Best Honeymoon Destinations in April

Known For : Stay in an Overwater Bungalow Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Scuba Diving in Maldives

April is the tail of the Maldives dry season, the last clear stretch before the southwest monsoon builds in May, so lagoons stay glassy and diving visibility holds. It is also the month to spend on the room rather than the journey, since most Indian metros are a short hop away and you can be on the sand the day you land. Packages average around Rs 89,000 per person. Book the seaplane transfer early, it fills before the villas do.

Best Time: December to April

102 Maldives Attractions

Known For : Radhanagar Beach Cellular Jail Scuba Diving In Andaman

For a couple marrying in April, the Andamans solve the hardest part: no passports, no formalities, and you can book it in a week. April is the end of the dry season, so the sea off Radhanagar and Elephant Beach is calm enough for first-time snorkellers, and Neil Island stays quiet. Packages average around Rs 22,000 per person, the cheapest island honeymoon on this list. Go before the May rain.

Best Time: October to June

81 Andaman Attractions

Cherry blossom is the reason to come and the reason to book early. Tokyo and Kyoto usually peak between late March and mid April, but the exact week is forecast only a few weeks ahead, and that fortnight is the most expensive and most crowded of the Japanese year. Kyoto hotels go months in advance. If you can plan that far out it is one of the great honeymoons; if you are marrying in April itself, try Hakone or Kanazawa instead. Packages average around Rs 141,000 per person.

Known For : Tanah Lot Uluwatu Bali Swing

April sits in Bali's dry season shoulder, drier than March and far quieter than July. That makes it a good month to split the trip: a few days inland at Ubud among the rice terraces and waterfalls, then the coast at Seminyak or Nusa Dua for beach clubs and grilled seafood. Packages average around Rs 64,000 per person. Nusa Penida is an easy day boat.

Best Time: April to October

301 Bali Attractions

Two things define Thailand in April. It is the hottest month of the year, and Songkran, the Thai new year, runs from 13 to 16 April as a nationwide water fight. Couples who want that should head for Chiang Mai; couples who want quiet should pick Krabi or Koh Lanta and travel either side of those dates. Packages average around Rs 35,000 per person, which is why it stays the easiest first trip abroad.

Known For : Minicoy Island Agatti Islands Kalpeni Island

Lakshadweep is the quiet alternative to the Maldives on almost the same reef, and April is the last dry month before the southwest monsoon shuts the boats down. Agatti and Bangaram are the ones set up for couples, with lagoon water shallow enough to wade into. Permits and ferry or flight seats are limited, so this is one to fix early rather than decide late.

Best Time: September to May

18 Lakshadweep Attractions

April is Bhutan's spring window, when the rhododendrons are out on the passes and the Paro valley is warm in the day and cool at night. The Paro tsechu usually falls in spring, but the date moves with the lunar calendar every year, so check it before you build the trip around it. The Tiger's Nest walk is a reasonable half day for most couples. Packages average around Rs 36,000 per person.

Vietnam splits by region in April, and the split works in your favour. Hoi An and Da Nang in the centre are dry and warm, the south around Phu Quoc is still ahead of its wet season, and the north around Hanoi and Ninh Binh is pleasant rather than hot. A Halong Bay cruise boat is comfortable this month. Packages average around Rs 60,000 per person.

Known For : Dal Lake Houseboat Stay Shikara Ride

Kashmir in April is blossom season, and the Srinagar tulip garden opens for a few weeks around this time, though the exact run depends on the winter. Almond and cherry blossom come out across the valley, the Dal Lake houseboats are comfortable without being cold, and Gulmarg still has snow on the higher slopes. Packages average around Rs 13,000 per person.

Best Time: March - June; September - November

45 Kashmir Attractions

Spring is the better half of Nepal's year and April is the middle of it, with clear mountain mornings before the pre-monsoon haze sets in. Couples usually pair a few days in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur with Pokhara for the lake and the Annapurna views, and Nagarkot for a sunrise that needs no trekking. Packages average around Rs 22,000 per person.

April is the month to see Cappadocia without the summer crowds or the summer prices. Balloon flights go up most mornings, the valleys are green rather than scorched, and a cave hotel room costs less than it will in July. Istanbul is mild and the tulips are out in Emirgan and Gulhane parks.

April is the changeover month in Sri Lanka. The west and south coasts around Bentota, Galle and Mirissa are at the end of their dry run and still good early in the month, while the east coast at Pasikuda and Trincomalee is just beginning to open up. Mid April is the Sinhala and Tamil new year, so expect some places to close for a few days. Packages average around Rs 32,000 per person.

Known For : Burj Khalifa Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo At the Top Burj Khalifa

April is the last comfortable month in Dubai before the summer heat makes outdoor plans unrealistic, so it is worth going now rather than in June. Evenings are warm enough for a desert camp or a dhow dinner, the beach clubs are still usable in the afternoon, and hotel rates have not yet hit their low summer floor. Packages average around Rs 41,000 per person.

Best Time: November to April

127 Dubai Attractions

Greece in April is early season. Athens, Delphi and the mainland are pleasant and cheap, but on the islands many hotels, ferries and beach tavernas only wake up around Easter, so Santorini and Mykonos in early April can feel half shut. Check that your hotel is actually open before you book flights.

Italy in April is spring without the August heat or the August queues. Venice is the obvious honeymoon stop, with the canals and St Mark's Square manageable at this time of year, and Rome, Florence and the Amalfi coast all work in the same trip. The Tuscan hills are green and the wisteria is out. Book Venice hotels ahead, it is the one city that stays busy.

