UK and Ireland
UK and Ireland Holidays, Closer to Home
Some of the best holidays are close to home. The UK and Ireland pack an extraordinary variety into a small space: dramatic coastlines, mountains and lakes, historic cities and villages that look much as they did centuries ago.
With no long flight, a break here is easy to fit into a long weekend or to stretch into a fortnight, and there are more ways to holiday at home than most people realise.
Talk to us about your breakView current UK and Ireland offers
From coast to countryside
A holiday at home can be as relaxing or as active as you like. You might walk a stretch of the coast path and finish with fish and chips on the harbour, spend a weekend in a country hotel with a spa, or tour the Highlands with a different view around every bend.
It is also flexible. You can travel by car, train, coach or ferry, and go for two nights or two weeks. And because you are never far from home, it is an easy choice for a first trip with young children or a break with older relatives.
Where to go
- Cornwall and Devon
- Sandy beaches, fishing villages, coastal walks and some of the mildest weather in the country.
- The Lake District
- Lakes, fells and stone-built villages, with walks for every ability.
- Scotland
- The Highlands and islands for mountains, lochs and wildlife, and Edinburgh for history and festivals.
- Wales
- The mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia), the beaches of Pembrokeshire and more castles than you could visit in one trip.
- The Cotswolds
- Honey-coloured villages, gentle hills, country pubs and gardens.
- Ireland and Northern Ireland
- The Wild Atlantic Way, the Cliffs of Moher, the Causeway Coast and the welcome of Dublin and Belfast.
Ways to holiday at home
- Hotel and spa breaks
- Country houses, seaside hotels and city hotels, for a weekend or longer.
- Cottages and lodges
- Self-catering with space for the whole family, often in beautiful countryside.
- Coach and rail tours
- Escorted tours that take care of the travel, the hotels and the sightseeing.
- City breaks
- London, Edinburgh, Bath, York, Dublin and Belfast for theatre, museums, shopping and food.
- Holiday parks
- Entertainment, pools and activities on site, popular with families.
- Cruises from UK ports
- Sail around the British Isles, or onwards to Europe, with no flight needed.
When to go
The warmest and driest weather is usually between May and September, and the long daylight of early summer is ideal for walking and touring. School holidays and bank holiday weekends are the busiest times, particularly on the coast, so it is worth booking ahead.
Spring and autumn are quieter and often beautiful, and winter has its own appeal: Christmas markets, country hotels with open fires and cities at their most atmospheric. Whatever the season, pack for changeable weather.
How Auria can help
It is easy to assume a holiday at home is simple to arrange, but good hotels, cottages and tours fill up early. Start with the part of the country you have in mind and how you would like to travel. Our travel professionals can then book a ready-made break, such as a coach or rail tour or a cruise from a UK port, or put together one of your own: two or three hotels along a route, for example, with the stops planned to suit the time you have.
We look after the booking and are there to answer questions before you travel.
Current UK and Ireland Offers
Below is a selection of current UK and Ireland breaks from Auria. It is not every holiday we can arrange, so if you have a particular region, hotel or date in mind, tell us and we will help you find something suitable.
Planning a break closer to home?
Tell us what you have in mind, even if it is only a rough idea, and one of our travel professionals will talk it through with you.
