Seville from £52 one-way on Ryanair from Stansted is about as good as Easter gets right now. That's for a Thursday 2 April departure, which is the move, because the same flight on Friday 3 April is already showing £89 or more. The premium for flying Friday versus Thursday on Easter weekend regularly hits £40-60 each way.
Lisbon from £61 one-way on TAP Air Portugal from Gatwick is worth a look if you want a slightly longer hop. Go out Thursday evening, come back Tuesday 7 April, and you're working with four proper nights without blowing your entire leave allowance. The Tuesday return versus Monday return saves around £35-50 on this route alone.
Budapest from £44 one-way on Wizz Air from Luton is the best Eastern Europe option for Easter. Wizz pricing on bank holidays is generally less punishing than Ryanair or easyJet because demand skews towards Western Europe sun destinations. Bag fees are the catch, Wizz charges £17-22 for cabin bags above the tiny personal item, so pack light or budget for it.
Book Easter now if you haven't. We're in March and the cheap seats are thinning fast. Mid-week in April on the same Stansted-Seville route goes for £31-38, so the Easter premium is real, roughly £20-25 extra one-way even on a Thursday departure.
Stansted, Bristol, Luton, Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh
UK Bank Holiday Flights 2026: Best Deals From £31
Leave Thursday night. Come back Tuesday. Save up to £80 on every bank holiday.
About these prices: All price ranges shown are indicative, based on typical fares seen on Aviasales for each route. Actual prices change daily depending on date, availability and how far ahead you book. Always search for live prices using the tool below — it pulls real-time data directly from Aviasales.
Easter 2–6 April: The Expensive One (But Still Beatable)
May Day 4 May: The Underrated One With Genuinely Cheap Fares
May Day is the bank holiday most people sleep on, and that's exactly why the prices are better. Porto from £44 one-way on easyJet from Bristol is a strong option here, with availability still looking healthy for the Thursday 30 April evening flight. Bristol handles this weekend well, nowhere near the chaos you'd get at Heathrow for the same dates.
Malaga from £39 one-way on Ryanair from Stansted for a Thursday 30 April departure is close to what you'd pay mid-week in May, which tells you the May Day premium is relatively mild. Compare that to Easter where Malaga from Stansted on the Thursday before is already £58+. May Day is the friendliest bank holiday for flight prices, full stop.
Krakow from £31 one-way on Wizz Air from Luton is the steal of the whole bank holiday calendar right now. Four nights in Krakow in early May is genuinely excellent value, the city is warm enough to sit outside, and accommodation is cheap. The return flight Tuesday 5 May from Krakow back to Luton is around £28, so you're looking at under £60 for the flights both ways.
Booking timing for May Day: you've still got a few weeks of decent prices, but book within the next fortnight. The window between Easter and May Day is short and people start panic-booking the moment Easter is done.
Malaga from £39 one-way on Ryanair from Stansted for a Thursday 30 April departure is close to what you'd pay mid-week in May, which tells you the May Day premium is relatively mild. Compare that to Easter where Malaga from Stansted on the Thursday before is already £58+. May Day is the friendliest bank holiday for flight prices, full stop.
Krakow from £31 one-way on Wizz Air from Luton is the steal of the whole bank holiday calendar right now. Four nights in Krakow in early May is genuinely excellent value, the city is warm enough to sit outside, and accommodation is cheap. The return flight Tuesday 5 May from Krakow back to Luton is around £28, so you're looking at under £60 for the flights both ways.
Booking timing for May Day: you've still got a few weeks of decent prices, but book within the next fortnight. The window between Easter and May Day is short and people start panic-booking the moment Easter is done.
Spring Bank Holiday 25–26 May: Book Now, Leave Thursday
Spring bank holiday falls on 25 May in 2026, which gives you a long weekend of 23-26 May if you leave Thursday evening. Palma from £47 one-way on Jet2 from Manchester is a solid pick, with Thursday 21 May departures showing that price range currently. Wait until the week before and you're looking at £80+.
