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Edinburgh · April · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Edinburgh in April

In April, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Edinburgh is Ouarzazate, Morocco, 12.2 h of sun a day and 20.8 °C, about 7h 12m each way by air. Without flying, it is Marseille, France, 11.7 h of sun a day, about 14h 42m each way by train, for about 10× less carbon (72.5 kg CO₂e return against 704 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Edinburgh

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 ≈ 7h 12m · 704 kg CO₂e return
  2. Agadir, Morocco12.1 h · 20.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 18.5 °Cair ≈ 7h 18m · 725 kg CO₂e return
  3. Ávila, Spain12.1 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 48m · 429 kg CO₂e return
  4. Granada, Spain12.0 h · 16.5 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 18m · 525 kg CO₂e return
  5. Cagliari, Italy12.0 h · 15.4 °C · mostly dry · sea 15.8 °Cair ≈ 6h 18m · 520 kg CO₂e return
  6. Essaouira, Morocco12.0 h · 18.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 17.3 °Cair ≈ 7h 12m · 696 kg CO₂e return
  7. Portimão, Portugal11.9 h · 17.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 16.7 °Cair ≈ 6h 18m · 536 kg CO₂e return
  8. Madrid, Spain11.9 h · 15.6 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 48m · 435 kg CO₂e return
  9. Olbia, Italy11.9 h · 15.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 15.2 °Cair ≈ 6h · 480 kg CO₂e return
  10. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt11.9 h · 27.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 23.2 °Cair ≈ 9h 12m · 1,008 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Marseille is 11.7 h for 72.5 kg — about 10× less carbon than flying to Ouarzazate.

  1. Marseille, France11.7 h · 13.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 14.8 °Crail ≈ 14h 42m · 72.5 kg CO₂e return
  2. Avignon, France10.9 h · 13.5 °C · 1.6 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 12m · 70.0 kg CO₂e return
  3. Montpellier, France10.5 h · 14.1 °C · 1.9 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 54m · 70.3 kg CO₂e return
  4. Geneva, Switzerland9.6 h · 9.5 °C · 3.3 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 42m · 64.9 kg CO₂e return
  5. Bordeaux, France9.6 h · 12.9 °C · 2.2 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 42m · 64.8 kg CO₂e return
  6. Canterbury, United Kingdom9.4 h · 9.1 °C · 2.7 mm rain a day · sea 10.1 °Crail ≈ 8h · 47.5 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 Edinburgh in April within 15 hours is Faro, 12.2 h, costing 537 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Whitehaven at 12.7 kg — 42× less carbon, for 3.6 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.

WhitehavenFaro
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Edinburgh. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, April, departing Edinburgh. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.6 destinations. Lowest carbon Whitehaven at 12.7 kilograms and 8.6 h; best for sunshine Faro at 537 kilograms and 12.2 h. Whitehaven · 12.7 kgMarseille · 72.5 kgFaro · 537 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, April, departing Edinburgh. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
April from Edinburgh — 6 destinations on the frontier, 5 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Whitehaven, United KingdomRail12.7 kg8.1 °C8.6 h4.3 mm3h 48m
Skegness, United KingdomRail31.1 kg9.0 °C9.2 h2.3 mm7h 6m
Margate, United KingdomRail47.5 kg9.5 °C9.7 h2.4 mm8h 18m
Avignon, FranceRail70.0 kg13.5 °C10.9 h1.6 mm14h 12m
Marseille, FranceRail72.5 kg13.7 °C11.7 h0.8 mm14h 42m
Faro, PortugalAir537 kg18.2 °C12.2 h0.4 mm6h 18m

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.

Where the curve breaks

The frontier is gentle until it isn't. Going from Marseille (72.5 kg, 11.7 h) to Faro (537 kg, 12.2 h) buys 0.5 hours more sunshine for an extra 465 kg — 929 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Whitehaven, United KingdomWhitehavenUnited Kingdom12.7 kg CO₂e return8.1 °C · 8.6 h sun · 3h 48m by railcold but brightMarseille, FranceMarseilleFrance72.5 kg CO₂e return13.7 °C · 11.7 h sun · 14h 42m by railmild and brightFaro, PortugalFaroPortugal537 kg CO₂e return18.2 °C · 12.2 h sun · 6h 18m by airwarm, 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 Faro

Places to stay in Faro, Portugal, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.

Search places to stay in Faro →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 Edinburgh

April from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Faro, Portugal, at 12.2 h. Reaching it emits 537 kg CO₂e return, travelling 6h 18m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Marseille reaches 11.7 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 42m (modelled), emitting 72.5 kg CO₂e return — though Faro is sunnier still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Edinburgh to Faro produce?

537 kg CO₂e for one person, return, by air. 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.