Holiday guide. March, April.
Where to go for Easter Week
The week half of Europe and all of Latin America goes on holiday. Go where Easter is the show, or go where it is not a holiday at all.
The straight answer
The best places to travel for Easter week are Seville, Antigua Guatemala, Malta, and Florence for the Holy Week traditions themselves, or the Grand Canyon and Japan if you want spring weather without a local holiday rush.
The best Easter week trips go where Holy Week is the main event: Seville for Semana Santa processions, Antigua Guatemala for its carpets of dyed sawdust and flowers, Malta for Good Friday processions, and Florence for the Scoppio del Carro on Easter Sunday. If you would rather dodge the holiday entirely, Japan (in an early Easter year) and the American Southwest do not change a thing for it.
Know what you are walking into. In Spain, Italy, Mexico, and most of Latin America, Easter week is a national holiday: domestic travelers fill the beaches, hotels in the headline cities hit their highest spring rates, and banks, some museums, and many shops close on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, or Easter Monday depending on the country. In Norway, the whole country empties into mountain cabins and most shops shut on the public holidays from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday.
Because Easter moves, the weather does too. A late March Easter can be cold in Central Europe; a late April Easter is prime spring almost everywhere. If you have flexibility, homeschool families especially, the week after Easter is one of the best-value travel weeks of the spring: same weather, holiday crowds gone home, prices already falling.
The world, ranked for Easter Week
Each pick opens its March page, with weather, crowds and what is on.
Book Seville for Easter Week.
Sponsored links to Expedia and Vrbo. We may earn a commission; it never changes a verdict.
- Hotels for March
Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in SevilleOpens a hotel search for Seville in March, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
- Rentals on Vrbo
Vacation rentals. Vrbo
Vacation rentals in SevilleWhole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
- Tours and tickets
Tours and tickets. Expedia
Tours and tickets in SevilleTimed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Seville for March. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Closer to home
The US picks for this week, from a long weekend drive to a national park.
Washington, DC
The White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn is held on Easter Monday, with tickets awarded by online lottery. In an early Easter year, the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms may still be out.
Grand Canyon South Rim
Arizona
Easter is not a big-crowd event here, April rim days sit near 60F (16C), and the canyon at sunrise from Mather or Yavapai Point needs no ticket. Book in-park lodges as early as you can.
New Orleans
Louisiana
Easter Sunday brings parades and bonnets in the French Quarter, and the city is in its best weather stretch of the year, highs near 78F (26C) before the summer steam.
Charleston
South Carolina
Azaleas and wisteria peak around late March to mid April, and the plantation gardens along the Ashley River are at their showiest. Warm, highs near 75F (24C), and busy on the holiday weekend.
Great Smoky Mountains
Tennessee
Spring wildflowers climb the lower slopes through April. Weekdays of Easter week are calmer than the weekend; parking tags are required to park anywhere in the park.
Savannah
Georgia
Squares full of azaleas, highs in the high 70s F (25C to 26C), and walkable history. A gentler Easter than the big resort towns.
Zion National Park
Utah
Prime spring hiking weather. Easter week is part of Utah's busy spring season, so ride the shuttle and start trails early.
Skip this week
- Mexico's big beach resorts during Semana Santa and the week after. Mexican schools take two weeks around Easter, and domestic travelers pack Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, and every public beach. Great people-watching, peak prices, and zero quiet.
- Norway, if you want anything open. Easter (paske) is Norway's great mountain holiday. Maundy Thursday through Easter Monday are public holidays, shops close, and the country heads to the hills. Fine for skiing; bad for a city break.
- Rome, if you do not care about the religious events. Easter week brings pilgrims on top of spring tourists. The Vatican Museums close on Easter Sunday and Monday, and lines around St. Peter's are at their longest of the spring. Visit two weeks later instead.
- Orlando theme parks. Easter week is one of the busiest weeks of the year at the Orlando parks, with the overlap of Northeast spring breaks and the holiday itself.
The booking playbook
- 01Check the date first. Easter moves between March 22 and April 25, and a late March Easter in Central Europe can mean coats and rain, while a late April Easter is full spring.
- 02For Seville and Antigua, book six months or more ahead. Both cities fill completely and hotel rates jump several times over the rest of spring.
- 03Plan around closures: in Spain and much of Latin America, Holy Thursday and Good Friday close banks, many shops, and some museums. In much of Europe, Easter Monday is also a public holiday.
- 04The cheapest play is the week after Easter. The holiday crowd goes home, the weather is the same or better, and rates start to fall.
- 05Flying on Easter Sunday itself is often one of the cheapest days of the week, since most travelers are already where they want to be.
With kids in tow
- Kids tend to love Holy Week processions in small doses, but the late nights (Seville's go past 2am) are hard with young children. Pick one daytime procession and watch from a side street where the crowd is thinner.
- Antigua's alfombras are one of the great hands-on cultural sights for kids: families welcome watchers while they build carpets through the night.
- Homeschool families: the week after Easter delivers the same spring weather at lower cost, and teaches the same traditions through museums and churches without the crowds.
- In Poland and the Czech Republic, Easter Monday water-splashing and willow-whip traditions are fun for older kids but can startle little ones. Explain beforehand.
Easter Week, quick answers
When is Easter week?
Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21, which puts it between March 22 and April 25. Holy Week is the week before, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Orthodox Easter usually falls later.
Where is the best place in the world to spend Easter?
Seville for the most dramatic Holy Week processions, Antigua Guatemala for its sawdust-and-flower carpets, and Rome for the papal Masses. Florence's Scoppio del Carro is the best single Easter Sunday event.
Is Easter week a good time to visit Europe?
It is one of the busiest spring weeks in Spain and Italy, and many shops close on Good Friday and Easter Monday. Weather can be cool in an early Easter. The week after Easter is usually a better value.
What closes in Spain during Semana Santa?
Holy Thursday and Good Friday are public holidays in most of Spain, so banks, many shops, and some museums close or keep short hours. Restaurants and bars in the big cities stay busy, and procession routes close streets to traffic.
Is Mexico busy at Easter?
Very. Mexican schools take roughly two weeks around Easter, and domestic travelers fill beach resorts and colonial cities. Book early and expect peak prices at the beaches.
Where should I go for Easter with kids in the US?
Washington DC for the White House Easter Egg Roll lottery and the museums, New Orleans for Easter parades and spring weather, or the Grand Canyon South Rim for a sunrise service and a no-fuss national park trip.
Other holiday weeks
Spring Break
March, April
The week the whole country goes somewhere warm at the same time. Pick the right warm, or pick a different week.
Memorial Day Weekend
May
The unofficial start of summer, and the first weekend the national parks and beach towns fill up. Pick a place that is fully open but not yet full.
Honeymoon Seasons
May, June, September, October
The right honeymoon depends less on where you want to go than on when your wedding is. Match the place to the week.
Presidents' Day Weekend
February
The peak of the ski season and the Caribbean high season in the same week. Pick your warm or your snow early, or pick the week after.
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