Where is hot in April? Warm places to go

April is the month when spring properly arrives in the south. Days are much longer than in March, Andalusia, Cyprus and North Africa already feel like early summer by day, and in many countries the Easter holidays fall in this month. Easter moves every year – the earliest date is 22 March, the latest 25 April – so it pays to look at April as a whole.

We looked at the weather of the Aprils 2015 to 2024 for 20 destinations: how warm does it get by day, how cool at night, and how much rain falls? One warning first: in April the air is often warm already, the sea is not. It lags weeks behind the air and only reaches its highest temperatures in August and September. First beach days are very possible in April; long swimming days are the exception.

The table: 20 destinations in April

Temperature and rain: average of the Aprils 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (via Open-Meteo), rounded. The values describe a grid cell of about 25 km and are often 1 to 2 degrees below what you measure on the beach. Flight times: typical direct flights, rounded.

1. Gran Canaria 22.7°
2. Tenerife 21.7°
3. Madeira 20.1°
4. Agadir 24.2°
5. Marrakech 26.1°
6. Faro 19.8°
7. Lisbon 19.4°
8. Seville 23.3°
9. Palma 19.7°
10. Djerba 23.2°
11. Palermo 18.9°
12. Malta 18.6°
13. Rome 19.5°
14. Athens 20.4°
15. Rhodes 20.4°
16. Antalya 22.2°
17. Paphos 21.4°
18. Hurghada 27.5°
19. Dubai 32.5°

Base map: Natural Earth

First beach days: Red Sea, Cape Verde, Agadir

If you want guaranteed sun over Easter, fly to the Red Sea. Hurghada averages 27.5 °C in April, nights stay at 20 °C and there is practically no rain. Cape Verde (the island of Sal) is dry too, at 24.5 °C by day and just over 20 °C at night. A strong trade wind usually blows there, which makes the island popular with kite- and windsurfers.

Agadir on Morocco's Atlantic coast is the shorter alternative at 24 °C and only 9 mm of rain. Inland, Marrakech already reaches 26 °C by day but drops to just under 12 °C at night – a typical desert climate with big differences between day and night. April is ideal for the city because the great heat has not arrived yet.

Marrakech trip planDay by day, with map and tips

Dubai is almost summery at 32.5 °C; if you want desert^* and beach without the extreme heat that starts in May, April is your last chance. Bangkok, on the other hand, has its hottest time in April: an average of 34 °C by day and almost 27 °C at night – tiring for a round trip.

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Spring in southern Europe: Seville, Cyprus, Antalya

Seville, averaging 23 °C, is the warmest city on the European mainland in our list. When Easter falls in April, the processions of Semana Santa move through the old town during Holy Week; a few weeks later comes the Feria de Abril. Both are impressive, but they also fill the city – book accommodation early for those weeks.

Seville trip planDay by day, with map and tips

In the eastern Mediterranean, April starts mild and ends warm. Cyprus averages 21 °C with only 24 mm of rain, Rhodes and Athens just over 20 °C. Antalya is slightly warmer by day at 22 °C but cools down to 11 °C at night. Good to know: the Orthodox Church in Greece and Cyprus often celebrates Easter on a different date from the Western churches. On those days there are holidays, processions and full ferries – and some shops are closed.

Canaries and Madeira: reliable, but not hot

In April the Canary Islands are what they are almost all year: 22.7 °C by day in the south of Gran Canaria, 16.5 °C at night and little rain. Tenerife is similar at almost 22 °C. The advantage over the Mediterranean: evenings stay mild, so you hardly need a jacket. April is a very good time for hiking in the Teno mountains or around Mount Teide^*.

Madeira is a little cooler at 20 °C and still noticeably wet in April (74 mm on average). In return the island is in bloom, and the levadas – the old irrigation channels with their walking paths – are especially green.

Around 19 °C: city breaks and hiking instead of the beach

Mallorca, Rome, Lisbon, Sicily and Malta all sit between 18.5 and 20 °C in April. That is not beach weather, but it is ideal for everything that is too hot in summer: hiking in the Serra de Tramuntana on Mallorca, long days in Rome, a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon or the temples and baroque towns of Sicily.

The differences are at night and in the rain: Malta is the mildest at night at 14 °C and also the driest at 14 mm on average. Rome cools down to below 9 °C at night – you need a warm jacket in the evening. Lisbon and the Algarve still get some rainy days with 62 and 42 mm. Around Easter, Rome is especially busy because of the celebrations at the Vatican; if you are flexible, go a week later.

Rome trip planDay by day, with map and tips Lisbon trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How to plan your Easter trip

First decide whether you want to swim or to explore. For beach and water, Hurghada, Cape Verde and, with some compromises, Agadir and the Canaries are the safe choice in April. For cities and hiking, the places around 20 °C are enough – and they are a short flight away, which helps when airports are busy during the Easter holidays. Check the night temperature: Marrakech, Antalya and Rome are much cooler in the evening than the islands.

In YesTrip you enter the destination and dates and get a day-by-day plan with a map and the forecast for your travel days. The packing list suggests clothes to match the weather – in April that includes the jacket for the evening. For Lisbon there is a ready-made plan you can use straight away:

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