Are you looking for somewhere to head this Easter holiday but can’t quite make your mind up where? Easter isn’t just a time for religious holidays, we’ve picked our top ten destinations to celebrate Easter this year so you can enjoy tulips, chocolate and some spectacular celebrations.

  1. Rome, Italy

Enjoy warm weather, beautifully decorated historic churches, the Spanish Steps in bloom and parks bursting with flowers. Surprisingly museums in Rome around Easter are pleasantly uncrowded. If you want to celebrate Easter the highlight for Catholics is the Easter Sunday mass in St Peter’s Square and the urbi et orbi blessing from the Pope who leads the Stations of the Cross near the Colosseum on Good Friday.

  1. Seville, Spain

Seville is famous for its Easter Week celebrations, often a tourist attraction in their own right. Here you will enjoy a week of activities from processions celebrating the passion of Christ and his death to floats depicting the Easter story moving through the old town. Enjoy the spectacular midnight cavalcade on the eve of Good Friday and prepare to look forward to a weekend of festivities. A truly unique celebration of Easter you will unlikely see elsewhere!

  1. Jerusalem

Easter is celebrated in Jerusalem by a variety of Christian denominations. Expect to see a diverse range of processions and Stations of the Cross led along the Via Dolorosa. You can attend services in numerous languages at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Garden Tomb, and you can enjoy Easter Day communion on the Mount of Olives.

  1. Washington DC, USA

The US capital comes alive at Easter with special easter egg hunts at the zoo, the public easter egg roll and the Easter Bunny making an appearance at the White House. But that’s not the only festival to enjoy! With beautiful pink and white cherry blossoms lining the streets, you can also celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival with fireworks, contemporary art shows, a blossom parade and cultural performances.  

  1. Keukenhof, The Netherlands

If flowers are more your thing then look no further than the flower spectacular at Keukenhof. Enjoy the showcase garden where Dutch growers show off the best spring flowers the world has to offer. Over seven million bulbs bloom, with the likes of purple crocus, bonny daffodils and multi-coloured tulips. There are also flower arrangement and photography workshops on offer if you’d like to try your hand at it. Otherwise, you can just relax and unwind, perfumed by the beautiful blooms.

  1. Braga, Portugal

Enjoy Easter in one of Portugal’s most beautiful towns. The city is alight with torch-lit processions, street alters are decorated with flowers and candles and farmers bring their sheep into town for blessings. This picturesque town also boasts many baroque monuments, fountains and churches to explore, all whilst you enjoy the Easter specialities of roast lamb, chocolate and almond Easter eggs and sweet foldar di Pascoa bread.

  1. Antigua, Guatemala

Guatemala is famous for its Easter multi-coloured ‘carpets,’ that run along the city streets. Antigua boasts some of the best processions in Latin America and you’ll be sure to see these during Easter week as purple robed locals take to the streets with their floats to depict the life of Christ.

  1. Vienna, Austria

Spend Easter in Vienna for a more laid back experience. There are a large Easter market and plenty of activities for kids in Schönbrunn Palace, but if you’d rather try something else you can enjoy the cafe terraces and Blues Spring Festival for a different Easter feel.  

  1. Manilla, Philippines

Easter is a big celebration in the Philippines. The country has one of the world’s biggest Catholic populations, so this holiday is widely celebrated. The Makati district of Manilla hosts colour celebrations featuring roadside shrines and creative folk art. There are plenty of parades and processions including religious re-enactments, marching and choirs. You’ll find a carnival-like atmosphere and plenty of sweets and rice puddings on sale to celebrate this important holiday for Philipinos. 

  1. Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca is a colonial-era city that still has many Spanish influences. The religious processions play a key factor in the city’s Easter celebrations. A local tradition is to buy herbs, blessed in church and used to decorate the homes. Tuck into candied apples and fanesca, a stew made from salt cod, beans twelve grains honouring the 12 apostles.

We hope this article has helped inspire you to embark on your next travel adventure. Are you currently travelling and have a story to tell? Get in touch with us here.