When to go where
117 regions of the world, each read month by month: when it is in season, when it is merely good, and when it is in its low season. Every place is judged for what it is — beaches on beach weather, ski towns on snow, cities on walking comfort. Pick a region for the reasons behind each month.
in seasongoodnot its bestlow season
Europe
22- The Alps41 places · e.g. CerviniaIn season: Jan, Feb, Apr, Dec84
- The Atlantic islands6 places · e.g. TenerifeIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep93
- Catalonia, Valencia & the Balearics12 places · e.g. AlicanteIn season: May, Jun, Sep90
- Andalusia & the Algarve16 places · e.g. MálagaIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep91
- Central Spain3 places · e.g. MadridIn season: Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct93
- Central & Southern Italy22 places · e.g. CataniaIn season: May, Jun, Sep89
- Lisbon & Central Portugal10 places · e.g. AveiroIn season: May, Jun, Sep90
- Southern France13 places · e.g. ToulouseIn season: May, Jun, Sep91
- Greece & Cyprus22 places · e.g. CorfuIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug93
- Northern Italy12 places · e.g. TurinIn season: Apr, May, Sep87
- Green Spain & Northern Portugal8 places · e.g. PortoIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug90
- The British Isles40 places · e.g. OxfordIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug88
- The Adriatic coast15 places · e.g. BudvaIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug93
- The Balkans25 places · e.g. SofiaIn season: May, Jun, Sep92
- Western Europe22 places · e.g. BrusselsIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug91
- Central Europe37 places · e.g. CologneIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug91
- Scandinavia15 places · e.g. StockholmIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug89
- The Norwegian fjords4 places · e.g. GeirangerIn season: May, Jun, Jul85
- Iceland & the Faroes5 places · e.g. ReykjavíkIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug81
- The Baltics8 places · e.g. VilniusIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug90
- Eastern Europe5 places · e.g. MoscowIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug93
- Lapland & the Arctic11 places · e.g. RovaniemiIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug85
North America
10- Hawaii8 places · e.g. LahainaIn season: Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov88
- Florida15 places · e.g. Naples, FloridaIn season: Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov89
- The Desert Southwest25 places · e.g. MoabIn season: Mar, Apr, May, Oct90
- California22 places · e.g. San FranciscoIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep91
- The Rockies30 places · e.g. BoiseIn season: Jun, Aug, Sep87
- The US South21 places · e.g. SavannahIn season: Apr, May, Oct85
- The Pacific Northwest11 places · e.g. SeattleIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug95
- The Great Lakes & Midwest33 places · e.g. TorontoIn season: May, Jun, Sep87
- The Northeast & Atlantic Canada19 places · e.g. PhiladelphiaIn season: May, Jun, Aug86
- Alaska & the Far North14 places · e.g. FairbanksIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug88
Latin America & the Caribbean
30- The Atacama4 places · e.g. San Pedro de AtacamaIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar94
- Baja & Northern Mexico5 places · e.g. La Paz, Baja CaliforniaIn season: Jan, Feb, Nov93
- Central Mexico9 places · e.g. QuerétaroIn season: Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec92
- The Lesser Antilles21 places · e.g. BasseterreIn season: Jan, Mar, Apr90
- The Greater Antilles17 places · e.g. NegrilIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar91
- The Southern Caribbean6 places · e.g. KralendijkIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May89
- Northern Central America17 places · e.g. Guatemala CityIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar86
- Caribbean Colombia & Venezuela6 places · e.g. Santa MartaIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar84
- Costa Rica & Panama13 places · e.g. Santa TeresaIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar87
- The Colombian Andes7 places · e.g. Villa de LeyvaIn season: Jan, Jul, Dec81
- Patagonia9 places · e.g. El CalafateIn season: Jan, Feb, Dec80
- The Mexican Pacific coast6 places · e.g. Puerto VallartaIn season: Feb, Mar, Apr96
- Central Chile & Mendoza4 places · e.g. SantiagoIn season: Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov91
- Northeast Brazil8 places · e.g. TrancosoIn season: Sep, Oct, Dec90
- Peru's desert coast6 places · e.g. MáncoraIn season: Jul, Aug, Sep94
- Ecuador's coast & the Galápagos3 places · e.g. MontañitaIn season: Sep, Nov, Dec95
- The Bahamas & Bermuda4 places · e.g. NassauIn season: Feb, Mar, Apr91
- The Yucatán & Belize13 places · e.g. Playa del CarmenIn season: Feb, Mar, Apr91
- The Pampas & Uruguay8 places · e.g. RosarioIn season: Apr, Oct, Nov88
- The Altiplano & Lake Titicaca8 places · e.g. CochabambaIn season: May, Jul, Aug, Nov86
- The Peruvian Andes6 places · e.g. CuscoIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug95
