How to save money on family days out this Easter 2024

For money-saving advice on days out which will have you feeling as fresh as the tulips that have just sprung in our garden, you’ve come to the right place. The RadioTimes.com Going Out team keeps our ear to the ground when it comes to finding you the best prices on the experiences you love. For example, we know the whole family loves a theme park, so we’ve put together guides such as how to get cheap Thorpe Park tickets and how to get Chessington World of Adventures tickets. Plus, as we can’t always rely on the British weather, there are plenty of tips in a rain-proof guide: how to get cheap cinema tickets.

There are a few ways to save money this Easter holiday, and we have some great tips for you below. However, we’ve also gone to the lengths to find you some already-discounted experiences. Below you’ll find cracking suggestions of days out to take your whole family to, such as The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks and Cadbury World.

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How to save money on family days out UK

The RadioTimes.com Going Out team have put together some top tips that will save you money when you’re out and about this Easter holiday. Some suggestions are simple ones, such as remembering to bring a packed lunch and refillable water bottles, and some will save you a fair bit of money, particularly in the long run, such as memberships. Let’s take a look.

Bring a packed lunch — This simple tip will save you a decent amount of money on the day. A lot of cafés and restaurants at places such as theme parks charge above average for food and beverages as they know hungry parents and children will need to refuel for their activity-packed day. It’s an additional expense which can be combated by making food at home, and remembering a refillable water bottle, too.

Book train tickets in advance — The further in advance you can book train tickets, the cheaper they will be. Discount cards such as a Railcard are great if you catch the train a lot, too, as they take up to one third off the overall price.

Save 1/3 of your travel cost with a Railcard

Check where to buy fuel — If you’re not taking public transport to your chosen day out, you’re most likely driving (unless you’re lucky enough to be able to walk!). The cost of fuel has skyrocketed since the pandemic, and while we’re almost used to paying an arm and a leg to fill up our cars, there is a way you can do it for less; sites such as Go Compare, Confused.com and RAC allow you to input your fuel of choice (petrol or diesel) and your postcode to find the cheapest station near you.

Are you eligible for discounts? — Do you work in the NHS or military? Are you children studying? Do little ones under a certain age go free? A lot of experiences, such as The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks (kids tickets are £15 and under threes go for free) offer discounted prices.

Are you likely to return? — Annual memberships such as the Merlin Pass, the National Trust and English Heritage passes will save you money in the long run. It’s not just the same day out you have to experience more than once, either, the Merlin Pass gets you access to a range of amusements across the UK such as LEGOLAND, The London Eye and SEA LIFE.

Buy a Merlin Pass from £79 at Merlin Annual Pass

Tesco Clubcard — More than just a handy tool which saves us money on our lunchtime meal deals, the Tesco Clubcard offers discounts on a range of attractions, too, such as cinema tickets.

Voucher sites — Websites such as Wowcher and Groupon exclusively offer discounts on experiences. In our how to get cheap Disneyland tickets guide, we feature Wowcher deals which save you money on park tickets and accommodation.

For more information about the Merlin Pass take a look at our: What is the Merlin Pass? guide.

Best Easter family days out in the UK at a glance:

• Royal Observatory Greenwich | from £9
• Mamma Mia! tickets | from £14.70
• The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks | from £15
• One day Warwick Castle entry | £39 £22 (save £17 or 44%)
• Paintball for Four | £49 £24 (save £25 or 51%)
• Easter Short Break at Warwick Castle | from £35
• Meet the Meerkats for Two | £79 £49 (save £30 or 38%)
• Steam Train Experience for Four | £39
• Piggy Pet and Play for Two at Kew Little Pigs | £70 £59.50 (save £11.50 or 15%)
• English Heritage Family membership | from £72 a year
• Marwell Zoo family pass | £85
• Visit to Port Lympne Reserve, Truck Safari and Afternoon Tea for Two | £122 £85 (save £37 or 30%)
• National Trust Family membership | from £99 a year
• Alton Towers for four | £156 £116 (save £40 or 26%)

Best Easter family days out to help you save money:

Save 26% at Alton Towers

Virgin Experience Days is currently offering discounts across a number of Merlin's UK attractions including Thorpe Park, LEGOLAND Windsor and, of course, Alton Towers.

The offer couldn’t come at a better time, as everyone’s favourite animated dog, Bluey, is at CBeebies Land at Alton Towers for the Easter holidays. Since Saturday 23rd March, Bluey has been on hand to spread cheer with meet and greets at the theme park. The loveable Australian character joins an already jam-packed line-up of popular figures like Hey Duggee, Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy, Bing and Flop, Ubercorn, Peter Rabbit and the Teletubbies.

