Where to Go in July 2027: 23 Best Places to Travel

Anyone choosing a July trip is asking two things: why July, and why this place in July. The answer to the first is that July is high summer in the north. The Arctic still has the midnight sun, the Alps and the Rockies are in hiking season, and four big festivals open in the first ten days of the month. South of the equator and in East Africa, July is the dry season, when the Serengeti herds start crossing the rivers and the Okavango flood peaks. The catch is the crowds and the heat. July is peak season in 16 of these 23 places, and Lecce's highs average 32.1 °C (90 °F).

For July 2027, plan around one of the four festivals if you can. To escape the heat, go north to Reykjavík, Tromsø or Juneau, where highs stay below 19 °C (66 °F). Naxos has the driest beach week of the 23. For safari, start in Arusha early in the month, when the herds begin crossing the Serengeti's rivers.

• Festivals: the Montreux Jazz Festival (July 2 to 17), San Fermín (July 6 to 14), the Calgary Stampede (July 9 to 18) and Naadam (July 10 to 15).
• Coolest: Reykjavík, highs of 14.2 °C (58 °F).
• Migration: the Serengeti herds start crossing the Grumeti and Mara rivers in July and reach Kenya in late July and August.

July 2027 at a glance

Highs are July averages for 2013 to 2022. Daily budgets are Budget Your Trip's mid-range costs per person. The season compares July with an average month in official tourism statistics. See where to go in June for the month before and August for the month after.

Cool summer escapes

July highs in these five stay between 14.2 °C (58 °F) in Reykjavík and 23.1 °C (74 °F) in Banff.

Reykjavík, Iceland

Best for near-endless daylight and open highland roads

• Weather: highs 14.2 °C (58 °F), lows 9.2 °C (49 °F); 94 mm (3.7 in) of rain over about 13 wet days; sea 10.8 °C (51 °F)
• Dates: near-constant daylight, May 20 to July 24
• Season: peak, 1.32 times an average month in overnight stays, capital region
• Daily budget: about $311 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: 10-day Reykjavík itinerary, Golden Circle itinerary, Iceland packing list

Reykjavík is the coolest of the 23 places in July, and until July 24 the sun never sinks more than 5° below the horizon. Reykjavík is the starting point for the Golden Circle, a day loop to Þingvellir, Gullfoss and the geysers of Haukadalur. By July the highland F-roads have usually opened, and the puffin season is at its best.

Come before July 24 if the light is the reason. Peak-season rooms cost nearly double the off-season ones. Book a geothermal lagoon before you fly. Sky Lagoon is easier to get into than the Blue Lagoon, which sells out one to three weeks ahead in summer. July has no northern lights, and rain falls on about 13 days, so pack a waterproof.

Take a whale and puffin boat from the Old Harbor, and give one full day to the Golden Circle. In town, start at Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Iceland. Late in the evening, walk to the Sun Voyager sculpture on the waterfront to watch the midnight sun go down. Order pylsur, the lamb-based hot dog, from a Bæjarins Beztu stand. Have skyr (Iceland's cultured dairy dish) for breakfast. On Skólavörðustígur, the Handknitting Association of Iceland sells the lopapeysa, a hand-knitted wool sweater.

Steven Lek (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Hallgrímskirkja and the Leifur Eiríksson statue, late August

Plan your Reykjavik trip →

Tromsø, Norway

Best for midnight-sun hikes and a fjord-side rock festival

• Weather: highs 15.5 °C (60 °F), lows 10.1 °C (50 °F); 102 mm (4.0 in) of rain over about 12 wet days; sea 9.1 °C (48 °F)
• Dates: midnight sun, until about July 22; Bukta Tromsø Open Air Festival, July 23 and 24, 2027
• Season: shoulder, 1.07 times an average month in hotel guest nights, Troms county
• Plan it: 10-day Norway itinerary, Norway guide

Arrive in Tromsø by July 22 for the last nights of the midnight sun, and stay on for the Bukta open-air festival on July 23 and 24. Tromsø, northern Norway's largest city, is on a small island 350 km north of the Arctic Circle. While the sun stays up, you can hike after dinner and kayak the fjords at midnight.

Bukta brings rock, beer and seafood to the Telegrafbukta shore, a short way from downtown. The busy season in Tromsø is winter, for the northern lights, and July is calmer. The sea is the coldest of the 23 at 9.1 °C (48 °F). Pack a sleep mask.

Ride the Fjellheisen cable car four minutes up to the Storsteinen ledge, about 420 m above the city, and walk the plateau in the midnight sun. Visit the Arctic Cathedral, the city's symbol at the end of the Tromsø bridge, when the late sun makes it glow. Try stockfish, cod dried on racks in the northern air. Finnbiff is sautéed reindeer, served with mashed potatoes and lingonberries. One night, skip the booked tours and take a picnic of local food to Telegrafbukta at midnight.

