“Best month” is my pick for the destination. “Quietest” and “Cheapest” are the months with the highest Crowds and Prices scores. Those scores are my own judgement, not measurements. Read how the scores work. Last reviewed October 2026.
Europe
| Destination | Best month | Quietest | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlgarvePortugal | June & September | January | January |
| Amalfi CoastItaly | September | January | February |
| AmsterdamNetherlands | May | November | January |
| AthensGreece | October | January | January |
| BarcelonaSpain | May | January | January |
| BerlinGermany | September | January | January |
| BrugesBelgium | May & September | February | February |
| BucharestRomania | September | November | November |
| BudapestHungary | May | November | January |
| CappadociaTurkey | September | November | November |
| Cinque TerreItaly | May & September | January | January |
| CopenhagenDenmark | June | March | January |
| CorfuGreece | May & September | January | January |
| CreteGreece | September–October | February | February |
| DublinIreland | May–June | January | January |
| DubrovnikCroatia | September | January | November |
| EdinburghUnited Kingdom | June | February | February |
| FlorenceItaly | April | January | January |
| IbizaSpain | May & September | February | February |
| IstanbulTurkey | September | January | January |
| KotorMontenegro | May | January | February |
| KrakówPoland | September | February | February |
| Lake ComoItaly | September | February | February |
| LisbonPortugal | May–June and September | January | January |
| LjubljanaSlovenia | May–June | January | January |
| LondonUnited Kingdom | May | January | January |
| LucerneSwitzerland | September | November | November |
| MadeiraPortugal | May–June | January | November |
| MadridSpain | May | January | January |
| MálagaSpain | May | May | January |
| MaltaMalta | September | January | January |
| MilanItaly | September | November | February |
| MunichGermany | May | January | January |
| MykonosGreece | June & September | November | November |
| NaplesItaly | May & September | January | January |
| NiceFrance | September | November | November |
| Palma de MallorcaSpain | September | February | February |
| ParisFrance | May | November | November |
| PortoPortugal | June | February | February |
| PragueCzech Republic | September | November | January |
| PugliaItaly | September | February | February |
| ReykjavikIceland | September | November | November |
| RomeItaly | May | January | January |
| RovaniemiFinland | March | May | May |
| SalzburgAustria | September | February | February |
| SantoriniGreece | May | January | November |
| SardiniaItaly | June & September | January | January |
| SevilleSpain | October | January | January |
| SplitCroatia | September | February | February |
| StockholmSweden | May | January | January |
| TaorminaItaly | May & September–October | January | January |
| TbilisiGeorgia | October | February | February |
| TenerifeSpain | May & October | May | May |
| TromsøNorway | March | October | October |
| ValenciaSpain | May | January | January |
| VeniceItaly | September | January | January |
| ViennaAustria | September | February | February |
| ZermattSwitzerland | September | May | May |
Asia
| Destination | Best month | Quietest | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|
| BaliIndonesia | May | February | February |
| BangkokThailand | January | September | September |
| BusanSouth Korea | October | January | February |
| Chiang MaiThailand | January | June | June |
| HanoiVietnam | October–November | June | August |
| Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam | January | July | March |
| Hoi AnVietnam | March | November | November |
| Hong KongHong Kong | November | July | January |
| JaipurIndia | February | June | June |
| Koh SamuiThailand | February & March | November | November |
| Kuala LumpurMalaysia | February | February | March |
| KyotoJapan | October | February | February |
| MaldivesMaldives | February | September | September |
| OsakaJapan | October | June | June |
| PhuketThailand | February | October | September |
| SeoulSouth Korea | October | February | February |
| SingaporeSingapore | February–April | March | April |
| TaipeiTaiwan | November | March | March |
| TokyoJapan | October | January | January |
The Americas
| Destination | Best month | Quietest | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua GuatemalaGuatemala | November | June | June |
| ArubaAruba | May | September | September |
| AustinUnited States | April & October | January | January |
| BahamasBahamas | May | October | October |
| BanffCanada | September | April | April |
| Buenos AiresArgentina | October | June | June |
| CancúnMexico | February–April | September | September |
| CartagenaColombia | February | September | September |
| ChicagoUnited States | May | January | January |
| CuscoPeru | May | February | February |
| HonoluluUnited States | September–October | September | September |
| Las VegasUnited States | March–May | August | August |
| LimaPeru | March | May | September |
| Los AngelesUnited States | September | January | January |
| MauiUnited States | May | May | May |
| MedellínColombia | February | November | November |
| Mexico CityMexico | February & May | July | February |
| MiamiUnited States | March–April | September | September |
| MontrealCanada | September | March | March |
| NashvilleUnited States | October | January | January |
| New OrleansUnited States | March–May | August | August |
| New York CityUnited States | May | January | January |
| OaxacaMexico | February | June | September |
| OrlandoUnited States | February | September | September |
| Rio de JaneiroBrazil | May | May | May |
| San DiegoUnited States | September–October | November | November |
| San FranciscoUnited States | September–October | January | January |
| San JuanPuerto Rico | March–April | October | September |
| TulumMexico | February | October | October |
| Washington DCUnited States | October | January | January |
Africa and the Middle East
| Destination | Best month | Quietest | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates | February | July | June |
| CairoEgypt | October–November | June | June |
| Cape TownSouth Africa | March | July | July |
| DubaiUnited Arab Emirates | February | July | July |
| MarrakechMorocco | April | January | July |
| MauritiusMauritius | September | March | March |
| SeychellesSeychelles | April | October | October |
| ZanzibarTanzania | September | May | May |
Oceania
| Destination | Best month | Quietest | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|
| MelbourneAustralia | March | May | May |
| QueenstownNew Zealand | March | May | May |
| SydneyAustralia | November | May | May |