This is the big one: the combination of peak heat and the start of the longest school holidays across most of the northern hemisphere. If Mediterranean beaches form part of your travel requirements this month then you had better be prepared to share them. The same goes for choice coastlines in more northerly climes, whether in Cornwall or the Hamptons — assuming you can find a room in the first place. July is a challenge for anyone who likes to make spontaneous travel arrangements at bargain prices, but if you play with those summer parameters — mountains rather than sea, north not south — you might find some less congested beauty spots and a new travel love. Here’s our pick of the best holiday destinations for July.
Main photo: Bayankhongor Province in Mongolia (Alamy)
1. Cyclades, Greece
Why go in July? For vivid blue seas with islands on every horizon
If it’s hard to narrow down the choice of which Greek island to go for, you can fudge the issue most beautifully in the Cyclades, a group whose clustered arrangement and many ferry routes allow plenty of island-hopping. While July is the busiest travel period, especially on the most popular islands such as Santorini and Mykonos, the sight of whitewashed villages on blue bays is undeniably dazzling in the summer sun. Naxos makes a good hub island, with a family-friendly reputation; little in the way of resorts, but plenty of beaches. For added crowd avoidance, sail over to smaller islands that don’t have their own airport, such as Sifnos or Serifos. Stay at at Verina Astra. Beachcomber chic runs through the suites here, while just outside its stone walls are sea-view terraces and an infinity pool set high on the east coast of Sifnos.
• Best things to do in Santorini
• Best things to do in Mykonos
2. Loire Valley, France
Why go in July? For a royal tour of the garden of France
As summer days unfold, the grapevines around the banks of the Loire grow heavy, adding to this region’s picture of abundance. It’s said that a thousand châteaux are dotted around this broad valley, including majestic Chambord; Villandry with its ornamental gardens; and Chenonceau, built out like a graceful bridge over a river. Temperatures are typically in the mid-20s and it’s a perfect month to get onto long-distance cycling paths that run at the most forgiving of gradients. Loire Valley towns such as Tours, Saumur, Angers and Orléans are ripe with historic riches and are also where you’ll find dozens of Michelin-starred restaurants. Be first in line when the great château’s gates open with a stay at the Relais de Chambord, whose design bridges the 21st century and the French Renaissance extravaganza that the hotel looks onto.
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3. Kruger National Park, South Africa
Why go in July? For a classic safari experience in the winter dry season
South Africa’s stand-out national park promises one of the best possible introductions to big-ticket African wildlife, and if you visit in July, the drier and slightly cooler days make for more comfortable and easier game viewing, as greenery shrinks back and water holes get crowded. Further south among the peaks of the Drakensberg, you can expect to wake to clear skies and frosty mornings — perhaps even snow. While July can be the driest month in most of the country, rainfall patterns are the reverse around Cape Town. If you tolerate the drizzle here, it’s the start of the season to watch southern right whales off the coast of Hermanus. Kapama Buffalo Camp is one of four linked properties with ten luxury tents raised on wooden decks in a private game reserve next to Kruger National Park, where you can take bush walks.
• Best safaris in South Africa
4. Dolomites, Italy
Why go in July? For fresh Alpine air and walks in the shadow of giants
The different regions of the Alps — from France to Slovenia — echo each other in their landscapes and culture, but within this mountain range, the peaks of the Dolomites are unmistakeable. These sheer walls and teeth of rock stand as a backdrop to gentler scenes of cow-cropped pastures and church spires in mountain villages. In northern Italy, as elsewhere in the Alps, the summer is short, with many huts open to hikers only from late June to mid-September. Come earlier in the season for more floral colour in meadows such as the rolling plateau of the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi — doubly named like many places in this region that straddles language borders as well as dizzying heights. Lagacio Hotel Mountain Residence sits 1,500m (4,920ft) up in the village of San Cassiano in the heart of the Dolomites and brings a clean-lined aesthetic to the traditional wooden chalet design.
