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Where to go in July

34 of our 95 destinations are at their best in July, across Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania and Middle East. The best places to visit in July include Denali, Salalah, Churchill, Gobi Desert, Ksamil and Ladakh.

Beach trips in July 6

• Bali

  Indonesia · Asia
  $$

  Volcanic island with Hindu temples, terraced rice fields around Ubud, and surf breaks on the Bukit peninsula. Dry season runs April to October.

  Best: April to September

• Bora Bora

  French Polynesia · Oceania
  $$$$

  A turquoise lagoon ringed by a barrier reef under Mount Otemanu. Snorkel with rays and blacktip reef sharks.

  Best: May to October

• Fiji

  Fiji · Oceania
  $$$

  333 islands. The Mamanuca and Yasawa groups have calm lagoons; Taveuni is known as the soft coral capital of the world.

  Best: May to October

• Ksamil

  Albania · Europe
  $

  A village on the Albanian Riviera facing Corfu, with clear water and small islands you can swim to. The ancient city of Butrint is nearby.

  Best: June to September

• Moorea

  French Polynesia · Oceania
  $$$$

  A heart-shaped island in French Polynesia, a short ferry ride from Tahiti. Jagged green peaks rise above a lagoon with overwater bungalows and whale watching in season.

  Best: May to October

• Zanzibar

  Tanzania · Africa
  $$

  Swahili coral-stone town, spice plantations and powder-white beaches on the Indian Ocean. Easy to add after a safari.

  Best: June to October, or December to February

City trips in July 3

• London

  United Kingdom · Europe
  $$$$

  The British Museum, the Tate Modern and the National Gallery are free. Add a West End show and a Sunday at Borough or Columbia Road market.

  Best: May to September

• Medellín

  Colombia · South America
  $

  Colombia's second city, with spring-like weather all year. Cable cars link hillside neighbourhoods, and Comuna 13 is known for its street art and outdoor escalators.

  Best: June to August, or December to February

• Singapore

  Singapore · Asia
  $$$

  A garden city-state with some of the best cheap food anywhere. Hawker centres, Marina Bay and the supertrees are all a short MRT ride apart.

  Best: February to April, or July and August

Culture trips in July 2

• Québec City

  Canada · North America
  $$

  The only walled city north of Mexico, with French cobbled streets below Château Frontenac. February brings the Winter Carnival.

  Best: February, or June to October

• Uluru

  Australia · Oceania
  $$$

  A 348 m sandstone monolith sacred to the Anangu people. Watch it change colour at sunrise and sunset; climbing has been banned since 2019.

  Best: May to September

Nature trips in July 11

• Churchill

  Canada · North America
  $$$$

  A small town on Hudson Bay in Manitoba, known as the polar bear capital of the world. Beluga whales fill the river mouth in July and August.

  Best: July and August, or October and November

• Denali

  United States · North America
  $$$$

  A 6-million-acre park in Alaska around North America's highest peak, at 6,190 m. Grizzlies, moose and caribou roam along its single road. From summer 2027, buses can again go beyond the Pretty Rocks landslide, over a new bridge.

  Best: June to August

• Dolomites

  Italy · Europe
  $$$

  Jagged pale peaks in South Tyrol with hut-to-hut hiking in summer and the Sella Ronda ski circuit in winter.

  Best: January and February, or June to September

• Great Barrier Reef

  Australia · Oceania
  $$$

  The world's largest coral reef system, over 2,300 km long. Base yourself in Cairns or Port Douglas; stinger season runs Nov–May.

  Best: June to November

• Lençóis Maranhenses

  Brazil · South America
  $$

  A national park of white sand dunes in northeast Brazil. Rain from January to June fills the hollows between them with blue and green lagoons, which are fullest from June to September.

  Best: June to September

• Lofoten Islands

  Norway · Europe
  $$$$

  An Arctic archipelago in Norway, where jagged peaks rise straight from the sea and red fishing cabins line the harbours. It has the midnight sun in summer and northern lights in winter.

