The best Easter egg hunts in the UK for 2024

Here are the family-friendly trails for some cracking fun this Easter

Get ready to fill your basket with some egg-cellent chocolate offerings (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Easter bunny will be hopping into action on 31 March and whether you’re ringing in the end of Lent or looking to entertain little ones during the school holidays, the long weekend is undoubtedly a chocolate-centric calendar event to celebrate.

Parents, forget the last-minute launching of mini eggs into the garden at 8am on Easter Sunday, instead hatch a plan to head out and find those coveted sweet treats.

After all, what could be more egg-citing than hunting for a glimpse of pastel foil among the shrubbery of your local stately home?

With grand palaces, chocolatier heavyweights and even steam railways hosting traditional and unique trails – see Shrek’s Adventure’s “onion” hunt – the UK will be littered with Easter egg hunts as we jump into spring 2024.

From Cadbury World to Hever Castle, we’ve rounded up the most cracking egg hunts in the UK so the whole family can indulge their inner child this Easter.

Read more on UK travel:

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• The best UK holiday destinations for families

Easter onion hunt at Shrek’s Adventure

Westminster, London

Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. (Getty Images)

For a spring day immersed in the land of Far Far Away, visit Shrek’s Adventure in London to look for layers beyond a chocolate egg. You’ll join the swamp-themed hunt for all of Donkey’s Easter “onions”, visit the Muffin Man’s house for a hot cross bun and meet Puss in Boots, Rumpelstiltskin and Pinocchio for an interactive story with the family in the world of the famous green ogre.

An Egg-cellent Onion Adventure is included in the price of a standard ticket (from £21pp) between 29 March and 15 April.

Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt at Hampton Court Palace

Richmond upon Thames, London

Lindt Gold Bunny’s are hopping around Henry VIII’s garden this Easter (Getty Images)

Hampton Court Palace’s search for the elusive Lindt Gold Bunny is back this Easter. The self-led trail through Henry VIII’s iconic gardens will teach bunny hunters about the individuals behind the grounds including ex-residents, gardeners and trumpeters using golden statues, of course, necklaced with the bunny’s statement red ribbon. The reward? A Lindt Gold Bunny chocolate per child.

The Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt is included in palace admission (£27.20 per adult and £13.60 per child) and is open from 10am–5.30pm between 23 March and 14 April.

Egg hunting at RHS Gardens

Bridgewater, Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall, Rosemoor and Wisley

Visit RHS Wisley for buds, butterflies and NOMO chocolate (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

This Easter RHS Gardens have five blooming landscapes hosting a giant-sized Easter egg hunt; Bridgewater, Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall, Rosemoor and Wisley. Find the giant eggs – designed by local families and schoolchildren – to claim your free vegan chocolate from NOMO during an afternoon full of craft workshops, family-friendly planting and exploring nature.

Egg hunt activities are free to RHS members and children under five and included in general admission (from £20.35 per adult and £10.20 per child).

Canoe Easter egg hunt in the New Forest

Beaulieu, Hampshire

With New Forest Activities a paddle along the Beaulieu River makes a necessary pitstop to hunt for hidden chocolate eggs scattered along the riverbank. Everyone, including the adults, onboard the Canadian canoes will receive a top-notch Easter treat during the two-hour guided tour and dogs are even even welcome along for the ride.

Tickets are priced at £36 per adult and £28 per child.

Easter egg fun trail at Laugharne Castle

Laugharne, Carmarthen

Find the hidden eggs to recieve an Easter prize (Getty Images)

On Easter Sunday and Monday, Laugharne Castle’s annual Easter Egg Hunt Trail brings a touch of tradition with a classic sweets search – simply find the hidden eggs in the castle grounds to receive an Easter prize. A trip to the Carmarthen-based castle could tie in nicely with families spending the bank holiday weekend braving the bracing waters of Pembrokeshire’s beaches.

Easter egg fun trail from 11am–4pm on 31 March and 1 April. Tickets to Laugharne Castle are priced at £5 per adult and £3.60 per child over five.

Freddo’s Easter egg-stravaganza at Cadbury World

Bournville, Birmingham

Help Freddo hunt for The Golden Egg at Cadbury World (Cadbury World)

King of chocolate Cadbury has a Freddo-themed “Easter egg-stravaganza” for audiences visiting Cadbury World. Expect hoards of singing and dancing during the interactive adventure as Freddo and the Caramel Bunny attempt to win The Golden Egg, plus there’s an Easter trail on Easter weekend and the usual melt-in-the-mouth chocolate treats across the attraction.

Freddo’s Easter egg-stravaganza is included with entry tickets ( £18.95 per adult). Shows are on from 12pm–4pm between 23 March and 7 April.

Great Railway Easter Hunt at Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Havenstreet, Ryde

Calling all wannabe detectives, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway is launching a Sherlock-style Great Railway Easter Hunt to investigate clues hidden in giant eggs around the attraction and claim a chocolate reward. The hunt is on each during the Easter holidays; if you’re planning to visit on Easter Sunday, little ones can make their own Easter bonnet to bring for judging in the railway’s parade.

Standard train tickets from £22 per adult and £11 per child. Great Railway Easter Hunt from 29 March until 12 April.

Dinosaur themed Easter trail at Hever Castle

Hever, Kent

Roar-some fun awaits at Hever Castle (Getty Images)

Who doesn’t love a stroll around the daffodil-studded grounds of Hever Castle in spring? This Easter there’s some serious dinosaur-themed fun on the itinerary including a sand dig, face painting and a dinosaur-themed egg trail. Those with a keen eye to find and decipher the prehistoric word on dinosaur eggs will be rewarded with a sweet treat from the castle’s information hut.

The dinosaur themed trail is included in admission (£22 per adult, £12.55 per child) from 10am–5pm between 29 March and 14 April.

Easter Egg Hunt at Polesden Lacey

Dorking, Surrey

There’s an egg-cellent incentive to help Grizwald make his Easter feast (Getty Images)

At Polesden Lacey this spring, Grizwald the Griffin needs help to prepare an Easter feast on an interactive and nature-inspired outdoor trail that weaves Poldesen’s Pleasure Grounds, gardens, house and estate. The National Trust property’s Easter offering includes an Easter trail sheet, bunny ears and a dairy, vegan or gluten-free chocolate egg for just £3 per child.

Grizwald the Griffin at Polesden Lacey costs £3 per child, 10am–3pm between 23 March and 21 April.