No passports
A UK weekend
From about £178 each in Edinburgh
- A whole house split ten or twelve ways.
- Trains from London in 1 hour 19 minutes (Bath) to about 4 hours 20 minutes (Edinburgh).
- Book the house first; it is the thing that sells out.

Celebrations · Hen dos
These hen do ideas are for a group of friends who would rather have a spa, a long lunch and a boat day than an inflatable. Eight cities, each with one stay, two things to book and what two nights cost each of you.
OurWhisky Foundation, Unsplash
The short answer
Prices checked 19 October 2026
Our eight hen do ideas, cheapest first for two nights with the stay and two activities: Edinburgh (about £178 each), Ibiza (£217), York (£245), Bordeaux (£259), Bath (£288), the Cotswolds (£308), Lisbon (£323) and San Sebastián (£406). Travel, meals and drinks are on top.
That puts most of them close to what people say they spend. GoHen's 2025 figures give an average of £203 a head for a UK hen do and £232 in Europe; Party Houses puts it at £187 in the UK and £207 abroad, before travel, food and drink.
The UK four are whole houses split across ten or twelve of you, which is where the value is. The four abroad are small hotels priced for two sharing a double, because a villa usually wants a full week. If you can stretch to seven nights, our luxury villa rentals list prices six of them for a group.
Every price here is the seller's own, or a booking site's, read on 19 October 2026. Euro prices are converted at about £0.87. Where a price is a 'from' figure, a seasonal offer or dated, we say so under the item.
Planning the trip around it? Start with luxury villa rentals for a group, priced per person and catered ski chalets, for a winter hen week and stag do ideas, if the stag do needs planning too.
No passports
From about £178 each in Edinburgh
Under three hours
From about £217 each in Ibiza
Go properly
About £406 each in San Sebastián
Pick what the bride would actually enjoy, and we will show the hen do ideas that fit.
The eight
01BathAny month; the spa and the Saturday tour run all year
02The CotswoldsSpring to early autumn, for the garden, the courts and the vineyard
03EdinburghThe festive season, while Prestonfield serves its festive tea
04York11 November to 2 January, when Bettys takes bookings for its festive tea
05LisbonSpring and early autumn, for sailing weather without peak prices
06San SebastiánLate spring to early autumn, for the beach as well as the bars
07BordeauxAny month; La Cité du Vin opens every day except 25 December
08IbizaMay, June and September; Experimental Beach closed its 2026 season on 18 OctoberEvery one of these hen do ideas is a real, bookable weekend. Tap a city to jump to it.
01 · Spa, Georgian streets and a long lunch
1 hour 19 minutes by train from Paddington
"a great place to catch the early evening sun"
Harden's diners, on The Beckford Bottle Shop
The easiest hen do in the country to get right. The house is on a pedestrianised Georgian street between the Royal Crescent and the Circus, the spa is the main event, and nobody has to be a big drinker to enjoy it. Bath also tops GoHen's 2025 list of UK hen destinations.
Skip it if you want a weekday deal. Thermae's Twilight package (£55, with a dish and a drink) is Monday to Friday only.
How to book it
Book the house first, through Group Accommodation or the owners via Visit Bath. Then the spa: groups over six can book, but the spa asks you not to gather in groups bigger than six inside, and under-16s are not allowed. Savouring Bath's tours take two to six, so ask for a private tour for a bigger group.
£1,600 for the weekend split 10 ways is £160, plus £43 for the spa and £85 for the food tour: £288 each. A private food tour for more than six may cost differently.
Sources: GWR: London to Bath by train · Group Accommodation: hen party houses in Bath · Visit Bath: Lady Margaret's Townhouse · Visit Bath: where to stay for a hen party in Bath (March 2026) · Thermae Bath Spa: spa sessions and prices · Thermae Bath Spa: Twilight package · Cotswolds.com: Savouring Bath food tours · Harden's: The Beckford Bottle Shop, Bath
02 · A barn, a cookery class and a vineyard
1 hour 33 minutes by train to Moreton-in-Marsh
"the quintessential Cotswolds experience"
Square Meal, on The Wild Rabbit
The one for a group that wants to stay in. A barn with its own tennis and padel courts, a morning learning canapés at Daylesford with a glass of Prosecco, and a tutored tasting among the vines. Nobody needs to dress up until dinner.
Skip it if nobody wants to drive. The house, Daylesford and the vineyard are spread out, and Woodchester is in the south Cotswolds, so budget for a minibus or taxis.
How to book it
Book Stanton House through Group Accommodation, then the cookery class: Daylesford's classes take 12, cooking in pairs. The 18 November canapés class is already sold out, so check other dates. Woodchester tours must be pre-booked; private groups of eight or more can go outside public tour times.