  Best: February and March, or June to August

• Norwegian Fjords

  Norway · Europe
  $$$$

  Sheer walls around Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, both UNESCO-listed. The Flåm Railway descends 863 m in 20 km.

  Best: May to August

• Okavango Delta

  Botswana · Africa
  $$$$

  An inland delta that floods in the dry season, drawing elephants, lions and wild dogs. Explore by dug-out mokoro canoe.

  Best: June to October

• Salalah

  Oman · Middle East
  $$

  Southern Oman's frankincense country. The khareef monsoon turns the hills green from June to September, while most of Arabia bakes.

  Best: July to September

• Scottish Highlands

  United Kingdom · Europe
  $$$

  Glens, lochs and single-malt distilleries. Drive the North Coast 500 or take the train from Fort William over the Glenfinnan Viaduct.

  Best: May to September

• Serengeti

  Tanzania · Africa
  $$$$

  Home of the Great Migration: about 1.5 million wildebeest cross the plains in a yearly loop. Calving is Jan–Feb, river crossings Jul–Oct.

  Best: January and February, or June to October

Adventure trips in July 12

• Banff

  Canada · North America
  $$$

  Lake Louise and Moraine Lake in the Canadian Rockies. The Icefields Parkway to Jasper is one of the world's great drives.

  Best: January and February, or June to September

• Gobi Desert

  Mongolia · Asia
  $$

  Southern Mongolia's vast desert of singing dunes, flaming cliffs and dinosaur fossil sites. Stays are in nomad-style ger camps.

  Best: June to September

• Ladakh

  India · Asia
  $$

  A high-altitude desert in the Indian Himalaya, with Buddhist monasteries above Leh and the blue Pangong Lake at about 4,300 m. The mountain roads into Ladakh are snowbound for much of the winter.

  Best: June to September

• Machu Picchu

  Peru · South America
  $$

  The 15th-century Inca citadel on a ridge above the Urubamba. Hike the four-day Inca Trail (permits sell out) or train from Cusco.

  Best: April to October

• Niseko

  Japan · Asia
  $$$

  A ski area on Hokkaido known for some of the world's most reliable powder snow. In summer, the same hills offer hiking, rafting and cool weather.

  Best: July, or December to February

• Queenstown

  New Zealand · Oceania
  $$$

  Birthplace of commercial bungee jumping, with ski fields in winter and Milford Sound a day trip away.

  Best: June to August, or December to March

• Reykjavík

  Iceland · Europe
  $$$$

  Base for the Golden Circle, glacier hikes and whale watching. Summer brings midnight sun; September to March brings aurora season.

  Best: February and March, or June to October

• Salar de Uyuni

  Bolivia · South America
  $

  The world's largest salt flat, 10,000 km² of white crust high in the Bolivian Andes. In the wet season it becomes a giant mirror; in the dry season, 4x4s cross it.

  Best: January to March, or May to October

• Sossusvlei

  Namibia · Africa
  $$$

  A clay pan in Namibia's Namib Desert, surrounded by red dunes more than 300 m high. In nearby Deadvlei, camel-thorn trees that died 600 to 700 years ago still stand.

  Best: May to October

• Swiss Alps

  Switzerland · Europe
  $$$$

  Interlaken, Grindelwald and Zermatt put the Eiger, Jungfrau and Matterhorn within train reach. Ski in winter, hike in summer.

  Best: January to March, or June to September

• Vava'u

  Tonga · Oceania
  $$$

  A group of islands in northern Tonga, with sheltered sailing waters. From July to October, you can swim with humpback whales that come to breed.

  Best: July to October

• Volcanoes National Park

  Rwanda · Africa
  $$$$

  A park on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes in northwest Rwanda. Permits allow a small number of visitors each day to spend an hour with mountain gorillas.

  Best: June to September, or December to February