Want to maximise your annual leave in 2025? Building a bank holiday (or two) into your plans can let you go further with your paid dates off.
Make 2025 the year of travel
Build in those bank holidays
Plan your holidays in 2025 with our travel hack
One of our biggest travel hacks for this year involves a bit of smart planning in advance. By bringing long weekends and bank holidays into your travel plans you can get so much more time off, without using up your whole holiday allowance. We’ve outlined key 2025 UK bank holiday dates for your diary below, as well as some great-value destinations to check out while you maximise your annual leave.
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Making the most of your annual leave
In the UK, we get 28 days of statutory annual leave (although you might get more depending on your employer). So, on average that’s 5.6 weeks of paid leave to play with throughout the year. It doesn’t seem that much when you put it like that.
But there is a different way. If you plan your breaks around the bank holidays in the UK, you can get a cheeky day or a couple of days off during your holiday that doesn’t count towards your annual leave. So, whether you’re planning a jaunt in August across the August bank holiday or you’re considering a spring break that incorporates the early spring bank holiday or the May bank holiday, you can maximise your time away without blowing all your annual leave.
Below you’ll see a list of all the UK bank holidays for 2025 and the dates. It’s time to start planning those trips in 2025 while still keeping some annual leave in your back pocket.
England & Wales
Date | Day of the week | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
01-Jan | Wednesday | New Year’s Day |
18-Apr | Friday | Good Friday |
21-Apr | Monday | Easter Monday |
05-May | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
26-May | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
25-Aug | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
25-Dec | Thursday | Christmas Day |
26-Dec | Friday | Boxing Day |
Scotland
Date | Day of the week | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
01-Jan | Wednesday | New Year’s Day |
02-Jan | Thursday | 2nd January |
18-Apr | Friday | Good Friday |
05-May | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
26-May | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
04-Aug | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
01-Dec | Monday | St Andrew’s Day (substitute day) |
25-Dec | Thursday | Christmas Day |
26-Dec | Friday | Boxing Day |
Northern Ireland
Date | Day of the week | Bank holiday |
|---|---|---|
01-Jan | Wednesday | New Year’s Day |
17-Mar | Monday | St Patrick’s Day |
18-Apr | Friday | Good Friday |
21-Apr | Monday | Easter Monday |
05-May | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
26-May | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
14-Jul | Monday | Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) (substitute day) |
25-Aug | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
25-Dec | Thursday | Christmas Day |
26-Dec | Friday | Boxing Day |
The best bank holiday holidays and where to go
Book over these bank holidays to extend your trip
These are the best times to book to maximise your holiday allowance and the trips to add to your 2025 bucket list.
Where to go in April for an Easter break: 16 days off
Book across 14-17th April and 22-25th April, and you’ll bag 16 days off. So, where to go with your extra time? Thailand is calling. Fly into Bangkok and pamper yourself with the city’s famous spas and wellness facilities (Thai massage anyone?). Visit top beaches near Bangkok including Jomtien Beach, Laem Mae Phim Beach and Sai Yai Beach.
Where to go for the early May bank holiday: 9 days off
By booking from the 6th to 9th May, you’ll get a total of nine days off. Use your extra time to head to Marrakech for mosaics, mosques and mint tea. The temperatures hit highs of 29°C and you’ll be wandering around the souks in t-shirts, traversing the medina and taking in sights like the Jardin Majorelle and El Badi Palace. Plus it’s only around a three-hour flight from most UK airports.
Where to go for the second Spring bank holiday: 9 days off
Bag nine days off with just four days of annual leave and travel to the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria. Separated from Sicily via the Strait of Messina, it promises beautiful beaches and breathtaking views across the water to Mount Etna. Visit the stunning waterfront, the iconic Rabarama statue and the Museo Nazionale Della Magna Grecia.
Where to go for the August bank holiday: 9 days off
Travel over the August bank holiday and get nine days off. Ignore the usual summer destinations and visit Tirana in Albania for history, culture and natural beauty, without blowing your budget. Don’t miss the National History Museum, Petrela Castle and Mount Dajti National Park.
Where to go over Christmas and New Year: take 13 days off
By using the bank holidays over the festive period, you can easily get 13 days off. To travel close to home and check out the UK Christmas markets, go to London, Cardiff or York. And if you fancy Europe, how about Christmas markets in Vienna or Strasbourg or New Year’s Eve in Lisbon or Amsterdam?
FAQs: Annual leave 2025
In 2025, it’s time to be smart with your annual leave and enjoy some incredible trips without blowing all your holiday allocation.