Kawon Kez Sel (CC0)

Tromsø under the midnight sun, 00:42 on 6 July

Plan your Tromsø trip →

Zermatt, Switzerland

Best for Matterhorn hikes in cool alpine air

• Weather: highs 14.9 °C (59 °F), lows 6.9 °C (44 °F); 196 mm (7.7 in) of rain over about 18 wet days
• Season: peak, 1.25 times an average month in hotel nights
• Plan it: 5-day Swiss Alps itinerary, Switzerland guide

Zermatt's main glacier ski area opens in July, so you can ski above the village in the morning and hike under the Matterhorn in the afternoon. Car-free Zermatt lies at the mountain's foot, and in July all its cable cars run.

The summer ski area on the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise reaches 3,883 m and closes at midday. In a heat wave the ski area can close, as it did in August 2026, so come for the hiking and treat the skiing as a bonus. Book July rooms before April, and pack for rain on more than half the days.

Take the rack railway up the Gornergrat, where a platform above 3,000 m faces 29 peaks over 4,000 m. Ride the funicular to Sunnegga for the 5-Lakes Trail, where the Matterhorn is reflected in the mountain lakes. On a wet day, go to the Matterhorn Museum for the story of the first ascent on July 14, 1865. After the hike, share a raclette, the melted cheese of the Valais. Look too for cholera, the Valais pie of potatoes and apples baked with cheese and bacon.

Deralpinbergsteiger (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Matterhorn reflected in the Riffelsee at sunrise, July

Plan your Zermatt trip →

Banff, Canada

Best for turquoise lakes and Canada Day in town

• Weather: highs 23.1 °C (74 °F), lows 7.1 °C (45 °F); 102 mm (4.0 in) of rain over about 14 wet days
• Dates: Canada Day, July 1, 2027
• Plan it: 5-day Banff itinerary

By July, Moraine Lake in Banff National Park is full and azure blue. Banff National Park, Canada's first, lies 110 to 180 km west of Calgary. July is the month to canoe its lakes.

Canada Day on July 1 usually brings a parade down Banff Avenue and an evening show in Central Park. July is usually the park's busiest month. Moraine Lake Road is closed to private cars, so you reach the lake and Lake Louise on the Parks Canada shuttle. Book a seat when the shuttle opens in April, and look again two days before your date for released seats. Nights drop to 7.1 °C (45 °F), so bring a warm layer. For quieter trails, cross into Yoho or Kootenay National Park next door.

Drive the Icefields Parkway, 227 km from Lake Louise to Jasper. Closer to town, cruise Lake Minnewanka, six minutes north. Roam transit runs in summer to the catwalks of Johnston Canyon. The thermal cave at the Cave and Basin is the birthplace of Canada's national parks. Finish the day with saskatoon berry pie, a dessert from the Prairies.

Scruffdog1 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Canoes on the dock at Moraine Lake, July

Plan your Banff trip →

Juneau, United States

Best for glaciers, whales and the Fourth of July

• Weather: highs 18.1 °C (65 °F), lows 10.8 °C (51 °F); 205 mm (8.1 in) of rain over about 18 wet days; sea 11.3 °C (52 °F)
• Dates: Independence Day, July 4, 2027
• Plan it: Alaska cruise packing list

Juneau marks the Fourth of July with parades downtown and on Douglas Island, then fireworks over Gastineau Channel at dark. Juneau is one of two US state capitals with no road to the rest of the state. July is its prime month for whale watching.

In July 2026, cruise ships sailed at their fullest, under a voluntary limit of five large ships a day. Stay a few nights rather than arriving by ship, and plan the glacier around the days the ships dock. Juneau is the wettest of the 23 in July, so pack rain gear before warm layers.

Drive 13 miles from downtown to Mendenhall Glacier, and take a boat out for the humpback whales. Ride the Goldbelt Tram six minutes up Mount Roberts from the cruise docks. A helicopter can land you on the Juneau Icefield, which feeds the Mendenhall. On Douglas Island, trails run through the ruins of the Treadwell gold mine. Eat king crab at the downtown crab shacks. Halibut is caught here all summer, and king salmon is in season until midsummer.

Explorer1940 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Nugget Falls and Mendenhall Glacier, July

Plan your Juneau trip →

Beaches and islands

On the Mediterranean, Bali and Zanzibar, the sea in July runs from 23.3 °C (74 °F) off Naxos to 26.3 °C (79 °F) off Zanzibar.

Naxos, Greece

Best for dry, breezy beach days in meltemi season

• Weather: highs 28.3 °C (83 °F), lows 22.8 °C (73 °F); almost no rain; sea 23.3 °C (74 °F)
• Dates: Naxos Festival, July to September; 2027 dates not yet published
• Season: peak, 2.46 times an average month in nights, South Aegean
• Daily budget: about $251 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: 10-day Greek islands itinerary, 10-day Greece honeymoon itinerary, Greece guide

Almost no rain falls on Naxos in July, the least of the 23 places here. The meltemi, the dry north wind of the Aegean, blows through the summer and makes the west coast a ground for kitesurfing and windsurfing. Naxos is the largest and greenest of the Cyclades.

