19 Center Parcs Money Saving Tips

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It’s no secret that Center Parcs is expensive. I’ve visited Center Parcs more than ten times across multiple villages, first as a couple and now as a family with children. Over those visits, I’ve learned a lot about where the costs add up — and where you can genuinely save money.

In fact, by applying just one of the tips below, we’ve personally saved over £500 on a single trip. It’s unlikely you’ll want or be able to use every idea here, but even a handful can make a real difference to what you spend.

1. Avoid School Holidays

The cost of Center Parcs lodges increases four to five times during the school holidays. This means lodges that typically cost £500 can suddenly cost between £2,000 and £2,500.

Before we had children, we used to visit Center Parcs as a couple during term time and easily saved over £500 by doing so.

Now that we have children I appreciate this isn’t always possible. But it’s always worth checking whether your children have any inset days — an inset day can make a term-time weekend break possible without missing a full day of school, and the price difference can be significant.

2. Stay in a Center Parcs Apartment

Apartments are often the cheapest accommodation option at Center Parcs but are situated inside a building rather than being an independent lodge in the forest. Apartments are available at all five Center Parcs UK villages. For a full breakdown of all accommodation types and what each includes, see my Center Parcs lodge types guide.

3. Avoid Weekends

Center Parcs offers three break durations:

• Three nights (Fri to Mon)
• Four nights (Mon to Fri)
• Seven nights (Mon to Mon or Fri to Fri)

While three nights is the shortest Center Parcs break, it’s often more expensive than four nights — because a three-night break runs over the weekend. Comparing the same lodge at Whinfell Forest in November 2026:

• Four nights: £419
• Three nights: £439

That’s £20 more for one less night. If you can visit midweek, it’s almost always the better value option.

4. Bring Your Bike

The best way to get around a Center Parcs village is on a bike. You can bring your own or hire one on-site — but hiring isn’t cheap.

On my most recent visit, one adult standard bike for a midweek break cost £42 — meaning a family of four could easily spend over £150 on bike hire alone.

As such, bringing your own bike is by far the better value option. But if space in the car is tight, consider bringing the kids’ bikes and hiring adult bikes only.

5. Don’t Buy Food On-Site

All Center Parcs villages have an on-site supermarket called the Parc Market. This store stocks a wide range of food, drink and essentials. However, prices are typically at least 30% higher than mainstream supermarkets.

Going to the supermarket before arriving at Center Parcs is something we always do – and there’s typically at least one supermarket within ten miles of every village.

A few things specifically worth buying off-site:

• Logs & firelighters: If your lodge has a log burner, buying these at a supermarket or B&M before you go is significantly cheaper than buying them from the Parc Market
• Alcohol: While the Parc Market is cheaper than the on-site bars, buying beforehand is even cheaper.
• Disposable barbecues: easy to forget, but worth bringing if you’re visiting in summer as they’re much cheaper off-site than at the Parc Market.

You can also leave Center Parcs during your stay, so if you’re there for a week it’s worth driving to a nearby supermarket to top up mid-stay.

6. Avoid Visiting Over Christmas

Visiting Center Parcs at Christmas is magical, but breaks in November and December can cost between two and five times the usual prices.

Center Parcs decorates for Christmas from early November — so you can get the Christmas atmosphere at a fraction of the peak December price.

Alternatively, January is even cheaper and still features the Winter Forest Lights trail, a free illuminated evening walk through the forest.

We’ve visited Center Parcs in January twice now and although it’s much colder than in the summer months, we still had a fabulous time — and paid significantly less than we would have done in December.

7. Make the Most of Free Activities

The cost of activities can easily double the total price of a Center Parcs break. Thankfully, several activities are included in the cost of your stay at no extra cost. This includes:

• Subtropical Swimming Paradise
• Self-guided nature walks
• Outdoor adventure playgrounds

It’s also worth adding your own sports equipment to your Center Parcs packing list. Badminton rackets, a travel table tennis set or a football can be picked up cheaply and save you paying for activity hire on-site. We always bring board games too for evenings in the lodge.

8. Compare All Center Parcs Villages

The cost of visiting Center Parcs varies significantly between villages, even for the same:

• dates
• duration
• party size
• accommodation type

For example, four nights in October in a two-bedroom Woodland Lodge for a family of four costs:

• Elveden Forest: £499
• Sherwood Forest: £729

That’s a £230 saving for the same type of break. From our own experience, Whinfell Forest in Cumbria is consistently the most affordable village — it’s where we tend to look first when trying to keep costs down. Woburn Forest and Longleat Forest are typically at the higher end.

9. Check Whether a Bigger Lodge Is Cheaper

Because demand varies by lodge size, it can sometimes be cheaper to book a larger lodge than a smaller one for the exact same dates. I’ve noticed this several times in the past so it’s always worth checking all lodge options before you book.

10. Swap Out Expensive Activities

Another easy way to save money at Center Parcs is by swapping out activities. For example:

• Save £15 by swapping a gym pass for running or cycling around the village
• Save £13 to £33 by swapping Ten Pin Bowling for American Pool
• Save £21.50 by swapping Stand Up Paddle-boarding for Kayak Hire
• Save £21 to £30 by swapping Paintballing for Laser Clay Shoot Out

11. Plan Your Activities Spend Before You Arrive

Booking activities in advance won’t reduce the price of individual activities, but it will help you to plan and control the total cost of your trip.

Planning ahead means you can compare activities and make deliberate choices rather than spontaneous ones on-site, spread the cost over several weeks before you go, and protect your availability — the most popular activities often sell out.

12. Use Center Parcs Gift Cards to Spread the Cost

Center Parcs gift cards can be loaded with any amount from £5 to £1,000, are valid for 24 months from purchase, and can be used towards accommodation, activities, dining and retail.

If you’re planning a break, asking for gift cards as birthday or Christmas presents in the months beforehand is a genuinely useful way to spread the cost. They can be bought directly from the Center Parcs website and are posted to you, or purchased on-village during a stay.

To use a gift card towards accommodation, you’ll need to call the Contact Centre — but for activities, dining and retail during your stay, you can use them directly without calling.

13. Take Advantage of the Repeat Guest Offer

After your Center Parcs break, you can book a return visit and save £50 using the Repeat Guest Offer — provided you book within 31 days of returning home. Anyone in your previous party can use it, not just the lead booker.

The Repeat Guest Offer also includes:

• Price Promise giving you a refund if the same break drops in price after booking
• Free amendment up to seven days before arrival
• Two free visitor day passes

Despite visiting Center Parcs more than ten times, I’ve never used this offer myself due to bad planning. Don’t make the same mistake — if you’re already thinking about going back, book within 31 days and take the saving.

14. Look for Last-Minute Deals

Center Parcs rarely runs sales, but prices do sometimes fall in the weeks leading up to a break — typically around eight weeks before arrival. Center Parcs has a dedicated late deals page on its website where reduced breaks are listed.

The risk is limited availability, and popular lodge types and dates will sell out well before this point. But if you’re flexible on village, dates and accommodation type, it’s worth a look.

15. Avoid Going to Restaurants for Dinner

Dinner is consistently the most expensive service at Center Parcs restaurants. If you want to dine out but keep costs down, consider brunch or lunch instead. We do this at least once on every trip and find the restaurants noticeably quieter and better value. On-site chains like Bella Italia often offer lunchtime set menus too.

For evenings when we don’t want to cook, we use the Restaurant Runner delivery service (Center Parcs’ lodge delivery option) once or twice a trip. It’s not cheap, but it’s more relaxed and usually better value than a full sit-down dinner out.

16. Visit With Friends or Family

The cost of a Center Parcs break is calculated per lodge, not per person. A four-bedroom Woodland Lodge costs the same whether two people stay in it or eight — so the more people you visit with, the cheaper it is per person.

If you have friends or family who’d also like to go, splitting the lodge cost can reduce what each person pays dramatically.

17. Bring Everything, Including the Kitchen Sink

Since everything at Center Parcs costs more on-site, overpacking within reason is a genuine money saving strategy. Based on our multiple trips across different villages and accommodation types, I’ve put together a detailed packing list covering everything from clothes to baby items.

18. Don’t Pay Extra to Arrive Early

Center Parcs offers early arrival. However, in my opinion it’s a waste of money. The cost varies depending on your village and arrival date and is confirmed at the time of booking, but it’s rarely cheap for what you get.

Everyone can arrive at the village from 10am on arrival day and use all the facilities including the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, with or without early arrival. Early arrival only gets you into your lodge two hours earlier than your standard check-in time.

I paid for it once before we had children and haven’t bothered since. I’d far rather spend that money on an activity.

19. Find a Center Parcs Alternative

The cost of a Center Parcs holiday has continued to increase dramatically over the past few years with some people questioning if a Center Parcs break is still worth it. Thankfully, several strong alternatives have emerged in the UK that are worth considering.