• Best ski resorts in Italy
• Best mountain resorts for a summer holiday in the Alps
5. Hue, Vietnam
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Why go in July? For cultural discoveries and maximum hours of sunshine on beaches
Vietnam’s skinny waist sees the best of the country’s weather in July, even as Hanoi at the head and Ho Chi Minh City at the foot get frequent rain showers. Beach-friendly times extend all the way down the central coast as far as the bayside resort city of Nha Trang. The old imperial capital of Hue on the banks of the Perfume River is one of the highlights, not just for its monuments but its own sophisticated contribution to Vietnamese cuisine. Also in the region are three more world heritage sites: the beguiling old port town of Hoi An, the ancient Hindu temple remains of My Son and the cave-riddled river landscape of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. On the banks of the Perfume River in Hue, Azerai La Residence is built in and around a 1930s French colonial mansion.
6. Asturias and Cantabria, Spain
Why go in July? For a Spanish seaside break away from postcard clichés
The southern and eastern costas of Spain are the hottest of European travel hotspots in July and August, but on the opposite side of the country to Malaga and Torremolinos, the less-visited Costa Verde is part of “Green Spain”. It too has beautiful beaches, more for surfing than sunbathing. With temperatures hitting daily highs of about 23C, and less likelihood of rain, this is the best time of year to visit if you don’t require a scorcher from your summer holidays. The provinces of Asturias and Cantabria, centred around the cities of Oviedo and Santander, both host fishing villages, cider orchards, ancient stone churches and the rocky heights of the Picos de Europa. Facing the crescent beach in the modest Asturian seaside resort of Ribadesella, the Villa Rosario is a four-star hotel in an exuberantly designed villa from 1914, with a modern annexe behind it.
7. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Why go in July? For swimming among corals and spectacular sunsets in the outback
It’s the depths of winter in Australia, and while this is the coldest month of the year in Sydney and Melbourne (though still pretty bearable for British visitors), it’s also a good time for an epic tour of the country’s desert centre and tropical north. At Uluru, days are at their freshest, encouraging hikes around this mighty monolith, while around Darwin and in northern Queensland, the dry season is well underway. On the Great Barrier Reef, the water is clearer and currents calmer: time to get your snorkel or scuba gear on for boat trips out to this 1,400-mile wonder of nature. Stay at Thala Beach Nature Reserve in tropical northern Queensland, where elegant bungalows are perched on stilts amid 58 hectares of forest, overlooking two secluded beaches.
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• 10 amazing ways to explore Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
8. Black Sea Coast, Bulgaria
Why go in July? For popular beaches with a less-explored cultural hinterland
Summer is the highest season on Bulgaria’s beaches just as it is everywhere else on Europe’s southern shores, but at least there are savings to be had here, while temperatures behave similarly to many Mediterranean locations. Around the two main Black Sea cities of Burgas and Varna is a coast of fine beaches in great arcs, broken up by craggy capes. Both combine at Sozopol, with its headland-set old town and more of a local vibe on the sand than the famous Sunny Beach to the north. Bulgaria has more than just all-inclusive resorts to offer, with impressive hikes in the Balkan and Rhodope mountain ranges, and second city Plovdiv is a recent capital of culture. The low-rise Blu Bay Hotel Sozopol is on the neck between the old town and the mainland, and has smart stone-and-wood detail in its interiors.
9. Pacific Northwest, USA
Why go in July? For coastal highway drives between fun-loving cities
Fourth of July fireworks look best over a great harbour city, but while New York is in its sticky summer phase, the month is a blessed one in Seattle, with only around one in six days bringing rain. It’s generally a busy holiday period beside America’s coasts and lakes, and in its national parks, but definitely worth it in the Pacific Northwest: the states of Washington, Oregon and by some measures northern California. An ocean-skirting drive along US Route 101 from near Seattle to San Francisco is the stuff of American road trip dreams, while inland lures include Oregon’s main city Portland and the 7,000-year-old beauty of Crater Lake. Palihotel Seattle is close to the waterfront, by the famed Pike Place Market, and makes for a trusty urban pad, with Smeg mini fridges and some bunk beds among its rooms in shades of green.