Known For : Rijksmuseum Van Gogh Museum Anne Frank House

April is the reason to come. Keukenhof opens to the public for about eight weeks from mid March to mid May, and April sits in the middle of it, when the tulip fields around Lisse are at their fullest. In the city the canals are best seen from a boat, and the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum are worth pre-booked slots. Cycle out to the bulb fields if the weather holds.

Best Time: March to September

47 Amsterdam Attractions

Portugal in April is warm enough for the Algarve and cool enough to walk around Lisbon and Porto all day, a combination it loses by July. Prices sit well below summer, the Douro valley is green, and Sintra is quieter in the morning. The country is small enough to link Lisbon, Sintra and the coast in ten days without an internal flight, which is what makes it work for a first trip together.

Spain works in April because the south is already warm while the cities are still comfortable. Seville and Granada are at their best, Barcelona's Gaudi buildings need pre-booked tickets whatever the month, and San Sebastian is mild. Seville's Feria falls in spring but the dates move each year, so check before you plan around it.

April is the best month of the year for Jordan and the only one that makes Petra genuinely enjoyable to walk. The desert is warm rather than punishing, the wildflowers are out in Wadi Rum, and a night in a Wadi Rum camp is comfortable without being cold. Add two nights on the Dead Sea to finish.

Egypt in April is the sweet spot between the winter crowds and the summer heat, which matters a lot if you are standing at Giza or in the Valley of the Kings at midday. A Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan suits couples well, and the Red Sea at El Gouna or Marsa Alam is warm enough to dive.

Georgia is short, cheap and still under-booked, and April is when Tbilisi's balconied old town is at its most pleasant. The Kakheti wine region is green and cellar visits are unhurried, while the high Caucasus around Kazbegi is clearing but can still hold snow on the passes.

Samarkand and Bukhara in April are exactly right, warm in the day and cool enough at night to sit outside, with none of the summer glare that bleaches the tilework. The train between Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara is fast and easy to book, which makes this a low-effort trip for how far away it looks.

Armenia is the quieter half of a Caucasus honeymoon and pairs naturally with Georgia if you have the days. April brings green gorges and monasteries such as Tatev and Geghard without tour buses, and Yerevan's cafe terraces are open. Lake Sevan is still cold for swimming.

Known For : Anse Lazio Snorkeling in Seychelles Sunbathing in Seychelles

April falls in the calm changeover between the Seychelles' two trade wind seasons, so the sea is unusually flat and the beaches at Anse Source d'Argent and Anse Lazio are at their easiest. Praslin and La Digue are the pair worth splitting time between, and La Digue is small enough to cycle. Expect it to cost more than the Maldives for a comparable week.

Best Time: April to May, September to October

96 Seychelles Attractions

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

Singapore is the sensible pick for a couple with four or five days and a wedding to recover from. It is hot and humid in April like every other month, but everything works, nothing needs planning, and Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa and a hawker centre dinner fill the time easily. Packages average around Rs 57,000 per person.

Best Time: February to September

273 Singapore Attractions

Known For : Hadimba Devi Temple Manali Mall Road Solang Valley

Manali in April has come out of winter but not yet into the summer rush, so Solang valley is green and the Old Manali cafes are open without a queue. The Atal Tunnel puts Sissu and the Lahaul side within a day trip, weather permitting. Vashisht's hot springs and the Hadimba temple fill an easy afternoon. Packages average around Rs 8,000 per person.

Best Time: October to June

54 Manali Attractions

Known For : The Ridge Rashtrapati Niwas (Viceregal Lodge) Kalka Shimla Toy Train

Shimla suits couples who want a hill station without a long drive from Delhi, and April is when the rhododendrons are out and the evenings stop being cold. The toy train up from Kalka is worth doing one way, Mall Road and Christ Church are the easy walk, and Naldehra and Mashobra are quieter places to stay than the town itself.

Best Time: October to June

65 Shimla Attractions

April is autumn in South Africa and one of the better months for safari, because the grass is dropping back and animals concentrate around water in Kruger and the private reserves next to it. Cape Town is still warm, the Winelands around Stellenbosch are in harvest, and the Garden Route drive is quiet. Safari lodge nights and the flight out make it one of the costlier trips on this list.

Known For : Eiffel Tower Jardin du Luxembourg Montmartre

Paris in April is the city at its easiest, with the chestnuts out along the Seine and the Luxembourg and Tuileries gardens open again. Book the Eiffel Tower and a Seine dinner cruise ahead, keep a morning for Montmartre, and take the train out to Giverny once Monet's garden has opened for the season.

Best Time: April - early October

62 Paris Attractions

April is autumn in the south and the start of the dry season up north. Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef out of Cairns come into their best window just as Sydney and Melbourne turn mild, the Hunter Valley is post-harvest, and the Whitsundays are calm. It is among the most expensive trips here, both for the flight and for the distances once you land.

New Zealand in April is autumn, and the South Island is the reason to go: Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu turn gold, Milford Sound is at its wettest and most dramatic, and the Central Otago vineyards are picking. Days are shortening and the passes can turn cold, so build in slack. Flights from India are long and expensive, which makes this a better fit for couples with two full weeks.

Fiji is a long way for an April honeymoon and this is the honest caveat: the wet season runs roughly November to April, and cyclone risk only really clears afterwards. Later in the month is better than early, and the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands stay warm throughout. If the dates are fixed and long-haul is not, the Maldives does the same job closer.

Best Time: July - September