£1,290 for the weekend split 12 ways is £107.50, plus £160 for the cookery class and £40 for the vineyard: £307.50 each. Other Daylesford half-day classes run from £95.
Sources: Rome2rio: London to Moreton-in-Marsh by train · Group Accommodation: hen party houses in the Cotswolds (Stanton House) · Daylesford Cookery School: Effortless Canapés · Daylesford Cookery School: courses and prices · Cotswolds.com: Woodchester Valley Vineyard tours · Square Meal: The Wild Rabbit, Kingham
03 · Whisky cocktails, afternoon tea and a city townhouse
About 4 hours 20 minutes by train from King's Cross
"Divine."
Marina O'Loughlin, The Sunday Times, on The Little Chartroom
The cheapest of the eight, and one of the grandest. A big townhouse split twelve ways costs £87.50 each for two nights, which leaves money for afternoon tea at Prestonfield House and whisky cocktails at a rooftop bar with views of the castle. Non-drinkers get matched alcohol-free drinks at Johnnie Walker.
Skip it if anyone resents a four-hour train. Book Advance tickets early, together, or the travel can cost more than the house.
How to book it
Book the house first through Group Accommodation (2 or 3 nights). Then Prestonfield: afternoon tea on Fridays and Saturdays runs from noon to 4pm only. Book Johnnie Walker's Journey of Flavour for the late afternoon and stay for the 1820 rooftop bar.
£1,050 split 12 ways is £87.50, plus £30 and £60: £177.50 each. The house sleeps 19 but has two bathrooms and three separate WCs, so we split it 12 ways. The Johnnie Walker price is from Time Out in July 2025; check it when you book.
Sources: Seat 61: London to Edinburgh by train · Group Accommodation: 2 Chester Street, Edinburgh · Time Out: the Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street (July 2025) · Prestonfield House: festive afternoon tea · The Caterer: Marina O'Loughlin on The Little Chartroom
04 · Gin, Bettys and a medieval city on foot
About 1 hour 46 minutes by train from King's Cross
"a restaurant full of energy"
Michelin Guide inspectors, on Skosh
The cosy one. A whole converted pub to yourselves with a table for twelve, a gin tasting with six gins, and a booked afternoon tea at Bettys. Skosh is a Michelin Bib Gourmand, with plates from £4.50 to about £25, so dinner need not be a shock either.
Skip it if you are going in spring or summer. The bookable Bettys tea we price is the festive one, served 11 November to 2 January only.
How to book it
Book The Woolpack through Group Accommodation, then the Bettys festive tea as soon as the date is fixed. The gin tasting meets at The Sawmill, 52 Skeldergate, and runs 1 hour 45 minutes; for a group of twelve, book directly with York Gin.
£1,863 split 12 ways is £155.25, plus £40 and £49.95: £245.20 each.
Sources: Rome2rio: London to York by train · Group Accommodation: hen party accommodation in York (The Woolpack) · Expedia: York Gin Tasting Experience · OpenTable: Bettys York festive afternoon tea · Michelin Guide: Bib of the Month, Skosh, York (April 2025)
05 · Custard tarts, a sail on the Tagus and Alfama rooftops
2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours 10 minutes by air from Heathrow
"Prado paved the way for farm-to-table restaurants in Lisbon."
Rita Geraldes, The Infatuation
The one that feels like a proper trip without a long flight. Bake your own custard tarts in the morning, sail the Tagus in the afternoon, and eat at Prado, which The Infatuation credits with starting Lisbon's farm-to-table cooking. Memmo Alfama is 246 yards from the cathedral.
Skip it if you want the cheapest nights. Kayak's typical weekend rate at Memmo Alfama (£215) is well above its weeknight rate (£157), so a Thursday to Saturday trip saves money.
How to book it
Book flights first, then Memmo Alfama. Cooking Lisbon runs private classes for hens: email them to fix a time. The sailing yacht takes up to 12 with the captain included, so one boat holds the group.
Kayak's average for a Friday or Saturday night at Memmo Alfama over the past two weeks was £215 for a double, so two nights sharing is £215 each. Add €65 and €59 (about £108): about £323 each. Flights are extra.
Sources: FlightsFrom: Heathrow to Lisbon · Kayak: Memmo Alfama, Lisbon · Cooking Lisbon: pastéis de nata class · Getmyboat: sailing yacht on the Tagus, Lisbon · The Infatuation: Prado, Lisbon (July 2023)
06 · Pintxos, a Basque cooking class and La Concha
About 2 hours by air to Bilbao, then about 1 hour 15 minutes by coach
"worth the price and the wait"
Marti Buckley, The Infatuation, on Ganbara's mushrooms
The one for a bride who would rather eat well than dance. Five bars and five wines on a guided tour, a cooking class where every pintxo comes with a glass, and a hotel on the La Concha promenade. The dearest here, but the food does the entertaining for you.
