily a good choice for a dose of autumn sunshine. Head for the seaside medieval town of Cefalu on the island’s north coast, a resort with a Norman cathedral and ideally placed for forays to Palermo and nearby beaches. Citalia (citalia.com) can arrange B&B at the Cefalu Sea Palace from £1,233, based on four people sharing a junior suite.
Head to the seaside medieval town of Cefalu for some Autumn sun
Credit: Stefano Senise/Alamy
Lanzarote lounging
A reasonable flight time (just over four hours) and balmy autumn weather mean the Canaries are a popular half term option. Lanzarote’s southern resort of Playa Blanca has some of the island’s best beaches and a busy marina. THB Tropical Island, a resort hotel, provides plenty of diversions, with heated outdoor swimming pools, football pitch, beach volleyball and water park. From £1,242, self-catering, based on a family of four sharing a one-bedroom apartment; Tui (tui.co.uk).
Lanzarote’s southern resort of Playa Blanca has some of the island’s best beaches
Credit: Lohfink
The details
“Fun and games” prices are for a family of four, unless stated otherwise; “Sun and Sand” prices are per person for seven nights, including flights and transfers, unless stated otherwise; “Creative and cultural” prices are pp and include breakfast, but not transfers, unless stated otherwise; “Up and Active” prices are pp for seven nights, including breakfast, flights and transfers, unless stated otherwise. All quoted prices were correct as we went to press, but may well rise if demand picks up significantly. Read more: Telegraph Travel’s complete guide to the best hotels in Europe.
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Are you planning a holiday for October half-term? Let us know in the comments section below