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Whether you love or loathe it, the chances are you may well find yourself at one of the five UK Center Parcs resorts before too long if you have children. That is, if you haven’t been already.
They’re safe, green, activity-packed and reassuringly familiar. But they’ve also become increasingly expensive, especially during school holidays.
A mid-range, three- or four-bedroom lodge at a UK Center Parcs during peak periods can now cost well over £2,000 for a week, and that’s before you’ve even booked bikes, activities or eaten out.
The scorch marks on your credit card can’t help but raise a tempting question: would it actually be cheaper to go abroad and stay at a European holiday park?
Across mainland Europe and many of its islands, family resort complexes have long been popular, particularly in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy.
Many are similar in scale and ambition to Center Parcs – offering lakeside lodges, swimming domes, kids’ clubs, restaurants and endless activities. Yet most are virtually unknown to British holidaymakers.
At the time of checking, a seven-night stay at a two-bedroom lodge at Center Parcs Longleat during the Easter holidays starts at £2,748 for the week. That’s the lowest price – not the average – and doesn’t include activities, bike hire or most dining.
So, how does Europe compare? In addition to accommodation costs, we’ve investigated flight, ferry and train prices, accounting for fuel and tolls, to find just how much a break at a European holiday park would cost your family this Easter.
1. Center Parcs Europe (Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium)
Center Parcs exists abroad too, and they’re often significantly cheaper than their UK equivalents.
Across the Netherlands and Germany in particular, Center Parcs resorts are larger, newer and more plentiful. Many have spectacular indoor tropical swimming domes and vast forest settings, too.
Across the Netherlands and Germany in particular, Center Parcs resorts are larger, newer and more plentiful. Pictured: pool at Center Parcs Limburgse Peel, Netherlands
Five person bungalow at Center Parcs Limburgse Peel, Netherlands
A seven-night stay in a four-person cottage for two adults and two children in early April at the Limburgse Peel Center Parcs in the Netherlands starts from £991.
In the same time frame, a seven-night stay in a four-person cottage for two adults at the Kempense Meren Center Parcs in Belgium is just £727. That’s roughly half the UK price, for a very similar product.
GETTING THERE: Return flights from Stansted to Eindhoven with Ryanair from £74pp, (ryanair.com); return train transfers from Eindhoven Airport to Limburgse Peel from £30pp (ns.nl).
HOW DOES IT ADD UP? Return flights for a family of four, transfers and a seven-night stay at Limburgse Peel Center Parcs from £1,407.
2. Landal Holiday Parks (Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Denmark)
Landal does have numerous holiday parks in the UK, but they’re much better known in mainland Europe as one of the continent’s biggest holiday park operators, with more than 300 resorts in nine different countries including Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
The emphasis here is on nature, space and modern Scandinavian-style lodges, often in national parks, forests or near lakes. A week in early April for a lodge that can accommodate two adults and two children starts at a mere £494 at the Landal Holiday Park Marina Lipno in the Czech Republic.
Apartment at Landal Holiday Park Marina Lipno in the Czech Republic
Many Landal parks are quieter and more grown-up than Center Parcs, appealing to families who don’t need high-octane entertainment every day. Pictured: Landal Holiday Park Marina Lipno in the Czech Republic
The same option for a four-person, seven-night stay at the same time is only slightly more in notoriously pricey Denmark, starting at £529 at the Landal Seawest Park in Jutland.
Many Landal parks are quieter and more grown-up than Center Parcs, appealing to families who don’t need high-octane entertainment every day. There’s still plenty to do though, from canoeing to paddle boarding to cycling to kids clubs.
GETTING THERE: Return flights from Stansted to Linz, Austria from £135pp with Ryanair (ryanair.com); return trains from Prague to Lipno from £60pp or rental car for the week from approximately £250, with £100 accounted for fuel (intercity.pl).
HOW DOES IT ALL ADD UP? Return flights for a family of four, transfers and stay from £1,384.
3. Sunparks (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany)
Sunparks is Center Parcs’ slightly more budget-focused sibling – it’s part of the same group – and is hugely popular with Belgian and Dutch families. Almost all of their locations are in Belgium, although there are a couple in the Netherlands and Germany.
The parks tend to be near the coast or in a forest and most have indoor swimming complexes, bowling alleys and kids’ activities.
Sunparks is Center Parcs’ slightly more budget-focused sibling, and is hugely popular with Belgian and Dutch families. Pictured: Sunparks Oostduinkerke aan Zee in Flanders, Belgium
A four-person villa (two adults and two children) for seven nights in early April starts at £883 at the Oostduinkerke aan zee holiday park in Flanders, Belgium
A four-person villa (two adults and two children) for seven nights in early April starts at £883 at the Oostduinkerke aan zee holiday park in Flanders, Belgium. The facilities are generally a little more basic than Center Parcs, but compared to the cost of a similar break in the UK over Easter, the value is hard to ignore.
GETTING THERE: Return trains from St Pancras International to Brussels from £80pp with Eurostar (Eurostar.com); return trains from Brussels to DePanne via Oostduinkerke from £40pp (trainline.com).
HOW DOES IT ALL ADD UP? Return trains for a family of four, transfers and stay from £1,363.
4. Roompot Parks (Netherlands, Germany, France)
Already a huge name in northern Europe, Roompot Parks are known for coastal holiday parks, especially in Zeeland and along the Dutch and German shores.
Since being acquired by Landal (see above), the Roompot brand is slowly being phased out – but it is still possible to book a break in 2026 through the Roompot website, before the parks are rebranded as Landal properties.
Their accommodation ranges from simple chalets to smart, modern beach houses.
A typical price point and location would be the beach houses at the Strandhuisjes Wijk aan Zee, a stretch of wide, sandy beach in the north of Holland, where six nights for two adults and two children in a beach house in early April starts at £781.
