After a long, icy winter, you’re probably looking forward to taking a break from school and going on spring vacation. Luckily, April break starts next Friday!
Just in case your parents haven’t booked tickets yet (or you just want to daydream), here are five of Europe’s best destinations for this time of year.
1: Crete, Greece
Crete is a stunning Greek island famous for its clear waters and beautiful beaches. You can relax on the beach, hike up the picturesque mountains, and enjoy the fresh Mediterranean cuisine. Flights from Bucharest to Crete are 3 hours long (including one layover in Athens), starting from 750 lei. The weather in May varies from 15°C to 24°C.
Things to do in Crete:
- Head for Mirabello Bay, the largest bay in Greece. This is one of the less populated areas on the island, making it perfect to jump in for a refreshing swim or rest on the shores at any time during the day.
- Walk along the Samaria Gorge, a natural park full of diverse vegetation and wildlife. If you are up for a challenge, go for a hike along the rocky passageways and observe the gorgeous scenery.
- Explore the marine life. The island is full of diving sites and snorkeling programs for people with various experience levels. Discover the Mediterranean fish and black corals – gems of the sea unique to Crete.
Find the best hotels in Crete here.
2: Venice, Italy
In this fascinating coastal city of Italy, there are no roads – only waterways. Instead of using cars, people get around the city by long and narrow Venetian boats called Gondolas. Venice also has a long history dating back to 400 AD, which shows in their architecture. It’s an exquisite melange of Gothic, Byzantine, and Islamic styles: a little bit of everything. Direct flights from Bucharest to Venice takes about 2 hours, starting from 800 lei. The weather in May varies from 13 to 22 degrees.
What to do in Venice:
- Spend the afternoon at Piazza San Marco, the most famous public square in the city. Climb up the 99-meter-tall bell tower for a full view of Venice, or find a cafe nearby for a cup of Italian espresso.
- Go on a gondola tour. You will get to ride through the narrow canals, take aesthetic pictures, and even learn some short Italian phrases from your gondolier.
- Walk on the Rialto Bridge, also known as the heart of the city. The bridge is made of 12,000 wooden pilings and has been standing strong for 428 years.
Find the best hotels in Venice here.
3: Mykonos, Greece
Yes, this is the second Greek island on the list, but it’s with good reason. Mykonos is particularly famous for its cosmopolitan atmosphere. At night, the beaches quickly fill up with dance music and party bars – making it an ideal destination for those who miss the fun summer atmosphere. Flights from Bucharest to Mykonos last around 3 hours (with one layover in Athens) and cost about 1200 lei. The weather in May varies from 17°C to 23°C.
What to do in Mykonos:
- Take a short trip to Delos, an island next to Mykonos accessible by ferry. Walk along the ancient Greek ruins, and don’t forget to visit the Doric Temple of Isis (built around 200 BC).
- Try out some new water sports. Platis Gialos Water Sports Club offers several water activities at the beach. You could take water-skiing lessons, rent a jet-ski, or go on a tube ride with your family.
- Discover the Mykonos windmills, one of the most recognized landmarks on the island. Many are restored as homes, bakeries, and even agricultural museums open for tourists.
Find here the best hotels in Mykonos.
4: Amsterdam
Spend a week in this majestic city with gorgeous canals and world-famous museums. If you’re a fan of art, history, and shopping, this city is a perfect match for you. Direct flights from Bucharest to Amsterdam last around 3 hours, costing around 600 lei. The weather in May varies from 8°C to 16°C.
What to do in Amsterdam:
- Visit the Anne Frank House, a biographical museum that used to be a hiding place for young diarist Anne Frank and her family during WWII.
- Enjoy the art collections. The Rijksmuseum holds more than 8,000 European art masterpieces, including Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. If you’re a fan of post-impressionist paintings, try the Van Gogh Museum – the world’s biggest Van Gogh collection.
- Stop by the Dam Square, where the Royal Palace and the National Monument are located. There are many shops (perfect time to try the stroopwafels!) and Dutch traditional restaurants nearby for a fun, memorable evening.
Find here the best hotels in Amsterdam.
5: Istanbul, Turkey
Located right in between Europe and Asia, Istanbul is an exotic city full of rich culture and amazing food. Observe the impressive architecture of the mosques, and step inside for a new religious experience. You can also stop by a street vendor for a refreshing cup of pomegranate juice. Flights from Bucharest to Istanbul only take 1 hour, costing about 500 lei. The weather in May varies from 12°C to 21°C.
What to do in Istanbul:
- Shop in the Grand Bazaar. There are more than 5,000 small shops in the bazaar, selling all sorts of treasures like the Turkish delights, handmade pottery, and Kilim rugs.
