April in the UK is unpredictable. In one moment, you're hosting a barbecue to celebrate a three-day heat wave but in the next, you're dashing for cover as yet another April downpour clouds the skies. April is the perfect time to plan a holiday to somewhere where the weather is less likely to dictate your days.
Visitors to Palestine uncover a region of fascinating ancient history. Here, trips to iconic religious sites, from the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem to the town of Bethlehem, are combined with trips to markets selling traditional dishes and zaatar-topped herb breads. In April, the mountains are covered in the pretty flowers of spring, making it the perfect time to head for the hills and enjoy sweeping views over the region on a hike.
Situated between Iceland and Norway in the heart of the North Atlantic, Faroe Islands are a beautiful and relatively unexplored archipelago offering visitors unspoilt landscapes for roaming, exceptionally fresh air and some of the most unpredictable weather in the world. The islands' steep cliffs are an important nesting site for migratory Atlantic seabirds, and visitors in April are afforded spectacular bird-watching opportunities. Take a boat trip around the islands and watch out for puffins and oystercatchers.
Discover the ancient trading towns of the Silk Road on a journey that crosses Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Climb aboard a comfortable, private train to follow in the footsteps of the early Silk Road traders from Ashgabat to Almaty, stopping to explore ancient Samarkand. Endless desert and steppe gently roll by as the train travels between the Central Asian republics where shimmering desert towns, ornate Islamic palaces and bizarre soviet structures vie for attention.