The school holidays can be an eye-wateringly expensive affair, even without the added current pressure of higher fuel costs sparked by the ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East.
This week, the Government handed parents a summer staycation lifeline though by pledging to cut VAT on a host of child-friendly attractions to help out UK families.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said on Thursday that VAT rates would fall from the standard 20 per cent to just 5 per cent from June 25th until September 1st, with everything from kids’ meals in restaurants to popular theme parks included in the £300 million pound scheme.
Children aged five to 15 can also benefit from free bus travel during that period across England.
Crucially, the Great British Summer Savings scheme, which echoes the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ initiative rolled out in 2020 during the pandemic, promises to cut both adult and children ticket prices at major UK attractions, which is likely to translate as more significant savings for families.
Thrills and VAT spills: The Government has promised to bring the fun this summer for families by cutting rates at restaurants and attractions – but what will the savings actually look like? (Pictured: Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
At Alton Towers, Britain’s biggest theme park, a family will currently pay £26 in VAT on four tickets, costing £156 in total, on a weekend visit in July. Based on a cut to 5% that figure falls to £7.80, offering a saving of £18.20.
Fiona Eastwood, CEO of Merlin Entertainments, which has 20 UK attractions including Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures, welcomed the Government’s decision, saying it would apply the discounted rates on admission and children’s meals.
Eastwood said: ‘As the season gets underway, this timely move from the Government will make it easier for people to get out, explore and create memorable moments together at destinations across the country.
While a full list of participating attractions has yet to be confirmed, the Government is hopeful many will get on board.
So, what are the UK’s best family days out? And how much are you likely to save?
Kiss me kitsch! Great Yarmouth is on board with the Government’s VAT cuts
The beach resort’s biggest draw is the Pleasure Beach, home to its famously rickety wooden Roller Coaster
With its Golden Mile, colourful Vegas-esque arcades, fairground rides and ice cream parlours, Great Yarmouth is the east coast’s capital of fun – and funfair Pleasure Beach draws in the biggest summer crowds.
The attraction’s famous wooden Roller Coaster, painted in the brightest shades of red and blue, feels like a chance to thunder back in time. This clattering caterpillar first opened in 1932, had a cameo in Madness’s House Of Fun video, and still very much serves up a stomach-lurching three-minute masterclass in kinetic energy.
Asa Morrison, chief executive of Visit Great Yarmouth, said of the VAT cuts on Thursday: ‘This initiative will encourage more families to visit, stay longer, spend more locally, and return again. That’s good for visitors, good for our businesses, and good for the wider local economy.’
The Eden Project
The Eden Project in Cornwall makes for a fascinating family day out
Cornwall’s Eden Project celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with 130,000 bulbs bursting into flower, dragon-themed activities, special evening dinners in its famous domes and a giant ‘marble run’.
The eco-friendly day out is a great way to engage children with nature without boring them to tears.
Families can drop a marble into more than 100 metres of wooden track that weaves through the gardens, watching it spin onwards avoiding obstacles, negotiating mazes, operating lifts, tumbling through towers and setting off chimes.
Tickets for two adults and two children online, pre-booked for this summer: £96
Potential VAT saving: £11.20
Alton Towers
Alton Towers Resort – including CBeebies land – is perfect for families with children
Alton Towers first opened its doors in April 1980, with the striking canary-yellow Corkscrew – the UK’s first double-loop rollercoaster – as its headline act.
There are now more than 40 rides, with more recent arrivals including Wicker Man, the first wooden UK rollercoaster built for 20 years, as well as vertical-drop thrillers Oblivion and Th13teen, and 14-loop The Smiler.
CBeebies Land, a tot-friendly wing near the entrance, features daily shows and rides including the Octonauts rollercoaster, Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom and Peter Rabbit Hippity Hopp – under threes can enter the whole park for free too.
Ticket prices for four this summer: £156
Potential VAT saving: £18.20
Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo – voted the UK’s best – is popular during the summer months
Chester Zoo has been crowned the top zoo in the UK for the second year in a row, and it features among Europe’s top 10 zoos too.
Spanning more than 17 football pitches (2.5 acres), it is the largest zoo habitat ever created in the UK and is home to 57 iconic African species.
The Cheshire-based attraction is home to around 30,000 animals and 500 different species. From the Asian elephant to the Asiatic lion, the zoo has plenty for kids to marvel at.
It’s also a leading national conservation zoo, committed to protecting endangered species.
New overnight lodges were also unveiled at Chester Zoo last year, which enable visitors to stay the night on the site for the first time – and wake up right next to the animals.
Ticket prices for four this summer: £119
Potential VAT saving: £17.85
Legoland
Much-loved family attraction Legoland, part of the Merlin group, is a favourite
Windsor’s theme park dedicated to the eternally popular toy bricks, Legoland remains one of the most visited attractions in the Merlin portfolio.
Great for younger children, there’s plenty of build-it fun with mini cities, interactive rides and workshops to enjoy. Warmer weather means the park’s water attractions are also likely to be open, including the Drench Towers splash park.
Ticket prices for four this summer: £156
Potential VAT saving: £18.20
Madame Tussauds
Brush with royalty: Madame Tussauds can be pricey at
Set over three floors under its famous domed roof, Madame Tussauds continues to see queues snake up the Marylebone Rd on its busiest weekends in the summer months.
Criticisms have been levelled at the attraction’s entrance prices in recent years, with some claiming that glimpsing around 150 famous waxworks – including the Beckhams, the royals and Harry Styles – is a little more expensive than it should be.
Ticket prices for two adults, two children this summer: from £118
Potential VAT saving: £13.78 (Based on VAT figures on Merlin website)
Paulton’s Park
Paulton’s Park – and it’s famous Peppa Pig World – are next up
Famous for Peppa Pig World and the gravity-defying Cyclonator, Paultons Park offers 80 incredible rides and attractions across six worlds.
Paultons Park sits on 65 acres on the New Forest’s edge in Hampshire.
A spectacular new Vikings-themed world at the park has officially opened its gates – Valgard: Realm of the Vikings is aimed at thrill-seekers, history buffs and families with older children.
Tickets for four people (including children over 1 metre tall): £187
Potential VAT saving: £28.05
Sealife aquariums
Sea Life aquariums across the country are likely to see huge savings
Sea Life is the world’s largest family of aquariums, proudly delivering amazing discoveries around the world.
From breathtaking underwater tunnels to incredible up-close encounters, guests can dive into the ocean world without getting wet.
Welcoming around 20 million guests each year to 50 aquariums and two sanctuaries, Sea Life cares for over 180,000 creatures living in incredible themed habitats.
Ticket prices for two adults and two children this summer: From £117
Potential VAT saving: £13.65
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
You could also opt for Blackpool Pleasure Beach for a range of attractions
Entertaining thrill-seekers since the 19th century, Blackpool Pleasure Beach spans 42 acres on Blackpool’s South Shore and has over 125 rides and attractions to get stuck into.
The showstopper is The Big One, which once broke records as the fastest – and tallest – coaster in the world. If you can bear to ride it, there’s a cracking view of the Lancashire coastline.
Tickets for four people, prebooked online, this summer: £130
Potential VAT saving: £19.50
Go Ape
Fancy some adrenaline-fuelled high ropes? Look no further than Go Ape
How to burn some energy off during those six long weeks? Send them into the woods…
Go Ape now has 36 branches of its tree-to-tree high wire courses across the UK, promising fresh air fun for big and little kids. There’s also zip wires to tackle and forest Segway tours on offer.
Tickets for two adults two children at Aberfoyle, treetop challenge: £167.75
Potential VAT saving: £19.57
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