Cheapest Countries to Visit in April

April is Thailand's hot season, which is exactly why it is cheap. Bangkok runs at 38 to 40 degrees, the winter crowds have gone, and room rates in Bangkok, Krabi and Koh Samui sit near their yearly floor. Songkran, the Thai new year on 13 to 15 April, is the exception: flights and beach hotels spike for that week and book out early, so travel either side of it. Street food stays near Rs 100 a plate and packages average about Rs 35,000 per person. Indian passports have had visa free entry here in recent seasons, so check the current rule before booking.

April is the hottest month of Cambodia's year, 38 degrees and above at Angkor, and that is the whole reason Siem Reap rooms cost less now than at any other time. Start at sunrise and Ta Prohm is close to empty. Khmer new year falls around 13 to 16 April, when the country travels home and prices near Siem Reap and Sihanoukville lift for the week. A guesthouse bed runs a few hundred rupees and a plate of fish amok about Rs 250. The e-visa is applied for online, so check the current fee.

Laos is the cheapest country in this region on the ground, and April is its cheapest month because it is also its hardest. Temperatures push past 38 degrees and haze from the farm burning season sits over Luang Prabang into mid April. In exchange you get rooms at their annual low and Pi Mai, the Lao new year water festival, in the middle of the month. Meals run about Rs 150 and a guesthouse room a few hundred. Visa on arrival has generally been available for Indian passports; confirm the current fee.

April sits between Vietnam's seasons, so it stays affordable without the weather penalty most of this list carries. The north is warm and dry before the summer rains, Hue and Hoi An are at their driest, and the south is hot at the end of its dry season. Domestic travel spikes around Reunification Day on 30 April, so keep the last few days of the month clear. A bowl of pho costs about Rs 100 and a sleeper bus between cities a few hundred. The e-visa is applied for online; check the current fee and validity.

Indonesia's wet season winds down through April, which makes it the shoulder month between the rains and the July peak when Bali rates climb steeply. You get close to dry season weather in Bali and Lombok at low season prices, and the trade is afternoon downpours and fuller waterfalls. Warung meals run about Rs 150 and a scooter for the day a few hundred. A visa on arrival is generally payable at the airport for Indian passports, so check the current amount.

Turkey in April is spring shoulder season and priced that way: European summer fares have not started, Istanbul hotels cost less than they will from June, and Cappadocia balloons fly in clear, cool air. Istanbul sits around 15 degrees, so carry a jacket. A simit and tea breakfast costs about Rs 150 and a tram ride under Rs 100. Turkey's e-visa route for Indian passports has conditions attached, so check what applies to you, and current travel advice, before booking.

April is the last comfortable month in Egypt before the summer heat closes Luxor and Aswan down, and prices soften through it as European visitors leave. A Nile cruise berth or a Luxor hotel is easier to bargain for in late April than in February. The catch is the khamsin, a hot spring wind that can push dust over Cairo for days at a time. Food is very cheap, koshari for well under Rs 100, and the metro costs a few rupees. Egypt needs a visa arranged in advance; check the current route and fee.

Uzbekistan's tourist year peaks in September and October, so April buys the same clear Silk Road light for less. Samarkand and Bukhara sit in the low 20s, the tiled madrasahs photograph well without the autumn tour groups, and hotel rates in the old cities run a step below peak. Plov at a local canteen costs around Rs 150 and the Tashkent to Samarkand fast train a few hundred. Entry rules for Indian passports have changed more than once lately, so check the current position.

Baku's expensive months are June to August, when Gulf visitors arrive and hotel rates climb. April is the mild, quiet end of the shoulder, low 20s in the city, good for walking the Caspian promenade and the walled Old City, with Gobustan an easy day trip. A doner and tea runs about Rs 200 and the metro under Rs 50. The e-visa is applied for online; check the current fee, and current travel advice, before you book.

Malaysia falls between its two busy stretches in April, after the December holidays and before the June school break, and Langkawi and Penang price accordingly. It is hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms that clear quickly. Kuala Lumpur is the cheap base: hawker meals around Rs 150, the LRT under Rs 50, and cheap onward flights across the region. Entry for Indian passports has run on a waiver or online registration in recent seasons, so check what is in force.

April is Almaty's thaw, and the city is cheap because it falls between the ski season and the summer hiking season. Expect mud and grey days as often as sunshine, and check conditions before heading up to Big Almaty Lake, because the road can still be under snow early in the month. In the city a bowl of laghman costs about Rs 200 and the metro under Rs 50. Flights from Delhi are short and the visa is handled online; confirm the current rules.

Known For : Gardens by the Bay Universal Studios Singapore Marina Bay Sands

Singapore is never cheap, but April is its cheapest window: the December crowds are long gone, the June school holidays have not started, and hotel rates are at their lowest of the year. It is hot and wet, with inter monsoon storms most afternoons. Hawker centre meals hold at about Rs 350 and an MRT ride under Rs 150. Packages average about Rs 57,000 per person, the dearest on this list, so if Singapore is the plan, April is the month for it. Indian passports need a visa in advance; check the current process.

Best Time: February to September

273 Singapore Attractions

Nepal is one of the cheapest countries an Indian traveller can reach, with packages averaging about Rs 22,000 per person, but April is not the reason. April is peak trekking season: the Annapurna and Everest trails are at their clearest, teahouses fill up, Kathmandu hotels and permits are at their dearest and Lukla flights sell out. It is on this list because the base cost is low, not because April discounts it. Come in April for the mountain views, and in the monsoon months if price is what decides.

Bhutan in April is spring at its best and priced to match. Paro Tshechu falls in this window, the valleys are green, and hotels in Paro and Thimphu are at their annual high. Indian nationals also pay a Sustainable Development Fee for every night of the stay, a fixed cost April does nothing to lower, on top of roughly Rs 36,000 per person for a package. April is the month for the festival and clear Himalayan views. If cost decides, the monsoon and winter windows are cheaper.