The Naxos Festival runs through the summer at the Bazeos Tower. Book ferries four to six weeks ahead in peak season. The meltemi can reach force 7 to 8 and stop most inter-island ferries. Leave a spare day before a flight home. Families do best at Agios Prokopios, and kitesurfers at Mikri Vigla.

Watch the sunset from the Portara, the gateway of an unfinished 6th-century BC temple of Apollo on an islet joined to the town by a causeway. Walk the lanes of Chora up to the Venetian Kastro. See the Temple of Demeter near Sangri, built around 530 BC. For the wind, book a lesson at one of the island's seven windsurfing and kitesurfing clubs. Eat graviera Naxou, the island's cow's-milk cheese, and Naxos potatoes. Buy kitron, the citron-leaf liqueur, after a tasting at the Vallindras Distillery in Halki.

Manfred Werner (Tsui) (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sunset behind the Portara, the unfinished Temple of Apollo on Palatia islet, Naxos (August)

Plan your Naxos trip →

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Best for open-air festival nights inside the walls

• Weather: highs 30.8 °C (87 °F), lows 22.6 °C (73 °F); 40 mm (1.6 in) of rain; sea 24.0 °C (75 °F)
• Dates: Dubrovnik Summer Festival, July 10 to August 25 in 2026; 2027 dates not yet published
• Season: peak, 2.16 times an average month in tourist nights
• Daily budget: about $180 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: 10-day Croatia itinerary, 14-day Balkans itinerary, Croatia guide

Every summer from July 10, the Dubrovnik Summer Festival stages drama and music after dark in Dubrovnik's old town. Dubrovnik's medieval walls run about 1,940 m around an old town you can walk in an afternoon.

July is hot and crowded in Dubrovnik, so come for the festival nights and spend the days on the water. Walk the walls when the gates open at 8 am. Take water and a hat, because a ticket allows no re-entry.

Take the ferry to Lokrum, 600 m offshore, for a midday swim. Tour the Rector's Palace, seat of the Republic of Ragusa until 1808. Ride the cable car up Srđ at sunset. For dessert, order rožata, Dubrovnik's custard flavored with rose liqueur. The oysters come from Mali Ston, up the coast to the northwest.

dronepicr (CC BY 2.0)

An evening concert of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival in the Old Town (July 2019)

Plan your Dubrovnik trip →

Lecce, Italy

Best for Baroque evenings and Salento sea swims

• Weather: highs 32.1 °C (90 °F), lows 21.7 °C (71 °F); 16 mm (0.6 in) of rain; sea 25.0 °C (77 °F)
• Season: peak, 2.50 times an average month in overnight stays, Puglia
• Plan it: Italy guide, Italy packing list

At 7 pm in July, the low sun turns Lecce's Baroque limestone gold, and the city fills again for the evening passeggiata. Lecce is the hottest of the 23 places in July, and its streets go quiet from 1 pm to 5 pm. Carved from soft local stone, its churches earned the city the nickname "the Florence of the South".

Salento heat waves can reach 40 °C (104 °F), so sightsee early or after dark. Spend the middle of the day at the sea, on the Adriatic or the Ionian side of the Salento. Confirm air conditioning before you book a flat in the historic center. If you want Puglia in summer, July is quieter than August, and the sea is already 25.0 °C (77 °F).

Start at the Basilica di Santa Croce, completed in 1695, whose carved facade is the city's signature image. By Piazza Sant'Oronzo, the half-buried 2nd-century Roman amphitheater once seated more than 25,000. Enter the old town in the evening through Porta Napoli, the 1548 gate. Come back to Piazza del Duomo after 9 pm, when uplighting falls on the facades. Take a day trip to Otranto on the Salento's east coast. Have a pasticciotto, the custard pastry Lecce calls its own, with your morning coffee. At dinner, look for ciceri e tria, chickpeas with fried pasta strips. A rustico leccese (puff pastry filled with béchamel, mozzarella and tomato) makes a snack.

Bernard Gagnon (CC0)

Carved Baroque facade of the Basilica di Santa Croce, Lecce

Plan your Lecce trip →

Ubud, Indonesia

Best for rice terraces and dance outside the monsoon

• Weather: highs 28.8 °C (84 °F), lows 21.7 °C (71 °F); 76 mm (3.0 in) of rain over about 11 wet days
• Season: peak, 1.20 times an average month in foreign arrivals, Bali
• Plan it: 7-day Bali itinerary, Bali guide

Ubud has dry-season weather in July, outside Bali's west monsoon, which brings heavy rain from about October to April. Ubud sits inland among rice terraces and temples, and it is Bali's center for arts and dance.

Bali has more foreign arrivals in July than in any other month, so book rooms early. Make Ubud your one base rather than splitting the week with the beach, since the 40 km drive to Seminyak takes 90 to 120 minutes.

