📅 Where to Go When
The best cities to visit in every month of the year
The same city can be a completely different trip depending on when you go. Lisbon in May is warm, green and relaxed; in August it is hot and crowded. Kyoto is unforgettable in cherry blossom season and in the autumn colours, and noticeably quieter in between. Pick a month below to see which cities are at their best, plus warm-weather escapes, good-value options and quieter shoulder-season alternatives.
January55 cities in seasonDubai · Bangkok · Rio de JaneiroFebruary60 cities in seasonDubai · Bangkok · SingaporeMarch82 cities in seasonRome · Tokyo · DubaiApril94 cities in seasonParis · Rome · New YorkMay129 cities in seasonParis · Rome · LondonJune109 cities in seasonParis · London · New YorkJuly78 cities in seasonParis · London · AmsterdamAugust77 cities in seasonParis · London · AmsterdamSeptember133 cities in seasonParis · Rome · LondonOctober99 cities in seasonParis · Rome · New YorkNovember71 cities in seasonRome · New York · TokyoDecember59 cities in seasonDubai · Bangkok · Hong Kong
How to choose the right month
- Weather is only half the story. The sunniest month is often the busiest and most expensive. The months either side, the shoulder season, usually give you most of the good weather at lower prices.
- Check local holidays. School holidays, national holidays and big festivals can double hotel prices, while in some places restaurants close for the local summer break.
- Think about daylight. Northern cities have very short days in winter and almost endless ones in June. That changes how much you can see in a day.
- Remember the other hemisphere. When it is winter in Europe and North America, it is summer in Cape Town, Sydney and Buenos Aires.
Each month page is built from the "best time to visit" in our city guides, so it updates as guides are added and revised. For a single city's full year, use the best time to visit tool. Our article on planning a city break covers the rest.