Best time to visit: month-by-month planner for world landmarks

Best time to visit: month-by-month planner

Pick a month to see which destinations are at their best, or read across a row to find the right month for the place you have in mind. Ratings balance weather, daylight, seasonal closures and crowds.

I can travel in

Destination ratings by month
Destination	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Alappuzha	Best	Best	Good	Good	Hard going	Hard going	Hard going	Good	Good	Good	Best	Best
Kyoto	Good	Good	Good	Best	Best	Good	Hard going	Hard going	Good	Best	Best	Good
Machu Picchu	Hard going	Hard going	Good	Best	Best	Good	Good	Good	Best	Best	Good	Hard going
Petra	Good	Good	Best	Best	Best	Good	Hard going	Hard going	Good	Best	Best	Good
Santorini	Hard going	Hard going	Hard going	Good	Best	Best	Good	Good	Best	Best	Good	Hard going
Serengeti National Park	Best	Best	Good	Hard going	Good	Best	Best	Best	Best	Best	Good	Good
The Colosseum	Good	Good	Best	Best	Good	Hard going	Hard going	Hard going	Good	Best	Best	Good
The Eiffel Tower	Good	Good	Good	Best	Best	Best	Good	Good	Best	Best	Good	Good
The Grand Canyon	Good	Good	Best	Best	Best	Good	Hard going	Hard going	Best	Best	Good	Good
The Great Wall of China	Good	Good	Good	Best	Best	Good	Good	Good	Best	Best	Good	Good
The Pyramids of Giza	Best	Best	Best	Good	Good	Hard going	Hard going	Hard going	Good	Good	Best	Best
The Taj Mahal	Good	Best	Best	Good	Hard going	Hard going	Good	Good	Good	Best	Best	Good
Yellowstone National Park	Good	Good	Hard going	Hard going	Good	Best	Good	Good	Best	Good	Hard going	Good

Key:● Best○ Good– Hard going (heat, heavy rain, closures or peak crowds)

How we rate the months

A month is marked best when the weather is comfortable for a full day outdoors and the site is fully open. Good months have a trade-off, such as heat by midday, short daylight, school-holiday crowds or a chance of rain. Hard going marks extreme heat, monsoon rain, snow closures or crowds heavy enough to change your plans. Each destination guide explains its own seasons in detail.

Weather is only part of the picture: festivals, school holidays and your own flight routing matter too. If you are flying from India, remember that the Indian school summer holidays (roughly May to June) and the Diwali and Christmas periods push up demand on popular routes.

Once you have picked a month, sketch your route in the trip planner and build a checklist with the packing list builder.