Greece in April

[InOmniaParatus42]

As the title says, we’re thinking of booking Greece in April. We will be travelling with our 2 DSs who are 10 and 6. Based on previous threads, I’ve decided to pick Corfu (this will be our first holiday to Greece). For the past few years, we’ve only been on holidays within the UK, and that involved booking a self catered house, loading up the car and driving off! It feels like I’ve forgotten how to book a holiday when flights and resorts are involved.

Is it better to book our own flights and accommodation, or go for a package deal? Are the all inclusive ones worth it? I’ve never been on an all inclusive holiday, but I get the feeling that with all the options available for entertainment at resorts, you don’t get out to actually see the place. I know I may be completely wrong about this. We definitely want to get out and explore Corfu.

Any advice would be highly appreciated! Thanks.

We went to Greece one April with slightly older kids and got an air bnb and hired a car. It was very straightforward.

I would be prepared for unpredictable weather though. We had a couple of rainy days but we were on the mainland, might be a safer bet further south. Just something to bear in mind.

Went to Ikos Dassia ( highly recommended) with friends last April . We were really lucky with the weather , was early twenties . Pools heated anyway . That could be a dealbreaker in April .
Going back next April .
Lovely hotel for kids too ! We saw lots of couples with small kids .
As they get bigger it becomes prohibitively expensive 🙈!
Corfu is lovely but definitely need heated pools at that time of year .

I have been to greece in early May and it's been cold so take layers

As others have said, if you're going for sunbathing/pool/warm weather you're not guaranteed to get that. Our holiday to Greece end April 2020 was cancelled due to covid. Actually did us a favour, ended up being 1c at night and 3-8c in the day - it was much warmer here.

I'd say look at the options either way and obviously have holiday insurance. If you're booking the hotel direct, they should stay what options they can offer.

Weather may well be on the cold side so it may not be the holiday you are picturing.
If you want to do some sightseeing (which may be limited in Corfu), I'd say own rental +hire car will be the best option.

It won't be that warm....but take lots of layers....Greece not really known for all inclusive....so often an expensive option over there as not loads of competition

I love Greece but wouldn’t go to Corfu in April sorry.

As others have said the weather will be iffy and a lot of places not open yet.

It would be a great time of year for sightseeing in Athens, or Crete or Rhodes for a mix of sightseeing and relaxing. Crete and Rhodes will be drier and warmer than Corfu too (the western islands see a lot more rain).

Or shift the trip to May half term and go to Corfu.

I have always done trips to Greece by booking my own flights and then finding accommodation through eg booking.com or villa rental companies. However if flights are looking expensive then packages may well work out cheaper.

If you want to avoid hiring a car then stay somewhere with plenty of restaurants within walking distance. If you’re in a biggish town there are usually buses to beaches/tourist spots too.

Corfu in April in magical - it is the best time to go. However check when Greek Easter is. A lot of Greeks go to Corfu for Easter and there are some lovely traditions like the pot throwing in Liston.. The Good Friday parades are worth seeing and the fireworks. And the lamb is amazing.

The tourist season doesn't really start until after Easter and the weather is hit and miss. I would higher a car and look for north east between Barbati and Kassiopi.

Corfu in April is not magical. You may get the occasional warm day but it's very much like the uk in tens of showers, rain, thunder etc. The mountain ranges nearby make sure they have splendid thunder and lightning. The very first time I went to Corfu was the 1-6 may and my kids thought it was great swimming in the freezing pool with rain pouring down. But two days of that week it was thunder and lightning. Thankfully it dried up for Greek Orthodox Easter. But the weather was better in the uk that week than it was in Corfu. Plus, most tourist places only start setting up on the 1st May. Typically not up and running until the 10-14th May.

Op, try Kos if you are set on greece. Or Turkey. You could get a decent ask incisive in Turkey or Tunisia for the same price tbh.

Thank you all for your replies! It seems that I either need to pick another location in Greece for April or move my plans to May.
Would Create be a safe enough bet for April? And any recommendations for where to stay in Crete?

I don’t think anywhere in Greece is a ‘safe bet’ for weather in April ? Could be wrong of course .

Actually having suggested Crete, I remember that we had a holiday booked for there in April which had to be cancelled- I was relieved as the weather was looking atrocious. ( It was in the mountains mind you so perhaps wetter than the coast).

I’d move to May if you really want to see the Greek islands at their best.

Back to Corfu, but in May 🙂
Would still appreciate some recommendations on places to stay with a family. Maybe something other than a self catering home, as that's all we have done for the past few years

We really enjoyed Bella Mare in Corfu with DC age 9 and 7 - small hotel on a lovely beach, not a huge resort at all but has a kids club for primary age so the kids get to meet others. Bookable through Simpson. Kassiopi town was within easy reach by taxi or hire car. Kassiopi area generally is a nice base.

We also stayed on the west side of Corfu (near Paleokastrites) but found it had a lot of coach tours so felt quite busy. NE corfu felt more upmarket.

I was also recommended Meganissi as a nice place to stay on Corfu but haven’t been myself.

whereever you stay, I would recommend hiring a boat for a day (or a couple of half days) - our DC loved it.

Go as far east as you can for good April weather in the Greek islands. Even then, it's not guaranteed.

I'm going to Corfu in May as well! And, just like you it's our first time in Greece. Where are you staying if you don't mind me asking?

Oh. Apologies, didn't read properly. See you haven't booked yet! We are staying in St Stefanos (the one on the North East side)

@LadyFlumpalot we are very bad at planning in advance! In fact, I feel very organised to be planning a May holiday in December 😉
I’ll check out St. Stefanos… thanks for sharing 😊

Sorry to bump an old thread, but was wondering if you did end up in Corfu, OP? We did and it was WONDERFUL. We went at the very end of May/beginning of June.

OP, we are going to Corfu in two weeks time, and have been eagerly watching the weather. It only really became ‘beach holiday’ weather in June, rather like rest of that area. Do work schedules etc prevent you from going any later than May?

The weather wasn't great across Greece in April this year. Quite cold and rainy at times.

We actually ended up in Tenerife in May 😊
We got a good deal from TUI and went on our first ever package holiday! Greece is still on the list over the next few years hopefully.
@LadyFlumpalot glad you had an amazing time 😊