Best holiday destinations in April

Spring is a wonderful time to take a holiday. The weather is warming up but it’s still shoulder season for many popular hotspots, meaning you’ll find fewer crowds and lower prices.

So whether you want to revel in cherry blossom displays in Asia or witness a captivating spectacle in Mexico, read on for our pick of the best getaways for spring. 

Where's hot in April

Lisbon, Portugal

April high: 19°C

This laid-back waterfront city is at its best in spring, with its old town in bloom and bathed in eight hours of sunshine a day. 

The yellow number 28 tram rattles up to the hilltop Alfama district, where you can café-hop its labyrinth of steep, cobbled streets. At this time of year, you’ll find bougainvillaea in a riot of pinks, purples and yellows adorning wrought-iron balconies and traditional wooden doorways. Enjoy panoramic views over the church domes and spires to the Tagus River, before catching a Fado show – this haunting style of music was originally sung by sailors’ wives and is accompanied by classical Portuguese guitar. 

Corfu, Greece

April high: 19°C

Just when you thought Corfu’s vast olive groves and sandy stretches of coastline couldn’t get any more breathtaking, try visiting in spring. You’ll find wild herbs growing on the mountain slopes and the meadows filled with wildflowers. 

It’s ideal weather for exploring the cliff-lined beaches on foot, as long as you have plenty of puff and a head for heights. The Corfu trail runs from one end of the Ionian island to the other, a total of 220km (around an eight-day hike) – traversing vineyards, juniper forests and ancient monasteries. 

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Dubrovnik, Croatia

April high: 16°C

The Old Town’s limestone-paved streets are mobbed in summer, but during spring you can soak up its medieval beauty at your leisure. Walk atop its famous city walls for views over the terracotta rooftops to the shimmering Adriatic sea. 

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There you can climb the baroque staircase to nose around its ornate chambers, artfully restored with portraits in gilded frames and glittering crystal chandeliers. It may still be too chilly for a dip, but you can admire the sea views – local beer in hand – from the panoramic terrace of a cliff bar. It’s the perfect spot to catch the sunset. 

Best long-haul destinations

Yucatán, Mexico

April high: 35°C

It’s dry season on the Yucatán peninsula; the perfect time to laze on a palm-fringed beach or cool off in a jungle cenote (a beautiful water-filled sinkhole). 

But your holiday will be extra special if you visit the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá – one of the New Seven Wonders of the World – during the spring equinox (March 20). At 4pm, the position of the sun creates a spectacular illusion with light and shadow to look like a snake creeping down the main pyramid to meet a huge serpent’s head. 

Mérida is another must-see, a colourful colonial city steeped in culture. Cochinita pibil, slow-roasted pork served with corn tortillas, is the local dish – best enjoyed with an ice cold margarita. 

Uyuni, Bolivia

April high: 17°C

For otherworldly beauty, there's nowhere quite like Uyuni in Bolivia. At an elevation of more than 3,660 metres, it's the highest and largest salt flat in the world – formed by pre-historic lakes long since evaporated. 

In March and early April, it's often still covered in water from the rainy season, which reflects the light and turns its hexagonal salt tiles into a giant mirror. 

You’ll also beat the crowds and high-season prices (as well as the bitter cold), which all kick in from May. Don’t miss Isla Incahuasi, a lonely outcrop of land unexpectedly punctuating the horizon with its native species of cactus. 

The coloured lakes are a Jeep-ride away; surreal copper-red, turquoise and milky white lagoons backed by snow-tipped volcanoes and inhabited by pink flamingos.

Kyoto, Japan

April high: 17°C

From the tail end of March to early April, these fragrant powder-pink sakura – said to be a symbol of human mortality because of their short lifespan – bloom all over the city. Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama, also home to more than 100 Japanese macaque monkeys, is one of the best spots to see them. 

Year-round sights include Unesco-listed Buddhist temples, Zen gardens and Fushimi Inari – a Shinto shrine made up of thousands of crimson torii gates that climb the forest trail of Mount Inari. Make sure to visit the Gion district to see geisha roam Shimbashi street in their traditional kimono.

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source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/best-holiday-destinations-in-april-azvMd6U2tOA2