Due to my kids school schedule we are going to be in England for 2 weeks during the Easter holiday. We have made reservations for the first 3 nights, in London. After that we are renting a car and touring the country with very vague plans. As a result we do not have reservations made. Will we have a hard time finding rooms over the Easter weekend? We are not picky about where we stay.
Posted by
Scotland
505 posts
Easter is a bigger holiday here than in the US - at least in Scotland smaller stores, businesse and sometimes museums etc. tend to be closed on Easter Friday and sometimes Easter Monday.
You'll be fine in a bigger city, but if you're going to be outside the major cities and don't want to stay in a chain hotel, it is probably a good idea to reserve rooms in advance. Smaller B&B's may possibly be booked or be closed for the holiday. Also smaller museums/stores etc. may be closed or have limited hours over the long weekend. It varies by location.
Your best bet is to use the internet and search ahead to see what will and won't be open - that way you can decide where you want to be that weekend, depending on what you'd like to do.
Normally, April is fine - I don't think there are any major school holidays other than Easter. The only thing to watch for are major football or cricket matches as the influx of fans can make it difficult to find a hotel room etc.
Kate
Posted by
Waukesha
9 posts
We spent Easter in England and had a wonderful time. We went to Leeds Castle on Easter and there was a treasure hunt for the kids. Leeds also has an aviary and hedge maze which the kids spent hours in! We were staying in Canterbury at that time. I don't recall having a hard time with reservations, although I did make them before we left. On Easter,we ate at pub near the cathedral in Canterbury called Thomas'a Becket. The food was great and the ale was better.
Other places in that area we enjoyed were the towns of Rye and Battle.
Posted by
San Francisco, CA
9 posts
Just came back from London at Easter...
I had made reservations before arriving but I can say that the hotel I was at had open rooms.
FYI: There were some closures but a lot of the big sights were still open, and some even had extended hours. The TI had a helpful list of every conceivable attraction and its status (closures occurred for most Friday, a few for Saturday and some for Sunday; the churches are "open for worship only.")