Watch the evening dance at Ubud Palace, which starts at around 7:30 pm. Reach the Tegallalang rice terraces, about 10 km north, early in the day. For paddies without the Ubud crowds, drive out to Sidemen. Raft the Ayung River, mostly class II and III rapids. Order babi guling (spit-roast pig, a specialty of Gianyar) with lawar, minced meat with coconut and herbs. Betutu is duck or chicken in a rich spice paste.

Jakub Hałun (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Rice fields at Bedulu near Ubud in the dry season (August)

Plan your Ubud trip →

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Best for dry-season beaches and Stone Town

• Weather: highs 29.8 °C (86 °F), lows 21.1 °C (70 °F); 26 mm (1.0 in) of rain; sea 26.3 °C (79 °F)
• Season: peak, 1.29 times an average month in international arrivals
• Plan it: 7-day Tanzania itinerary, Tanzania guide

July is Zanzibar's driest month, and its sea is the warmest on this page. Stone Town, the island's old quarter, is built of coral stone and known for the carved wooden doors of its Omani and Indian-influenced buildings. Most safari-and-beach trips in East Africa finish here.

Zanzibar's hotels sold 81% of their beds in July 2025. European school holidays add another rush from mid-month, so book the room before the flights. Kitesurfers go to the east coast for the steady southeast wind. For calm water, stay at Nungwi or Kendwa on the north coast. After a safari, fly in from Arusha rather than take the ferry from Dar es Salaam, which can be choppy in July's winds.

Spend a morning walking Stone Town, and stop at Christ Church Cathedral, built on the site of the island's largest slave market. In Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park, look for the red colobus monkeys found only on Zanzibar. A clove and spice farm at Kizimbani is the island's classic spice tour. At a street stall, try urojo, a turmeric and mango soup also called Zanzibar mix. After sunset, when it is busiest, eat grilled seafood at the night market in Forodhani Gardens.

Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Old Fort in Stone Town, Zanzibar (May)

Plan your Zanzibar trip →

July festivals with 2027 dates

The four overlap in the second week of July 2027, so a single trip can reach two of them.

Pamplona, Spain

Best for San Fermín, July 6 to 14

• Weather: highs 28.1 °C (83 °F), lows 15.5 °C (60 °F); 27 mm (1.1 in) of rain over about three wet days
• Dates: San Fermín, July 6 to 14, 2027; bull runs at 8 am, July 7 to 14
• Season: shoulder, 1.03 times an average month in hotel nights
• Daily budget: about $184 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: Spain guide

San Fermín fills Pamplona from July 6 to 14, with a bull run at 8 am on each of the last eight mornings. In the words of Pamplona's tourism office, "Although it is world-renowned for the running of the bulls, San Fermín is much more: joy, atmosphere, passion, excitement, tradition, culture, and history." Pamplona, the capital of Navarre, dresses in white and red for all nine days inside its 16th-century walls.

The fiesta starts with the chupinazo, the opening rocket at noon on July 6, and the first run is the next morning. Each run lasts about three minutes, with about 2,000 runners in the street. Serious injuries are common, so watch from behind the barriers rather than run. Anyone who does run must be 18 or older and sober. Rooms book out, so reserve six months to a year ahead.

Between runs, follow the gigantes y cabezudos (the parade of giants and big-headed figures) through the old town. Climb to the María bell at Pamplona Cathedral at 11:15 on any day but Sunday. Walk the ramparts to the Caballo Blanco lookout, and spend the hot afternoon in the Museo de Navarra, housed in a former hospital. On Calle San Nicolás, order txistorra (the Navarre sausage) as a pintxo on bread. At dinner, try ajoarriero (salt cod stewed with peppers and tomato) or menestra de verduras, the region's vegetable stew.

Atkins525 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Runners and bulls on Calle Estafeta during the San Fermín encierro

Plan your Pamplona trip →

Montreux, Switzerland

Best for a lakeside jazz festival, July 2 to 17

• Weather: highs 27.0 °C (81 °F), lows 16.4 °C (62 °F); 175 mm (6.9 in) of rain over about 13 wet days
• Dates: Montreux Jazz Festival, July 2 to 17, 2027
• Season: peak, 1.43 times an average month in hotel nights, the busiest month of the year
• Plan it: Switzerland guide

Montreux's lakefront stays loud until 5 am from July 2 to 17, when the Montreux Jazz Festival runs free stages beside its paid concerts. Montreux lies on Lake Geneva below the Alps, and a statue of Freddie Mercury stands on its shore.

You don't need a ticket to enjoy the festival. More than 55 food stalls and bars line the lakefront with the free stages. Buy a ticket only for a named act at the Auditorium Stravinski. Rooms in Montreux and Vevey cost about twice the usual price. Book early, without waiting for the 2027 line-up.

