Where to go on holiday in April

The best places to go in April, ranked from twenty years of historical climate data. Pick by what matters to you — warm sun, sightseeing, or a relaxing break — then open the live tool to fine-tune.

Choosing where to go on holiday in April comes down to one question: which destinations are actually warm, sunny and dry that month — not in general, but in April specifically? This ranking is built from twenty years of historical climate records (ECMWF ERA5, served by Open-Meteo). For each destination we average the daily mean temperature, sunshine hours, rainfall and wind speed across every April on record, then score the result against three traveller profiles: all-round, beach and city-break.

April is shoulder season around the Mediterranean — generally warm enough to swim in southern Europe and North Africa, with noticeably lower prices and fewer crowds than peak summer. It is also one of the best months to visit destinations that get too hot in July and August (Sicily, Cyprus, southern Turkey, the Algarve). The current top five for April are Tenerife, Cancún, Marrakech, Curaçao, Cape Verde.

The tables below are split into three bands. All-round (the default) rewards destinations that are simply comfortable in April — mild temperatures, decent sun, low rain. Beach holiday tightens the criteria for swimming and sunbathing (22–33°C, 7+ hours of sun, fewer than two rainy days per week). City break loosens the temperature range to 15–26°C for sightseeing. Each row links to the destination's full guide and the live weather tool so you can check the specific dates you have in mind.

Top all-round picks

  1. Tenerife (Spain) — 18.5°C, 11.9h sun/day, 0.6 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  2. Cancún (Mexico) — 26.5°C, 11.8h sun/day, 1.6 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  3. Marrakech (Morocco) — 18.5°C, 11h sun/day, 1.3 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  4. Curaçao (Curaçao) — 27.3°C, 11.3h sun/day, 1.8 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  5. Cape Verde (Cape Verde) — 22°C, 11.3h sun/day, 0 rainy days/week. Score: 99/100.
  6. Maldives (Maldives) — 28.5°C, 11.3h sun/day, 3 rainy days/week. Score: 98/100.
  7. Algarve (Portugal) — 16.5°C, 11.5h sun/day, 2 rainy days/week. Score: 95/100.
  8. Antalya (Turkey) — 15.9°C, 10.6h sun/day, 1.6 rainy days/week. Score: 93/100.
  9. Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka) — 27.1°C, 10.5h sun/day, 4.1 rainy days/week. Score: 93/100.
  10. Mallorca (Spain) — 15°C, 10.3h sun/day, 2.2 rainy days/week. Score: 90/100.

Best for beach & sun

  1. Cancún (Mexico) — 26.5°C, 11.8h sun/day, 1.6 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  2. Gambia (Gambia) — 31.7°C, 11.6h sun/day, 0 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  3. Maldives (Maldives) — 28.5°C, 11.3h sun/day, 3 rainy days/week. Score: 94/100.
  4. Curaçao (Curaçao) — 27.3°C, 11.3h sun/day, 1.8 rainy days/week. Score: 93/100.
  5. Cape Verde (Cape Verde) — 22°C, 11.3h sun/day, 0 rainy days/week. Score: 91/100.
  6. Tenerife (Spain) — 18.5°C, 11.9h sun/day, 0.6 rainy days/week. Score: 88/100.
  7. Marrakech (Morocco) — 18.5°C, 11h sun/day, 1.3 rainy days/week. Score: 88/100.
  8. Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka) — 27.1°C, 10.5h sun/day, 4.1 rainy days/week. Score: 87/100.
  9. Phuket (Thailand) — 28.2°C, 10.5h sun/day, 4.5 rainy days/week. Score: 84/100.
  10. Algarve (Portugal) — 16.5°C, 11.5h sun/day, 2 rainy days/week. Score: 81/100.

Best city & sightseeing weather

  1. Algarve (Portugal) — 16.5°C, 11.5h sun/day, 2 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  2. Tenerife (Spain) — 18.5°C, 11.9h sun/day, 0.6 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  3. Antalya (Turkey) — 15.9°C, 10.6h sun/day, 1.6 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  4. Marrakech (Morocco) — 18.5°C, 11h sun/day, 1.3 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  5. Gran Canaria (Spain) — 15°C, 11.6h sun/day, 1.9 rainy days/week. Score: 100/100.
  6. Mallorca (Spain) — 15°C, 10.3h sun/day, 2.2 rainy days/week. Score: 99/100.
  7. Cape Verde (Cape Verde) — 22°C, 11.3h sun/day, 0 rainy days/week. Score: 99/100.
  8. Cancún (Mexico) — 26.5°C, 11.8h sun/day, 1.6 rainy days/week. Score: 98/100.
  9. Crete (Greece) — 14.1°C, 11h sun/day, 1.9 rainy days/week. Score: 97/100.
  10. Côte d'Azur (France) — 13.8°C, 10.8h sun/day, 2 rainy days/week. Score: 96/100.

Frequently asked questions

Where is it warmest in April?

In April the warmest, sunniest spots in our dataset are Tenerife (18.5°C, 11.9h sun/day); Cancún (26.5°C, 11.8h sun/day); Marrakech (18.5°C, 11h sun/day). The full ranking averages temperature, sunshine, rainfall and wind over twenty years of historical climate data.

Where can you go on holiday in April?

April is shoulder season around the Mediterranean — warm enough to swim in most of southern Europe, with fewer crowds and lower prices than peak summer. The ranking above shows the top destinations for April across three traveller profiles: all-round, beach and city-break.

Is April a good month to travel?

April is one of the strongest shoulder-season months — fewer crowds, lower prices and weather that still works for most beach and city destinations in the ranking.

Where can you go in April without the crowds?

April is a strong shoulder-season month for several Mediterranean and Atlantic-island destinations. Look outside the top three for places that score well but get less mainstream coverage — Madeira, Cape Verde, Sicily, the Algarve and Croatia are often overlooked.

Is April good for sightseeing?

Our sightseeing band ranks destinations by mild temperatures (15–26°C) and low rainfall in April, so you can pick a trip with comfortable walking weather. Tenerife, Cancún, Marrakech score well this month.

What about rain and sea temperature in April?

Each row in the ranking shows the average rainfall (days per week) and sunshine hours for April, based on twenty years of historical data. Sea temperatures lag air temperatures by about a month — so for swimming, look for destinations that were already warm in the previous month too.