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Lisbon · April · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Lisbon in April

In April, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Lisbon is Ouarzazate, Morocco, 12.2 h of sun a day and 20.8 °C, about 4h 42m each way by air. Without flying, it is Ávila, Spain, 12.1 h of sun a day, about 8h 18m each way by train, for about 17× less carbon (12.9 kg CO₂e return against 224 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Lisbon

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 ≈ 4h 42m · 224 kg CO₂e return
  2. Agadir, Morocco12.1 h · 20.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 18.5 °Cair ≈ 4h 42m · 233 kg CO₂e return
  3. Ávila, Spain12.1 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 8h 18m · 12.9 kg CO₂e return
  4. Granada, Spain12.0 h · 16.5 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 9h 24m · 15.2 kg CO₂e return
  5. Cagliari, Italy12.0 h · 15.4 °C · mostly dry · sea 15.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 397 kg CO₂e return
  6. Essaouira, Morocco12.0 h · 18.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 17.3 °Cair ≈ 4h 36m · 202 kg CO₂e return
  7. Portimão, Portugal11.9 h · 17.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 16.7 °Crail ≈ 4h 6m · 5.4 kg CO₂e return
  8. Madrid, Spain11.9 h · 15.6 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 9h 12m · 14.9 kg CO₂e return
  9. Olbia, Italy11.9 h · 15.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 15.2 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 404 kg CO₂e return
  10. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt11.9 h · 27.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 23.2 °Cair ≈ 9h 6m · 977 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Ávila is 12.1 h for 12.9 kg — about 17× less carbon than flying to Ouarzazate.

  1. Ávila, Spain12.1 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 8h 18m · 12.9 kg CO₂e return
  2. Granada, Spain12.0 h · 16.5 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 9h 24m · 15.2 kg CO₂e return
  3. Portimão, Portugal11.9 h · 17.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 16.7 °Crail ≈ 4h 6m · 5.4 kg CO₂e return
  4. Marbella, Spain11.9 h · 18.4 °C · mostly dry · sea 16.9 °Crail ≈ 8h 24m · 13.2 kg CO₂e return
  5. Madrid, Spain11.9 h · 15.6 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 9h 12m · 14.9 kg CO₂e return
  6. Porto, Portugal11.0 h · 15.0 °C · 2.8 mm rain a day · sea 15.6 °Crail ≈ 4h 24m · 8.1 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 Lisbon in April within 15 hours is Portimão, 11.9 h, costing 5.4 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Portalegre at 4.8 kg — 1× less carbon, for 0.5 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.

PortalegrePortimão
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Lisbon. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, April, departing Lisbon. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.2 destinations. Lowest carbon Portalegre at 4.8 kilograms and 11.4 h; best for sunshine Portimão at 5.4 kilograms and 11.9 h. Portalegre · 4.8 kgPortimão · 5.4 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, April, departing Lisbon. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
April from Lisbon — 2 destinations on the frontier, 2 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Portalegre, PortugalRail4.8 kg16.3 °C11.4 h1.6 mm3h 48m
Portimão, PortugalRail5.4 kg17.8 °C11.9 h0.4 mm4h 6m

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

Portalegre, PortugalPortalegrePortugal4.8 kg CO₂e return16.3 °C · 11.4 h sun · 3h 48m by railwarm overallPortimão, PortugalPortimãoPortugal5.4 kg CO₂e return17.8 °C · 11.9 h sun · 4h 6m 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 Portimão

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

Search places to stay in Portimão →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 Lisbon

April from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Portimão, Portugal, at 11.9 h. Reaching it emits 5.4 kg CO₂e return, travelling 4h 6m each way by rail (modelled).

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

Yes. Portimão reaches 11.9 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 4h 6m (modelled), emitting 5.4 kg CO₂e return — which is also the best on this frontier.

How much carbon does a return trip from Lisbon to Portimão produce?

5.4 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.