Cheap Holidays in April- Best Deals, Destinations & Money-Saving Tips

cheap holidays in April

If you’re after cheap holidays in April, timing matters more than almost any other month on the calendar. April sits in an awkward middle ground — too late to catch true off-season pricing, too early for school summer holidays, but home to one of the UK’s biggest travel price spikes: Easter. Get the timing right and April can be one of the best-value months of the year to travel. Get it wrong and you’ll pay close to peak-summer prices for a long weekend in the sun.

This guide skips the usual “top 10 destinations” list and focuses on what actually moves the price: when to book, which UK airport to fly from, what a realistic week away actually costs, and how to book without getting caught out. Destinations are covered too — but only after the practical groundwork that decides whether your April holiday is genuinely cheap or just marketed that way.

Why April Is One of the Best Times to Book a Cheap Holiday

April is a shoulder-season month: warmer and sunnier than March across most of southern Europe, but well short of the July-August price ceiling. Hotels and airlines that sat half-empty over winter are trying to fill seats and rooms again, which pushes headline fares down — everywhere, that is, except around Easter.

In 2027, Easter Sunday falls on 28 March, which pulls the entire school Easter break earlier than usual. Most schools in England and Wales break up on Friday 26 March and return on Monday 12 April 2027 — so the first ten to twelve days of April sit inside peak school-holiday pricing, not the “quiet shoulder season” the rest of the month enjoys. That’s the single biggest thing competitor guides gloss over: “April” isn’t one price band, it’s two. Travel inside the Easter fortnight and you’re paying summer-adjacent prices; travel from the third week of April onward and you’re back in genuine shoulder-season territory.

Takeaway: “cheap in April” and “cheap because it’s April” are different things. The month itself helps, but only if you dodge the fortnight everyone else with school-age kids is also trying to book.

When to Book for the Cheapest April Prices

As a general rule, package holidays tend to get cheaper the further ahead you book, while flight-only trips can sometimes be picked up more cheaply as a late deal — though that’s a gamble, not a guarantee, especially for a fixed date like a specific April week. If your dates are flexible, booking a package three to five months ahead (so, booking in autumn/early winter for an April 2027 trip) usually beats waiting, because operators release their best-value allocation early and raise prices as the popular weeks fill up.

Where you land inside April matters just as much as when you book. Here’s roughly how pricing tends to move across the month:

If your travel dates aren’t tied to school holidays, the fortnight straight after Easter — roughly 12 to 25 April — is where the real April bargains sit.

Cheapest UK Departure Airports for April Holidays

Which airport you fly from can move the price of an April trip almost as much as which country you pick. Budget-carrier hubs like Luton and Stansted tend to have the most aggressive short-haul fares to the Mediterranean and Canary Islands, since Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air compete hardest on those routes.

Regional airports like Manchester and Birmingham lean more heavily on package operators (Jet2, TUI), which can work out cheaper if you want flights and a hotel bundled together rather than booking each separately.

One thing worth factoring in: a cheaper fare from a regional airport can quietly disappear once you add parking, a hotel the night before an early flight, or a longer drive. Compare the door-to-door cost, not just the ticket price, before assuming the nearest budget hub is actually the cheapest option.

Best Cheap Holiday Destinations for April

Best Beach Destinations

The Canary Islands are the safest April beach bet from the UK — Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Tenerife all sit close to 21-23°C in the daytime with sea temperatures warm enough to swim comfortably, and because they’re a year-round destination, April pricing doesn’t carry the same Mediterranean shoulder-season premium.

Mainland Spain’s Costa del Sol and Portugal’s Algarve are close behind on price but a few degrees cooler, with the sea still on the cold side for most swimmers until May. Crete and the Greek islands open up more fully through April, with quieter beaches and lower prices than a Mediterranean summer trip, though be prepared for the odd shower early in the month.