If your children are a little bit older, Alton Towers has a whole host of rides which are sure to test even the bravest of teenagers, such as The Smiler, Oblivion, and Wicker Man.

Buy four Alton Towers tickets for £156 £116 (save £40 or 26%) at Virgin Experience Days

For more on Alton Towers, take a look at how to get cheap Alton Towers tickets and Bluey at CBeebies Land.

Plus, take a look at more offers in this Merlin and Virgin Experience Days deal.

Under threes go free at The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks

This Digital Writer was lucky enough to experience The Moonwalkers last week, and when we say that it’s one of the best immersive experiences in London right now, we’re not exaggerating.

The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks takes you on a trip into space; you’ll enter a giant room and get comfortable as an immersive documentary about space begins. The videos, narrated by the unmistakable Hanks, shows the first moon landing by spaceflight Apollo 11, and tells you about the plan to return to space in 2026. With the sound effects and video, you feel as if you’re being transported into space along with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

As far as immersive experiences go, this one is reasonably priced, with adult tickets starting from £25, under 18s tickets from £15, and under threes go absolutely free.

Buy The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks tickets from £15 at Ticketmaster

Save up to £17 per person at Warwick Castle

Step into a world of knights and dragons this Easter at Warwick Castle. As well as the activities we already know and love, such as Zog’s Playground, Horrible Histories Maze, and archery, Warwick Castle has introduced special live shows and interactive trails for Easter.

Take part in the brand-new Dragon Egg Hunt across 64 acres of the castle’s land, and watch incredible live shows such as The Falconer’s Quest: this is the UK’s largest bird of prey display, with an incredible 60 birds from around the world.

When you book a Warwick Castle ticket in advance, you can save up to a huge £17 off your ticket in comparison to buying it on the day. If you’d like to spend even more time at Warwick Castle — and, trust us, there’s certainly plenty to do — you can get a second day free pass when you book an Easter break.

• Buy one day entry for £39 £22 (save £17 or 44%) at Warwick Castle
• Book an Easter Short Break from £35 at Warwick Castle

Cadbury World tickets from £12

The chocolatiest time of the year is just around the corner, and while we might have already tucked into our Easter treats (a Cadbury Creme Egg Easter Egg if you must know), we’re always in the mood for more chocolate.

Cadbury World in Birmingham has Easter cracked with a series of family-friendly events, such as Freddo's Easter Eggstravaganza Show and a revamped Bournville Experience. You’ll also get the chance to meet the Easter Bunny and learn all about the history of chocolate.

At Cadbury World, you can purchase a range of discounted tickets, such as student tickets for just £12 and advanced tickets from £18.95. It’s worth noting, too, that under twos go free at the chocolatey experience.

• Buy Cadbury World tickets from £23 £18.95 (save £4.05 or 18%) at Cadbury World
• Buy Cadbury World student tickets from £23 £12 (save £9 or 48%) at Cadbury World

For more guides on how to save on days out, take a look at how to get cheap theatre tickets, how to get cheap concert tickets and (for further afield) here's how to get cheap Disneyland Paris tickets.

Royal Observatory Greenwich

For a more educational trip this Easter holiday, why not take your youngsters to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich? Balance one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one in the Western hemisphere as you discover Greenwich Meridian Line and GMT, then learn all about tales of cosmos, celestial bodies and Astrophysics.

At Fever, you can purchase adult tickets from just £18, with 16 to 24-year-old student tickets discounted to £12, and four to 15-year-old tickets discounted even further to £9. Plus, under fours go completely free.

Buy Royal Observatory Greenwich tickets from £9 at Fever

For more activities to do in London, take a look at the best London immersive experiences, top London walking tours, best London art exhibitions, and best London immersive museums.

Save with a National Trust membership

Step into spring with the National Trust. With the Easter holidays right around the corner, the National Trust has plenty of Easter adventures at the places they look after. So while you’ll still be able to explore the beautiful gardens and stately homes, you can also take part in an Easter trail.

Set off on an Easter trail armed with a trail sheet and Easter bunny ears to win a delicious prize: an Easter egg. While Easter trails usually cost £3, if you buy a new membership at one of the National Trust places from now until 14th April, you’ll get free unlimited Easter trails for all under 18s on your membership.

There’s no better time than now to join the National Trust as the weather is warming up. If you visit a few National Trust properties throughout the year, it makes sense to buy a membership, too, as it will save you money overall.

Buy a National Trust Family membership from £99 a year at National Trust

Save with an English Heritage membership

At the moment, English Heritage have a fantastic offer which sees you secure 20% off your membership when you use the code YORE63.

