Holidays for over 60s from the UK, with a host and a small group

The holidays that suit people over 60 best take the organising off your hands and let you set the pace. Spice Escapes runs hosted small group holidays from the UK with no upper age limit. A named host is with the group from the first day, most people book on their own, and each holiday mixes planned days out with free time. Below are six that work well in your sixties and seventies, from a fjord cruise that sails from Tilbury to a walking week at a sociable pace, with what each costs today.

Is there an upper age limit?

No. Our holidays are for adults, and there is no upper age limit. We do not sort holidays by age, and we do not publish an age mix for a departure, because we would be guessing. What changes from one holiday to the next is the pace, and each holiday page sets out the days one by one.

The question most people ask is who else is going. The honest answer is a small group of people travelling on their own, and a host. Where we have the figure, the holiday page shows how many have booked so far, under Who else is going. Our page on solo holidays for the over 50s, 60s and 70s goes through how much each kind of holiday asks of you.

Holidays with no airport

Summertime Fjordland Cruise sails from London Tilbury and back, so there is no airport at either end. It is 8 nights, 21 Aug 2027 – 29 Aug 2027, calling at Eidfjord, Måløy and Geiranger in the Norwegian fjords. Full board is included on the ship, and porters carry your luggage between the port and your cabin. It is hosted by Pam Harte, from £1,129 for a place in a shared cabin, and availability today is: 4 places left.

World War I: A Journey of Memory and Meaning goes by Eurostar from London St Pancras to Lille, where the group is met by Claire Dymond. You spend 3 nights at a family-run hotel in Ypres, in Belgium, with a guided tour of the Flanders battlefields and a visit to Talbot House in Poperinge. It leaves on 8 Apr 2027, from £1,019. The Eurostar ticket is not on the list of what that price includes, so ask us about the train when you book.

Unpack once: a cruise, or two bases

Changing hotels every night or two is tiring. A ship, or a holiday with only two hotels, saves the packing.

Mediterranean Cruising Italian Style starts with a night in a Rome hotel. You fly out the day before the ship sails, which takes a delayed flight out of the worry. Costa Toscana then calls at Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, La Goulette for Tunis, and Palermo, with full board, a drinks package and gratuities included on board. It is 8 nights in all, 6 May 2027 – 14 May 2027, hosted by Claire Dymond, from £1,928. There are more on our cruises page.

Crete Discovery has two bases, Aghios Nikolaos and then Rethymno, with half board at both hotels. The days out are by coach, to the Lasithi Plateau, Heraklion and Chania, and there is free time in Rethymno's old town at your own speed. It is 7 nights, 5 Oct 2027 – 12 Oct 2027, hosted by Lauren Fawkes, from £1,499. Our Greece page lists everything we run there.

A slower week in the sun

Croatian Chillout is 7 nights on the island of Lošinj in Croatia, half board at Hotel Punta, beside the harbour town of Veli Lošinj. There is a boat day round the islands, coastal paths to walk as far as you like, and slow days for swimming, reading or a long lunch. The transfer from Pula airport takes about three hours, which is worth knowing before you book. It runs 1 May 2027 – 8 May 2027, hosted by Jackie Whyte, from £869. Our relaxation holidays page has others like it.

For active sixties and seventies

If walking is still the point of a holiday for you, Cantabrian Walking Week in northern Spain is walked at a sociable pace. The hosts walked the area to choose the routes, and the examples run from under three miles to nearly nine, along the coast, by rivers and through forest. You stay in a large house with every meal included, and the walking is balanced with sightseeing. It is 7 nights, 9 May 2027 – 16 May 2027, hosted by Jen & Jim, from £999. Our walking holidays page has the WalkWise weeks too, which have longer days.

What the host does

Your host travels with the group from the first day to the last. They book the table for the first evening and make the introductions, sort out problems, and know how each day runs. Time on your own is fine. Tell the host your plans so nobody waits for you, and take the afternoon.

"Our host was fabulous making sure we were all ok and guiding us through an itinerary, whilst allowing us to do our own thing if we chose." A traveller, 2024.

Single rooms and what they cost

Every holiday on sale charges a single supplement for a room of your own, and the figure is different on each one. We publish them all on our single rooms and supplements page, so you can see the cost before you choose. On some departures, two people sharing a twin or double room avoid it, which helps if a friend, a partner or a daughter is coming with you. Our mother and daughter holidays page lists the departures where two can share that way.

Questions people ask

What are the best holidays for over 60s from the UK?

The best holidays for over 60s from the UK match your pace and take the organising off your hands. Spice Escapes runs hosted small group holidays with no upper age limit, including a fjord cruise from London Tilbury, a Mediterranean cruise from Rome and a two-centre week in Crete. Each holiday page sets out the days one by one, so you can judge the walking before you book.

Are there holidays for 70 year olds?

Yes. Spice Escapes holidays have no upper age limit, so you can book at 70 or 80 in the same way as anyone else. Cruises keep the distances short, because the ship does the moving and you choose how much to do ashore.

Can I go on holiday on my own at 60?

Yes. A hosted small group holiday is made for it: you book one place, join a small group of people travelling on their own, and a named host is with you from the first day. A room of your own costs a single supplement, and Spice Escapes publishes that figure for every holiday on its single rooms page.

Are there holidays for retired singles?

Yes. Spice Escapes runs hosted small group holidays for people travelling on their own, with no upper age limit, which suits anyone retired who wants company on holiday without arranging it. Your evenings are your own.

Are there cruises for solo travellers over 60?

Yes. Spice Escapes hosts small groups on cruises with no upper age limit, including a fjord cruise that sails from London Tilbury and a Mediterranean cruise that starts with a night in Rome. A cabin of your own costs a single supplement, and the figure for each cruise is on the Spice Escapes single rooms page.

Ask us before you book

If you are not sure which holiday would suit you, ask. Ring or write to the office from our contact page, and choose a phone call back if you would rather talk. You can also ask Rosie, our automated assistant, in the chat on this page about dates and prices, and one of the team can pick the conversation up. Nothing is booked by asking. If this would be your first holiday with a group, our first-timers' page answers the questions people ask before they book.