UK Bank Holidays 2025: all you need to know

Although 2024 isn’t over yet, it’s time to start making plans for the year ahead. If you’re anything like us, you’re probably already dreaming of the trips you’ll be taking in 2025. The good news? There are eight bank holidays for you to take advantage of —and a couple more if you’re lucky enough to live in Scotland or Northern Ireland. Grab your pencil and your calendar, and get planning!

1 January, New Year’s Day 2025

The year starts off in style, with a bank holiday that’s observed across the whole UK. The downside? The weather is probably pretty dreary, and you may well have a hangover after your New Year’s Eve celebrations. Plus, it’s on a Wednesday —never the most exciting day of the week.

Dedicated travellers often look for bank holiday trips that stretch from Christmas Day until New Year’s Day. So, unfortunately, this is one of the most expensive times of year for a holiday. On the bright side, however, there are three bank holidays in a week. If you’re willing to fly on Christmas Day to get to your destination, you can often save a bit of money, too.

17 March, St Patrick’s Day (Northern Ireland)

Live in Northern Ireland? Then you get two more bank holidays in 2025 than everyone else. The first of those is St Patrick’s Day, on the 17th of March. In 2025, that falls on a Monday, so you have a long weekend to enjoy a quick getaway. This is a particularly good time of year for a European city break.

Easter 2025, 18 and 21 April

As always, there are two Easter bank holidays: Good Friday, on the 18th of April, and Easter Monday, three days later. For those keeping score at home, that means a full four-day weekend, so it’s time to look for some Easter travel deals.

If you can take some extra time off, it’s worth going for the week after Easter rather than the days before Good Friday. That’s because many European countries observe the holy week, which means that the days before Easter are a peak travel time. By the end of Easter Monday, most people will be back to work, so take advantage of that to enjoy fewer crowds.

5 May, Early May Bank Holiday 2025

There are two May bank holidays in 2025, and the first comes right at the start of the month. We reckon that both May bank holidays have great travel opportunities. Spring bank holidays are always a good time to go in search of sunshine. The UK is usually still pretty cold and grey at this time of year, so why not go abroad?

You may have noticed that Easter is late in 2025, so there are just two weeks between Easter Monday and the first May bank holiday. Organised travellers may be able to take advantage of that and enjoy a lengthy holiday that spans three bank holidays! That gives you enough time to head to a long-haul destination and really enjoy a relaxing getaway. Countries like Thailand and Indonesia are among our favourites at this time of year —or if you really want to go wild— you could head all the way to Japan for an unforgettable trip.

26 May, Late May Bank Holiday 2025

Time for the second of our two May bank holidays. By this point, summer is just around the corner in many European countries, but if you want to hit the beach, watch out. The sea in Europe won’t quite be swimmable yet, so you’ll need to look further afield.

We think this is a great time of year to visit countries like Morocco, Egypt or Oman. The water’s a few degrees warmer, as you’ll be a bit further south than Europe, and the days are long and filled with sunshine. Leave it too long, and these destinations will become unbearably hot, but they’re still warm enough for long days of sightseeing at the end of May.

14 July, Battle of the Boyne 2025 (Northern Ireland)

Here’s another bank holiday that only the Northern Irish can enjoy. If you’re in Northern Ireland, this is a great time to get away for a long weekend. Unfortunately, the summer months are peak travel time for many nearby destinations, so be sure to book well in advance.

August Bank Holiday 2025: 4 August (Scotland), 25 August (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)

Note that the dates for the August Bank Holiday vary, depending on where exactly you are in the UK. The Scots get their holiday a few weeks early, while the rest of the UK can enjoy one last hurrah before —sob— summer is over for another year.

Make the most of the chance to travel while you can. Our August bank holiday getaways give you some superb options. Why not head to Iceland for a bit of midnight sun or enjoy a spot of European summer in destinations like Portugal or Italy?

Be sure to take advantage of the August bank holiday because there are no more bank holidays for months. In other words, this is your last chance for a bank holiday weekend getaway before winter. Long, gloomy months of work lie ahead — as the days get shorter, the nights get colder, and the temperature drops…we’re getting miserable just thinking about it, and 2025 hasn’t even started yet!

1 December, St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday 2025 (Scotland)

The Scottish winter may not be the cheeriest time of the year, but the Scots do have something to celebrate in the form of an extra bank holiday. St Andrew’s Day honours the patron saint of Scotland and is a day off work for those lucky folks north of the border. This extra December bank holiday is a great chance for a quick getaway — and you’ll need it if you want to get through the long, grey winter ahead!

25 and 26 December, Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2025

The last bank holidays of the year mark Christmas and are celebrated by all four countries of the UK. Great news: in 2025, Christmas Day falls on a Thursday, so Boxing Day is a Friday. This automatically gives you a four-day weekend without taking any extra time off work. However, a lot of offices will be closed until the new year — and you may want to take some annual leave and enjoy the chance for a longer break, one that lasts until New Year’s Day 2026 or longer.

Yes, it’s expensive to travel at Christmas — but remember, you can cut down on travel costs by flying on Christmas Day itself. While the northern hemisphere is in the grip of winter, things are sizzling in the southern hemisphere, so this is a great chance to enjoy some winter sunshine. Peru, Ecuador and Colombia are some of our favourite South American destinations for the Christmas bank holidays in 2025. You could also celebrate New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro for a truly incredible, once-in-a-lifetime party experience. Starting 2026 on Copacabana Beach? Yes, please!

Christmas is also a great time to visit some tropical destinations. It’s whale watching season in Sri Lanka, and the paradise islands of the Maldives are at their best at this time of year. Bali is always a favourite, too — but be warned that on New Year’s Eve on the island, you’re likely to be outnumbered by Australians painting the town red. That may or may not be an appealing option, depending on your point of view! You could always head to one of Indonesia’s quieter islands if you’d rather steer clear of the party-going hordes.

Where will you go on your bank holiday travels in 2025?

Get inspiration from our selection of bank holiday group trips. We’ll be getting together with some like-minded travellers and exploring some of the most amazing destinations in the world. Of course, we do that even when there’s no bank holiday in sight, but it’s always a bit easier if you’ve got time off already. Add a WeRoad bank holiday group trip to your list of resolutions for 2025, and join us for the kind of adventure you’ll never forget!