April travel in Europe

April is the perfect time to visit Italy.

that's easy Spain

Thank you, we've been to Rome, Florence, and Venice. we have also been to Madrid and Barcelona. Not opposed to going back to one of these countries if we've missed and area that a must see.

I suggest that you generally adopt a plan not to revisit places that you have visited, until you have traveled to a lot of places. There are so many great places in the World to see, it just makes sense.

If you will be traveling from Stuttgart, my first question is have you visited much of Germany and neighboring Austria and Switzerland?

If you want to go to a warmer place, Croatia is great, we first visited there in the Spring. Greece is great. Consider taking a cruise from Venice that visits Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia, then a few Greek Islands.

jimcynthiagrant have you been to the South of France in the French Riviera region? It will have a mild climate for April. Consider possibly exploring to visit there for a week. You will enjoy it immensely.

http://ee.france.fr/en/discover/french-riviera-cote-azur

Yes we have traveled to quite a few places in the wonderful country of Germany. Our first choice for this trip was Croatia but from everything were reading April is not a good time to go. It's our understanding that most hotels and restaurants are closed at that time of year.
Will look into the South of France. Still open for suggestions.
Thanks

Have you been to Andalucia during Holy Week (Semana Santa)? There's nothing like it in the world, bigger than Christmas in that corner of Spain. It will certainly make your travel experience so much deeper and rewarding than any normal week. All the cities, towns and villages will have their own processions and celebrations combining music, art, and color. Especially in places like Córdoba, Granada, Malaga, and Sevilla will have the most spectacular and intense Semana Santa processions. It goes from April 5th up until Easter Monday on the 13th this year.

Later in April (April 25th to May 2) is Feria de abril in Sevilla, a week-long festival of pageantry, pomp, and horseback riding.

In April, it's very, very difficult to beat Andalucía for weather. However, a week isn't really quite long enough to do all three of the major cities (Seville, Cordoba, Granada). Try to add a few more days, especially if you will hit the area during Holy Week. You can't be as efficient a sightseer as usual during that period because:

• You'll want to observe some of the processions.
• The processions will seriously slow your ability to walk from place to place.
• Many sights will have more limited hours than usual and possibly be closed for one or more days.
  

I spent 10 days in/near the French Riviera in mid/late March last year. Wonderful. Everything was open, nothing was really crowded. Marseille was great for a couple days. From Cannes/Antibes to the Italian border, you can daytrip by train or inland by bus from any base. The water will be too cold for more than a quick dip, but even in mid March it was warm enough for sunbathing.

Thank you both for your input on Andalucia, during Holy Week (Semana Santa) we've already planed to be in Portugal. Grandkids in Germany are out of school that week will be joyfully traveling with them.
Lots of good input on the South of France, French Riviera. Will look into that for sure. Any thoughts on Greece in April? Crete possibly.

I have a week’s vacation time and in mid April, I will be going to Switzerland basing myself in Luzern.

I would think you and your grandchildren would have a wonderful time in Switzerland.

Am I right about Croatia, mid April not a good time to go?

If that’s the case we’re leaning towards the South of France, 7 to 9 days. NICE and we’re else. Will fly in from Stuttgart too?
Don’t want to rent a car, prefer public transportation, trains. We would like to stay in 2 place during that 7 to 9 day stay. NICE and asking for recommendations as to the second city or town. Does not have to be on coast.
Thanks again in advance for your input.

Croatia in April: my son and his wife honeymooned in Croatia in May a few years back, starting in mid-month. They said it was definitely early for that area, as not everything was up and running. They had trouble reaching some of the islands because the ferries were not running yet, and other issues. So April would be even more difficult.

One way I figure out what is a good time to go someplace it look at tpwhen the adventure travel companies run their trips there. These aren't tours that focus on museums; they get people outside for walking, cycling, kayaking, etc. I looked at several good ones I know of or have used---REI Adventures, Backroads, and MT Sobek. They don't start their Croatia trips until May; in the case of the active REi trips, not until late May. That suggests to me that April is not the ideal time for Croatia.

You might confirm that Nice is a good choice with people who have actually been there in April. My other son went there in early May when he was a student in Florence ( he was on his way to meet me in London) and said it was cold and bleak. But maybe that was an aberration.

Greek Easter is a week after Catholic Easter this year. Sounds like your timing would put you in Greece during Holy Week. Probably not the best time to go. I spent a long weekend in Athens before an RS tour. The dates would have put me there for EAster weekend. I postponed the tour/trip by a week to avoid it, after being told most of the city closes up for the weekend and many many locals leave town and go to their families' towns and villages, and many sights are closed.

We go to Croatia every year for Easter, which is typically in April. We don't get to swim, but everything else is open. Not sure where you get the idea that everything is closed in April. We actually enjoy the lack of crowds.