Best Countries to Visit in July

The wildebeest herds cross the Mara River into the Masai Mara through July, and this is the month the migration reaches Kenya. Days are dry and around 20 to 25 degrees, so game drives are comfortable from dawn and predator sightings are at their best of the year. Camps in the Mara Triangle and along the Talek fill early, because July starts Kenya's busiest safari season. Packages average around Rs 2,37,000 per person.

July is the middle of Bali's dry season, which surprises most people who assume all of Southeast Asia is wet now. Expect sunny mornings, lower humidity and clear water for diving at Nusa Penida, Komodo and Raja Ampat. It is also peak season, so villa rates in Seminyak and Ubud are at their highest and the south coast is busy. Packages average around Rs 42,000 per person.

Through July the herds move up the western corridor into the northern Serengeti and start massing along the Grumeti and Mara rivers. The Ngorongoro Crater is dry and reliable for rhino, and Zanzibar is cool and calm enough for a few beach days at the end of the trip. Northern camps sell out first for July and August. Safaris here are built to order rather than bought off the shelf, so what you pay depends on the camps you choose.

July is the warmest month in the Alps, so the high passes are open, the cable cars to Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn run full timetables and the meadows around Grindelwald and Zermatt are green. It is also when Indian families travel, so trains and hotels fill fast and rates peak. Buy the Swiss Travel Pass and book mountain excursions before you fly.

Daylight lasts almost the whole night in July, and it is the one month you can drive the full Ring Road and the highland F roads without worrying about closures. Puffins are on the cliffs at Latrabjarg and whale boats sail daily from Husavik. Nothing about July suits the northern lights, so come for the light instead.

July is midwinter and the driest time in the north, so the bush around Kruger thins out and animals gather at the waterholes. Southern right whales are back along the Cape coast and the cliff path at Hermanus is the easiest place to see them. Days are mild and mosquito risk is low, which suits families with young children. The rand is weak against the rupee, so food, car hire and park fees all stretch further than they do on an East African safari.

The sun does not set above the Arctic Circle in July, and it is the warmest month for the fjords. Geirangerfjord and Naeroyfjord are running full cruise schedules, the Lofoten islands are at their best for hiking and the mountain roads are clear. Norway is expensive, so a Bergen to Flam rail and boat route gives the most for a short trip.

Malaysia's east coast is dry in July while the west coast sees more rain, so the Perhentians, Redang and Tioman have the clearest water of the year and diving visibility is at its best. Kuala Lumpur gets short bursts of rain rather than all day downpours, and Langkawi stays workable. Packages average around Rs 48,000 per person.

Known For : Gardens by the Bay Universal Studios Singapore Marina Bay Sands

Singapore works in any month and July is one of its drier stretches, with short afternoon showers instead of long rain. The Singapore Food Festival usually runs through July, and the Gardens by the Bay domes, the museums and Sentosa's indoor attractions make the heat easy to plan around. Rates rise with the Indian school holidays, so book early. Packages average around Rs 57,000 per person.

Best Time: February to September

273 Singapore Attractions

The Gulf islands are the July answer in Thailand. Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao sit outside the worst of the southwest monsoon and stay largely dry, while Phuket and Krabi get heavy rain and rough water. Bangkok has short afternoon downpours rather than all day rain. Prices are lower than in winter and the countryside is green. Packages average around Rs 35,000 per person.

July splits Sri Lanka in two. The east coast is dry, so Arugam Bay is in its surf season and Trincomalee and Pasikuda have calm water, while Colombo, Galle and the southwest are in the monsoon. The hill country around Kandy and Ella stays workable. The Esala Perahera in Kandy usually falls in late July or August. Packages average around Rs 32,000 per person.

July is the middle of the New Zealand ski season. Coronet Peak and the Remarkables near Queenstown, Cardrona at Wanaka and Mount Hutt near Christchurch are all running. Milford Sound is at its most dramatic in winter and far less crowded, and Rotorua's geothermal parks work all year. Prices outside the ski towns are at their lowest.

July is winter in Australia, which is exactly why it works. The Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsundays have their clearest water of the year, Kakadu and the Top End are dry and fully open, and Uluru is cool enough to walk at midday. Sydney and Melbourne are chilly but dry. Book internal flights early, as it is Australian school holiday season. The flight from India is long and costs more than any Asian option, so it is worth building a two week trip around it.

July is Finland's warmest month, with temperatures in the low twenties and light until close to midnight in the south. This is lake season rather than Lapland season, so the Saimaa region, a wooden cottage and long sauna afternoons are the real draw. Helsinki's terraces and the island fortress of Suomenlinna are at their best now.

Denmark is at its sunniest in July, and Copenhagen is easy on foot and by bike, with Tivoli Gardens open late and Nyhavn busy into the evening. Outside the capital there are the beaches at Skagen, medieval Ribe and the castles of North Zealand. The Roskilde Festival runs from late June into the first week of July.

July brings the longest useful daylight of the British year, with light until close to 10pm in Scotland. Wimbledon runs from the end of June to mid July and the BBC Proms begin in the middle of the month. The Highlands and the Lake District drive well now, and going before the August school holidays keeps hotel rates lower.