- Southern Brazil & Iguazú6 places · e.g. Foz do IguaçuIn season: Apr, Jul, Aug, Nov83
- The Guianas & Northern Brazil10 places · e.g. FortalezaIn season: Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov80
- The Ecuadorian Andes4 places · e.g. OtavaloIn season: Jul, Aug, Sep88
- Northwest Argentina4 places · e.g. CafayateIn season: Jul, Aug, Sep92
- Southeast Brazil9 places · e.g. Belo HorizonteIn season: May, Jun, Jul, Sep87
- Amazonia5 places · e.g. Alter do ChãoIn season: Jul, Aug70
- Central Brazil & the Chaco5 places · e.g. BrasíliaIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug90
- The Andes ski country4 places · e.g. PortilloIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug88
- The Andean Lakes District5 places · e.g. San Martín de los AndesIn season: —66
Africa
14- The Horn of Africa7 places · e.g. Addis AbabaIn season: Jan, Nov, Dec95
- The Swahili coast8 places · e.g. LamuIn season: Jan, Feb, Sep91
- The Cape & Garden Route7 places · e.g. Jeffreys BayIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec88
- The Sahel & Cabo Verde13 places · e.g. PraiaIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec87
- The Gulf of Guinea11 places · e.g. AbujaIn season: Jan, Dec70
- Egypt & the Red Sea11 places · e.g. Sharm El SheikhIn season: Apr, May, Oct, Nov95
- Morocco's Atlantic coast8 places · e.g. AgadirIn season: May, Jun, Sep, Oct92
- East Africa14 places · e.g. NgorongoroIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug89
- The Maghreb15 places · e.g. AlgiersIn season: Apr, May, Oct, Nov89
- Eastern South Africa & Mozambique14 places · e.g. PembaIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep91
- Namibia & Botswana9 places · e.g. WindhoekIn season: May, Jun, Jul91
- Central Africa6 places · e.g. São ToméIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug79
- The Indian Ocean islands16 places · e.g. ToliaraIn season: Aug, Sep, Oct93
- Zambia, Zimbabwe & Malawi9 places · e.g. BlantyreIn season: May, Jun, Jul, Aug94
Middle East & Central Asia
7- Arabia & the Gulf21 places · e.g. SalalahIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar92
- The Levant14 places · e.g. Dead SeaIn season: Apr, May, Oct95
- Iran & Iraq4 places · e.g. IsfahanIn season: Apr, May, Oct92
- The Caucasus15 places · e.g. ShekiIn season: Apr, Jun, Sep87
- Central & Eastern Turkey9 places · e.g. SafranboluIn season: May, Jun, Sep89
- Western Turkey17 places · e.g. ÖlüdenizIn season: Jun, Jul, Sep, Oct94
- Central Asia20 places · e.g. OshIn season: Apr, Sep, Oct91
South Asia
6- Bangladesh & Bengal6 places · e.g. DhakaIn season: Jan, Feb, Dec92
- Western India & Goa4 places · e.g. GokarnaIn season: Jan, Feb, Dec91
- South India15 places · e.g. MunnarIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar91
- Northern India & Pakistan12 places · e.g. AgraIn season: Jan, Feb, Dec89
- Sri Lanka & the Maldives13 places · e.g. Nuwara EliyaIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar87
- The Himalaya28 places · e.g. ParoIn season: Oct, Nov, Dec84
East Asia
9- Hokkaido3 places · e.g. FuranoIn season: Jan, Feb, Dec92
- Southern China & Hong Kong8 places · e.g. ShenzhenIn season: Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec87
- Yunnan5 places · e.g. LijiangIn season: Mar, Apr, May89
- Taiwan & Okinawa11 places · e.g. TainanIn season: Feb, Mar, Dec84
- Mainland Japan26 places · e.g. KanazawaIn season: Apr, May, Oct, Nov83
- Central China8 places · e.g. HuangshanIn season: Apr, May, Oct, Nov82
- Northern China6 places · e.g. BeijingIn season: Apr, May, Sep84
- Korea10 places · e.g. GyeongjuIn season: Apr, May, Oct87
- Siberia & Mongolia12 places · e.g. YakutskIn season: Jun, Jul, Aug89
Southeast Asia
11- Myanmar8 places · e.g. KalawIn season: Jan, Feb, Dec89
- The Andaman coast8 places · e.g. Ko LantaIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar90
- Northern Thailand & Laos9 places · e.g. Chiang RaiIn season: Jan, Feb, Dec85
- Southern Vietnam & Cambodia13 places · e.g. DalatIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar90
- Central Thailand6 places · e.g. Hua HinIn season: Jan, Feb, Dec85
- The Gulf of Thailand islands3 places · e.g. Ko TaoIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar90
- Northern Vietnam5 places · e.g. HanoiIn season: Jan, Feb, Dec84
- Central Vietnam6 places · e.g. Nha TrangIn season: Feb, Mar, Apr81
- The Philippines14 places · e.g. CoronIn season: Feb, Mar, Apr83
- Malaysia, Singapore & Sumatra17 places · e.g. PenangIn season: Feb69
- Java, Bali & Nusa Tenggara17 places · e.g. Labuan BajoIn season: Jul, Aug, Sep88
Oceania
8- New Zealand's North Island8 places · e.g. NapierIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar89
- Southeast Australia & Tasmania11 places · e.g. HobartIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar89
- New Zealand's South Island10 places · e.g. ChristchurchIn season: Jan, Feb, Mar85
- The Australian east coast9 places · e.g. BrisbaneIn season: Apr, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec88
- Western Australia & the Outback5 places · e.g. ExmouthIn season: Apr, May, Aug91
- Micronesia8 places · e.g. SaipanIn season: Feb, Mar, Apr79
- The South Pacific27 places · e.g. NadiIn season: Aug, Sep, Oct84
- Tropical Australia6 places · e.g. BroomeIn season: Aug, Sep, Oct93