- Visit the Blue Mosque, built during the Ottoman Empire and still in function today. Its interior is decorated with more than 20,000 tiles of mesmerizing geometric designs.
- Go to the Bosphorus, a narrow natural waterway that divides Europe with Asia. Take a ferry and try to spot the dolphins (yes, there are dolphins!) in the waters.
Find here the best hotels in Istanbul.
Tell us: What are your plans for the April break? Share with us in the comments below.
The article was very informal… really great job on that. I really liked the way you described Istanbul which is where i am from. You could have added some information about the food, for example the names of the food, where is the main place food etc.
For the April break i am going to Istanbul. I am looking forward to eat some delicious food and then i will go to Dubai.
I like the article because it has nice persuasive pictures and some nice information. The main information that needed to be mentioned about the countries were mentioned which can help us decide if we want to visit the country. Since certain people do not like reading too much text, it is very good that you did not write a lot about each country.
This April Break, I am going a five star hotel in turkey to enjoy the nice weather by chilling near the pool. I will also visit some places around the city where I am going but I unfortunately do not know the name of the city and the names of the places I will visit outside the Hotel.
I think that this article is good for some people that don’t know where to travel, or if the family always fights over going somewhere, so one family member can show this website, and it will be easier to know where to go.
But for people like me I don’t really need this/my family we decide on a place that looks nice and that’s it, so we browse the web looking at pictures of cities and that’s it.
People that want to save money might like this article to.
I really liked the article, it gave a lot of information about places that I could go over the break and telling about the adventures that are waiting for us. I liked that there was useful information about how much the costs will be when traveling around these places, another thing that I really liked about this article was that there is a “What to do” plan for the places we will travel to.
Over the break, I will go to different castles around Romania and visit new places I have never been to.
My plans for this break are going to Spain alone, because my parents can’t come with me. No one from my family knows that I am going there, so I am going to surprise them, as all my family lives there. I am also going to visit some places in Madrid, the city that I am going to.
I really liked this article. I liked that you informed about the places you were writing about, such as places to visit there, how many leis does the ticket costs and and some hotels to go to there. I think you could improve on putting some more places, because only five places is a very reduced options, so you could put some more.
I really liked how you gave information on what to visit such as what they are doing in this location, such as festivals, and why these festivals are so important to visit and for what kind of people, such as travelers or people that like to party
I am going to Cyprus this holiday which is an island near Greece, I will go there by plane from Romania to Cyprus.
This Easter break I will go to Bologna, the 24th of April because on the 25th I am going to sing at the choir, we sing on the 25th because bologna got liberated from the fascists I believe.
Then on the 27th, we go to Torin by train, after that we switch to the bus and start going to Belgrade to visit friends. by bus.
The article was very interesting, I really liked it!. Although I’ve been to most of the places shown in the article so I don’t think I’ll go to one of those this April break, but it was very good to discover about this places and I might be planing a trip to visit one of them over summer vacation.
During this break I will be visiting my family friends in Poland. After almost 5 years I haven’t seen them and my brother will come to Romania as well.
I like this article because I agree with it and it has a lot of details of each of the places.
My plans for the April break are to go to Costa Rica. I am planning to visit my father and to spend some time with my family and friends. In Costa Rica, I am also planning to go out surfing with my best friends.
Great article.
I think that this article is well written, straight to the point. Also, this article gives the right information about these places, and I enjoyed reading it!
Although I am going to stay in Romania this April break (my family is coming), I had a pleasure reading it.
I think that these places are beautiful and I would love to visit there once.
I was very impressed that there are so many places with each of their features and differences in a small continent compared to Asia or America
The article should also have a Destination which is only land connected, there are also some very good destinations in land.
My plans for this spring break are to visit Crete with my family.
From my perspective, the article was very informative and very well done since it shows you the different travelling options available out there. I think the structure of the article is excellent and I agreed with the chosen locations. But, I was a bit sad that Spain was not included in the artcle.
Very nice article, I enjoyed it very much The explanations were clear for me to understand the reason why I should go there. 🙂
My family and I really wanted to go to Grece after reading this article, now I am even more excited to go there! Just a reminder Turkey is such a good place to visit but sadly it’s not in Europe!
I am going to Bosnia Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia and Turkey during the April break.
it was good of you to write a short paragraph about places so that the readers won’t feel boredom and keep on reading. Also, it was good to show information about the places in numbers so it was easy to know the information than in letters. You could have included information about the restaurants since most of people want to eat at famous and delicious restaurants.
and for the April break, I will go to Austria with my family
I loved your article and I would consider what you wrote if I wanted to go on vacation some time. I would also like to thank you for saying that two of the places in Greece, Mykonos and Crete, are nice to visit!
I think that you had very good choices also telling us about the prices. I also liked that you left the link for good hotels in that places. Also good choices for the pictures really high quality!