April is the month when Europe remembers it has a south, the Himalaya puts on its rhododendrons, and the Silk Road cities of Central Asia are at their absolute best. It’s also the month we spend most of our time talking people out of things: out of a sweltering Angkor, out of a soggy safari, out of Japan in Golden Week. So consider this a list of firm opinions, lightly held.
Every tour below has April 2027 departures, prices are live from the tour pages, and the drawbacks are the ones we’d tell you over a drink.
The quick answer
- If we could only pick one: Uzbekistan. Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva in spring sunshine, before the summer heat. Luxury Uzbekistan does it in comfort.
- For Europe at its freshest: Andalucía, Madeira on foot or the coastal Camino.
- For flowers: the tulips of Keukenhof or Bhutan in rhododendron season.
- For Asia after the blossom: the Nakasendo or South Korea’s food trail.
- Where we’d skip: South East Asia’s hottest month, the Indian plains, East Africa’s long rains and Japan from 29 April.
The April shortlist
| Tour | Days | Price from | Physical rating | Group size | Flights included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Silk Road and the Caucasus | ||||||
| Luxury Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara & Khiva – 10 Days | 10 | £2,156 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | Our pick for April |
| Highlights of Uzbekistan: Khiva to Tashkent by Rail – 9 Days | 9 | £1,676 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | By rail, west to east |
| The Silk Road of Uzbekistan – 11 Days | 11 | £1,875 pp | Moderate | Max 16 | No | With a desert camp evening |
| Highlights of Azerbaijan & Georgia – 10 Days | 10 | £1,750 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Baku to the Caucasus |
| Spring in southern Europe | ||||||
| Classical Spain: Seville, Córdoba & Granada Escorted Tour – 7 Days | 7 | £839 pp incl. flights | Not stated | Max 25 | Yes | Andalucía, with flights |
| Self-Guided Walking in Madeira: Levadas & Coast – 8 Days | 8 | £1,529 pp | Medium | Not stated | No | Self-guided levada walks |
| Portuguese Coastal Camino: Porto to Santiago – 10 Days | 10 | £1,695 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | The Camino by the sea |
| Malta Uncovered: Valletta, Gozo & Mdina with Flights – 8 Days | 8 | £1,249 pp incl. flights | Low | Max 25 | Yes | Easy sunshine, with flights |
| Flowers and mountains | ||||||
| Solo Amsterdam & the Tulips River Cruise with Flights – 5 Days | 5 | £1,799 pp incl. flights | Low | Not stated | Yes | Tulips, for solo travellers |
| Bhutan Discovered: Thimphu, Punakha & Tiger’s Nest – 7 Days | 7 | £2,376 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | The Tiger’s Nest in spring |
| Asia and North Africa | ||||||
| Self-Guided Walk the Nakasendo Trail – 11 Days | 11 | £3,789 pp | Moderate to challenging | Not stated | No | Old Japan on foot |
| South Korea Food Adventure: Seoul, Jeonju, Gyeongju & Busan – 8 Days | 8 | £2,083 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Korea through its food |
| Classic Morocco: Casablanca, Fes, the Sahara & Marrakech – 8 Days | 8 | £769 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Morocco in a week |
| Explore Jordan: Wadi Rum, Petra & the King’s Highway – 8 Days | 8 | £912 pp | Medium | Max 14 | No | Jordan, with two desert nights |
Prices are per person, twin share, live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). The lowest price can apply to a later departure, so check the dates you want on each tour page.
Ask us about April departures →
If we could only pick one: Uzbekistan
Luxury Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara & Khiva
Luxury Uzbekistan: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara & Khiva – 10 Days
- 10 days
- From £2,156 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
We’ll say it plainly: if you’ve never seen the Registan in Samarkand, nothing else on this list will prepare you for it. Three madrasas covered in blue and gold tilework, facing each other across a square that was the crossroads of the Silk Road. In April the gardens are in bloom, the days are in the low to mid 20s, and the heat that bakes these desert cities from June is still months away. This 10-day trip in a group of up to 12 uses high-speed trains and a domestic flight, with a plov dinner with a local family in Samarkand, two nights in a converted Jewish house in Bukhara and a cooking class inside the walls of Khiva.
Why April: perfect sightseeing weather in some of the world’s most beautiful cities. The honest drawback: this is the comfortable version, and it’s priced like it. The two trips below are cheaper.
On a tighter budget, Highlights of Uzbekistan by Rail (9 days) crosses the country from west to east, from Khiva’s mud-brick walls to Tashkent, by Soviet-era sleeper and modern high-speed train. The Silk Road of Uzbekistan (11 days) adds three nights in Bukhara and a night out near Nurata, with sunset on the dunes and music by the campfire. See our Uzbekistan tours guide.
