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Where to go in April
Start-of-spring flings
In April, Europe wakes from its snoozy winter, offering laidback stays — and Easter fun — before the summer rush. Museums crank up cultural programmes, and reawakening farms, orchards and vineyards are celebrated in eat, drink and be merry festivals. And further afield, tropical greens are in full flush.
Cyprus
Avg. temperature: high 23°C; low 12°
In spring, Cyprus layers romance as sweetly as its dense baklava: frolic through wildflowers and stop to smell the orchids; pluck pomegranates from the trees; take herb-scented hikes to Aphrodite’s spring; and linger over seafront dinners. Tourists are scarcer and temperatures Goldilocks-approved. But it’s ideal for families too, with celebrations marking the Easter holiday and very welcoming hotels.
Yucatán Peninsula
Avg. temperature: high 31°C; low 24°C
The yoga-loving Yucatán gets even more spiritual in April, as passion plays and processions mark ‘Semana Santa’ (Holy Week) and Isla Holbox’s patron-saint fiesta. Tulum and Bacalar are curiously curative with manifestation retreats, sound healing and tantric teachings; or worship the DJ at beach parties and club nights. And Mérida’s parques and plazas sing with Vaquería and Latin music every night.
Costa Rica
Avg. temperature: high 31°C; low 23°C
Costa Rica is nature: lively volcanoes, knotty jungles, soft sands and surf breaks – all best seen at the tail end of its summer. April’s on the quiet side, but it’s also one of the few months that the forecast is favourable on both sides – Caribbean and Pacific – so you get the best of both coasts. Honeymooners will love the seclusion, friends the evocative sunsets, and families the myriad activities.
Vienna
Avg. temperature: high 14°C; low 4°C
Austria’s capital is a cultural powerhouse year-round, and this April you can discover a Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller retrospective, plus showcases of Sue Williams and Sandra Mujinga across galleries at Upper and Lower Belvedere and Belvedere 21. Plus, there are masterpieces by Arcimboldo, Bassano and Bruegel to muse over at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Easter markets and the start of Austria’s ice-cream season, last the entire month — or go healthy with the Vienna marathon.
Fiji
Avg. temperature: high 30°C; low 22°C
For Fiji in full bloom, visit in April. The rainy season is coming to a close, so you can expect the South Pacific archipelago to be as lush as it’ll ever be. Sure, with that comes humidity — but it only adds to the sun-soaked, tropical-island experience, while the Northern Hemisphere is still warming up. If it’s the underwater world you’re after, Fiji’s kaleidoscopic reefs are always in season.
The Netherlands
Avg. temperature: high 14°C; low 5°C
In April, the Netherlands gets trippy (not like that) in Keukenhof, with its psychedelic patterns of tulips; and in Amsterdam where the Flower Parade plays colourfully through. The city’s in full bloom all over, with National Museum Week, festivals celebrating coffee and cult cinema, and orange-hued King’s Day parties. Or stay in the leafy outskirts (at, say, De Durgerdam) for balmy biking, or fall for Zwolle’s historic Hanseatic charms.