Skip it if your group is bigger than ten. The pintxos tour takes up to ten and the cooking class two to eight, so a big hen means splitting up.
How to book it
Book flights to Bilbao first, then Villa Favorita. Both activities sell through the city's tourist office: the tour leaves at noon or 7pm daily, and the class runs on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 4.45pm. Under-12s cannot join the class.
Villa Favorita's cheapest double in the next 60 days was £171.18 a night, so two nights sharing is about £171 each. Add €130 and €140 (about £235): about £406 each. Flights and the coach are extra.
Sources: FlightsFrom: Gatwick to Bilbao · Hot Dinners: how to get to San Sebastián (2017) · Mr & Mrs Smith: Villa Favorita, San Sebastián · San Sebastián Turismoa: private pintxos and wine tour · San Sebastián Turismoa: Basque cooking class · The Infatuation: Ganbara, San Sebastián (January 2025)
07 · Château tastings and a night in the vines
1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes by air from Gatwick
"Not just a pretty country inn but a veritable institution!"
Michelin Guide, on La Tupina
The grown-up one. Sleep on a working wine estate, spend a day being driven between three Saint-Émilion châteaux in a group of eight or fewer, and finish at La Tupina, which Fodor's calls a classic for cuisine de terroir. At about £259 each, it costs less than Lisbon or San Sebastián.
Skip it if your group wants to walk out of the door to bars. The château is about half an hour from the centre, so plan taxis for the night out.
How to book it
Book flights, then Château Léognan. The Saint-Émilion tour takes up to eight per minivan, so a group of twelve needs two. La Cité du Vin opens at 10am daily and until 7pm on Saturdays.
Château Léognan's cheapest double in the next 60 days was £107.48 a night, so two nights sharing is about £107 each. Add £132 for the tour and €23 (about £20): about £259 each. La Cité du Vin's €23 is an indicative 2026 price. Flights are extra.
Sources: FlightsFrom: Gatwick to Bordeaux · Mr & Mrs Smith: Château Léognan · Musement: full-day Saint-Émilion wine tour from Bordeaux · Ryo: La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux (September 2026) · TripExpert: La Tupina, Bordeaux
08 · A beach club, a boat to Formentera and Dalt Vila
2 hours 25 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes by air from Gatwick
"come for the giant plates of fresh seafood paella"
Fodor's, on Es Boldado
The calm Ibiza: a hotel Mr & Mrs Smith calls the first of its kind on the island, a day on a sunbed at its sister beach club, and a boat to Formentera split twelve ways. Cheaper than most of the UK picks once the boat is shared, if you can find flights at a sensible price.
Skip it if you are going in winter. Experimental Beach ended its 2026 season on 18 October, and FlightsFrom shows no Gatwick fares for December to February.
How to book it
Book flights first: they set the price. Then Montesol Experimental, then the boat through Click&Boat (skipper included). Experimental Beach takes sunbed reservations from 10am to 1pm; a Balibed for two is €70.
Montesol's cheapest double in the next 60 days was £118.86 a night, so two nights sharing is about £119 each. Add €40 for the sunbed and €875 split 12 ways (€72.92): about £98. Total about £217 each. The hotel price is an off-season rate; expect more in summer. Flights are extra.
Sources: FlightsFrom: Gatwick to Ibiza · Mr & Mrs Smith: Montesol Experimental, Ibiza Town · Experimental Group: Experimental Beach Ibiza · Click&Boat: boat trips and charters in Ibiza · Fodor's: best restaurants in Ibiza
The price ladder
What each of these hen do ideas costs: the stay and the two activities in each city, per person. Houses are split 10 or 12 ways; hotels assume two to a room. Travel, meals and drinks are extra. €1 is treated as about £0.87.
Split the cost
A house costs the same however many beds you fill, so the more of you, the less each pays, until it runs out of beds. The four UK houses are whole-house weekend prices; Château Léognan is priced per person, two to a room, for two nights.
