Best time to visit Southern Europe

The best time to visit Southern Europe is June, July and September, judged across 115 places; January is its weakest month.

Updated September 2026 · Europe · 115 places, each judged for what it is · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Southern Europe month by month

Month	Season	Why	Best places
January	not its best	off-season shutdown · 14°C highs · best Jun–Sep	Soldeu, Baqueira-Beret, Gibraltar
February	good	15°C highs	Seville, Valencia, Gibraltar
March	good	17°C highs · 10 h sun	Valletta, Catania, Kalabaka
April	good	19°C highs · 11 h sun	Kalabaka, Nafplio, Seville
May	good	23°C highs · 12 h sun	Catania, Lisbon, Madrid
June	in season	sea warm enough · 4 wet days · 28°C highs	Alicante, Benidorm, Chania
July	in season	sea warm enough · 2 wet days · 30°C highs	Ajaccio, Cádiz, Málaga
August	good	sea warm enough · 3 wet days · 30°C highs	Cannes, Ajaccio, Porto
September	in season	sea warm enough · 27°C highs · 11 h sun	Málaga, Paphos, Heraklion
October	good	sea warm enough · 23°C highs	Larnaca, Limassol, Athens
November	good	18°C highs	Nicosia, Limassol, Catania
December	not its best	off-season shutdown · 15°C highs · best Jun–Sep	Catania, Palermo, Barcelona

In season: one of the region's three best months, and good in its own right. Low season: one of its three worst, and well below its best. The reasons compare each month with the region's own year and name the seasons on the ground — monsoon, autumn colour, hurricanes — where most of its places share them.

All 115 places in Southern Europe

Southern Europe — FAQ

When is the best time to visit Southern Europe?: June, July and September. In June: sea warm enough · 4 wet days · 28°C highs.
When is the low season in Southern Europe?: Southern Europe has no month that falls far below the rest of its year; January is the weakest (off-season shutdown · 14°C highs · best Jun–Sep).
Which months are in season in Southern Europe?: June, July and September — the months among its best that are also good in their own right.

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