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Suggestions for an April trip from Seattle

My family of 4 (parents + 2 teen daughters) are trying to figure out where to go for spring break, leaving from Seattle. We have about a week in mid-April. We are really stumped trying to decide where to go. I know this is a really vague question, but does anyone have any ideas that jump out? Maybe trips you've taken in April that were lovely? I'm hoping to get some suggestions and find some inspiration!

For a teeny bit of background, we've been to Germany and loved it. Ireland as well. London and Paris last summer were great!
We were thinking about Costa Rica but it sounds awfully hot. Iceland? Peru? Obviously we're not hung up on any particular destination, just hoping to find a nice adventure somewhere.

We are really open to different sorts of destinations. We like small towns with quaint streets to explore, good food/shopping, historical sites. But big cities are fine too, maybe for a couple of days.

The teens aren't huge fans of museums but they did like the Louvre more than I expected. We like having at least one outdoor adventure as part of the trip if possible (like a hike, or outdoor tour of some sort). Like a cool cave, or an island, etc..

For a little more background, we had originally considered two weeks in Morocco but we ran out of time, so we're saving that one for later. We had thought about Peru but I think we don't have enough time for that either. Iceland seemed like a possibility but the weather might not be quite right. We decided to skip Italy because of Jubilee crowds. And somehow we've just ended up having a lot of trouble settling on a destination.

Thanks!

Posted by
9035 posts

How about the Netherlands; and more specifically Amsterdam? It's easy to get to with a lot of direct flights there from the US, public transportation is wonderful, the city itself has a great vibe and there are so many places to see and things to do there. It is one of my favorite cities and I can't wait to get back there. It has the Anne Frank house, which might appeal to your teens, and so many incredible museums.

There is also the opportunity for quick day trips to places like Delft, Leiden, Hoorn (a lovely town on the northern coast) and so on. Keukenhof Gardens will be open by then as well, and you can see the masses of tulips that are just breathtaking.

I think your teens would really love it.

Posted by
3054 posts

At this point given the very short timing I'd suggest looking at what airfares look like for your dates - affordability may not be in your favor. Google Flights lets you plug in "Europe" as a destination with your travel dates and it will show options. With only one week you don't want transit to take up a huge chunk of your time, so I'd focus on places you can get to quickly and without a lot of stops. If any of your dates overlap Easter (April 20), you may also be out of luck with accommodations, as well as having many things closed/limited hours around the time you travel. Best of luck!

Posted by
3031 posts

I adore Iceland, so am biased, but it would be a great spring break trip! There are loads of outdoor adventures you can do such as an ice cave, glacier hike, snowmobiling, horse back riding, etc. Then there are the thermal lagoons and each one is unique. We try to hit as many of those as we can on each trip. Visiting the massive waterfalls, seeing the puffins, the black sand beaches, Yoda Cave. Downtown Reykjavik has a lot to offer as well. The Sun Voyager, Harpa, the Citywalk "free" walking tour (tip at the end), a food tour (excellent!!!), the amazing street art and murals, rainbow road, Hallgrimskirkja and the views from the top of it. Maybe even the Phallological Museum? Don't worry about the weather. If you don't want to drive, you can take day tours or even a multi day tour.

There are 2 flights a day from SEA, 3:45pm and 7:45pm. I would opt for the afternoon flight in case the evening flight gets cancelled. We had that happen on our last trip and were literally racing to the airport for the afternoon flight and barely made it. I know that is not the norm, but it does happen.

If you have any questions let me know. We have been many times and head back again this summer.

Posted by
344 posts

Central Mexico (Mexico City and a smaller colonial city such as San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato or Oaxaca).
Or San Juan, Puerto Rico with some day trips elsewhere on the island.
Spring is a great time to visit Washington DC if you haven’t been there yet with the family.

Posted by
1851 posts

davepipi,
I am planning a trip to Montreal/Quebec City for spring of 2026. You wouldn't spend so much time en route and from all I have read and learned, a visit there should be wonderful! You may want to check out Quebec Province.
Have fun!

