The best holidays to book for April 2024, from Lake District hiking to total relaxation in Thailand

Longer days, colour coming back to the landscapes, the promise of warmer weather – they’re all part of what makes a holiday in April so appealing. The Easter school holidays carry on for another fortnight, so you should see prices fall in the second half of the month. Easter is a classic time for a late-season ski holiday in Austria, where a high-altitude resort should deliver on snow. Or head to southern Spain or northern Sardinia where they’ll already have a head start on spring weather and it’s the perfect time for hiking.

If you’re in need of proper heat and sunshine, soak up Singapore’s foodie culture before heading off to Thailand on a twin-centre holiday. If that’s too far to go, ramble around the Lake District before the summertime crowds start to appear, or hire a narrowboat for a slow cruise through northern England’s canals. Whatever type of holiday you’re looking for in April, you’ll find some inspiration here.

Spain

Sierras Subbéticas National Park in Andalusia is a great spot for springtime hiking

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Get to know rural Andalusia with Headwater’s seven-night walking holiday, which takes you deep into Sierras Subbéticas National Park. Your base is the charming whitewashed Hotel Zuhayra in the small village of Zuheros, halfway between Cordoba and Granada, from where you can hike through gorges and past waterfalls, watching spring work its magic on the landscapes. This self-guided Hidden Valleys of Cordoba walk costs from £789pp in April and includes breakfast and one evening meal. Flights are extra but can be arranged.

Austria

Lech, along with St Anton, combine to form Austria’s largest ski area

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Catch the last few weeks of the ski season in St Anton, which, along with neighbouring Lech, forms Austria’s largest ski area. Confident intermediates will love the long challenging reds, and the resort’s famed après-ski is a fabulous place to wind down the ski season. SNO is chopping an impressive 42 per cent off a week’s catered holiday departing 6 April at Chalet Albona in St Anton, where there’s a plunge pool and sauna. Prices start at £849pp, down from £1,459pp, including flights, transfers and catered accommodation including wine.

Singapore/Thailand

April is the end of the dry season in Khao Lak, Thailand

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Combine the vibrancy of Singapore with total relaxation in Thailand’s Khao Lak with this 12-night city and beach getaway with Affordable Luxury Travel. Spend the first four nights being dazzled by Singapore and enjoying its superb cuisine, using the five-star Clan Hotel as your base. Then fly to Phuket and flop on the white sands of Apsara Beachfront Resort and Villa in Khao Lak surrounded by mangrove forests and stupendous sunsets. Departures between 16 and 20 April cost from £1,729pp and include flights, transfers, breakfast and a free room upgrade in Khao Lak.

Lake District

Bassenthwaite Lake is home to the Lake District’s first ever wetland nature reserve

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Springtime in the Lake District means hikes in hills carpeted with wildflowers and lazy paddles in clear lakes. Stay at Thornthwaite Rowan near Keswick and you’ll have Whinlatter Forest Park, Bassenthwaite Lake, Skiddaw and Derwentwater all within a short distance. The stone cottage has two bedrooms and a garden spacious enough for two dogs to roam around. Booked through Sally’s Cottages, it costs £583 for seven nights’ self-catering, down from £677, for the week of 13 April. Dogs are extra at £20 each.

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Sardinia

La Pelosa tower, on the northwestern tip of Sardinia, dates from the 16th century

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Spring comes early to Sardinia, where you can already enjoy temperatures hovering around 20C, especially towards the end of the month. Before the mercury and prices get too high, stay at the Grand Hotel Smeraldo Beach in the north and enjoy sea views, long beach walks, lazing by the pool and boat trips to the nearby Maddalena islands. Sardatur Holidays has a five-night holiday departing 25 April, with prices starting at £795pp including flights, transfers and breakfast.

Cheshire

A narrowboat break is a leisurely way to explore the English countryside

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A long, slow journey through the canals of north-west England gives you the chance to see nature at its most laid-back. As you travel at the mellow speed of 3mph, you’ll have time to take in the scents and sights of spring. Start in Acton Bridge in Cheshire and meander along to the beautiful city of Chester and back, following first the Trent and Mersey Canal before joining the Shropshire Union Canal. Black Prince Holidays has a four-night break in April on the 58ft Duchess 4 narrowboat, which sleeps four in two bedrooms, from £956, including tuition but excluding fuel.

Mary Novakovich is editor at large at 101holidays.co.uk