Highlights of Azerbaijan & Georgia
Highlights of Azerbaijan & Georgia – 10 Days
- 10 days
- From £1,750 per person
- Max 12 people
- Baku, Azerbaijan to Tbilisi, Georgia
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Departures in April, May, June, July, August, September, October
April is when the Caucasus season begins, and this 10-day trip has its first departures in mid-April. From Baku’s walled Old City and the mud volcanoes of Gobustan to the coppersmiths of Lahij, the painted palace in Sheki, a winery lunch in Kakheti and a hike to Gergeti Trinity Church below Mount Kazbek. Expect fewer tourists than anywhere else on this page.
Why April: spring in the vineyards and the start of the season. The honest drawback: up in the mountains it can still be wintry, so the Kazbek views depend on the weather that day.
Spring in southern Europe
Classical Spain: Seville, Córdoba & Granada
Classical Spain: Seville, Córdoba & Granada Escorted Tour – 7 Days
- 7 days
- From £839 per person incl. flights
- Max 25 people
- Starts and ends in Málaga, Spain
- Flights included
- Departures in February, March, April, May, June, September, October, November
Andalucía in April smells of orange blossom, and we’re not being poetic. This seven-day tour includes flights to Málaga, four-star hotels, a tour leader and entry to the Mezquita and the Alhambra, with a night near Mijas, the clifftop town of Ronda, three nights in Seville and two in Granada. In April it’s warm enough for a terrace and cool enough to walk all day.
Why April: the best weather of the year, before the summer heat. The honest drawback: you change hotel three times in a week, and Seville’s Alcázar and cathedral are paid locally. Seville’s April Fair usually follows a couple of weeks after Easter, which is fabulous, and fabulously busy.
Self-Guided Walking in Madeira: Levadas & Coast
Self-Guided Walking in Madeira: Levadas & Coast – 8 Days
- 8 days
- From £1,529 per person
- Santana, Portugal to Funchal, Portugal
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Madeira is the answer to anyone who says walking holidays are all mud and rain. Eight days on the island’s levadas, the old irrigation channels that run through laurel forest, tunnels and waterfalls, with route notes, trailhead transfers and your luggage moved for you. You end with two days in a five-star hotel in Funchal, which feels well earned. April is flower season on the island, and it shows.
Why April: spring flowers, green forest and mild walking weather. The honest drawback: it’s self-guided, some paths are narrow with drops, and you’ll need a head for heights and a torch for the tunnels.
Two more for April. The Portuguese Coastal Camino (10 days) walks from the Atlantic coast north of Porto to Santiago de Compostela with a local leader, a seafood tasting and your luggage moved each day: spring is the sweet spot between cold rain and summer crowds. And Malta Uncovered (8 days, with flights and half board) is the low-effort option: Valletta, Caravaggio in St John’s Co-Cathedral, Gozo and Mdina from one comfortable hotel.
Flowers and mountains
Solo Amsterdam & the Tulips River Cruise
Solo Amsterdam & the Tulips River Cruise with Flights – 5 Days
- 5 days
- From £1,799 per person incl. flights
- Starts and ends in United Kingdom
- Physical rating: low
- Flights included
- Departures in March, April
Keukenhof is the world’s most famous tulip garden and it opens for only a few weeks each spring. This five-day river cruise, designed for people travelling on their own, includes flights, full board and a drinks package, with the windmills of Zaanse Schans, the Zuiderzee Museum, a guided canal walk in Amsterdam and, of course, Keukenhof in bloom. The April departure is on 1 April 2027, and no, that isn’t a joke.
Why April: tulip season. The honest drawback: it’s a short, sociable cruise, not an adventure, and there’s only one April departure, so it will fill.
Bhutan Discovered: Thimphu, Punakha & Tiger’s Nest
Bhutan Discovered: Thimphu, Punakha & Tiger’s Nest – 7 Days
- 7 days
- From £2,376 per person
- Max 12 people
- Thimphu, Bhutan to Paro, Bhutan
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Departures in January, February, March, April, May, September, October, November, December
Spring is one of the two best seasons in Bhutan, with clear-ish skies and rhododendrons flowering on the passes. Seven days in a group of up to 12, with nearly all meals included: Thimphu’s giant Buddha, the Dochula Pass, Punakha Dzong beside its river, the fertility temple of Chimi Lhakhang and, finally, the hike up to Taktsang, the Tiger’s Nest, clinging to its cliff above Paro.