Go out to Chillon Castle, the medieval castle on its island rock between Montreux and Villeneuve. Take a Belle Époque paddle steamer with CGN to the Lavaux vineyard terraces, a UNESCO site along about 30 km of the lake. Order papet vaudois for dinner, leeks and potatoes cooked with saucisson vaudois (the canton's protected sausage).

Markus Schweizer (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The lit Montreux Jazz Festival sign over the crowd, July 2023

Plan your Montreux trip →

Calgary, Canada

Best for Stampede rodeo and chuckwagons, July 9 to 18

• Weather: highs 25.3 °C (78 °F), lows 10.1 °C (50 °F); 70 mm (2.7 in) of rain
• Dates: Calgary Stampede, July 9 to 18, 2027
• Season: peak, 2.04 times an average month in overseas and US visitors entering Canada at Calgary
• Daily budget: about $176 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: day trips from Calgary, weekend getaways from Calgary, 5-day Banff itinerary

From July 9 to 18 the Calgary Stampede draws over a million visitors to its rodeo, chuckwagon races, parade and midway. Calgary lies east of the Rockies, about 110 km from Banff National Park.

Check the parade date before you book, since some downtown roads close that day. Give the Stampede three or four days, then drive west to the mountains of Banff, July's hiking country.

Get seats for an afternoon rodeo and an evening of chuckwagon races at Stampede Park. On a free afternoon, go up the Calgary Tower for the view over downtown, or walk Prince's Island Park on the Bow River. At Heritage Park, ride the working steam train and the paddle steamer. Try ginger beef, the crispy Canadian Chinese dish first made at Calgary's Silver Inn in the 1970s. The Caesar, a clam-and-tomato cocktail, was invented at the Calgary Inn in 1969. Take home a Calgary White Hat from Smithbilt Hats.

Anna Webber (CC BY 2.0)

Mounties in red serge march in the Calgary Stampede Parade

Plan your Calgary trip →

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Best for Naadam wrestling, archery and horse racing

• Weather: highs 26.4 °C (80 °F), lows 13.1 °C (56 °F); 72 mm (2.8 in) of rain over about nine wet days
• Dates: Naadam holiday, July 10 to 15, 2027; opening ceremony at the National Sports Stadium, traditionally July 11
• Season: peak, 1.82 times an average month in inbound tourists, Mongolia

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar by July 10, when the Naadam holiday begins, because the games traditionally open at the National Sports Stadium the next day. Naadam is Mongolia's midsummer festival of wrestling, horse racing and archery, and UNESCO lists it as intangible heritage.

The opening ceremony brings dancers, athletes and riders into the stadium, and the largest events fall in the first three days. Come for those. Offices and many services close for all six holiday days, so finish any errands before July 10. Rooms cost nearly double their low-season rate, so book early.

Around the stadium, eat khuushuur (fried meat pastries) with a bowl of airag, fermented mare's milk. At Gandan Monastery, founded in 1809, see the 26 m statue of Avalokiteśvara. The Chinggis Khaan National Museum closes on Tuesdays, so leave July 13 for something else. After the games, spend a night at a ger camp in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, about 42 km away by paved road. Back in town, order buuz, steamed meat dumplings.

Bernard Gagnon (CC0)

Riders in the Naadam opening ceremony at the National Sports Stadium, 11 July 2023

Plan your Ulaanbaatar trip →

Safari and the southern winter

In the dry season, wildlife in East Africa and Botswana gathers at the water. High in the Andes, the nights are clear and cold.

Arusha, Tanzania

Best for dry-season safaris and migration river crossings

• Weather: highs 21.6 °C (71 °F), lows 12.9 °C (55 °F); 10 mm (0.4 in) of rain
• Season: peak, 1.43 times an average month in international arrivals, Tanzania
• Daily budget: about $189 a person, mid-range, before park fees and safari tours
• Plan it: 7-day Tanzania itinerary, Tanzania guide

In July crocodiles wait in the Grumeti and Mara rivers as the Serengeti's wildebeest begin their crossings, and most safaris to them start in Arusha. Arusha sits below Mount Meru and is also the base for Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Kilimanjaro. July falls in its dry season, which runs from June to October.

The herds move on into Kenya in late July and August, so come in the first half of the month and choose Arusha over Nairobi. Base yourself in the northern Serengeti, near the river crossings. July is Tanzania's busiest month for arrivals, and lodges and fly-in camps book out months ahead.

Before or after the safari, spend a day in Arusha National Park, with the Ngurdoto Crater and the Momella Lakes. In town, the Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre is a large gallery of African art. Climbers can take on Mount Meru, Tanzania's second-highest mountain. On a cool evening, warm up with mtori, the green-banana soup of the Moshi-Arusha region.