Like the National Trust, English Heritage has plenty of historic places and gardens in its care (over 400, to be more exact). With the English Heritage membership, you can get free or reduced tickets to all events, and free entry for up to six children.

Buy an English Heritage Family membership from £72 a year at English Heritage

Save 30% at Port Lympne Reserve

This once in a lifetime experience is sure to put a smile on your child’s face: at Port Lympne Reserve, you’ll ride in a Truck Safari and explore over 900 animals from 75 species, including giraffes. Once you’ve experienced animals from across Africa, Asia and South America, it’s time to chat about your day over a complimentary afternoon tea inside the Grade II listed Port Lympne Mansion.

Buy Visit to Port Lympne Reserve, Truck Safari and Afternoon Tea for Two for £122 £85 (save £37 or 30%) at Red Letter Days

Get 15% off Piggy Pet and Play

Buyagift has a whole host of family days out, from driving and animal experiences to West End theatre tickets and afternoon tea vouchers, and we love the sound of this Piggy Pet and Play at Kew Little Pigs on Old Amersham Farm.

The 90-minute experience is perfect for animal lovers, as you'll get the opportunity to get up close to friendly micropigs, meeting generations of pigs from piglets to even their grandparents. You can even have a go at grooming, petting, and playing with the pigs.

Buy Piggy Pet and Play for Two at Kew Little Pigs for £70 £59.50 (save £11.50 or 15%) at Buyagift

Take a look at the best animal experiences in the UK.

Half price off paintballing

Looking for an activity that will get your heart racing and your competitive side showing? Then this paintballing experience at Find Me a Gift is perfect for your family. This action-packed day out will see you and your family commando-rolling through undergrowth, shooting enemies, and holding your nerve as you hide amongst the debris.

Buy Paintball for Four for £49 £24 (save £25 or 51%) at Find Me a Gift

For more action-packed adventures, take a look at the best zombie experiences, best VR experiences and best escape rooms.

Get 12% off Steam Train Experiences

One of the experiences included in this fantastic offer is a steam train journey for four. Unlike your regular commute, this is a train journey you won't want to go by in a hurry! You'll have the chance to savour the bygone age by riding aboard a carefully preserved locomotive; these vehicles have been around for over 200 years and, history buffs will be aware, were a key part in the growth of the Industrial Revolution.

Buy Steam Train Experience for a Family of Four for £39 at Activity Superstore

For more family-friendly days out like this one, take a look at the best stream train experiences.

Secure 38% off Meet the Meerkats

What is your favourite animal? One of our Digital Writers recently went to a 'meet the capybaras' experience (her favourite animal) and she was lucky enough to get up close to capybaras, to feed and pet them, and to snap plenty of photos for Instagram, too, of course! If meerkats are more your bag, then head over to a meerkat enclosure for this next experience. After a trained zookeeper has briefed you and answered any questions you might have, they'll introduce you to meerkats to play with, and you'll get given food so you can hand-feed the sweet rodents, as well.

Buy Meet the Meerkats for Two for £79 £49 (save £30 or 38%) at The Gift Experience

Low price Mamma Mia! tickets

If there's one thing that ticketing site Headout does extremely well, it's providing competitively priced tickets for our favourite plays and musicals. For example, tickets for Mamma Mia! at Headout will set you back from £14.70, whereas tickets start from £15 at London Theatre Direct and £15.25 at TodayTix.

The Olivier award winning Mamma Mia! musical tells the story of family, friendship, and romantic love, all set to ABBA's timeless songs such as Dancing Queen and Super Trouper. It's a family-friendly hit musical which is sure to go down a treat with the kids, particularly if you can get them out of their seat to sing and dance!

Buy Mamma Mia! tickets from £14.70 at Headout

Take a look at the best London theatre shows and our guides to what's on at the Savoy theatre and what's on at the Harold Pinter theatre.

Save over £40 on a family trip to Marwell Zoo

From tomorrow (Friday 29th March) until Sunday 3rd November, you can save over £40 with the Marwell Zoo family ticket. The supersaver pass admits five people (a maximum of two adults and a minimum of one child) for £85.

At Marwell Zoo, you'll find exciting animals like Siberian tigers, two-toed sloths, meerkats, hippopotamus, snow leopard, white rhinoceros, and many more. The zoo also has plenty of Easter-themed activities to get stuck into, too, such as Marwell’s Det-egg-tive Trail (now that's a pun that will make even the best RadioTimes.com writer jealous!), the chance to meet the Easter Bunny, and find the golden eggs.

Buy a Marwell Zoo family pass for £85 at Marwell Zoo

Phew! After all of these activities, you'll have to check out the best London spa days for some well deserved R&R.