The beach houses are situated on the beach of Wijk aan Zee in North Holland
Roompot Park Strandhuisjes Wijk aan Zee, a stretch of wide, sandy beach in the north of Holland, where six nights for two adults and two children in a beach house in early April starts at £781
It’s worth noting that a ‘directly on the beach’ location is something no UK Center Parcs can offer.
GETTING THERE: Return flights from Stansted to Amsterdam from £76pp with Ryanair (ryanair.com); return trains from Schipol to Wijk aan Zee from £10pp (ns.nl).
HOW DOES IT ALL ADD UP? Return flights for a family of four, transfers and stay from £1,125.
5. Huttopia Villages (France, Netherlands, Spain etc)
Huttopia sits at the more outdoorsy, eco-conscious end of the holiday park spectrum. They offer a range of tents, cabanas, chalets and lodges, usually in forest settings, with an emphasis on lakeside swimming and getting up close and personal with nature – rather than flashy entertainment.
Huttopia sits at the more outdoorsy, eco-conscious end of the holiday park spectrum. Pictured: canvas and wood tent in at Huttopia Senonches campsite, Senonches, Eure-et-Loir, France
You’ll struggle to find ‘sub-tropical aqua parks’ in Huttopia parks, but that’s exactly what some families are looking to avoid. Pictured: natural swimming pool at Huttopia Senonches campsite, Senonches, Eure-et-Loir, France
The parks are scattered across France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium, and range from basic ‘bivouac’ sites on private land, to more substantial parks with self-catering cottages. A wooden trailer for two adults and two children in their Calvados site in Normandy, Northern France, starts from £321 for seven nights in early April.
You’ll struggle to find ‘sub-tropical aqua parks’ in Huttopia parks, but that’s exactly what some families are looking to avoid.
GETTING THERE: Standard return ferry fares from Folkestone to Calais from £190 via LeShuttle, with approximately £150 accounted for fuel prices and tolls (leshuttle.fr).
HOW DOES IT ALL ADD UP? Return transportation and stay from £661.
6. Eurocamp Independent Villages (Italy, France, Croatia)
Based in Cheshire, but without any sites in the UK, Eurocamp have been offering tented and mobile homes-style accommodation holiday villages across Europe since the 1970s.
They operate in a huge range of countries these days, including Croatia, Luxembourg and Slovenia, alongside the usual staples of France (where they have an astonishing 242 sites), Germany, Spain and Italy.
Eurocamp have been offering tented and mobile homes-style accommodation holiday villages across Europe since the 1970s
Le Domaine de Ker Ys site in Brittany, France, boasts an aquarium and heated outdoor lagoon pool, as well as easy access to the sandy beach
Prices are exceptionally competitive. A typical example would be the Le Domaine de Ker Ys site in Brittany, France, which boasts an aquarium and heated outdoor lagoon pool, as well as easy access to the sandy beach.
The lowest price ‘comfort’ model of an onsite static home (with outdoor decking) here for a family of four for seven nights in early April is a mere £188 – though pricier, larger homes are also available.
GETTING THERE: Standard return ferry fares from Folkestone to Calais from £190 via LeShuttle, with approximately £150 accounted for fuel prices and tolls (leshuttle.fr).
HOW DOES IT ALL ADD UP? Return transportation for a family of four and stay from approximately £528.
7. Happy Camp (Italy, Croatia, Spain, Hungary, Greece etc)
Happy Camp is another major continental operator rarely used by British families, despite enormous resorts in Italy and along the Croatian coast.
With sites in a surprisingly large number of European countries (including Greece, Slovenia and Austria), the camps are fairly basic and can get busy in peak season, but value for money is extremely good.
It is worth bearing in mind that Happy Camp partner with a lot of locally owned sites, so the holiday option you pick might not have Happy Camp branding on it when you arrive.
A typical example would be their Bella Italia site in Lake Garda, Italy, where the cheapest static home, accommodating a family of four for a week in early April, starts at £304. Roomier, more expensive mobile homes are also available.
Camping Bella Italia, located in the beautiful setting of the southern part of Lake Garda
Happy Camp is another major continental operator rarely used by British families, despite enormous resorts in Italy and along the Croatian coast
Note that you do pay extra for air conditioning – though you may well not need this if you’re travelling in early April, before the Italian sun really becomes fierce.
GETTING THERE: Return flights from Gatwick to Verona from £65pp with easyJet (easyjet.com); trains from Verona to Peschiera del Garda, the closest station to the park, from £20pp (italiatren.com).
HOW DOES IT ALL ADD UP? Return flights for a family of four, transfers and stay from £644.
8. Molecaten Parks (Netherlands)
Molecaten is a well-known Dutch brand specialising in family-friendly, nature-based holiday parks, with many of their sites located near national parks or the coast.
Accommodation options are simple but well-designed, ranging from the option to bring your own tent, to holiday homes, chalets and static caravans you can check into.
Beach houses in dunes at Molecaten Park Waterdunen, camping and holiday park along the Western Scheldt at Breskens, Zeeland, Netherlands
Molecaten is a well-known Dutch brand specialising in family-friendly, nature-based holiday parks
Prices are often outstandingly good value, given the high quality of what’s on offer.
Seven nights staying at a Molecaten Park chalet in early April at their Waterbus site in Rockanje, South Holland, starts from £556. With that, you get access to sand dunes, a child friendly beach, as well as cycle rental, beer tastings, a kids club and even a fishing pond.
For quality of accommodation and range of activities, this Dutch brand deserves to be far more widely known in the UK.
GETTING THERE: Ferry crossings from £200 return, with an additional £200 accounted for fuel and tolls (stenaline.com).
HOW DOES IT ALL ADD UP? Transportation costs and stay from £956.