Posted by
1885 posts

With only a week I hate to waste two days traveling. Look and see if there's a 7-8 day cruise to Alaska during your timeframe. They depart from downtown. You could also fly into Anchorage, and then rent an RV or just stay in hotels. It would be a good time to drive up to Fairbanks or Cheena. Or even better take the ferry over to Valdez (which is incredibly beautiful) and stay overnight there. That ferry hugs the coast so you'd see all kinds of wildlife.

Another option would be San Diego. And there's always Hawaii.

For something very different, fly into Albuquerque and then go up to Taos or Santa Fe. New Mexico is great in April.

Posted by
6968 posts

I'd look first at two things: where can you fly to from Seattle on a nonstop (because your time is so sort) or at worst an efficient one-stop? That limits you right away. Then look at your budget, specifically for flights (and then just being there), and those two factors should filter enough to get you started.

Some ideas:

Japan. You know, there are several nonstops every day from SEA to Tokyo. April is lovely in Japan (but yes, crowded too, because it's lovely - and cherry blossoms, so their busy season). Get your head around this fact: We are closer to Tokyo than we are to most of Europe; it's actually not a super-long flight to Japan.

Montreal. More "French" than you might think, quick and easy to get to.

Belize. Warm sunshine, no language barrier, lots of nature/wildlife adventures. Alaska flies nonstop to Belize City.

Baja. Lots of fun things to see and do. Alaska flies nonstop to Cabo every day.

But of course, you are quite late to be starting this from scratch (you already knew this, but it's worth repeating). You will feel it in your wallet (and in how many places are all booked up and have been for months) but you can't jump in a time machine. No time to waste on this.

Posted by
8804 posts

I have been to 83 foreign countries and love everywhere I have gone.
You mentioned Peru. Peru is our favorite S. American country. You want to do a tour if you go there.
It is inexpensive and the food is fantastic there.
We used PeruAgency.com for our tour of Cuzco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. It was special. The price was great and tour had guides with university educations.
S. America is cheaper than Europe.
Costa Rica is nice, but Peru has so much more in my opinion.

Also, consider Italy if you love history, Do Rome, Florence and Venice. The history is awesome, the art is special and the dining is great. Consider a tour with Gate 1 Travel, or do it on your own if you are young enough.

Posted by
22030 posts

S. America is cheaper than Europe.

Its been several years, but I use to travel to Honduras several times a year. Flights to Rome were cheaper than flights to Tegucigalpa. Some countries, like Honduras, put a what is essentially a luxury tax on such things. And yes, Tegucigalpa was somewhat less expensive than Hungary, but as much because the opportunities for the "good" (expensive) stuff just didnt exist in any quantity in Tegucigalpa. Same in in other Central and South American destinations? Maybe.

I like the Belize suggestion .... but only if you do it right.

Trouble is you only got a week so the long hauls are sort of cutting into things. How about Texas? Austin, San Antonio and a Dude Ranch in Bandera.

Posted by
398 posts

We did an Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos trip a few years ago in early April. Highly recommend it. We also visited Bandelier National Monument which was amazing.

Great food, some history and about the right of time for one week.

Also liked Mr. B’s suggestion for Texas. San Antonio is fun and The Alamo was interesting and not what I thought it would be. We only flew in and out of Austin. A good week of adventures in either place.

As many other posters have stated, I wouldn’t waste two plus days on travel.

The big trips can wait.

Posted by
207 posts

Mid- April is a nice time to visit Jordan. Ramadan will be over, the weather will be nice but it won't be too hot yet in Wadi Rum and Petra, and tourism is down. You may have Petra to yourself and you can see a lot of this small country in a week. And yes, it's safe.

April is also a beautiful time for hiking in northern Jordan. The hills are green and you have a chance to see the elusive black iris. And again, you can see a lot here in a week! I would recommend flying Lufthansa- you can go direct to Frankfurt from Seattle, then Frankfurt to Amman.