10. Nosy Boraha, Madagascar
Why go in July? For extraordinary wildlife on and off shore
The land of the lemurs has enough of its own wonderfully unique species to fill a whole continent, but from July it gets some VIP visitors too, as humpback whales migrate to the shores of Nosy Boraha (also called Île Sainte-Marie). This island and former pirate lair lies just off Madagascar’s east coast, facing the Indian Ocean, in one of the wetter and more forested parts of the country. Across Madagascar as a whole, including its highlands and the drier west where you’ll find the surreal-looking Avenue of the Baobabs and Tsingy rock formations, July is a cooler month (in tropical terms), making for more pleasant exploration than the height of heat and rain from December to March. Princesse Bora Lodge & Spa is a chilled-out beach retreat amid the coconut palms of Île Sainte-Marie, with bungalows made from local materials, and ready access to whale-watching trips.
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• Best cruises in southern Africa
11. Azores, Portugal
Why go in July? For outdoor adventures on Europe’s furthest fringe
Far out in the Atlantic, the nine islands of the Azores are a volcanic yet abundantly green archipelago with an intriguing history dating from Portugal’s voyages of discovery. Temperatures here are mild year-round (peaking in the low 20s over summer) but July sees an easing in the all-too-frequent rain, encouraging even more time spent in the fresh air, and also signalling smoother conditions for whale-watching cruises. The gateway island of Sao Miguel delivers scenic drama in its clifftop viewpoints and enigmatic crater lakes, and among its neighbours you’ll find two world heritage sites: historic Angra do Heroismo port, and Pico’s basalt-walled vineyards. Terra Nostra Garden Hotel opens onto subtropical gardens inside a volcanic caldera on Sao Miguel, and is an original art deco beauty from 1935 with a superb restaurant specialising in Azorean cuisine.
• Best things to do in the Azores
12. Copenhagen, Denmark
Why go in July? For café terraces and music festivals in Scandinavian warmth
The Danish capital stands out among European city breaks that won’t feel uncomfortably hot this month. Copenhageners who haven’t left town for their summer travels enjoy the long days on quaysides and in parks. Bike-friendly streets invite neighbourhood browsing for the best places to stop for coffee and an open sandwich, while a sunny spell on suburban beaches can soon mean relatively warm waters thanks to the shallow Oresund Strait. The beginning of the month usually brings the Copenhagen Jazz Festival with big-name headliners, and other star music acts at the Roskilde Festival a half-hour out of the city. At the seaward entrance to Copenhagen’s most photographed canal, 71 Nyhavn Hotel occupies a pair of old brick warehouses, with contemporary rooms under the heavy wooden beams.
• Best things to do in Copenhagen
13. Quito, Ecuador
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Why go in July? For diverse ecosystems and heritage sights right on the equator
Apart from the Galapagos Islands way out to sea, Ecuador gets less attention than many of its South American neighbours. Its mainland, though, is a neat cross-section, from beach-fringed and surfer-friendly coast to volcanic mountain spine to rainforest. July is generally low on rain, apart from the Amazon, which is its normal steamy self. The highland capital Quito is cooler year-round, and Unesco-listed for its Spanish colonial architecture. Also in the region you’ll find cloud forest reserves rich in birdlife, and the celebrated crafts market at Otavalo. If you visit the Galapagos this month, the seas can be choppy but you can catch the mating dance of the blue-footed booby. On the eastern edge of Quito, Hacienda Jimenita is a small country estate overlooking a forested ravine, the setting for its own nature reserve alive with hummingbirds and other feathered friends.
