When to go
Seasonal Calendar
A month-by-month look at where the world is at its best - peak seasons, shoulder months, and unmissable festivals.
Best places to visit in August
Edinburgh
Scotland
The Fringe — the world's largest arts festival.
Croatian Coast
Croatia
Adriatic at its warmest; sail the Dalmatian islands.
Vancouver Island
Canada
Whale-watching, sunny days, mild evenings.
Salzburg
Austria
Salzburg Festival, alpine hikes, lake swims at Wolfgangsee.
Greenland
Greenland
Warmest month — ice-fjord boat trips and tundra in bloom.
Madagascar
Madagascar
Dry-season wildlife viewing and humpback whales off Ile Sainte-Marie.
Bergen
Norway
Brief but glorious summer window for fjord cruises, with the longest dry stretch of the year.
Lake Bled
Slovenia
Alpine lake at full swimming temperature, with rowing, hiking, and pletna boats to the island church.
Hungry Ghost Festival, Penang
Malaysia
Street operas, paper offerings, and Hokkien rituals along George Town heritage streets.
Singapore National Day
Singapore
Marina Bay parade, fireworks, and aerial flypasts on August 9.
Ladakh
India
Peak trekking window. Pangong Lake, Nubra dunes, and Hemway monastery festivals.
Edinburgh Fringe
United Kingdom
The worlds biggest performing arts festival fills every cellar and church hall for the month.
La Tomatina, Buñol
Spain
A single afternoon of friendly tomato-throwing fills the streets of a tiny Valencian town.
Kadayawan, Davao
Philippines
A week of indigenous parades and harvest thanksgiving in Mindanaos biggest city.
Notting Hill Carnival, London
United Kingdom
Caribbean parades, sound systems, and street food on the August bank holiday weekend.
Obon, Tokyo and Kyoto
Japan
Bon-odori dances and lantern floats honoring ancestors across mid-August.
Gdansk and the Baltic coast
Poland
Warm Baltic swimming and amber-hunting on quiet beaches.
Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Film festival energy and outdoor cevapi nights.
Lake Ohrid
North Macedonia
Swimmable lake, Byzantine churches, low prices.
Vilnius
Lithuania
Late summer baroque without the Prague crush.
Madagascar lemurs
Madagascar
Dry season is prime wildlife viewing.
Serengeti great migration
Tanzania
River crossings peak right now.