Wolves201 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Wildebeest crossing the Grumeti River in the Serengeti's western corridor during the migration, July

Plan your Arusha trip →

Nairobi, Kenya

Best for a city safari and the Mara migration

• Weather: highs 23.6 °C (74 °F), lows 13.3 °C (56 °F); 20 mm (0.8 in) of rain
• Dates: Africa Cup of Nations, co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, June 19 to July 17, 2027
• Season: peak, just: 1.11 times an average month in international arrivals, Kenya

Nairobi is the base for the second half of the July migration, when the herds cross the Mara River into Kenya's Maasai Mara. Nairobi also has its own national park about 7 km south of the city, where wildebeest and zebra migrate in July and August.

Pick Nairobi over Arusha if your dates fall in the second half of the month, since the herds may not reach the Mara until late July. The reserve is busy then, with about two and a half times June's visitors in July 2025. In the dry season the animals of the city's park gather at the water, so give it a game drive before you fly out.

Plan your city day around the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage, open to the public for one hour a day. See the Out of Africa author's farmhouse at the Karen Blixen Museum, and walk or ride the trails of Karura Forest. In the evening, order nyama choma (roast meat) with kachumbari, a tomato and onion salad.

Alexmbogo (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A Maasai giraffe in Nairobi National Park with the city skyline behind

Plan your Nairobi trip →

Maun, Botswana

Best for the peak Okavango flood and winter game viewing

• Weather: highs 27.9 °C (82 °F), lows 8.9 °C (48 °F); almost no rain
• Season: peak, 1.14 times an average month in international arrivals, Botswana, 2024

In July the Okavango Delta near Maun is at its flood peak, swollen to three times its permanent size in the middle of Botswana's dry winter. Charter flights into the delta leave from Maun, the country's tourism capital. With the channels full, you explore by mokoro (a poled dugout canoe) instead of a 4x4.

Game viewing in neighboring Moremi peaks from July. For quiet water away from the Mara's July crowds, choose Maun. High water floods some Moremi tracks, so fly into the camps. Pack for nights close to freezing in the delta. Organized tours in Botswana cost about $630 a day.

Book a mokoro trip through the Okavango Kopano Mokoro Community Trust. Take a one-hour scenic flight over the delta from Maun at dawn or in the late afternoon. On the banks of the Thamalakane River, red lechwe graze beside the village cattle. Eat seswaa, slow-cooked beef or goat pounded into shreds. Buy a bag of magwinya, fried dough fat cakes, for the road.

Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Mokoros on the flooded Okavango Delta from the air, early August

Plan your Maun trip →

Cusco, Peru

Best for dry-season Inca sites and July fiestas

• Weather: highs 19.0 °C (66 °F), lows −1.0 °C (30 °F); 18 mm (0.7 in) of rain
• Dates: Virgen del Carmen in Paucartambo, July 15 to 18, 2027; Peru's national holidays, July 28 and 29
• Season: peak, 1.23 times an average month in visitors to Machu Picchu
• Daily budget: about $64 a person, mid-range, the lowest here
• Plan it: 10-day Peru itinerary, Peru guide

Masked dancers fill Paucartambo, a town in the Cusco region, for the Virgen del Carmen from July 15 to 18. The old Inca capital of Cusco sits at about 3,400 m, and its July winter brings sunny days and night frosts. Clear skies make July a strong month for Machu Picchu.

July 16 is the fiesta's main day. Go mid-month and leave before Peru's national holidays on July 28 and 29, when Cusco and Machu Picchu crowd and the trains fill up. Nights drop to −1.0 °C (30 °F) and cheaper hotels often have little heating, so pack for frost. Book Inca Trail permits early, through an agency. At about $64 a day, Cusco has the lowest daily budget of the nine places here with a figure.

Sleep in the lower Sacred Valley first, and see it from Pisac to Ollantaytambo on the way to Machu Picchu. Back in Cusco, see Qorikancha (the Inca Empire's main temple) and walk slowly up the steep lanes of San Blas. Order cuy al horno, roast guinea pig, at least once. Wash it down at a picantería with chicha de jora, the local corn beer. For handwoven textiles, go to the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco, which works with ten weaving communities.

Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Machu Picchu under dry-season skies, late July

Plan your Cusco trip →

Where to go in July in the US

For the Fourth of July in the US, go to Boston for the Boston Pops concert on the Esplanade, or to South Lake Tahoe for fireworks over the lake. In Glacier, Going-to-the-Sun Road is usually open end to end by early July, and Bar Harbor is the base for Acadia. Chicago is the swimming pick, with Lake Michigan at 19.8 °C (68 °F), and Juneau is the cool one, with highs of 18.1 °C (65 °F).

Boston, United States

Best for the Fourth of July on the Esplanade

• Weather: highs 29.8 °C (86 °F), lows 18.3 °C (65 °F); 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain over about nine wet days; sea 18.2 °C (65 °F)
• Dates: Independence Day, July 4, 2027, with the Boston Pops concert and fireworks on the Esplanade; 2027 program not yet published
• Daily budget: about $291 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: weekend getaways from Boston, day trips from Boston

On the Fourth of July, the Boston Pops play their annual concert at the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade, and fireworks follow over the Charles River. If one US city gets your Fourth of July, make it Boston.