Sources: Group Accommodation: 2 Chester Street, Edinburgh · Group Accommodation: hen party houses in the Cotswolds (Stanton House) · Group Accommodation: hen party houses in Bath · Group Accommodation: hen party accommodation in York (The Woolpack) · Mr & Mrs Smith: Château Léognan
The numbers
The eight hen do ideas with travel time from London, what two nights cost each with the stay and two activities, and when to go. Travel is not in the price.
| City | Getting there | Each, 2 nights | Best for | Best months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bath | 1 hr 19 min by train | about £288 | A spa weekend | Any month |
| The Cotswolds | 1 hr 33 min by train | about £308 | Staying in | Spring to early autumn |
| Edinburgh | about 4 hr 20 min by train | about £178 | Value and grandeur | The festive season |
| York | about 1 hr 46 min by train | about £245 | A cosy weekend | 11 November to 2 January |
| Lisbon | 2 hr 45 min to 3 hr 10 min by air | about £323 | Food and sailing | Spring and early autumn |
| San Sebastián | about 2 hr by air, then 1 hr 15 min by coach | about £406 | Eating very well | Late spring to early autumn |
| Bordeaux | 1 hr 35 min to 1 hr 50 min by air | about £259 | Wine | Any month |
| Ibiza | 2 hr 25 min to 2 hr 50 min by air | about £217 | Beach and boat | May, June, September |
Sources: GWR: London to Bath by train · Rome2rio: London to Moreton-in-Marsh by train · Seat 61: London to Edinburgh by train · Rome2rio: London to York by train · FlightsFrom: Heathrow to Lisbon · FlightsFrom: Gatwick to Bilbao · Hot Dinners: how to get to San Sebastián (2017) · FlightsFrom: Gatwick to Bordeaux · FlightsFrom: Gatwick to Ibiza
Side by side
| A UK weekend | Abroad | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | Trains from 1 hr 19 min (Bath) to about 4 hr 20 min (Edinburgh) | Flights of about 1 hr 35 min (Bordeaux) to 3 hr 10 min (Lisbon), plus the airport |
| Two nights each, our picks | About £178 to £308 | About £217 to £406, before flights |
| Where you sleep | A whole house for 10 to 19 | Hotels, two to a room; villas usually want a week |
| Typical spend | £203 a head (GoHen) or £187 (Party Houses) | £232 a head in Europe (GoHen) or £207 abroad (Party Houses) |
| Good for | Mixed budgets, no passports, one easy train | Sun, a boat day and a trip that feels like a holiday |
| Watch for | Train fares bought late | Flight prices and winter closures (Ibiza) |
Questions
For most groups, Bath. It tops GoHen's 2025 list of UK hen destinations and is first on Party Houses' list too: one train from London, a spa as the centrepiece and everything walkable. Abroad, Lisbon gives the most for a short flight. On cost alone, Edinburgh is the cheapest of our eight at about £178 each for two nights.
Party Houses' 2025 top ten is Bath, Liverpool, Bristol, Brighton, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Newcastle, York and Cardiff. Of those, Bath, Edinburgh and York are on our list, with the Cotswolds as the pick for a group that would rather stay in a big house than go out.
By bookings, Party Houses lists Benidorm, Barcelona, Marbella, Dublin, Ibiza, Albufeira, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Valencia and Budapest for 2025, and GoHen's top European pick is Benidorm. For a calmer weekend, we would choose Lisbon, San Sebastián, Bordeaux or the quiet side of Ibiza.
The guests. Debrett's says all the costs, including the bride's share, should be divided between the people going, and that the organiser should keep everyone's budget in mind. Party Houses gives an example: on a 13-person weekend at £187 each, covering the bride adds about £14.40 to everyone else.
Party Houses says the average UK group house is booked about 105 days, or three and a half months, ahead, and popular areas such as Cornwall and Cumbria about 180 days ahead. Book the house or flights first, then the activities: classes like Daylesford's sell out, and San Sebastián's cooking class takes only eight.
GoHen's 2025 figures give £203 a head in the UK and £232 in Europe. Party Houses puts it at £187 in the UK and £207 abroad for the stay, activities and nightlife, before travel, food and drink. Our eight cost about £178 to £406 each for two nights with the stay and two activities, before travel.
Easily. A spa session, a cookery class or a boat day carries the weekend on its own. Several of our picks include drink but do not depend on it: Johnnie Walker on Princes Street matches non-drinkers with alcohol-free drinks, and Thermae Bath Spa, Daylesford and Bettys need no alcohol at all.
Sources: GoHen: hen party statistics 2025 to 2026 · Party Houses: hen party statistics UK 2026 · Debrett's: the etiquette of hen parties · Time Out: the Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street (July 2025)
How we chose: cities within about four and a half hours of London, each with a named stay, two activities you can book and a published price for each, priced for two nights from the seller's own page or a booking site and split across the group. No one paid to be included. Every price and specification links to where we checked it on 19 October 2026. How we choose.
Where to stayPortugal: the shortlist18 hotels, each one recognised by named judges.
When to goPortugal, month by monthAt its best: Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
The journey · RailLuxury train journeysFive great trains, from the Orient Express to the Andes.
Pair it withMorocco, month by monthAt its best: Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov.