Four days off is a rare gift, and if April decides to behave itself this year – which, fingers crossed, it might – there’s no better city to be in than London over Easter. Whether you want to get outside and move, slow down and treat yourself, or spend a morning in the kitchen making baking magic, we’ve rounded up ten feel-good ways to make the most of the long weekend.

1. Run the London Easter 10k, Regent’s Park

Best for: runners, active families

The London Easter 10k takes place in Regent’s Park on Easter Monday – a 10k race, an adult fun run and children’s races all running alongside each other, with fancy dress strongly encouraged. Regent’s Park in early April is genuinely one of the better places to run in London: the rose gardens are starting to bloom, the paths are wide, and the atmosphere is cheerful. The children’s races mean the whole family can take part at their own pace, and the post-run endorphins justify whatever Easter lunch follows.

When: Monday, 6th of April

More info: nice-work.org.uk

2. Watch the Boat Race, then find a pub

Best for: groups, couples

The Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race has been running since 1829, it’s completely free to watch from the riverbank, and you genuinely don’t need to care about rowing to enjoy it. The 6.8km course runs from Putney to Mortlake – so you can just pick a side and find a spot on the grass. This year has a subplot worth knowing: both crews are led by French nationals for the first time in the race’s history, and Cambridge are going for a fourth consecutive men’s victory. The Duke’s Head in Putney has outdoor seating right on the river; The Blue Anchor in Hammersmith has a terrace over the bridge; The Dove in Chiswick reportedly has the smallest bar in the world. Do note that it’s likely they will be packed, so get there early.

When: Saturday, 4th of April, women’s race 2:21pm, men’s 3:21pm

More info: theboatrace.org

3. Sweat it out (and then freeze) at a London sauna

Best for: solo adventurers, friend groups, anyone who needs a reset

Contrast therapy – the practice of moving between intense heat and ice-cold water – has had a proper cultural moment, so if you haven’t tried it yet, now is your chance to join the hot’n’cold club. Arc Community, in Canary Wharf, has the UK’s largest sauna: a 65-person space with heat up to 88°C, alongside custom-designed ice baths kept between 1 and 5°C. It’s guided, communal and surprisingly social – there’s something about surviving the cold together that makes Londoners, of all people, actually talk to strangers. On weekends there are also 120-minute Arc After Dark sessions, with DJs and immersive soundscapes. Individual classes are £29.

For something with more community spirit (and a smaller price tag), Community Sauna Baths has locations across the city including Hackney Wick, Camberwell, Peckham, Stratford and Walthamstow – all not-for-profit, all with wood-fired saunas and cold plunges. Sessions at Hackney Wick start from £9.50 drop-in. Book ahead- both fill up fast, especially over a long weekend.

4. Bake a hot cross bun twist at home

Best for: home bakers, families, a slow Easter Sunday morning

Hot cross buns are perfectly fine from a supermarket and genuinely excellent when you make them yourself – the smell that lingers in your kitchen alone justifies the effort. The classic recipe is straightforward: strong bread flour, fast-action yeast, mixed spice and cinnamon, sultanas and candied peel, finished with an apricot jam glaze. But this year, why not crank it up a bit, go beyond the usual suspects and try different flavour combinations?

As long as there is sugar involved, the chances of your buns turning into a sticky, inedible nightmare are reassuringly low. If you’re looking for some inspiration, there’s these hot cross buns with cherry and chocolates (vegan) or these lemon and marzipan rolls to tempt you. Just imagine the extraordinary smells dancing in your kitchen throughout the day.

5. Visit an art exhibition

Best for: culture lovers, couples

Easter weekend is a good excuse to actually go visit a museum like you have planned to do but never got to. The unmissable one right now is at the V&A: Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, which presents the groundbreaking work of the late Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli as embodying the cultural gravity of art. The UK’s first exhibition dedicated to the house, it runs until early November, featuring more than 400 objects – 100 fashion ensembles, 50 artworks by Dalí, Picasso and Man Ray, plus accessories, jewellery, perfumes and archive material.

When: Bookable now

More info: vam.ac.uk

6. Follow an Easter trail

Best for: families

From the 28th of March to the 12th of April, Kew Gardens is hosting Octonauts: Above & Beyond – an interactive outdoor trail designed for children aged 3–6, inspired by the Honeybee Rescue episode, where young visitors follow a mission to find honeybees that have lost their home, building new hives and learning about pollination along the way.

Adults-only families can head to Old Spitalfields Market has a full Easter weekend programme: on Good Friday and across the weekend, artist LuluJoelle is running free drop-in art workshops, and on Good Friday afternoon, The Chai Girls host a Great Adult Easter Egg Hunt – teams race to crack clues across the market’s independent stalls.

Lastly, if you fancy a more regal experience, you can get to Hampton Court Palace to find chocolate bunny statues hidden across its grounds. The Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt takes around 90 minutes, the gardens in April are genuinely spectacular, and there’s a chocolate reward waiting at the end.

7. Try a new restaurant in London

Best for: date night, friend dinners

Easter weekend is prime time to finally book that place you’ve been saving. Two worth knowing about:

Nipotina in Mayfair – opened by restaurateur Samyukta Nair with Turin-born chef Somaia Hammad at the helm, the menu draws on her grandmother’s Puglian recipes and blends northern and southern Italian traditions. The pasta is made in-house, the pizzas are crisp and Northern Italian in style, and the aperitivo hour is one of the better ways to spend a Friday evening in W1.

Tamila Soho – the latest branch of the south Indian mini-chain is on Poland Street and brings the same Chettinad lamb curries, tandoori dishes and famously flaky roti to the heart of the West End. Order the chilli cheese dosa and don’t leave without the gulab jamun.

8. Attend a new fitness class

Best for: the restless, the curious, the person whose gym routine has gone stale

Four days off is the perfect window to try something you’ve been putting off. If you want to stay active but want it to feel like less of a chore, a spin class is the classic entry point – SoulCycle in Soho offers 45-minute candlelit classes with themed playlists and motivational instructors, while Psycle (Oxford Circus, Clapham, Shoreditch) offers a slightly more pumped-up party-on-a-bike version.

If this isn’t adventurous enough – there’s aqua cycling, too – you’ll be pedalling on a submerged bike, using water resistance – is feels low-impact but can be surprisingly intense. Aqua Fit Pro runs Cycl’H2O sessions at multiple London locations including Victoria and Elephant & Castle, starting from around £15.