The Esplanade crowd runs to hundreds of thousands, so arrive hours early with a blanket. Book rooms well ahead for the holiday weekend.

Walk the Freedom Trail from Boston Common, 4 km (2.5 mi) past 16 sites of early American history. In the Public Garden, ride the swan boats, which have run since 1877. See a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, the oldest active ballpark in the major leagues. Order a bowl of New England clam chowder, the thick, cream-based kind.

Eric Haynes, Office of the Governor of Massachusetts (Public domain)

The Boston Pops on the Hatch Shell stage before the Fourth of July fireworks (July 4, 2013)

Plan your Boston trip →

Chicago, United States

Best for swimming in Lake Michigan

• Weather: highs 27.5 °C (82 °F), lows 16.7 °C (62 °F); 91 mm (3.6 in) of rain over about nine wet days; lake 19.8 °C (68 °F)
• Dates: beach season, Friday before Memorial Day to Labor Day; Lollapalooza in Grant Park, 2027 dates not yet published
• Daily budget: about $323 a person, mid-range
• Plan it: weekend getaways from Chicago, day trips from Chicago

Chicago is the swimming pick of the US list in July. Lake Michigan averages 19.8 °C (68 °F), warmer than the sea off Boston or Bar Harbor, and lifeguards watch the city's beaches every day. All 42 km (26 mi) of Chicago's lakefront are free to use.

Swimming is allowed only at the beaches, from 11 am to 7 pm while lifeguards are on duty. Lollapalooza takes over Grant Park for four days each summer, so check its dates before you book a late-July week.

See the skyline from the Chicago Architecture Center's docent-led cruise on the Chicago River. Ride or walk the Lakefront Trail, 29.8 km (18.5 mi) along the shore, and stop at Cloud Gate in Millennium Park. Order deep-dish pizza, first made at Pizzeria Uno, which opened in 1943. At lunch, try an Italian beef: thin-sliced roast beef served with a thin gravy on French bread.

Kent Wang (CC BY-SA 2.0)

An architecture boat tour on the Chicago River (July 30, 2012)

Plan your Chicago trip →

Bar Harbor, United States

Best for Acadia's granite coast and the Cadillac summit drive

• Weather: highs 25.9 °C (79 °F), lows 14.5 °C (58 °F); 87 mm (3.4 in) of rain over about eight wet days; sea 12.4 °C (54 °F)
• Season: peak, 2.34 times an average month at Acadia National Park
• Plan it: 3-day Acadia itinerary

Bar Harbor is the base for Acadia National Park, and July brings it warm days of 25.9 °C (79 °F) for the summit drive and the shore road. Its island, Mount Desert, rises in granite mountains above the Atlantic.

At 12.4 °C (54 °F), the sea is for looking at, not swimming in. You need a vehicle reservation to drive the Cadillac Summit Road from late May to mid-October, so book one before you arrive.

Start with tea and popovers on the lawn of the Jordan Pond House. Drive up Cadillac Mountain, nearly 470 m (1,530 ft), for the view over the islands, then follow the Park Loop Road past Sand Beach and Otter Cliff. Back in town, order a lobster roll.

Aaron Zhu (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The summit of Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park (July 2014)

Plan your Bar Harbor trip →

Glacier National Park, United States

Best for Going-to-the-Sun Road and alpine wildflowers

• Weather: highs 27.3 °C (81 °F), lows 9.7 °C (49 °F); 19 mm (0.8 in) of rain over about three wet days
• Dates: Going-to-the-Sun Road, usually open end to end by early July; no 2027 date set
• Season: peak, 2.93 times an average month in park visits
• Plan it: Glacier guide, 5-day Glacier itinerary

By early July, Going-to-the-Sun Road usually crosses Logan Pass end to end, and wildflowers fill the high meadows from mid-June to mid-August. Snow can hold the higher trails of Montana's Glacier National Park until mid-July, so plan the big hikes for the second half of the month.

July brings nearly three times the park's average monthly visitors, and in 2026 Logan Pass parking was limited to three hours. Check the current rules before you go.

Drive the 80 km (50 mi) of Going-to-the-Sun Road, about two hours without stops. At Logan Pass, walk the high meadows, where you often see mountain goats and bighorn sheep. Take a boat tour on Lake McDonald.

Jacob W. Frank / NPS (Public domain)

Wildflowers along a stream below Clements Mountain near Logan Pass

Plan your Glacier National Park trip →

South Lake Tahoe, United States

Best for paddling a clear alpine lake

• Weather: highs 26.1 °C (79 °F), lows 10.0 °C (50 °F); 17 mm (0.7 in) of rain over about three wet days
• Dates: Lights on the Lake fireworks, July 4; 2027 details not yet published
• Plan it: 4-day Lake Tahoe itinerary

For a Fourth of July on the water, South Lake Tahoe is the dry pick: its 17 mm (0.7 in) of July rain is the least of the US entries. The Lights on the Lake fireworks go up over the water that night. At 1,897 m (6,225 ft), Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America, known for its clear water.

