I am looking to go to Europe in the begining of April with my husband. I have been to Spain and the Netherlands, and this will be his first trip. I really enjoy food, culture, castles, wine/beer, and landscapes. We are looking for a place with nice weather (we know it will be cooler, no swimming of course) Some recommendations have been Croatia, Venice Italy looks amazing, Prague, Berlin, Munich, Santorini. We just simply do not have enough time to go to all these places! What would be an ideal itineary for the amount of time that we have and activities we are interested in. I like the idea of visiting more than one country, but don't want to be on the run every second of the day.

Thanks!

Remember you will lose a minimum of 1/2 day every time you change locations. Please take a look at a map and then check the train connections for town to town. For this trip I would immediately eliminate Greece and Italy, but look for other places that are easy to reach.

You could spend at least a month in Italy and not see half of the more interesting sights.

That early in the year I would stay south. Andalusia in Spain is ideal that time of year and 10 days is about right to do it some justice. Read about it----Seville, Granada, Cordoba---what is often called Moorish Spain.

If you don't mind rainy, damp weather you could visit Prague and Berlin in 10 days. They're about 5 hours from each other on the train. 6 days in Berlin and 3.5 in Prague.

I second Andalusia. this is the perfect time to go - and you will have beach weather but it shouldn't be into the 90s yet (or 100s).

If you are looking for nice weather, I would pass on Prague, Croatia, Munich....we were just there mid April to mid May and it was quite cool (jackets, gloves, scarves) and wet for much of the time. Of course, it could be quite different next year!! Andalusia would be nice, Portugal, and my own personal favorite, Santorini and Samos!! How about southern Italy as an option? Looking for nice weather is always a gamble that time of year, but, if that is desired, I would stick to "south", the chances are better for it to happen.

I loved Spain but I think I want to experience a different country. We are fine if we have to wear light jackets but I don't really want it to rain all day every day. What would be a good itinerary for Italy or somewhere else for 10 days?

I would mix different areas that have decent connections among them within the same country. On my own agenda I prefer to pick one country at the time and try to explore different "facets".
For example you could go for 3-4 days in Santorini, then fly to Athens, get a bus to Nafplion area for 3-4 days, then return and enjoy Athens for remaining days, making day trips if you wish to places such as Aegina or Hydra islands or Delphi. Immediately you have a glimpse of a Cycladic island, a scenic countryside mainland town (with tons of surrounding sites) and a very diverse, cosmopolitan and historic city in one trip and one country.
Example is in Greece because me I am more familiar with Greece, but I am sure said pattern applies to most countries...

mariha - what are the Cyclades like in early April? Is everything open? How's the weather?

I wouldn't eliminate Italy, especially since the OP seems interested in Venice. It would be a wonderful opportunity to visit Venice when it's not so crowded. But I would limit yourselves to just Italy. 10 days isn't a lot, especially if you have to get over jet lag.

So maybe the big three: start in Venice, take the train to Florence, train again to Rome and fly out of there. 4 nights in Venice (allowing for jetlag), 3 nights in Florence, 4 nights in Rome. By flying into Venice and out of Rome -- or vice versa -- you'll save time and money spent backtracking. And such a ticket (open jaws or multi-city) should cost about the same as regular round trip.

Since the weather's a little iffy, I'd skip seaside resorts or country stays this time. Cities offer more options in inclement weather.

When you ask an open-ended question, you get open-ended and varied answers. You should narrow down your choices that interest you and confirm to your weather needs and then these boards will much more helpful in honing an itinerary.

"I like the idea of visiting more than one country" -- What is it that you like about the idea? I ask because you would then fail to see the many differences between parts of one country.

I can understand the two countries - we always like to see more than one culture - and typically try to do one latin and one germanic (possibly some Italy and some Switz or Germany). It's possible to pick two major sites and do a day trip or so from each.

If she is fascinated by Venice - then perhaps pair that with Munich or Berlin - for a very different feel.

Usually Cyclades are fairly quiet on April but Santorini starts to get cruise ships by March and there are always some other visitors around. Given the fact that Western Easter is on April 5th and Greek Easter on April 12th on 2015, there will be more action than usual. Hotels, restaurants and tourist shops will not be in full swing, some might still be closed especially on the "beach" side of the island, caldera side will be fine.
No one can guarantee that you'll not meet some rain on April but on a sunny day usually you are fine on a short-sleeved T-shirt. You'll need a jacket at night.