Best City Breaks

April is close to ideal city-break weather across southern and central Europe — mild enough to walk all day without overheating, and before the peak-summer crowds arrive. Lisbon and Porto offer some of the best value, with mild temperatures, manageable crowds outside the Easter fortnight itself, and reliably cheap short-haul flights from most UK airports.

Prague and Krakow are colder but come with spring blossom and noticeably lower hotel prices than their summer rates. Budapest sits in between — mild, walkable, and one of the cheaper capital cities in Europe to eat and drink in, which matters more for a city break’s overall cost than the flight price alone.

Best Family-Friendly Destinations

For families tied to the Easter fortnight specifically, the Algarve and Costa Brava are strong picks — established family resort infrastructure, direct flights, and enough going on (water parks, safe beaches, golf) to fill a week without relying on any single attraction. Families with flexibility to travel just after Easter get the same destinations at meaningfully lower prices with fewer crowds. Tenerife works well year-round for families thanks to consistently warm weather even outside peak season, making it a solid choice whichever week of April you’re free to travel.

Best Long-Haul Destinations on a Budget

A handful of longer-haul destinations are actually shoulder or dry season in April even though it’s spring at home, and can work out surprisingly close in price to a Mediterranean package once you factor in all-inclusive deals. Cape Verde, around six hours from the UK, sits at a warm 24-25°C with low rainfall and increasingly competitive package pricing.

The Dominican Republic is further (roughly nine hours) but often comes bundled as an all-inclusive package that undercuts a comparable self-catered Mediterranean trip on a per-day basis. Sri Lanka’s west and south coasts are in their drier season through most of April, though it’s the tail end of it, with temperatures building toward the hotter pre-monsoon months — worth booking earlier in April rather than later if that’s the pull. All three need a bit more entry-requirement homework than a Spain or Portugal trip, which the booking-safety section below covers.

April Weather at a Glance

Read this table alongside the packing section below — several of these destinations are warm enough for swimwear by day but noticeably cooler once the sun goes down, particularly the Mediterranean picks.

How Much Does a Cheap April Holiday Really Cost?

“From £X” headline prices rarely tell the whole story. Here’s a more realistic 7-night, per-person estimate covering flights, a 3-4★ hotel, and a reasonable food budget — treat these as indicative ranges for planning, not live prices, and always check current fares before booking.

Indicative figures, prices checked as of mid-2026 — always compare live quotes before booking.

The gap between a headline price and the real cost is usually in the extras: airport transfers, resort fees, checked baggage, and travel insurance can easily add £50-150 per person that a “from £X” advert doesn’t include. Building a rough total like the table above before you compare deals stops you from choosing a holiday that only looks cheaper on the surface.

All-Inclusive vs. Self-Catering vs. Half-Board: Which Saves You More in April?

The honest rule of thumb: self-catering saves money where eating out locally is genuinely cheap (most of mainland Spain, Portugal, and Greece), because you’re not paying a hotel markup on food you could get cheaper at a local café. All-inclusive tends to win where local dining is pricier or less predictable — the Canary Islands’ more remote resorts, and especially longer-haul destinations like the Dominican Republic, where an all-inclusive package can undercut arranging meals independently once flights, transfers and drinks are all in.

Half-board sits in the middle and suits short breaks best — city breaks and 3-4 night trips rarely benefit from all-inclusive, since you won’t eat enough hotel meals to offset the higher nightly rate. As a quick filter: short trip or cheap local food, go self-catering or half-board; longer trip or an expensive/remote destination, all-inclusive is usually the better value.

Booking Safely

ATOL, ABTA & What to Check Before You Pay

ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s Licence) protection means that if you book a package that includes a flight through an ATOL-registered UK company and that company goes out of business, you’re entitled to a refund or, if you’re already abroad, to be brought home. It’s a legal requirement for UK operators selling flight-inclusive packages, and every booking should come with an ATOL certificate — ask for it if it isn’t automatically provided.

ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) covers a broader membership of travel agents and tour operators, including some holidays that don’t include a flight, and provides a code of conduct plus an independent arbitration scheme if a dispute with the operator can’t be resolved directly.

Before paying for any April deal, it’s worth running through a short checklist: confirm the ATOL certificate number is genuine (it’s checkable on the official ATOL register), read exactly what’s included in the advertised “from £X” price versus what’s an add-on, check the cancellation and amendment terms in case your dates need to shift, and note the deposit amount versus when the remaining balance is due.

Visa & Entry Requirements for Popular April Destinations

For the long-haul picks above, UK passport holders should check requirements well before booking, since rules can and do change. As of current guidance: Cape Verde is visa-exempt for UK tourists staying up to 30 days, but requires a mandatory online Pre-Arrival Registration (sometimes called an Arrival Card) completed at least a few days before departure, which includes paying the airport security tax — airlines have started checking for this before allowing boarding, so it isn’t something to leave until arrival.

The Dominican Republic doesn’t require a separate visa for UK tourists on short stays, and the tourist card fee is typically already bundled into the flight or package price. Sri Lanka requires an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), applied for online ahead of travel — check the current fee and process on the official ETA portal, since some nationalities have had fee waivers introduced or removed at short notice.

Whichever destination you land on, always verify the current position on the relevant government or official tourism site before booking rather than relying on any single article, including this one — visa policy is one of the more frequently updated areas of travel guidance. Passport validity is worth checking too: most of these destinations expect at least six months remaining on your passport from your arrival date.

What to Pack for an April Holiday

April’s biggest packing trap is treating it like summer. Even genuinely warm destinations like the Canary Islands or Cape Verde cool down noticeably after sunset, so a light jacket or jumper for evenings is worth the suitcase space almost everywhere on this list except the long-haul picks. For Mediterranean beach trips, layer for a warm afternoon and a cool evening rather than packing for one temperature.

City breaks further north (Prague, Krakow) need a proper layer for mornings and evenings even if afternoons feel mild. For any long-haul destination, double-check plug type and voltage before you pack chargers and adaptors — it’s an easy thing to forget until you land.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is April a good time to go on holiday?

Yes, for most of the month — it offers warmer weather than March at lower prices than summer, as long as you avoid the Easter school-holiday fortnight if you’re travelling without children in tow.

Is Easter or a normal April week more expensive?

Easter, by a clear margin. In 2027, the school Easter break runs from 26 March to 12 April, and prices across that window sit well above the rest of the month.

What is the cheapest type of destination to visit in April?

Mainland Spain, Portugal and Greece tend to offer the lowest overall cost, particularly for self-catering trips, since local food and transport costs stay low outside peak summer.

Do I need a visa for Sri Lanka, Cape Verde or the Dominican Republic in April?

Sri Lanka requires an online ETA before travel; Cape Verde requires a Pre-Arrival Registration rather than a traditional visa; the Dominican Republic doesn’t require a separate visa for short UK tourist stays. Always confirm current requirements before booking.

Is it warm enough to swim in the Mediterranean in April?

The Canary Islands are comfortably swimmable. Mainland Spain, Portugal and Greece are more marginal — air temperatures are pleasant, but sea temperatures in April typically sit in the mid-to-high teens Celsius, cold for most swimmers until May.

How far in advance should I book an April holiday?

Three to five months ahead generally gets the best package pricing, especially for the Easter fortnight itself. The post-Easter weeks (12-25 April) have more flexibility and can sometimes be found cheaper closer to the date.

Final Thoughts

The cheapest April holidays aren’t really about which destination you pick — they’re about which week. Travel inside the Easter school-holiday fortnight and you’re competing with the whole country for the same seats and rooms; travel just after it, and the same destinations, the same flights, and often the same hotels come in at a noticeably lower price. Start with your dates, compare the real cost (not just the headline fare) using the numbers above, and check the booking’s protection before you pay — the destination is the easy part.