At this altitude, nights drop to 10.0 °C (50 °F), so bring a fleece for the fireworks.

Rent a kayak or a paddleboard on the south shore. In Emerald Bay State Park, home to Eagle Falls, walk down to Vikingsholm, a summer house built in 1929 in Scandinavian style.

Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Emerald Bay from above (September 2015)

Plan your South Lake Tahoe trip →

Where should you go in July with kids?

For wildlife with kids, Nairobi's elephant orphanage and national park sit on the city's edge. For a beach week, Naxos pairs a dry month with a 23.3 °C (74 °F) sea and the west-coast beaches near Chora.

Plan your July trip

Every MonkeyEatingMango trip plan shows the measured weather for its month. The packing list generator, free for now, uses the same records to pick the gear for a destination's month.

Pick a place and a week, and the planner writes the days, with a time and a cost on every stop: plan a July trip.

Last updated November 2026.

Common questions

Where can I go in July for cool weather?

Reykjavík averages highs of 14.2 °C (58 °F) in July, Zermatt 14.9 °C (59 °F), Tromsø 15.5 °C (60 °F) and Juneau 18.1 °C (65 °F), by monthly averages for 2013 to 2022. Cusco, in the Andean winter, has highs of 19.0 °C (66 °F) and nights just below freezing.

Where is it not too hot in July in Europe?

Reykjavík, Zermatt and Tromsø all stay below 16.0 °C (61 °F) in July. For a warmer city that is still not scorching, Pamplona averages 28.1 °C (83 °F), against 32.1 °C (90 °F) in Lecce, the hottest of the 23.

Where is dry in July?

Naxos averages almost no rain in July, and Maun in Botswana barely more. Arusha, Nairobi and Cusco, all in their dry seasons, average 20 mm (0.8 in) or less.

When is San Fermín 2027?

San Fermín runs from July 6 to 14 every year. In 2027 the chupinazo opens the festival in Pamplona at noon on July 6, and the bull runs start at 8 am each day from July 7 to 14.

When is the Calgary Stampede 2027?

The Calgary Stampede runs from July 9 to 18, 2027.

When is Naadam 2027?

Mongolian law sets the National Naadam holiday on July 10 to 15, 2027. The games at the National Sports Stadium in Ulaanbaatar traditionally open on July 11.

Is July a good time to visit Iceland?

July in Reykjavík brings highs of 14.2 °C (58 °F), near-constant daylight until about July 24 and about 13 wet days. Overnight stays in the capital region in July 2025 were 1.32 times the average month, so expect peak-season crowds and prices.

Is July a good time to visit Tanzania?

July is the dry season in Tanzania, when the Serengeti's wildebeest herds begin crossing the Grumeti and Mara rivers. Arusha, the safari base, averages July highs of 21.6 °C (71 °F) and 10 mm (0.4 in) of rain. On Zanzibar, July is the driest month, and the sea averages 26.3 °C (79 °F).

Is July a good time to visit Bali?

July falls outside Bali's west monsoon, which brings heavy rain from about October to April. Ubud averages July highs of 28.8 °C (84 °F) and 76 mm (3.0 in) of rain over about 11 wet days. July is also Bali's busiest month for foreign arrivals.

What is the weather in Zermatt in July?

Over 2013 to 2022, Zermatt averaged July highs of 14.9 °C (59 °F) and lows of 6.9 °C (44 °F), with 196 mm (7.7 in) of rain over about 18 wet days. The main glacier ski area above the village opens in July.

Is July a good time to visit Dubrovnik?

July is Dubrovnik's peak season, with highs of 30.8 °C (87 °F), a 24.0 °C (75 °F) sea and the Dubrovnik Summer Festival's open-air stages in the old town. Walk the city walls with water and a hat, since a ticket allows no re-entry.

What is the weather in Cusco in July?

Over 2013 to 2022, Cusco averaged July highs of 19.0 °C (66 °F) and lows of −1.0 °C (30 °F), with 18 mm (0.7 in) of rain. July is the dry Andean winter, with sunny days and frosty nights.

Where should I go in the US in July?

For the Fourth of July, go to Boston for the Boston Pops concert and fireworks on the Esplanade. Glacier is the national park for July, with Going-to-the-Sun Road usually open end to end by early July. Chicago is the swimming pick, with Lake Michigan at 19.8 °C (68 °F), and Juneau stays cool, with highs of 18.1 °C (65 °F). South Lake Tahoe also has fireworks over the lake, and Bar Harbor is the base for Acadia.

What are the cheapest places to travel in July?

Of the places here with a reliable figure, Cusco ($64), Calgary ($176) and Dubrovnik ($180) have the lowest mid-range daily costs per person, in Budget Your Trip's traveler-reported averages (updated September 2026).