14. Maritime Provinces, Canada
Why go in July? For rugged beauty along Canada’s Atlantic shores
On Canada Day (July 1), citizens get another reminder that the country stretches — as its Latin motto says — “from sea to sea”. The summer months are excellent across this vast land, and the long days plus relative warmth are keenly felt in the east-coast Maritimes. The three provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are defined by their relationship with the Atlantic Ocean, with lighthouses and fishing villages on the rocky shores, and the Bay of Fundy, which has the world’s biggest tidal range. The Cabot Trail is an inspiring route to drive or cycle, while the Prince Edward Island farm country draws fans of the Anne of Green Gables books. Dating from 1861, the Telegraph House is a heritage lodge with an attached motel, also in clapboard, on the Cabot Trail across Cape Breton Island in northern Nova Scotia.
15. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Why go in July? For archery and other nomadic traditions on the endless steppe
Even among “out there” travel destinations, Mongolia is a byword for remoteness. But in the world’s most sparsely populated country, whose armies were once feared across the Eurasian landmass, you’ll find a big welcome. The most celebrated event on the calendar (book well ahead) is July’s Naadam Festival, a traditional Mongolian Olympics. The biggest show is in the capital Ulaanbaatar, a city that is an exception to the yurt-dwelling image that still holds in much of the country. July temperatures usually peak in the mid-20s (while -20C or lower is standard in midwinter), and though it’s also the rainiest season, the steppe is at its greenest. Before or after any stays in a yurt (called “ger” in Mongol), load up on conventional comforts at the Shangri-La Ulaanbaatar, a glittering high-rise affair in the heart of the fast-changing capital.
16. Montego Bay, Jamaica
Why go in July? For rains easing off to welcome reggae-lovers
Caribbean tourism usually takes a six-month holiday from around June as most islands enter their rainy period. But if you’re set on heading to the region now, Jamaica is a good bet. July mostly sees a dip in rainfall between the first peak of June and the wetter (and more hurricane-risky) times to come. Showers are often limited to afternoon bursts in any case, and can be a respite from temperatures in the low 30s. You won’t find Jamaicans hiding from the summer heat — gatherings include Reggae Sumfest, the Caribbean’s largest music festival, where the stars of Jamaica’s signature sound beat a path to Montego Bay in mid-month. West of Montego Bay, Round Hill Hotel and Villas is a picture of whitewashed, shingle-roofed island beauty, with beachfront rooms and private pool villas on a garden-decked promontory.
• Best things to do in Jamaica
17. Tahiti, French Polynesia
Why go in July? For chilled-out days or sporting contests in the South Pacific
The jagged emerald islands and horizon-hugging atolls of French Polynesia are scattered across an area of Pacific Ocean the size of western Europe, and while temperatures don’t change by more than a few degrees between New Year highs and July-August “lows” touching 30C, it’s the latter period when tropical rains are least likely to hit. As spread out as the islands are, most visitors focus on the largest one, Tahiti, and its neighbours in the Society Islands group, especially Bora Bora, set within its own lagoon. July is the month of “Heiva” on both islands and across the archipelago. These festivals, not coincidentally built around France’s national day on the 14th, are celebrations of Polynesian culture, from music and dances to outrigger canoe-racing and other traditional feats of strength. With just 15 rooms, the Vahine Island Resort and Spa comes closer than most to that castaway fantasy, its thatched bungalows over the lagoon or under the palms on a fringing island of Tahaa, next to Bora Bora.
18. Riga, Latvia
Why go in July? For a city of culture at its most vibrant
Affordability has long been the draw of Riga for stag parties and clubbers, while the cultural riches of the Latvian capital are a seriously underrated attraction. So it is then, that on a Saturday or Sunday, you might be the only person exploring the cobbled streets of its old town until well into the afternoon, perfect for spotting the feline-topped Cat House or pondering European history at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. Fans of architecture will enjoy the extravagant art nouveau buildings around Alberta Street, and the grand, modern expanse of the National Library of Latvia. Then in the evenings, head for the parks and gardens, where there are often free concerts. To stay in comfort in the heart of the action, check into the Neiburgs Hotel in the old town.
Additional reporting by Qin Xie
• Where is hot in July? 12 top destinations
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