Spring holidays in the sun

El Quseir, Egypt

May high: 33C

El Quseir, an old port city on the Red Sea, is ideal for divers who would prefer to avoid built-up Sharm el-Sheikh. There are sandy beaches, clear seas and coral reefs ideal for snorkelling and diving. The city itself is around 5,000 years old and was once one of the most important ports in Egypt. It has narrow streets lined with bazaars, colonial-era buildings and a recently restored fort. Other historic sites are within easy reach, such as a Roman quarry and the remains of a fifth-century gold-mining town.

Stay There are a few big-name beach resorts, but Hotel Al Quseir is a good budget option – and has an excellent website detailing the best dive sites (shared bathrooms, from £13 a night, or £19 for a sea view and aircon, +20 65 333 2301, alquseirhotel.com).

Get there EasyJet (easyjet.com) has flights from Gatwick to Hurghada (less than two hours' drive from Al Quseir) from £318 in May

Menorca, Spain

May high: 20C

Spring is the best time for an active holiday on Menorca, while it is warm but not too hot. It has been possible to circumnavigate the island on the 185km Camí de Cavalls (horses' trail) for a couple of years, but now visitors can attempt a multi-disciplinary circuit, choosing from trekking, trail running, mountain biking, horseriding or kayaking – or try them all. MenorcaTracks (camidecavalls360.com) will help plan a customised trip and organise everything from accommodation to GPS guidance. Alternatively, kick back at a rural retreat in Menorca's unspoilt interior: Exclusiver Menorca (+34 917 822322, exclusivermenorca.com) has a good selection of villas and boutique hotels.

Stay Hotel Biniarocca, a few miles from the capital, Mahon, is rustic but elegant, with two pools and pretty gardens (from £88 a night, +34 971 150059, biniarroca.com).

Get there European low-cost flights search engine Bravofly (bravofly.co.uk) has return flights in May from £85 from Gatwick, £107 from Manchester.

Sousse, Tunisia

May high: 25C

Sousse has sandy beaches, a busy port and a Unesco-certified medina. Among the twisting alleyways of the old town are the ribat (castle), the main mosque, a mosaic museum and catacombs. The modern part of town, where the majority of the hotels are found, caters mainly to tourists – it may be better to stay in a nearby village where the beaches are invariably quieter, as you'll find a taxi ride into Sousse is very cheap.

Stay Homelidays has accommodation to rent in and around Sousse, such as a newly built two-bedroom villa in a village 12km away, with a garden, 400m from the beach (from £256 a week, sleeps four, homelidays.co.uk).

Get there Monastir is the closest airport but it is cheaper to fly to Enfidha and take a bus to Sousse. Thomson (thomson.co.uk) has returns from eight British airports from £182 in May. British Airways (ba.com) has flights to Tunis from £181 – there is a station right outside the airport with trains to Sousse.

Zagreb, Croatia

May high: 21C

Many visitors skip the Croatian capital in favour of Dubrovnik, Split or the beach resorts and islands, but Zagreb has a lot to offer. It may not be as instantly striking as its two urban rivals, although it does have a well-preserved old town, but it is the cultural heart of the country. Zagreb has numerous museums and galleries, including a large modern art collection (msu.hr), and a lively programme of festivals and gigs. Arts events thin out in July and August, when the focus moves to the coast, so spring is a good time to get your fix of Croatian culture.

Stay President Pantovcak is a design hotel in an art deco-style building five minutes' walk from the main square, with antique furniture and contemporary art (from £81 a night, +385 1 4881 480, president-zagreb.com).

Get there EasyJet (easyjet.com) has return flights from Gatwick in May from £100.

Side, Turkey

May high: 25C

Side, near Antalya on Turkey's south coast, is a mix of ancient walled town and modern beach resort. So there are archaeological sites – an amphitheatre, a temple of Apollo, a Roman bath – as well as modern hotels, beach bars and watersports. Side is an interesting alternative to the more developed resorts along the Turkish Riviera. Planning laws have helped to protect the charming town centre; the main tourist development is on the west beach, while the east beach (the town is on a peninsula) is still largely untouched. Just outside of the town, the Sorgun forest reveals sandy trails ideal for spring walks and the Manavgat river has some safe swimming spots.

Stay Villa Önemli is a pretty hotel on the east beach (from £43 a night, +90 242 247 6714, hotelvillaonemli.com).

Get there Thomas Cook (flythomascook.com) has returns in May to Antalya from Birmingham, Gatwick, Glasgow and Manchester from £190.

Freiburg, Germany

May high: 20C

Historic Freiburg is in the south-west corner of Germany, on the edge of the Black Forest. The area is known for its pleasant climate, so is a good bet for a spring break. The lovely old city can be seen from the tower of Freiburg Minster, but a hike up the nearby Schlossberg offers a view that includes the stunning cathedral, as well as the surrounding forests and mountains. A good choice for after the walk is a fresh wheat beer at one of the bars around central Augustinerplatz. The farmers' market on Münsterplatz (every day except Sunday) is great for stocking up on local produce for picnics.

Stay Hotel Kreuzblume is a small stylish hotel and restaurant on a cobbled street with wisteria-clad walls and Freiburg's characteristic little water channels, or bächle (from £111 a night, +49 761 31194, hotel-kreuzblume.de).

Get there EasyJet (easyjet.com) has return flights in May to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg airport from Edinburgh, Gatwick and Manchester from £61.

Tours, France

May high: 20C

Tours is a buzzing university city on the river Loire in central France. It is well worth a visit in its own right, with its excellent Musée des Beaux-Arts, an atmospheric medieval quarter crowned with a grand gothic cathedral, and lively nightlife in the streets around the main square, Place Plumereau. Tours is also a good base for visiting the chateaux and vineyards of the Loire valley. On a sunny spring day, hire a bike and cycle part of the Loire à Vélo trail (cycling-loire.com) to Villandry, a chateau with beautiful gardens just 15km from the city.

Stay Hotel du Théâtre has small but characterful rooms – all beams and slanting ceilings – in a refurbished 15th-century building (from £60 a night, +33 2 4705 3129, hotel-du-theatre37.com).

Get there Ryanair (ryanair.com) has return flights from Manchester and Stansted in May from £53, or take the Eurostar (eurostar.com, from £69 return) to Paris and a high-speed train (just over an hour) to Tours.

Tarragona, Spain

May high: 21C

After long days indoors over winter, we're not suggesting you want to hide from the sun but The Underground House from Under The Thatch is a cool place to stay in several senses, and is half-price until 30 June. This cute new property, built into a hillside, is bright, and spacious despite its subterranean name and runs on solar power (plus woodburning stove). Three arched windows offer views of the surrounding eight acres of olive groves, plus the Els Ports mountains – and paths behind the house lead into the Cardò Boix mountains. There are bars and restaurants in the village, and the Costa Dorada beaches are an hour away. Sleeping four, it costs £425 for a week if booked by 22 April.

Get there Ryanair (ryanair.com) has return fares to Reus from Leeds Bradford for £29.98, starting 1 May 2013