Alternative October half-term family adventure holidays
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Where to go this October half term?
I often look, rather wistfully (and belatedly), at winter sun holiday ideas for October half term. As warm weather destinations are limited by this stage of the year, prices to destinations such as Malta and the Canaries are high and places tend to be crowded.
So, a couple of years ago I decided to give up on chasing the sun and embrace autumn instead. I went onto Skyscanner to check which destinations had the cheapest flights. Slovakia’s diminutive capital, Bratislava, popped up and after a bit of research I discovered we could have an exciting wilderness adventure in the Tratras Mountains for a fraction of the price you’d pay for the same experience in the Alps.
Read about our autumn adventures in Slovakia here
A cheap flight isn’t automatically a holiday bargain – you still need to keep an eye on accommodation, car hire, and day to day costs. But when you discover a cheap flight, it opens up incredible family holidays you might otherwise miss. And visiting these destinations in autumn is usually a great way to avoid the tourist crowds.
So, here are five destinations catching my eye for October half term, each offering a distinct blend of culture, active outdoor adventure, and autumn magic. Note, flight prices change from day to day so although when researching this article, the flights to these locations were cheap, by the time you read this they may have changed!
1. Northern Ireland: maritime history, giants & coastal drives
Swapping a flight abroad for a quick hop across the Irish Sea to Belfast opens up a rich mix of city culture and epic outdoor scenery.
When we visited North Ireland, the highlight without doubt was the Giant’s Causeway, our kids were mesmerised by this natural wonder. It looks amazing no matter the weather (it certainly wasn’t good weather when we were there!). The rest of the north Antrim coast is beautiful with long stretches of sand to wander along, rock arches to marvel at and an atmospheric clifftop castle to explore. There’s also a very good beach café which I highly recommend for lunch.
We really enjoyed the Titanic Belfast. It’s an incredibly interactive, child-friendly museum. And it treats the ship’s demise in a sensitive way (I really regret watching the Titanic movie, which is the antithesis of the museum).
If your family enjoys tackling mountains, the Mournes are well worth considering. They may not reach the heights of some of Europe’s more famous peaks, but don’t let that fool you – the changeable weather can make a hike here every bit as demanding and rewarding.
Find out more about visiting North Ireland with kids
2. Stockholm: an island hopping adventure
Stockholm in October is visually stunning. Spread across 14 islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea, Sweden’s capital strikes a seamless balance between urban culture and outdoor freedom.
Autumn is an ideal time to explore the city’s green spaces and waterways. You can rent bikes to cruise around Djurgården, take an autumn kayaking tour along the calm canals, or jump on a local ferry out into the Stockholm Archipelago for crisp hikes through golden birch and pine forests.
On the island of Djurgården you’ll find the Vasa Museum, which houses a giant 17th-century warship salvaged almost fully intact after sinking on its maiden voyage. Nearby is Skansen, the world’s oldest open-air museum, where children can wander among historical Swedish homesteads and spot Nordic wildlife like moose, brown bears, and wolverines. (incidentally, I’ve written a long article about the best open air museums in the UK). You’ll also find the Abba Museum on the island – in case you’re a fan…
Although you might find cheap flights, Sweden isn’t cheap on the ground. But booking a self-catering apartment, eating hearty lunches, and relying on the city’s superb public transport and free outdoor parks can help to keep costs down.
3. Kraków culture and Tatras wilderness
Poland is a great choice if you want your money to go as far as possible on the ground. Kraków is compact, beautiful, and packed with folklore and history that effortlessly captures children’s imaginations.
The entire historic old town is encircled by Planty Park, a leafy green belt built on the site of the medieval city walls that’s ideal for family bike or scooter rides. For an unforgettable subterranean adventure, you can take a short trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine to walk through miles of underground tunnels, saline lakes, and vast chapels carved entirely out of rock.
If you’re after a culture fix, you can wander through the massive main market square, explore the royal courtyards of Wawel Castle, and venture down to the riverbank to find the famous bronze dragon statue that breathes real fire every few minutes.
If you’re keen to keep costs down, remaining in Krakow makes for a budget-friendly half term break. But if you’re keen to escape the city for a few days in the wilderness, hiring a car in Krakow and heading south into the Tatras Mountains is a great option.
In around two hours, you can swap Krakow’s cobbled streets for mountain scenery, hiking trails and traditional villages, making it easy to combine a city break with a few days in the great outdoors. Zakopane is the main gateway to the Tatras, but there are plenty of smaller villages and mountain resorts where you can stay, giving you the chance to explore a completely different side of southern Poland.
4. Bologna: medieval towers, pasta and Italy’s “Motor Valley”
Bologna might not immediately spring to mind for a half term break, but if low-cost flights pop up, it makes the ultimate launchpad for a family road trip through Emilia-Romagna.
Bologna is a great city to explore with kids. There’s the obligatory Italian tower climb – medieval Asinelli Tower rewards visitors with sweeping views over the city’s red-tiled roofs. Alternatively, you can walk the world’s longest covered portico – a 3.8 km continuous path with 666 arches leading up the hill to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca.
Bologna sits right in the heart of Italy’s Motor Valley. Rent a car and visit the interactive supercar museums surrounding Modena and Maranello. During our visit to this region we ticked off two Ferrari museums and the excellent Lamborghini museum. Our kids were quite young at the time (seven and five) so they appreciated the fun and playful feel of the colourful homage to Lambos. If you’re a real die-hard fan, you can also tackle Maserati, Pagani and Ducati but three car museums was more than enough for me.
Read more about visiting car museums in Italy here (this is a longer article about a road trip to Italy)
5. Denmark mini road trip: Copenhagen, Odense and Billund
We enjoyed a fantastic trip to Denmark when are kids were little. Cycling, Viking ships and Lego are the things I remember from this lovely holiday.
We hired bikes to tour Copenhagen, visiting its many excellent playgrounds and diverse neighbourhoods. The city’s museums are incredibly child-friendly and a boat trip on Copenhagen’s waterways is a great way to take in the sights while resting weary limbs.
I wasn’t a big fan of the Tivoli Gardens but no doubt they’ll be fun during October half term, with Halloween on the horizon.
Read more about visiting Copenhagen with kids
A couple of hours drive west of Copenhagen is the beautiful Roskilde Viking Ship Museum. Even the reluctant historians in my family were won over by this elegant museum with its immaculately restored 11th century ships.
Heading a little further west, you reach Odense, birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson. We enjoyed following a sculpture trail through the town. Unsurprisingly, the emperor in his “new clothes” was a big hit with our kids.
Final stop? Lego joy in Billund. Sometimes you can find cheap flights to the land of Lego but you might find flying in and out of Copenhagen works out cheaper (which is what we did). Do check the opening times and days of Legoland. Unlike its Windsor counterpart, Billund’s Legoland isn’t open every day outside of peak months. However, it has a fraction of the visitors so you’ll be rewarded with fewer crowds and next to no queues. Lego House far surpassed Legoland for us – we utterly loved our visit there.
As with Sweden, Denmark isn’t a cheap place to visit but you can keep costs down by choosing self catering accommodation or youth hostels.
So, those are my suggestions for October half term. Of course, there are plenty of wonderful holiday destinations closer to home, do take a look at my article on UK short break ideas – the Peak District or the New Forest would be my top picks for Autumn.