July is warm in Tbilisi and pleasant at altitude, which is the point. The Kazbegi road, Svaneti and the Tusheti track are all open and this is the only reliable window for high Caucasus trekking. Kakheti's vineyards are green, though the harvest is an autumn event. Batumi on the Black Sea is hot and busy. The lari goes a long way for Indian visitors, and food, wine and local transport all cost little.

Almaty sits at the foot of the Tian Shan, so July gives warm city days and cool mountain air an hour away. Big Almaty Lake, the Charyn Canyon and the Kolsai lakes are all accessible, and the high meadows are only open in midsummer. Flights from Delhi are short and costs are modest.

Central Vietnam is the July answer. Da Nang, Hoi An and Nha Trang are in their dry stretch with warm calm sea, while Hanoi and Sapa are at their hottest and wettest and the Mekong Delta is in the rains. Plan the north for early mornings and give the rest of the trip to the coast. Packages average around Rs 60,000 per person.

Austria is the cooler alternative to Italy and Spain in July. The Salzkammergut lakes around Hallstatt and Wolfgangsee are warm enough to swim, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road is open, and the Salzburg Festival begins in the second half of the month. Vienna is hot but its parks, museums and trains make it easy to manage.

Bastille Day on 14 July brings fireworks by the Eiffel Tower, the Tour de France runs through the countryside all month, and the Provence lavender is in flower from late June into mid July. It is also the most expensive and crowded month, so book Louvre and Versailles slots weeks ahead and consider Normandy or Alsace over the Riviera.

July is Italy at its hottest and busiest, with Rome and Florence regularly above 35 degrees. The coast is where it works: the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre and Puglia, or the Dolomites and the northern lakes if you want cooler air. Book museum slots weeks ahead and keep afternoons for the water.

July is peak Adriatic season. The sea is warm enough for long swims, ferries to Hvar, Vis and Korcula run at full frequency and sailing charters are at their busiest. Dubrovnik and Split are crowded and priced to match, so the Kornati islands and the Istrian coast are the calmer choice.

The rainy season ends across most of Japan in mid July and gives way to real heat and humidity. Kyoto's Gion Matsuri runs all month, Tokyo has its river fireworks and the Mount Fuji climbing season opens. Hokkaido is the comfortable exception, cool enough to walk all day, with the Furano lavender fields in bloom. Packages average around Rs 1,41,000 per person.

July is hot and busy across Greece, and the meltemi wind blows hard through the Cyclades. It cools Santorini and Mykonos but can cancel small ferries, so leave a buffer day before your flight home. Athens is best seen early in the morning. Corfu and Kefalonia in the Ionian are calmer and greener.

Seville and Cordoba pass 40 degrees in July, so the north is the sensible half of Spain now: San Sebastian, Bilbao and the Galician coast stay in the twenties with good food and far fewer crowds. The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona is from 6 to 14 July. Barcelona and the Balearics are full and priced high.

Cappadocia's balloons fly at sunrise and July skies are reliably clear, though afternoons are hot. Istanbul has long evenings on the Bosphorus, and the Aegean coast around Bodrum and Cesme is warm with a steady breeze. Antalya gets very hot, so keep sightseeing for the morning and beaches for later. The lira is weak against the rupee, so meals, hotels and internal flights are good value.

July is Germany's warmest month and the outdoor season is fully open: beer gardens in Munich, lake swimming across Bavaria, and Rhine cruises past the terraced vineyards. Berlin runs long evenings and open air concerts. It costs far less than Switzerland for a first Europe trip, and the rail network makes a multi city route simple.

July is the warmest and most reliable month in Canada. Banff and Jasper have all their high trails and the Icefields Parkway open, Vancouver and Toronto run full festival calendars, and Montreal hosts its jazz festival at the start of the month. It is peak season, so park shuttles and mountain lodges need booking well ahead.

Known For : Seven Coloured Earth of Chamarel Le Morne Brabant Underwater Waterfall

July is Mauritius in winter: dry, around 22 to 25 degrees and far less humid, which makes hiking Black River Gorges and Le Morne comfortable. It is also the windiest stretch of the year, so the south and east coasts are choppy and better for kitesurfing, while swimmers do better on the north and west.

Best Time: April to December

147 Mauritius Attractions

Known For : Anse Lazio Snorkeling in Seychelles Sunbathing in Seychelles

July is the southeast trade wind season in Seychelles, so it is cooler and breezy, good for sailing and walking but not the calmest sea of the year. The northwest of Mahe and the sheltered bays of Praslin and La Digue still deliver, including Anse Lazio and Anse Source d'Argent. For flat water and best visibility, April to May or October suits better.

Best Time: April to May, September to October

96 Seychelles Attractions

July is the southwest monsoon and the start of typhoon season in the Philippines, so this is an honest maybe. Cebu, Bohol and Siargao sit on the sheltered eastern side and see far less rain than Palawan and Manila. Rates and crowds drop sharply. Keep the itinerary flexible and take insurance that covers weather disruption.

July falls in Colombia's veranillo, a drier spell in the Andes, so Bogota and the Medellin valley get clearer days. Humpback whales arrive off the Pacific coast at Nuqui and Bahia Solano from July and stay into October. Medellin's flower festival is an August event and Barranquilla's carnival is in February, so plan around the whales and the coffee region.