After a long winter, German towns and cities come alive at colourful Easter markets. (Courtesy German National Tourist Office)

Nothing signals spring's arrival quite like Easter. Joyous parades, Easter bonnets, gaily painted eggs and yummy chocolates are just part of the fun. Religious festivals and family celebrations vary around the world, marking what is also a very traditional time of year.

If you are looking to get away that weekend, here are a few ideas:

Bonnie bonnets

Hats off to New York's colourful Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival. Held on Easter Sunday, April 24, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., parade participants meander along Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th Streets showing off their festive spring creations. The area around St. Patrick's Cathedral is the best place to view the hoopla. Visit gonyc.about.com/cs/holidays/a/easter.htm.

Bunnies and golf

North Carolina is a haven for golfers, so it's ideal place for duffers and their families to spend Easter. A little golf plus an Easter egg hunt, what could be better? And many of the state's finest inns and resorts offer special holiday rates.

Families who spend Easter at the legendary Pinehurst Resort can celebrate spring with Bunny Bingo, pop tail hour, egg decorating, a hayride, a visit from the Easter Bunny, and an Easter Sunday sunrise service. Nightly rates start at $189 per person at the Holly Inn and the Manor, and include Easter dinner, breakfast buffet and a family portrait. Children 12 and younger stay, eat and golf for free when with a parent or guardian. Golf and spa options are available. The resort has a Kids Club for three-to-12-year-olds plus baby-sitting (pinehurst.com).

At Asheville's four-star Inn on Biltmore Estate, guests can stay three nights for the price of two over the Easter weekend (April 22-25). Plan to tour the legendary home of the Vanderbilts and its gardens while you are there. See biltmore.com.

Easter is family time at historic Grove Park Inn, also in Asheville, which has festivities all weekend including bonnet decorating, a scavenger hunt, an Easter parade, the Great Easter Egg Hunt and an appearance by the Easter Bunny. Sunday features an Easter brunch buffet. Packages average $140 per night per person (double occupancy) and include a family Easter basket, daily breakfast and a $100 Grove Park Inn gift card. The resort has a Kids Club for three-to-12-year-olds plus babysitting (groveparkinn.com).

Easter markets

Easter celebrations in Germany are truly special and celebrations start weeks before the holiday. Throughout the country, Easter markets -- similar to Christmas markets but with spring-themed local arts and crafts -- are held in atmospheric surroundings from historic town squares to castles and landscaped parks. Markets last from a weekend to a few weeks and are a favourite pastime for locals and tourists.

One of the oldest is Nuremberg's Haeferles Market. With more than 80 stalls in the historic city centre, this market offers everything from hand-painted eggs to wooden decorations (to April 25). See nuernberg.de.

If planning for next year, for a truly medieval Easter experience head to Dinkelsbuehl, a well-preserved town along Germany's Romantic Road. Some 50 local exhibitors showcase the Easter goods within the city walls.

About two hours from Frankfurt in Wolfenbuettel, an atmospheric Easter market takes place in the royal courtyard of the 18th-century castle of the Guelph dukes. More than 60 artists and craftsman from across the region participate.

Tuscan spring

Hopping bunnies, hidden hand-painted eggs and the sights and smells of spring will mark the Easter holiday at Borgo Santo Pietro in Chiusdino, an hour from Florence. A magical Easter Egg Hunt winds its way through the enchanted forest of Italy's Valle Serena and ends at the ruins of the gothic San Galgano Abbey on Sunday, April 24.

A three-night Easter package at Borgo Santo Pietro includes: Accommodations, two (40 minute) massages, five-course Easter Lunch for two (excluding beverages), Easter Egg Hunt plus a chocolate egg, fresh fruit and flowers in room upon arrival, breakfast, plus use of the hotel's hot tub, tennis, basketball and badminton courts, table tennis, mountain bikes, hiking boots, archery and trampoline. Prices start around $449 per night.  

Located 35 minutes from Siena and 40 minutes from Volterra (made famous in the movie Twilight), Borgo Santo Pietro (built in 1229 to accommodate pilgrims) features eight rooms in the main house, three garden cottages, a spa in an 800-year-old bakery, an affinity pool and 5 hectares of ornamental gardens. Guests can sign up for daily cooking classes, enjoy wine tasting sessions with the hotel sommelier, play bocci ball, and hike or bike to historic sites. See borgosantopietro.com.