Why April: spring flowers and good hiking weather. The honest drawback: Bhutan’s daily Sustainable Development Fee and visa are extra, and the Tiger’s Nest hike is steep. Worth it, but steep.
Asia and North Africa
Self-Guided Walk the Nakasendo Trail
Self-Guided Walk the Nakasendo Trail – 11 Days
- 11 days
- From £3,789 per person
- Osaka, Japan to Tokyo, Japan
- Physical rating: moderate to challenging
- Flights not included
- Departures in March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
Japan in early April is all about the blossom, and our cherry blossom guide covers that. But here’s an unfashionable opinion: mid-April, when the crowds have gone and the valleys turn a fresh green, is even better for walking. This 11-day self-guided holiday follows the old samurai road through the Kiso Valley, from Kyoto via the post towns of Magome and Tsumago to Matsumoto and Tokyo, staying in ryokan and minshuku inns with your luggage moved ahead.
Why April: spring on the trail, and late blossom in the higher villages. The honest drawback: avoid starting after about 20 April, because Golden Week, Japan’s busiest holiday, runs from 29 April to 5 May.
South Korea Food Adventure: Seoul, Jeonju, Gyeongju & Busan
South Korea Food Adventure: Seoul, Jeonju, Gyeongju & Busan – 8 Days
- 8 days
- From £2,083 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in Seoul, South Korea
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Korea’s cherry blossom usually arrives in early April, and Gyeongju, the old royal capital, is one of its loveliest blossom towns. This eight-day trip in a group of up to 12 is really about the food, though: fried chicken and beer in Seoul, bibimbap in its birthplace, Jeonju, a night in a traditional hanok, Bulguksa Temple and a cooking class in Busan.
Why April: spring blossom and perfect street-food weather. The honest drawback: if you have a very restricted diet, this one isn’t for you. Meals are the whole point.
Closer to home, April is still prime time in North Africa and the Middle East. Classic Morocco (8 days) packs in Casablanca, Fes, a Sahara camp, the Todra Gorge, Ait Benhaddou and Marrakech, and Explore Jordan (8 days) gives you two nights in a Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum and two days in Petra. Both are warmer than in March, so start your walks early.
Where we’d skip in April
Cambodia, Laos and Thailand’s plains. April is the hottest month of the year, often in the high 30s. Thailand’s new year water festival in mid-April is great fun, but it’s also a very good excuse to stay in the pool.
India’s plains. Rajasthan and the Golden Triangle are too hot for comfortable sightseeing from April. Go between October and March instead.
Kenya and Tanzania. April is usually the heart of the long rains. Some lodges close, roads turn to mud, and we’d rather send you in June.
Japan from 29 April. Golden Week is a run of national holidays when half of Japan goes on holiday at once. Lovely for them; less so for you.
The northern lights. From mid-April the nights in Iceland and Lapland are too short and bright. Come back in September.
Tips for April travel
Watch the holidays. Easter is on 28 March in 2027, so early April still has school holiday prices. Mid-April is often better value.
Bring layers. April is warm by day and cool by night almost everywhere on this list, and mountain passes can still have snow.
Check the extras. Visas, park fees and tourist taxes are often paid locally, so check what’s included and read the FCDO travel advice for every country on your route.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to go in April?
Our pick is Uzbekistan, for Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva in spring sunshine. Andalucía, Madeira, Morocco, Jordan, Bhutan and Japan after the blossom are all excellent too.
Where is warm but not too hot in April?
Andalucía, Madeira, Malta, Morocco, Jordan and Uzbekistan all have warm days in the low to mid 20s, with cooler evenings.
Can I see the tulips in April?
Yes. Keukenhof is in bloom from spring, and the tulips river cruise departs on 1 April 2027.
Is April a good time to visit Japan?
Yes, especially early in the month for the blossom and mid-April for walking. Avoid the end of the month, when Golden Week begins on 29 April.
Is April a good time for Bhutan?
It’s one of the best times, with spring flowers and good walking weather. Remember that the daily Sustainable Development Fee and visa are extra.
Where should I avoid in April?
South East Asia’s plains and India are at their hottest, East Africa is in the long rains, and the northern lights season is over.
Planning April?
Tell us what kind of spring you’re after, and a Travelisto specialist will match you with the right April departure.
Keep planning
- All escorted tours
- Uzbekistan tours compared
- Spain escorted tours
- Bhutan tours
- Where to go in March 2027
Prices are live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). Tour details and dates can change; your specialist will confirm everything before you book.
