5 of the best last-minute Easter staycations

It's not too late to book an Easter staycation and visit some of Britain's most captivating coastlines, cities and mountain ranges.

Edinburgh

Scotland's capital offers visitors a great deal more than its fabled castle. Pop-up restaurants and trendy bars now line the famous cobbled streets of Auld Reekie and with the mercury set to be on the rise this Easter, the city's numerous parks and gardens will be the perfect place for a bit of rest and relaxation. Train tickets are still available from Virgin East Coast's website while lastminute.com is offering flights and accommodation for just £250 per person over the Easter weekend. Stop off at Cafe Piccante on Broughton Street for a deep-fried Creme Egg. Only in Scotland.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The Lake District

Easter is the perfect time to visit the Lake District and see the flowers that inspired William Wordsworth's most famous poem, Daffodils.

While the luxurious Holbeck Ghyll country house hotel – made famous by Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in the TV series The Trip – is fully booked, the restaurant still has great views of Lake Windermere and the surrounding hills. Accommodation in hotels and B&Bs starts at around £500 for two adults and two children on Booking.com but there are also bargains to be found on AirBnB around the northern lakes and in Keswick where whole cottages are available for roughly the same price.

Barge holiday, Warwickshire

Is there anything more quaint than idling your way through the English countryside on a canal boat? Kate's Boats offers accommodation for up to 7 people starting in Stockton. The journey takes you along the Oxford canal and even on to Warwick. All boats come fully equipped with their own cooking facilities but BBQs on deck are heartily recommended. Prices start at around £600-700 for the weekend but unfortunately you'll have to provide your own money for the numerous pubs on the way.

South Devon's Jurassic Coast

Ladram Bay is the perfect jumping off point for exploring South Devon's Jurassic Coast, says the Daily Telegraph. A 4-6 berth holiday home with one double and one twin bedroom at Ladram Bay costs £438 for a four-night stay over Easter, adds the paper. Further afield but still manageable are the AirBnb properties available in Exmouth. "The 95-mile stretch between Exmouth in Devon and Studland in Dorset is crying out 'it's-about-time-you-came-and-saurus!'" quips The Guardian. "T-rexs are thin on the ground, but Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre boasts a life-size cast of the most complete dinosaur skeleton ever found in the UK."

Snowdonia

For the more adventurous, Snowdonia National Park offers an Easter break with a difference. Mount Snowdon is perhaps a hike too far but Cadair Idris, situated in the area between Barmouth on the coast and the town of Dolgellau, could be the perfect way to tire out the young (or old) among you. Don't miss the cute Talyllyn narrow-gauge railway – the inspiration for Thomas the Tank Engine – which makes its way 12km inland through the delightful wooded Talyllyn Valley. Machynlleth is your best bet for accommodation. Prices start at just £246 for the weekend on AirBnb. Barmouth also has several B&Bs.