Early April 1 April
62°F
Typical afternoon high
30% historical wet-day frequency
France · Countryside
Is April a good time?
April averages 64°F afternoons and 55°F seas, with about 8 rain days. Later April is typically warmer.
Historical Poitou-Charentes regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers La Rochelle and Île de Ré; conditions vary within the region.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#5 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your April
Afternoons around 64°F (18°C): light layers; nights around 44°F (7°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 8 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 14 hours of daylight.
The sea averages 55°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. 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.
The sun rises about 07:16 and sets about 20:46 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 44°F (7°C); afternoons reach about 64°F (18°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical April.
Early, middle or late?
Late April is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 62°F on the 1st, versus 66°F on the 30th. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 30% to 35% between those dates.
62°F
Typical afternoon high
30% historical wet-day frequency
65°F
Typical afternoon high
24% historical wet-day frequency
66°F
Typical afternoon high
35% 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.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 162° | 262° | 362° | 462° | |||
| 563° | 663° | 763° | 863° | 963° | 1064° | 1164° |
| 1264° | 1365° | 1465° | 1565° | 1665° | 1765° | 1865° |
| 1965° | 2065° | 2165° | 2265° | 2365° | 2465° | 2565° |
| 2665° | 2765° | 2865° | 2966° | 3066° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 62°F (17°C) in the first week to 65°F (19°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 22–35%. Local schools are out 11–25 April 2027.
Schools here are off 11–25 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.)
Visitor season
Low season. April averages 30% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than March.
Overnight stays across Poitou-Charentes do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.
Hotel price season
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.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 59°F (15°C) and 71°F (21°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 64°F (18°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 18; half the years had 4–11.
Rain days in each April
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 71°F | 2 |
| 2012 | 59°F | 18 |
| 2013 | 60°F | 9 |
| 2014 | 65°F | 7 |
| 2015 | 65°F | 4 |
| 2016 | 60°F | 11 |
| 2017 | 64°F | 3 |
| 2018 | 66°F | 12 |
| 2019 | 64°F | 8 |
| 2020 | 68°F | 13 |
| 2021 | 64°F | 3 |
| 2022 | 64°F | 8 |
| 2023 | 63°F | 8 |
| 2024 | 64°F | 10 |
| 2025 | 67°F | 9 |
Checked against 73 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Mar | Apr | May |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 58°F | 64°F | 70°F |
| Sea | 51°F | 55°F | 59°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| Overnight demand | 12% | 30% | 34% |
March: Cooler afternoons, cooler sea and more rain days than April. Less overnight demand. March guide →
May: Warmer afternoons, warmer sea and more rain days than April. More overnight demand. May guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. April stays as your reference.
September has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than April, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 12% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the March guide →| Typical conditions | April | March |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 64°F | 58°F |
| Nights | 44°F | 41°F |
| Sea | 55°F | 51°F |
| Rain days | 8 | 10 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Low season |
| Overall / 10 | 7.6 | 7.2 |
| Month rank | #5 | #6 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.4 | #12 | 50°F | 37°F | 51°F | 12 | 4.8 | Off season |
| February | 6.4 | #10 | 52°F | 37°F | 50°F | 10 | 5.5 | Low season |
| March | 7.2 | #6 | 58°F | 41°F | 51°F | 10 | 6.6 | Low season |
| April | 7.6 | #5 | 64°F | 44°F | 55°F | 8 | 7.8 | Low season |
| May | 7.8 | #3 | 70°F | 49°F | 59°F | 10 | 8.5 | Low season |
| June | 7.7 | #4 | 77°F | 56°F | 65°F | 8 | 8.7 | Moderate season |
| July | 7.0 | #7 | 81°F | 59°F | 68°F | 5 | 9.1 | Busy season |
| August | 6.4 | #9 | 81°F | 58°F | 69°F | 5 | 8.9 | Peak season |
| September | 8.2 | #1 | 75°F | 54°F | 67°F | 7 | 9.3 | Low season |
| October | 8.0 | #2 | 67°F | 49°F | 64°F | 9 | 8.2 | Low season |
| November | 6.5 | #8 | 57°F | 43°F | 59°F | 13 | 6.1 | Low season |
| December | 6.0 | #11 | 52°F | 39°F | 54°F | 14 | 5.3 | Off season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
LimousinFrance · about 90 miles
Balanced Overall 7.5 · Very good weather, 62°F (17°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Nantes & Pays de la LoireFrance · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 6.2 · Fair weather, 63°F (17°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Loire Valley & CentreFrance · about 120 miles
Balanced Overall 7.3 · Very good weather, 63°F (17°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Bordeaux & the Atlantic coastAquitaine · France · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 6.7 · Good weather, 66°F (19°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Toulouse & the PyreneesMidi-Pyrénées · France · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 7.8 · Very good weather, 65°F (19°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Poitou-Charentes' weather ranks 33 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Poitou-Charentes.
ExtremaduraSpain · about 570 miles
Excellent weather (9.0): 7°F warmer afternoons, busier for its season (busy season), cheaper
AlentejoPortugal · about 670 miles
Excellent weather (9.0): 7°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
Tirana & central Albaniaabout 1060 miles
Very good weather (8.8): 5°F warmer afternoons, busier for its season (moderate season), cheaper
It's low season, 30% of the busiest month and about average for the year. That means about 45,000 overnight visitors on a typical April night across the region, 92% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 15,000 more: 34 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 74 |
| How our weather was checked | 73 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.4°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 24 |
| Busiest month here | August · 81 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 2.4% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 83rd percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 92% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 34 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 3.1% |
| National hotel-price season | France historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.8 million |
| Statistical region | FRI3 · Poitou-Charentes |
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.