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Best Spring Half Term Staycation Ideas
for Families in the UK
Skip the airport queues. London and Bristol are packed with incredible things to do this spring half term, and a serviced apartment makes the perfect family base.
Summer doesn't have to mean flights, queues, and overpriced airport sandwiches. Whether you're a local looking to rediscover your city or arriving for a longer stay, Bristol and London offer a summer's worth of experiences — from harbour festivals and rooftop bars to secret parks and world-class culture.
At Your Apartment, our serviced apartments put you right in the heart of it all — the perfect home base for your best summer yet.
One of Bristol's most iconic events, the Balloon Fiesta transforms Ashton Court into a canvas of colour every August.
Over 100 hot air balloons ascend at dawn, and as dusk falls, the Night Glow illuminates the sky in a truly magical spectacle.
It's free to attend, making it one of the city's most beloved summer rituals, a bucket-list experience that never gets old, whether you're watching for the first time or the tenth.
The city's historic harbourside comes alive with three days of live music, street performers, tall ships, and artisan markets.
This free festival draws hundreds of thousands each summer and with our Hotwells and Harbourside apartments nearby, it's practically on your doorstep.
London
Natural History Museum
One of the world's great museums and, crucially for a half term staycation on a budget, completely free to enter. The Natural History Museum in South Kensington has been delighting families for generations, and its spring half term programme typically includes explorer backpacks for younger children, hands-on discovery sessions, and special exhibitions running alongside the permanent collection.
The permanent collection alone warrants a full day: the blue whale skeleton suspended in the Hintze Hall, the earthquake simulator, the human biology galleries, and the dinosaur exhibition are all as good as anything you'll find in a paying attraction anywhere in Europe. During half term, arrive before 10am to avoid peak queues, or book a timed entry slot online in advance, which is free.
The museum sits in Exhibition Road alongside the Science Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, meaning you can combine multiple attractions in a single trip without needing to move the car. If you're staying in a serviced apartment in central London, South Kensington is easily reachable by Tube on the Circle, District and Piccadilly lines.
Science Museum
Right next door to the Natural History Museum and equally excellent, the Science Museum is a hands-on, interactive paradise for curious children, and genuinely interesting for adults too. The free floors cover everything from the history of flight and the space race to climate science and early computing, while the paid IMAX cinema and special exhibitions add premium options if you want to splash out.
During spring half term, the Science Museum, Kensington, puts on a dedicated programme of workshops, demonstrations and maker events, typically focused around a seasonal theme. The Wonderlab interactive gallery (ticketed, usually around £10 per person) is a highlight for families with children aged 7 and up, a riot of hands-on science experiments, live demonstrations and interactive exhibits that can happily absorb a full afternoon.
A pro tip for spring half term staycation planning: buy Wonderlab tickets in advance online, as sessions fill up quickly during school holidays and you may be disappointed at the door.
Tower of London
For families with even a passing interest in history, the Tower of London is one of the best days out in London, full stop. Founded by William the Conqueror nearly 1,000 years ago, the UNESCO World Heritage Site brings British history to life in a way that no textbook can. The Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tours are theatrical, funny and surprisingly gripping for children, a great entry point before you split off to explore the Crown Jewels, the medieval palace and the White Tower armour collection independently.
Spring half term at the Tower typically includes dedicated family programming: storytelling sessions, children's trails with activity sheets, and costumed characters who bring the historic characters of the Tower to vivid life. Half term is a busy period, so booking tickets online in advance is essential, gate prices are higher and you'll lose time queuing that could be spent exploring.
If you're staying in one of our Tower of London serviced apartments, you're on the doorstep: a two-minute walk from the main entrance, with the Thames Path running right past for a scenic pre-visit wander along the riverbank.
Sky Garden
London's highest public garden, perched across the 35th–37th floors of the "Walkie Talkie" building on Fenchurch Street, is one of the capital's most underrated family half term activities, and it's free. The panoramic views across the entire London skyline are genuinely jaw-dropping, and watching children's faces as the elevator doors open to reveal 360 degrees of city spread out below them is one of those half term moments that makes the planning worthwhile.
The garden itself is full of tropical plants, architectural greenery and open viewing terraces, a genuinely unusual and memorable experience, especially for families visiting London for the first time. Timed entry slots are released three weeks in advance and go quickly, particularly during school holidays. Book as early as possible for half term dates, free tickets are allocated in batches and popular time slots can fill within hours of release.
On a spring half term day when the weather cooperates, the South Bank is one of the finest free family days out in the country. The riverside walk stretching from Westminster Bridge east to Tower Bridge, passing the London Eye, the Tate Modern, the Millennium Bridge, the Globe Theatre and Borough Market along the way, is two miles of endlessly engaging urban landscape, with street performers, pop-up food stalls, bookshops, playgrounds and public art providing entertainment throughout.
The South Bank Centre itself runs dedicated half term family programmes, free storytelling, children's performances and outdoor activities clustered around the Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Tate Modern (free entry to permanent collection) often has half term workshops aimed at children, and the Turbine Hall commission is always worth a visit regardless of what it is.
For younger children, the riverside sandpit near Gabriel's Wharf and the playground at Bernie Spain Gardens provide good energy-burning time while parents rest on the benches overlooking the Thames.
The Smartest Family Staycation Base:
A Serviced Apartment
Half term with children is a logistical exercise. You need enough space for everyone to not drive each other mad, a kitchen so you're not spending £60 on breakfast every morning, and a location that actually makes sense for the things you want to do. A serviced apartment delivers all three, and costs significantly less than a hotel family room in the same city.
At Your Apartment, our London and Bristol properties are designed for exactly this kind of stay. They're spacious enough for families, located in the city centres that put everything in this guide within walking distance or a short Tube ride, and they come with everything you need to make a half term staycation feel genuinely relaxed.