Northern winters are long. The flights aren’t that much more expensive in January than they are in May. There is a class of warm-weather destinations where dry season is December through March and the prices are actually lower than the year’s peak.
This is the practical version of a long-considered escape. Six places we’d send a friend in February: walkable cities, comfortable temperatures, and shoulder-season-or-better pricing on accommodation. Most of these are at their best because it’s winter in Europe and North America — their dry seasons line up with everyone else’s worst weather.
Bangkok, Thailand
November through February is Thailand’s coolest dry season. Bangkok at 28C with low humidity is a different city than Bangkok at 35C in May. The street food is at its best, the temples are walkable in the morning, and the prices haven’t gone up since 2019 in absolute terms.
Read the Bangkok guideMarrakech, Morocco
Best in November or March specifically. Daytime around 18-22C, evenings cool enough for a sweater on a riad rooftop. The Atlas mountains are still snow-capped, which makes day-trips up to the Imlil valley feel especially dramatic. Cheap direct flights from most European hubs.
Read the Marrakech guideCosta Rica
December through April is the Pacific-side dry season. The cloud forests around Monteverde are mistier and more dramatic. The Pacific beaches are reliably warm and uncrowded by mid-month after the New Year peak passes. Easy direct flights from most of North America.
Read the Costa Rica guideOaxaca, Mexico
The Mexican highlands sit at 1,500m so winter days are 22-25C, evenings 10-12C. Day of the Dead in early November and the holiday craft season through January make this the cultural peak of the year. The mole, the mezcal, and the textile markets all hit their best.
Read the Oaxaca guideCartagena, Colombia
Caribbean dry season is December through March. The walled city is too hot for most of the year; this is when you can actually walk it in the afternoon. Add 2-3 days for the Rosario islands offshore. Direct flights from most US hubs.
Read the Cartagena guideDubai
November through March is when the Gulf is comfortable — 25C, dry, with desert nights cool enough to camp. Outside these months the city is unbearable. If you’ve put off Dubai because of summer reputation, winter is the answer.
Read the Dubai guide