159 destinations. 12 months each. 14 holiday weeks.
Where to go, and when.
Every place has a right month. Tell us when you can travel and we'll show you where the world is at its best, or look up a place and see all twelve months graded.
At their best right nowSeptember, all 86
Cinque Terre. Best months: May to June and September to October.
Photo: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Feel free to use my photos, but p, CC BY-SA 4.0
The year, month by month.
Count = places at their best that month
01
Help me choose.
Five plain questions. We rank every place for the dates you can actually go.
01 / 05
When could you travel?
Pick a month or a holiday week. Not sure yet? Choose 'Anytime' and we'll tell you the best time for each place.
02
Already know where you're going?
Type the place. You'll get its best and worst months, graded.
03
Where to go in September.
The best places to travel in September are the Greek islands and Croatia in warm-sea shoulder season, Paris and Rome after the crowds thin, Istanbul and Lisbon in golden weather, and the Serengeti as crossing season winds down.
04
Plan around the next holiday.
A holiday week has its own crowds and prices. Each guide ranks the world for that exact week.
Top pick: Florence
Fall Break
October
The best-weather week of the school year, if you pick the right place. Leaf peepers, desert hikers, and the smart European shoulder season.
Top pick: Mexico City
Thanksgiving
November
The busiest travel days in America wrapped around one of the best-value weeks abroad. Fly on the right day and go somewhere that is not having a holiday.
Top pick: Hokkaido
Winter Break Ski Trips
December, January, February, March
Four holiday weeks, every family on the same lifts. Pick the resort by the snow and the calendar, not the brand name.
Top pick: Finnish Lapland
Christmas Week
December
The most expensive, most crowded week of the travel year. Go somewhere Christmas is the whole point, or somewhere Christmas is not a thing at all.
05
Skip in September.
The places where September works against you, and why.
- 01The Caribbean, Gulf Coast, and FloridaSeptember is the statistical peak of Atlantic hurricane season. This is the highest-risk month of the year to have a beach itinerary on the storm map.Think twice
- 02JapanPeak typhoon season: September storms regularly disrupt flights and trains, especially across the south and west. October's clear, crisp weather is worth the wait.Think twice
- 03The Maldives and southern IndiaThe southwest monsoon is still running: gray skies, rain, and rougher seas in what should be a postcard. The dry season returns around December.Think twice
- 04Bali and Lombok's peak-price holdoutsNothing wrong with the weather, but this is a value note: dry season is ending and September still carries near-peak pricing in famous areas. Better rates arrive with the shoulder in October.Think twice
Worth flying for soon.
Festivals and natural events in the next two months.
The Great MigrationSerengeti, Tanzania and Masai Mara, KenyaYear-round, with calving in the southern Serengeti from roughly late January to March and river crossings from about July to October
Burning ManBlack Rock Desert, NevadaAbout nine days from the last Sunday of August through Labor Day, the first Monday of September
OktoberfestMunich, GermanyMid September to the first Sunday of October, roughly 16 to 18 days, mostly in September despite the name
New England Fall FoliageVermont, New Hampshire & MaineLate September through mid October, with peak color sweeping from north to south and high elevations downward
06
Popular destinations.
The strip under every name is its year: yellow is best, ink is good, empty is think twice.
07
Lists worth reading.
Underrated places, crowd-free swaps, and the right place for every season.
- 01Monsoon-Safe Asia: Where to Go From June to September12 places
- 02Wildflower Superblooms and Flower Seasons: Where and When to Go14 places
- 03The Best Stargazing Destinations, and When the Skies Are Clearest14 places
- 04Islands Safe From Hurricane Season: Where to Go From June to November14 places
- 0512 Underrated European Cities That Are Still Cool12 places
- 06Hidden Gems of Italy10 places
- 07America's Coolest Small Towns Nobody Talks About12 places
- 08The Best National Parks Nobody Visits10 places
The right place at the wrong time is the wrong place.
We are a traveling homeschool family from Austin. Every guide grades all twelve months, including the bad ones.
How we research- 01Answer first.
- The best window is the first sentence of every guide. The nuance follows.
- 02Twelve-month honesty.
- Every month gets a verdict. Think twice is a real rating here, and we use it.
- 03Open or closed.
- What actually shuts down, seasonally and weekly, before you plan a day around it.
- 04No paid placements.
- No destination, hotel or tourism board pays to be ranked. Ever.
08
The index.
Every destination and state. The strip under each name is its year, January to December.
Europe 49
Asia 28
North America 37
Central America & Caribbean 13
South America 8
Africa 11
Oceania & Pacific 7
USA, state by state
Northeast
Southeast
Midwest
Southwest
Once you know when, pack it right: packing cubes, travel tech, and the airport survival kit.
Before you book.
Sort these two things first.
Sponsored links. We may earn a commission; it never changes a verdict.
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eSIM data.
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