Early April 1 April
58°F
Typical afternoon high
29% historical wet-day frequency
France · Beach
Western Normandy
in April.
Is April a good time?
Mild days.
More overnight stays than March.
April averages 60°F afternoons and 51°F seas, with about 7 rain days. Later April is typically warmer.
- Afternoons
- 60°F
- Sea
- 51°F
- Visitor demand
- 39%of August peak
Historical Basse-Normandie regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Mont-Saint-Michel, D-Day beaches and Caen; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
5.7/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#7 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather4.3/10Fair
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 60°F (16°C): light layers; nights around 42°F (5°C): a warm coat. About 14 hours of daylight. About 7 rain days in a typical April.
Can I swim in April?
The sea averages 51°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.
A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details
About 14 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 07:13 and sets about 20:52 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 42°F (5°C); afternoons reach about 60°F (16°C). Expect rain on about 7 days in a typical April.
Typical afternoon
60°F (16°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Aprils
Night low
42°F (5°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
51°F (10°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
13h 39m
on the 15th, computed from latitude
Early, middle or late?
Early or late April?
Late April is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 58°F on the 1st, versus 62°F on the 30th. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 29% to 34% between those dates.
Mid April 15 April
61°F
Typical afternoon high
23% historical wet-day frequency
Late April 30 April
62°F
Typical afternoon high
34% 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.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 158° | 258° | 358° | 458° | |||
| 559° | 659° | 759° | 859° | 959° | 1060° | 1160° |
| 1260° | 1361° | 1461° | 1561° | 1661° | 1761° | 1862° |
| 1961° | 2061° | 2161° | 2261° | 2361° | 2461° | 2561° |
| 2661° | 2762° | 2862° | 2962° | 3062° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 58°F (15°C) in the first week to 61°F (16°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 22–34%. 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 and cost
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Moderate season. April averages 39% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than March.
Overnight stays across Basse-Normandie 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.
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 56°F (13°C) and 66°F (19°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 60°F (16°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 18; half the years had 4–10.
Rain days in each April
Rain days
7
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 13 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
6 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
7 of 30
rated very good or better
See every recorded AprilHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 66°F | 2 |
| 2012 | 56°F | 18 |
| 2013 | 56°F | 7 |
| 2014 | 60°F | 10 |
| 2015 | 62°F | 6 |
| 2016 | 56°F | 13 |
| 2017 | 59°F | 4 |
| 2018 | 62°F | 12 |
| 2019 | 61°F | 9 |
| 2020 | 66°F | 6 |
| 2021 | 56°F | 3 |
| 2022 | 60°F | 6 |
| 2023 | 58°F | 10 |
| 2024 | 60°F | 10 |
| 2025 | 64°F | 4 |
Checked against 66 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
March, April
or May?
| Typical conditions | Mar | Apr | May |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 55°F | 60°F | 65°F |
| Sea | 48°F | 51°F | 54°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| Overnight demand | 17% | 39% | 49% |
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.
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.
September has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than April, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
April or March?
Overnight stays are 17% 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 | 60°F | 55°F |
| Nights | 42°F | 39°F |
| Sea | 51°F | 48°F |
| Rain days | 7 | 9 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Low season |
| Overall / 10 | 5.7 | 4.3 |
| Month rank | #7 | #8 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.0 | #10 | 48°F | 37°F | 50°F | 14 | 1.0 | Off season |
| February | 3.0 | #11 | 50°F | 37°F | 48°F | 11 | 1.0 | Low season |
| March | 4.3 | #8 | 55°F | 39°F | 48°F | 9 | 2.3 | Low season |
| April | 5.7 | #7 | 60°F | 42°F | 51°F | 7 | 4.3 | Moderate season |
| May | 5.9 | #5 | 65°F | 47°F | 54°F | 9 | 5.4 | Moderate season |
| June | 6.5 | #3 | 71°F | 52°F | 59°F | 7 | 6.8 | Moderate season |
| July | 6.5 | #2 | 75°F | 55°F | 63°F | 8 | 7.9 | Busy season |
| August | 6.0 | #4 | 74°F | 55°F | 65°F | 8 | 7.8 | Peak season |
| September | 6.8 | #1 | 70°F | 52°F | 64°F | 8 | 6.8 | Moderate season |
| October | 5.9 | #6 | 63°F | 48°F | 62°F | 11 | 4.4 | Low season |
| November | 3.7 | #9 | 54°F | 43°F | 57°F | 13 | 1.7 | Low season |
| December | 3.0 | #12 | 50°F | 40°F | 53°F | 13 | 1.0 | Low 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.
Eastern NormandyFrance · about 80 miles
Balanced Overall 5.8 · Fair weather, 60°F (16°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Nantes & Pays de la LoireFrance · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 6.2 · Fair weather, 63°F (17°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
BrittanyFrance · about 120 miles
Balanced Overall 5.9 · Fair weather, 60°F (16°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Paris & aroundFrance · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 7.1 · Very good weather, 62°F (17°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Loire Valley & CentreFrance · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 7.3 · Very good weather, 63°F (17°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Better April weather than Western Normandy
Western Normandy's weather ranks 51 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Western Normandy.
Liguria & the Cinque TerreItaly · about 540 miles
Good weather (6.0): 6°F warmer afternoons
Venice & the VenetoItaly · about 620 miles
Good weather (6.0): 6°F warmer afternoons
Porto & northern Portugalabout 620 miles
Good weather (5.4): 7°F warmer afternoons, 4 more rain days, busier for its season (busy season), cheaper
Valencia & the Costa BlancaSpain · about 660 miles
Very good weather (8.1): 12°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, cheaper
Friuli Venezia GiuliaItaly · about 660 miles
Good weather (5.5): 5°F warmer afternoons
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's moderate season, 39% of the busiest month and about average for the year. That means about 31,000 overnight visitors on a typical April night across the region, 80% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 17,000 more: 53 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 57 |
| How our weather was checked | 66 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.2°C), night lows within 1°F (0.1°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 21 |
| Busiest month here | August · 54 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 2.1% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 79th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 80% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 53 |
| 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 | 1.5 million |
| Statistical region | FRD1 · Basse-Normandie |
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.