The late-winter escape: where February is reliably warm and bright. Of 1,069 seaside holiday towns and cities around the world, 123 rate Good or better in February. These 20 are the best of them, spread so that no one corner of the map fills the list.
The list
- 185 · IdealCox’s BāzārBangladesh
Midday in February feels like 29°C under mostly clear skies, which rates 85, Ideal, for sunbathing. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 281 · IdealRoad TownBritish Virgin Islands
Rated 81 (Ideal) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 28°C, with partly cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from November to July, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 380 · IdealDiuIndia
A typical midday in February feels like 29°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 80 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about four and a half months, from mid November to March. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 479 · GoodWillemstadCuraçao
Midday in February feels like 29°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 79, Good, for sunbathing. Good weather here runs from November to early August, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 579 · GoodScarboroughTrinidad and Tobago
A typical midday in February feels like 29°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 79 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about nine months, from November to July. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 679 · GoodGeorge TownCayman Islands
Midday in February feels like 29°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 79, Good, for sunbathing. Good weather here runs from late October to early May, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 777 · GoodMontego BayJamaica
Rated 77 (Good) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 28°C, with partly cloudy skies. The good spell lasts about ten and a half months, from October to mid August. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 873 · GoodViganPhilippines
A typical midday in February feels like 31°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 73 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from late December to March, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 972 · GoodPhú QuốcVietnam
A typical midday in February feels like 32°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 72 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about three and a half months, from December to mid March. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 1070 · GoodPôrto SeguroBrazil
Midday in February feels like 32°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 70, Good, for sunbathing. This is not a short window: it rates Good or better all year. See mid February on the map.
- 1170 · GoodCartagenaColombia
A typical midday in February feels like 33°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 70 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from mid January to March, so there is room either side. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid February on the map.
- 1269 · GoodFlorianópolisBrazil
Rated 69 (Good) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 29°C, with partly cloudy skies. The good spell lasts about four and a half months, from mid December to mid April. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 1369 · GoodPuerto AyoraEcuador
Rated 69 (Good) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 32°C, with partly cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from mid December to mid June, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 1467 · GoodPuriIndia
Midday in February feels like 31°C under mostly clear skies, which rates 67, Good, for sunbathing. The good spell lasts about three and a half months, from mid November to February. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 1567 · GoodLimaPeru
Midday in February feels like 26°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 67, Good, for sunbathing. Good weather here runs from late January to March, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 1666 · GoodDurbanSouth Africa
A typical midday in February feels like 28°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 66 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about three and a half months, from late December to March. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 1765 · GoodGrand BaieMauritius
A typical midday in February feels like 30°C, and the Sunbathing rating averages 65 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from late October to mid May, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 1865 · GoodYeppoonAustralia
Rated 65 (Good) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 31°C, with often cloudy skies. The good spell lasts about six and a half months, from mid October to April. Open it on the map at mid February.
- 1964 · GoodYambaAustralia
Rated 64 (Good) for sunbathing in February: midday feels like 28°C, with often cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from late November to March, so there is room either side. See mid February on the map.
- 2064 · GoodPuerto PrincesaPhilippines
Midday in February feels like 32°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 64, Good, for sunbathing. The good spell lasts about two and a half months, from January to early March. Wet spells are common at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid February.
By region
How this list is worked out
The data
Every figure comes from a decade of weather-station observations, blended into one typical year and read at midday, local solar time. Scores here are averaged in February; a city missing a reading for any part of that stretch is left out rather than scored on part of it.
The rating
Sunbathing: Warm feels-like gates the score — best 26–32 °C. Dry air, light wind and clear skies each lift it; none alone rules it out. A place is also left out when its typical readings contradict its own rating, for example a high score alongside frequent rain.
The spread
To keep the list from being one coastline, entries are at least 300 km apart, no more than five come from any one region of the world, and no more than two from one country unless the list would otherwise run short. A higher-scoring place can be left out for that reason.
Only seaside places
Towns and cities within 12 km of the coast, with beaches and plenty of hotels, resorts and holiday lets within 10 km for their size. That keeps out hot inland towns and busy ports that nobody visits for the beach. Places to stay are counted from Overture Maps Places, an open dataset, so a resort missing there is missing here.
The dotted links open the map at that place and time of year, on the same layer. The map remembers the time of day you last chose there; set it to midday to see these exact numbers.