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Where to go in April / France in April / French Riviera & Provence / April

France · Beach

French Riviera & Provence
in April.

Illustration of Baie des Anges and Nice waterfront
Nice and the Baie des AngesDestination view, not month-specific.

Is April a good time?

Temperature unit

Mild days.
More overnight stays than March.

April averages 67°F afternoons and 59°F seas, with about 5 rain days. Later April is typically warmer.

Afternoons
67°F
Sea
59°F
Visitor demand
38%of August peak

Historical Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Nice, Marseille, Cannes, Avignon and Saint-Tropez; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

7.0/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#7 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather6.7/10Good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
CostPriceyfor Europe; France-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your April

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 67°F (19°C): light layers; nights around 48°F (9°C): a warm coat. About 13 hours of daylight. About 5 rain days in a typical April.

Can I swim in April?

The sea averages 59°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 13 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 06:54Sunset 20:1848°F67°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 06:54 and sets about 20:18 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 48°F (9°C); afternoons reach about 67°F (19°C). Expect rain on about 5 days in a typical April.

Typical afternoon
67°F (19°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Aprils
Night low
48°F (9°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
59°F (15°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
13h 24m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late April?

Late April is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 65°F on the 1st, versus 69°F on the 30th. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 16% to 22% between those dates.

Early April 1 April

65°F

Typical afternoon high

16% historical wet-day frequency

Mid April 15 April

67°F

Typical afternoon high

17% historical wet-day frequency

Late April 30 April

69°F

Typical afternoon high

22% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Daily calendar & holiday datesApril 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

April 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
165°265°365°465°
566°666°766°866°966°1067°1167°
1267°1367°1467°1567°1667°1768°1868°
1968°2068°2168°2268°2368°2468°2568°
2668°2769°2869°2969°3069°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons warm from about 65°F (19°C) in the first week to 69°F (20°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 15–24%. Local schools are out 18–30 April 2027.

Schools here are off 18–30 April 2027 (spring holidays). Elsewhere in April 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Netherlands 23%, Belgium 29%, Greece 23%, Estonia 23%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds, cost and getting there

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. April averages 38% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than March.

Overnight stays across Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

About usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

France as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 110 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from New York JFK; 2024 schedule, Eurostat

Year-to-year variation

How much does April vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 64°F (18°C) and 70°F (21°C); in 14 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 67°F (19°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 10; half the years had 4–8.

Rain days in each April

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 5 rain days520112012: 8 rain days82013: 9 rain days92014: 3 rain days32015: 4 rain days42016: 4 rain days42017: 4 rain days42018: 7 rain days72019: 10 rain days102020: 5 rain days52021: 8 rain days82022: 4 rain days42023: 3 rain days32024: 4 rain days42025: 7 rain days72025
Rain days
5
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 9 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
10 of 30
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no April in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
17 of 30
rated very good or better
See every recorded AprilHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201170°F5
201265°F8
201365°F9
201469°F3
201567°F4
201667°F4
201768°F4
201869°F7
201965°F10
202068°F5
202164°F8
202267°F4
202368°F3
202468°F4
202567°F7

Checked against 151 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

March, April
or May?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsMarAprMay
Afternoons61°F67°F73°F
Sea57°F59°F63°F
Rain days556
Overnight demand23%38%46%

March: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than April. Less overnight demand. March guide →

May: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than April. More overnight demand. May guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with April Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. April stays as your reference.

May to September have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than April, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

April or March?

Overnight stays are 23% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the March guide →
April compared with another month
Typical conditionsAprilMarch
Afternoons67°F61°F
Nights48°F44°F
Sea59°F57°F
Rain days55
Visitor seasonModerate seasonLow season
Overall / 107.06.6
Month rank#7#8
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.2#1254°F40°F57°F53.2Low season
February5.8#1056°F40°F56°F63.8Low season
March6.6#861°F44°F57°F55.1Low season
April7.0#767°F48°F59°F56.7Moderate season
May7.6#373°F54°F63°F68.3Moderate season
June7.9#183°F62°F70°F39.7Moderate season
July7.5#488°F66°F74°F110.0Peak season
August7.2#687°F65°F75°F210.0Peak season
September7.9#279°F60°F72°F49.5Moderate season
October7.3#571°F54°F68°F77.4Low season
November6.5#961°F47°F64°F84.6Low season
December5.8#1156°F41°F60°F73.8Low season

Near here

Nearby places in April

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better April weather than French Riviera & Provence

French Riviera & Provence's weather ranks 28 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with French Riviera & Provence.

All of France in April · Everywhere in April

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's moderate season, 38% of the busiest month and 10% below its average month. That means about 140,000 overnight visitors on a typical April night across the region, 69% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 67,000 more: 48 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)69
How our weather was checked151 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day27
Busiest month hereAugust · 70
Visitors as share of people present2.6%
Rank among Europe's regions this month87th percentile
Domestic share of nights69%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights48
Visitor share if every platform night were extra3.8%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used5.3 million
Statistical regionFRL0 · Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.