Where the height of the northern summer is still mild enough for a long day on foot. 2,596 towns and cities that draw visitors around the world were scored in July, and 750 rate Good or better. The 20 below lead, spread so no single region takes over.
The shortlist
- 195 · IdealAntofagastaChile
Midday in July feels like 12°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 95, Ideal, for active outdoors. This is not a short window: it rates Good or better all year. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid July on the map.
- 289 · IdealAlice SpringsAustralia
A typical midday in July feels like 14°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 89 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about five and a half months, from late April to September. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 387 · IdealCuscoPeru
A typical midday in July feels like 14°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 87 over the stretch. This is not a short window: it rates Good or better all year. See mid July on the map.
- 487 · IdealArequipaPeru
Rated 87 (Ideal) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 14°C, with mostly clear skies. It rates Good or better all year, not just now. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 586 · IdealGold CoastAustralia
Rated 86 (Ideal) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 17°C, with partly cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from mid May to early October, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 685 · IdealWindhoekNamibia
Midday in July feels like 16°C under almost cloudless skies, which rates 85, Ideal, for active outdoors. The good spell lasts about four and a half months, from late April to early September. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 785 · IdealCalderaChile
Midday in July feels like 12°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 85, Ideal, for active outdoors. This is not a short window: it rates Good or better all year. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid July on the map.
- 884 · IdealCherbourgFrance
A typical midday in July feels like 17°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 84 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about six months, from May to October. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 984 · IdealPort TownsendWashington, United States
Rated 84 (Ideal) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 17°C, with mostly clear skies. Good weather here runs from mid April to October, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 1083 · IdealEdinburghUnited Kingdom
Midday in July feels like 15°C under often cloudy skies, which rates 83, Ideal, for active outdoors. The good spell lasts about five and a half months, from May to mid October. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 1183 · IdealAntananarivoMadagascar
A typical midday in July feels like 15°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 83 over the stretch. The good spell lasts about six months, from mid April to early October. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 1283 · IdealDublinIreland
Midday in July feels like 15°C under often cloudy skies, which rates 83, Ideal, for active outdoors. Good weather here runs from May to October, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 1383 · IdealWhitehorseCanada
Midday in July feels like 16°C under often cloudy skies, which rates 83, Ideal, for active outdoors. The good spell lasts about four and a half months, from mid May to mid September. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 1483 · IdealPolokwaneSouth Africa
Rated 83 (Ideal) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 16°C, with mostly clear skies. Good weather here runs from May to early September, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
- 1583 · IdealMontereyCalifornia, United States
Midday in July feels like 17°C under mostly clear skies, which rates 83, Ideal, for active outdoors. It rates Good or better all year, not just now. Rain is rare at this time of year. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 1683 · IdealTermas de Río HondoArgentina
Rated 83 (Ideal) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 13°C, with partly cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from mid April to mid September, so there is room either side. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid July on the map.
- 1782 · IdealMmabathoSouth Africa
Rated 82 (Ideal) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 14°C, with mostly clear skies. The good spell lasts about five and a half months, from mid April to September. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 1882 · IdealNairobiKenya
A typical midday in July feels like 19°C, and the Active outdoors rating averages 82 over the stretch. Good weather here runs from May to September, so there is room either side. Rain is rare at this time of year. See mid July on the map.
- 1981 · IdealHudiksvallSweden
Midday in July feels like 17°C under partly cloudy skies, which rates 81, Ideal, for active outdoors. The good spell lasts about four and a half months, from late May to September. Open it on the map at mid July.
- 2080 · IdealGrimsbyUnited Kingdom
Rated 80 (Ideal) for active outdoors in July: midday feels like 16°C, with often cloudy skies. Good weather here runs from May to October, so there is room either side. See mid July on the map.
Places with a guide of their own
Ranked the same way, but only among the places that have a guide of their own:
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 July; a city missing a reading for any part of that stretch is left out rather than scored on part of it.
The rating
Active outdoors: A mild feels-like gates the score — best 10–20 °C, cool enough for hiking, cycling and running. Dryness matters most, with a penalty for strong wind. 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 places that draw visitors
Towns and cities with plenty of hotels, guest houses and holiday lets nearby for their size, or a great many of them in all, counted from Overture Maps Places, an open dataset. That keeps out places the weather favours but nobody travels to. Where two places share one resort or city, the one a visitor would name is kept.
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.