ltm2121

I'm getting married at the very end of March and my fiance and I really want to honeymoon in Europe. Originally, I had my heart set on a trip to Greece - Athens, Santorini and another island but I've been told it will be too chilly to enjoy everything that the islands have to offer. We are now trying to decide where to go instead. We can go away for a max of 14 days and have about a $10k budget and we'd like to keep our travel to 2 or 3 hotels.

I am looking for suggestions and itineraries for places to go as well as further advice about the weather in Greece at the beginning of April. I liked the idea of Greece because I thought it was a good mix of a relaxing resort/beach vacation but also has a lot of history and sights to see.

We've talked about a Paris/London trip and I would love insight on a Paris/Cannes trip. We are less interested in Italy because we've both been fairly recently. Any tips or suggestions would be helpful because we can't make up our minds!!

yorkshire

Do you have the option to not take the honeymoon immediately after the wedding? That's what I did, and I loved having the time to regroup, write thank you cards, and then leisurely head off for the trip a couple weeks later. If this is a possibility for you, I recommend mid-late May for Greece. If that is what you have your heart set on, maybe it is worth the wait!
FWIW, I think Paris and the south of France would be romantic, and you can check typical April weather at wunderground.com, but of course there are no guarantees.

bobthenavigator

I like Spain that time of year. Fly into Madrid and home from Barcelona and include 6 days in Andalusia in the middle.
Save Greece for when you can enjoy the islands.

Michael

Weather wise the Iberian peninsula might be a better choice than Paris in early April.

Gardyloo

We visited the extreme southwest of Spain - Tarifa, Gibraltar, Arcos etc. around the first of March last year and it was <i>spectacular.</i> Uncrowded, affordable, glorious sun, beautiful countryside and beaches, fascinating towns, oranges on the trees and witches in the town square.

http://gardyloo.us/20120225_19s.JPG
http://gardyloo.us/20120226_37s.JPG
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Heimdall

Nowhere in Europe will have beach weather in early April, so your choice seems to be postponing the honeymoon until late May, or finding other activities you can do in early April.

Don't pick somewhere just because it has slightly better weather unless it is a place you really want to visit. No one ever picks the United Kingdom for the weather (even in summer), yet it is a very popular destination. London is great any time of the year. In April spring has sprung, and the daffodils will be in bloom. ;-)

Even though it's not beach weather in April, Greece would still be a good destination. Athens will be lively, and there is much to do and see on the mainland, especially in the Peloponnese. Weather in the southern Peloponnese should be good, and there are some beautiful seaside towns and villages. For islands, Santorini is more noted for its views than for its beaches, so would be worth a visit even in April.

Another point: Greek Easter is on April 20th in 2014, and the islands will be opening up during the week before that date. Easter is the most important holiday of the year in Greece, and it would be wonderful to be there for the festivities.

Heimdall

Hi Gardyoo,

I would go there just to see the "witches in the town square." ;-)

Christina

I've been in Spain in March and it wasn't exactly balmy. Of course it isn't that different from March in the US (at least where I live, mid-Atlantic). So that means probably not too cold, but can be rainy and can be cool. I think it rained more than half the time I was in Seville, for example, and I had to wear a jacket, boots, and jeans at night, it wasn't warm. A few days it was sunny and pleasant.

YOu have to get over the idea that if you want a beach vacation, you go to Europe in March. go to the Caribbean or Mexico if you want a beach vacation.

annhig

Portugal?

Morocco?

Andalucia?

nytraveler

We have been in Andalusia in mid April and it was beach/pool weather - upper 80s. End of March might be OK - I'm not sure. You should look for average temps.

You're not going to find beach anyplace else in europe then.

And UK and France will be end of winter - chilly, quite possibly rainy - and maybe even cold.

danon

The year we were in Seville at the end of April ... It was rainy
In Malaga, no one was swimming
.

TexasAggie

We were in the Peloponnese in late April 2006 and it was beautiful, though not what I'd call beach weather. We went in mid- and late May in 2009 and 2011 and certainly by then it was hot enough mid-afternoon to enjoy a swim in the sea (the water seemed very cold to me, but we saw plenty of Germans braving it!). If you want a warm sea, I think you'll have to wait until June at the earliest.

Heimdall

<i>We have been in Andalusia in mid April and it was beach/pool weather - upper 80s. End of March might be OK - I'm not sure. You should look for average temps.</i>

You were very lucky, nytraveler, because the average high temperature in Malaga (Andalusia) for the first half of April is 66°F, average low temperature 51°F. See:
http://www.wunderground.com/history/...tatename=Spain.

Ltm2121, that illustrates my point in an earlier post: don't choose somewhere because it has marginally better weather than somewhere else. You may be lucky, as nytraveler was, but just as likely you won't. Go where your heart tells you to go, and if that is Greece you will have a wonderful honeymoon.