Best places to visit in Europe in April

Europe

Greece · 20°C (68°F) · 5 rainy days

Athens

The Acropolis, late-night tavernas and beaches a tram ride away. Warm, green and pleasant; Orthodox Easter often falls this month, with candlelit midnight services and lamb roasts.

Hungary · 17°C (63°F) · 7 rainy days

Budapest

Thermal baths, Danube views and ruin bars at Central European prices. Blossom on Margaret Island and comfortable sightseeing weather; the Easter weekend gets busy.

Austria · 16°C (61°F) · 6 rainy days

Vienna

Imperial palaces, coffee houses, Klimt and world-class music. Spring blossom in the parks and gardens, with mild days and cool evenings; Easter brings more visitors.

Italy · 20°C (68°F) · 8 rainy days

Florence

Renaissance masterpieces, Brunelleschi's dome and Tuscan food on foot. Terraces fill and the wisteria flowers in the Bardini Garden late in the month; Easter and school trips make the big sights busy.

Turkey · 17°C (63°F) · 7 rainy days

Istanbul

Byzantine domes, Ottoman palaces and ferries between Europe and Asia. Spring arrives properly and the parks fill with tulips; one of the most pleasant months for walking, and visitor numbers rise quickly.

Portugal · 20°C (68°F) · 9 rainy days

Lisbon

Hilltop viewpoints, yellow trams and custard tarts on the Tagus. Pleasant walking weather and wildflowers in Sintra; Easter brings a jump in visitors and prices.

Spain · 18°C (64°F) · 7 rainy days

Madrid

Velázquez and Goya by day, tapas bars and late nights after dark. Mild and green, with occasional showers; Easter brings processions, torrijas and busy hotels.

Italy · 19°C (66°F) · 9 rainy days

Naples

Pizza's birthplace, baroque churches, Vesuvius and Pompeii next door. Pleasant and green, ideal for Pompeii and Vesuvius before the heat; Easter is busy.

France · 16°C (61°F) · 9 rainy days

Paris

World-class museums, café terraces and walkable riverside quarters. Spring blossom and café terraces reopen in earnest; Easter brings a surge of visitors.

Italy · 19°C (66°F) · 8 rainy days

Rome

Ancient ruins, Vatican art, Baroque piazzas and long trattoria lunches. One of the loveliest months, with warm days and wisteria, but Easter and Italian holidays bring heavy crowds.

Italy · 17°C (63°F) · 9 rainy days

Venice

Canals, Byzantine mosaics and lagoon islands with no cars at all. Spring sunshine and showers, with Easter and the 25 April holiday bringing large crowds.

Netherlands · 14°C (57°F) · 8 rainy days

Amsterdam

Canal rings, Golden Age art, brown cafés and a city made for bikes. Tulip season and King's Day make April one of the busiest and most expensive months.

Italy · 18°C (64°F) · 9 rainy days

Milan

Gothic Duomo, The Last Supper, fashion streets and canal-side aperitivo. Pleasant spring weather, but Design Week makes hotels scarce and expensive.

Spain · 23°C (73°F) · 6 rainy days

Seville

Moorish palaces, orange-tree squares, tapas bars and flamenco. Peak season, with Holy Week and the April Fair; hotel prices can double during both weeks.

Belgium · 14°C (57°F) · 9 rainy days

Bruges

Medieval canals, a climbable belfry and Flemish masterpieces in a walkable old town. Daffodils in the Begijnhof and longer days; Easter weekends get busy with day-trippers.

France · 17°C (63°F) · 9 rainy days

Lyon

France's food capital of bouchons, Renaissance lanes and two rivers. Spring blossom in the Parc de la Tête d'Or and comfortable walking weather.

Spain · 21°C (70°F) · 5 rainy days

Valencia

Paella's home city, with a riverbed park, futuristic museums and city beaches. Warm spring days, ideal for walking; Easter brings Spanish visitors and maritime processions.

Italy · 18°C (64°F) · 8 rainy days

Bologna

Porticoed streets, medieval towers and the home of tagliatelle al ragù. Comfortable walking weather and Easter visitors; Liberation Day is marked strongly in a city with a famous partisan history.

Turkey · 17°C (63°F) · 9 rainy days

Cappadocia

Fairy chimneys, rock-cut churches, underground cities and dawn balloon flights. Spring blossom in the valleys and comfortable hiking weather; one of the busiest balloon months.

Spain · 20°C (68°F) · 5 rainy days

Granada

The Alhambra, the Moorish Albaicín and free tapas below the Sierra Nevada. Mild, green and busy; Semana Santa processions fill the streets, and the Alhambra sells out well ahead.

Spain · 22°C (72°F) · 5 rainy days

Málaga

Picasso's birthplace, a Moorish fortress and sardine skewers on the beach. Warm and pleasant; Semana Santa fills the city with processions and visitors, so book early.

Italy · 20°C (68°F) · 6 rainy days

Palermo

Arab-Norman mosaics, street-food markets and Baroque piazzas by the sea. Easter brings processions and the year's first big crowds; ideal walking weather.

Beach, city or budget: April picks by trip type

What's on in April

Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.

• Athens: Orthodox Easter — midnight Resurrection services and fireworks (April or early May)
• Budapest: Budapest Spring Festival — concerts and performances (usually April)
• Vienna: Vienna City Marathon (usually April)
• Florence: Scoppio del Carro — a cart of fireworks set off outside the Duomo (Easter Sunday)
• Istanbul: Istanbul Tulip Festival — millions of tulips in Emirgan and Gülhane parks (usually April)
• Lisbon: Freedom Day — Carnation Revolution anniversary parade on Avenida da Liberdade (25 April)
• Madrid: Madrid Marathon (usually April)
• Naples: Easter, with pastiera cakes in every bakery (March or April)
• Paris: Paris Marathon (usually early April)
• Rome: Natale di Roma — the city's birthday with historical parades (21 April)
• Venice: Festa di San Marco — men give women a red rosebud (25 April)
• Amsterdam: King's Day — citywide street party and flea markets (27 April, or 26 April when the 27th is a Sunday)

Daylight in April

Day length on these trips ranges from about 13.1 hours in Palermo to 13.8 hours in Amsterdam (sunrise to sunset on 15 April). Longer days mean more sightseeing time; shorter ones favour museums, food and evenings.

April weather compared

Questions travellers ask