Best Place in Europe to Visit in Late March / Early April

You might consider Holland and Belgium. We took Rick’s tour of this area starting on March 30, 2022. The highlight is Keukenhof Gardens close to Amsterdam. It is Fabulous if you like gardens / flowers / landscapes. We loved the gardens and this tour. There are river cruises that go to some of the same areas (Bruges, Ghent, Amsterdam etc.)

Italy, Spain, south of France, and Greece would be my choices.

I was in Italy last year from mid-March to early April. I had wonderful warm, sunny weather in Venice, then mixed sun and rain in Tuscany/Umbria, and back to warm and sunny in Rome. I'd choose places that have outdoor/indoor options, so I'd avoid places like the Amalfi Coast.

In Spain I've been to Andalucia and Barcelona areas several times in February/March and had mostly sunny weather and mild temps. In 2024, Easter Sunday is March 31, so Andalucia will be super high season all of Holy Week/Semana Santa beginning on Palm Sunday. Catalonia is not much affected. It's the biggest holiday season in Andalucia and well worth experiencing if you are prepared for high prices and huge crowds, especially in Malaga and Sevilla.

Just before Covid, I was in the south of France for about 2 weeks in mid-March. 60's -70's and lots of sunshine, from Marseilles to the Italian border. I stayed in Marseilles, Nice, and Saint-Paul-de-Vence.

Easter in Greece is very late next year, not until May 5. Athens is always lively. Crete would probably be a good choice as well and maybe the Peleponnese.

One caveat is that weather patterns this year have been quite unlike anything in the past. You can see daily weather conditions for any month for most cities for the last 10 years at https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/france/paris/historic. Enter the city you want, then click on the drop-down menu for "select month."

Also you wrote that your availability is 3/20 to 4/1 - that's 10 days, not 2-3 weeks. Can you clarify?

For mild weather, I'd stick with Chani's suggestions. I went to Rome/Naples/Salerno from February 10 to March 14 this year. I can't complain about the weather; it was better than the statistical average, but it was still noticeably chilly in the morning. I don't think it got above 40F before 11:30 or so until way past the midpoint of the trip. It cooled down quickly after sunset. That was in February and early March, not late March, but I was quite far south.

Published temperature averages can be misleading. First, they are midpoints, so about half your days may be colder. Second, it's human nature to look at the average high temperature and think "52F isn't so bad", but that figure represents the warmest instant of the day, which will probably not be typical of your overall experience. Use Chani's website to see the real-world data, and note how spiky the temperature graphs are. You may not be near the daily highs for terribly long.

For precipitation data I generally use the climate charts in the Wikipedia entries for most cities. Comparisons between different potential destinations can suggest which direction to head for a better chance of less rain. I see that most of the data in those charts is often based on a period that cuts off in the year 2000, calling into question it's utility in 2023. I have no clue which areas are wetter than they used to be. I think we know that many places in Europe are hotter in the summer, on average, than in the past. That's why looking at timeanddate.com is so important. A few recent years will probably be a more accurate predictor than an average over 20 years old.

I would add Portugal to Chani’s good list.

I was in France for that time period last year — Paris, Alsace, Burgundy, Provence and the Alps. In every place except the Alps, we had glorious weather — highs in the 60s and practically no rain. It might have hit 70 in Provence. In the Alps (Chamonix) it was in the 40s with rain and snow and was pretty miserable. We thought about going somewhere else but the forecast for eastern France and Switzerland was mostly rain for 3-4 days. (The cold was not a problem for us, but the lack of visibility definitely was.

The temperatures for that time of year were typical. We were very luck with the lack of rain. The weather is always a crapshoot, but you have good odds for pleasant weather in France excluding the Alps, which are at a higher elevation and thus colder.

Italy, Rome or south (Sicily?), and Spain.

Rome is too hot, and crowded, in summer. Earlier, or much later (November), is better. Sicily might be another great choice.

Spain has Holy Week, late March or early April. Seeing a procession is a highlight. Ten days or so before that is the fire festival in Valencia.

Provence has the Mistral in Spring. A friend went there in Spring and his biggest memory was the overwhelming wind. I wouldn't plan Provence in the Spring. Languedoc doesn't have the wind but it's rainy in Spring.