Faro from £43 one-way on Ryanair from Stansted works brilliantly for this weekend because the Algarve in late May is genuinely warm, around 24-26°C, without the full August crush. The Friday 22 May departure on the same Stansted-Faro route is already £71, so the Thursday saving is about £28 one-way. That's £56 saved on a couple just by leaving one evening earlier.
Athens from £58 one-way on easyJet from Gatwick is the pick if you want something with more substance than a beach resort. Late May in Athens is excellent, hot but not brutal, and flights from Gatwick on the Thursday evening are still in that £55-62 range. Come back Tuesday 26 May and the return is around £52, versus £79 for a Monday return. Do the maths.
Spring bank holiday tends to be mid-range in terms of premium, worse than May Day, better than August. On popular sun routes you're typically paying £25-45 extra per person versus the same flight on a Tuesday in May. The Thursday trick narrows that gap considerably.
Faro from £43 one-way on Ryanair from Stansted works brilliantly for this weekend because the Algarve in late May is genuinely warm, around 24-26°C, without the full August crush. The Friday 22 May departure on the same Stansted-Faro route is already £71, so the Thursday saving is about £28 one-way. That's £56 saved on a couple just by leaving one evening earlier.
Athens from £58 one-way on easyJet from Gatwick is the pick if you want something with more substance than a beach resort. Late May in Athens is excellent, hot but not brutal, and flights from Gatwick on the Thursday evening are still in that £55-62 range. Come back Tuesday 26 May and the return is around £52, versus £79 for a Monday return. Do the maths.
Spring bank holiday tends to be mid-range in terms of premium, worse than May Day, better than August. On popular sun routes you're typically paying £25-45 extra per person versus the same flight on a Tuesday in May. The Thursday trick narrows that gap considerably.
August Bank Holiday: The Brutal One (And Which Airports Cope Best)
August bank holiday 29-31 August is the hardest to do cheaply. Barcelona from £94 one-way on Vueling from Gatwick is about the best you'll find on the standard Friday 28 August departure, and that's not even a bargain, that's just the reality of late August. The same flight in early August on a Tuesday goes for £51. The premium here is savage, often £40-60 per person each way.
The Thursday trick matters most in August. Ryanair fly Ibiza from Stansted from around £67 one-way on Thursday 27 August versus £109 on Friday 28 August. That's £42 saved per person by leaving one night earlier. On a couple that's £84 before you've even landed. Coming back Tuesday 1 September rather than Monday 31 August saves a further £30-50 on most routes.
On the airport question: Stansted and Bristol are noticeably less chaotic than Heathrow on bank holiday weekends. Heathrow in August is genuinely grim, long queues at security, rammed departure lounges, and delayed buses to the terminals. Stansted's layout is more manageable and easyJet and Ryanair run more predictable short-haul ops from there. Bristol is smaller, quicker to get through, and for West Country travellers it cuts out the M25 entirely.
Split from £71 one-way on easyJet from Bristol for the Thursday 27 August departure is the August recommendation if you want something that isn't entirely wiped out by the premium. Croatia in late August is still 28°C and the Tuesday return from Split is showing around £63. Total flights for two: roughly £268, which for August bank holiday is about as good as it gets.
The Thursday trick matters most in August. Ryanair fly Ibiza from Stansted from around £67 one-way on Thursday 27 August versus £109 on Friday 28 August. That's £42 saved per person by leaving one night earlier. On a couple that's £84 before you've even landed. Coming back Tuesday 1 September rather than Monday 31 August saves a further £30-50 on most routes.
On the airport question: Stansted and Bristol are noticeably less chaotic than Heathrow on bank holiday weekends. Heathrow in August is genuinely grim, long queues at security, rammed departure lounges, and delayed buses to the terminals. Stansted's layout is more manageable and easyJet and Ryanair run more predictable short-haul ops from there. Bristol is smaller, quicker to get through, and for West Country travellers it cuts out the M25 entirely.
Split from £71 one-way on easyJet from Bristol for the Thursday 27 August departure is the August recommendation if you want something that isn't entirely wiped out by the premium. Croatia in late August is still 28°C and the Tuesday return from Split is showing around £63. Total flights for two: roughly £268, which for August bank holiday is about as good as it gets.
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