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Barcelona · April · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Barcelona in April

In April, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Barcelona is Ouarzazate, Morocco, 12.2 h of sun a day and 20.8 °C, about 5h 24m each way by air. Without flying, it is Ávila, Spain, 12.1 h of sun a day, about 5h 54m each way by train, for about 21× less carbon (17.1 kg CO₂e return against 357 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Barcelona

Ranked on sunshine in April alone, among well-known places (a Wikivoyage travel guide and at least 40,000 Wikipedia readers a year), one per area and at most three per country. The carbon is shown, not used to choose: the list further down is the other question, how much sunshine each extra kilogram buys.

  1. Ouarzazate, Morocco12.2 h · 20.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 24m · 357 kg CO₂e return
  2. Agadir, Morocco12.1 h · 20.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 18.5 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 406 kg CO₂e return
  3. Ávila, Spain12.1 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 5h 54m · 17.1 kg CO₂e return
  4. Granada, Spain12.0 h · 16.5 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 8h 18m · 20.1 kg CO₂e return
  5. Cagliari, Italy12.0 h · 15.4 °C · mostly dry · sea 15.8 °Cair ≈ 4h 18m · 160 kg CO₂e return
  6. Essaouira, Morocco12.0 h · 18.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 17.3 °Cair ≈ 5h 30m · 384 kg CO₂e return
  7. Portimão, Portugal11.9 h · 17.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 16.7 °Crail ≈ 11h 54m · 30.5 kg CO₂e return
  8. Madrid, Spain11.9 h · 15.6 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 4h · 14.9 kg CO₂e return
  9. Olbia, Italy11.9 h · 15.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 15.2 °Cair ≈ 4h 18m · 155 kg CO₂e return
  10. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt11.9 h · 27.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 23.2 °Cair ≈ 7h 54m · 824 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Ávila is 12.1 h for 17.1 kg — about 21× less carbon than flying to Ouarzazate.

  1. Ávila, Spain12.1 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 5h 54m · 17.1 kg CO₂e return
  2. Granada, Spain12.0 h · 16.5 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 8h 18m · 20.1 kg CO₂e return
  3. Portimão, Portugal11.9 h · 17.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 16.7 °Crail ≈ 11h 54m · 30.5 kg CO₂e return
  4. Marbella, Spain11.9 h · 18.4 °C · mostly dry · sea 16.9 °Crail ≈ 8h 54m · 24.0 kg CO₂e return
  5. Madrid, Spain11.9 h · 15.6 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 4h · 14.9 kg CO₂e return
  6. Grosseto, Italy11.8 h · 13.5 °C · 1.5 mm rain a day · sea 15.6 °Crail ≈ 12h 54m · 22.2 kg CO₂e return

≈ is the model's estimate (air times include getting to and through the airport); ✓ is a rail journey checked against a real timetable, with the date it was checked. Temperatures are historical daily means for 2023–2024, averaged across day and night, so afternoons run warmer.

The low-carbon trade-off

The sunniest place you can reach from Barcelona in April within 15 hours is Alcalá de Henares, 12.0 h, costing 14.0 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Tortosa at 4.5 kg — 3× less carbon, for 0.7 hours less sunshine.

Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else this site covers is both sunnier in April and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.

TortosaAlcalá de Henares
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Barcelona. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, April, departing Barcelona. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.2 destinations. Lowest carbon Tortosa at 4.5 kilograms and 11.3 h; best for sunshine Alcalá de Henares at 14.0 kilograms and 12.0 h. Tortosa · 4.5 kgAlcalá de Henares · 14.0 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, April, departing Barcelona. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
April from Barcelona — 2 destinations on the frontier, 2 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Tortosa, SpainRail4.5 kg16.5 °C11.3 h0.5 mm3h 42m
Alcalá de Henares, SpainRail14.0 kg15.1 °C12.0 h0.4 mm5h

Warm is not the same as pleasant, which is why sunshine and rainfall are shown alongside temperature. All three are ERA5 monthly means for 2023–2024.

The pick of them

TortosaSpain4.5 kg CO₂e return16.5 °C · 11.3 h sun · 3h 42m by railwarm, bright and dryAlcalá de HenaresSpain14.0 kg CO₂e return15.1 °C · 12.0 h sun · 5h by railwarm, bright and dry

The same month, asked differently

April answers differently depending on what you are after, and the lists genuinely diverge: the brightest places are not the hottest, and in summer the useful question stops being where is warm at all.

Where to stay in Alcalá de Henares

Places to stay in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.

Search places to stay in Alcalá de Henares →Opens the booking search in a new tab. Same partners as the map below.

Affiliate disclosure. A booking made through this map may earn 0xCarbon a commission, at no extra cost to you. It changes nothing above it: the emissions figures come from UK Government conversion factors and are computed before anyone is paid anything.See the method.

Other months from Barcelona

April from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

Where is the sunniest place to go from Barcelona in April?

Alcalá de Henares, Spain, at 12.0 h. Reaching it emits 14.0 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h each way by rail (modelled).

Can I get somewhere sunny from Barcelona in April without flying?

Yes. Alcalá de Henares reaches 12.0 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 5h (modelled), emitting 14.0 kg CO₂e return — which is also the best on this frontier.

How much carbon does a return trip from Barcelona to Alcalá de Henares produce?

14.0 kg CO₂e for one person, return, by rail. That uses the UK Government's 2026 conversion factors, including radiative forcing for flights.

Carbon uses UK Government (DESNZ/DEFRA) 2026 conversion factors applied to great-circle distance, with radiative forcing included for flights. Rail journey times are modelled estimates, not timetabled services. Full method · download the data.