Independent destination guides – what a trip actually costs, the best time to visit based on climate data, and realistic itineraries for places worth your time.
Looking for the written overview rather than the article list? Read our guide to the best destinations for 2026.
Independent destination guides – what a trip actually costs, the best time to visit based on climate data, and realistic itineraries for places worth your time.
Italy in December is two countries: Alpine Christmas markets and ski season in the north, a mild wet low season with empty museums in Rome and the south. What opens on 8 December and what closes on the 25th.
Italy in December: Christmas Markets, Empty Museums and What Shuts Read More »
September is Tokyo wettest month by volume and the peak of typhoon season – and its second half is one of the most pleasant stretches of the year. The Aki Basho sumo, two public holidays and easing prices.
Tokyo in September: Typhoon Season, and the Month the Heat Breaks Read More »
Tokyo in August is 31C by day and above 25C at night, with the year biggest fireworks and festivals. Obon around 13-16 August empties the city and fills every train out of it. How to plan around the heat.
Tokyo in August: The Hottest Month, Obon and the Biggest Festivals Read More »
Tokyo in July splits at the end of the rainy season around the 19th. Sumida River fireworks on 31 July 2027, the Mount Fuji climbing season from 1 July with its fee and reservation rules, and how to handle the heat.
Tokyo in July: When the Rains Lift, the Fireworks Start and Fuji Opens Read More »
June is Tokyo rainy season and the only month in Japan with no public holiday – which makes it quiet and cheap. Hydrangeas, irises, the wet-weather city, and how the tsuyu actually behaves.
Tokyo in June: The Rainy Season, and Why It Is Still Worth It Read More »
Tokyo in May has the best weather of the year – 23C, low humidity, long days – once Golden Week (29 April to 5 May 2027) is out of the way. Sanja Matsuri, the May sumo tournament and normal prices from 7 May.
Tokyo in May: The Best Weather of the Year, After Golden Week Read More »
Tokyo in February is the cheapest month of the Japanese year: 11C days, clear Fuji views, Setsubun bean-throwing and plum blossom from mid-month – all before cherry-blossom pricing arrives in March.
Tokyo in February: The Cheapest Month, and the Plum Blossom Nobody Queues For Read More »
Tokyo in January is cold, dry and exceptionally clear – the best month for Mount Fuji views from the city. The New Year shutdown, hatsumode, the Hatsu Basho sumo tournament and the cheapest weeks of the year.
Tokyo in January: The New Year Shutdown, and the Clearest Month of the Year Read More »
Paris in May has four public holidays and fifteen hours of daylight. 1 May closes the Louvre and most of the shops; the Ascension bridge empties the city; Roland-Garros and the Versailles fountains both start.
Paris in May: Four Public Holidays, and the One That Shuts the City Read More »
Paris in March gains nearly two hours of daylight and jumps an extra hour on 28 March 2027, when the clocks change on Easter Sunday. Winter prices for three weeks, then the first real crowd of the year.
Paris in March: The Clock Change, Easter and the Best-Value Weeks Read More »
Best this month
South Africa
25°C 2 wet days
Average highs and wet days from WMO 1991–2020 climate normals where available, otherwise five years of ERA5 reanalysis.
