The month you pick moves your budget more than almost anything else you decide. Here is when each of our 59 countries tends to fill up and firm up on price, when it tends to go quiet and cheap, and what is actually driving the difference.
Why there is no price chart on this page
Most travel sites hand you a month-by-month price chart: a tidy row of bars, July taller than March, one figure per month. Those numbers are largely invented. Real fares and room rates swing by city, by route, by hotel tier, by how far ahead you book and by the year, so there is no honest single answer to what a country costs in July. Filling twelve months for 59 countries would mean making up hundreds of numbers, and we are not going to do that.
What we can tell you truthfully is which windows tend to be busy and expensive, which tend to be quieter and cheaper, and the real thing behind each one: a school holiday, a monsoon, a festival, a ski season, a fixed holiday week. That part holds up. The season is the honest signal, not the number. More on how we decide what to chart.
How to read the calendar
Busy and pricey
In between
Cheaper and quieter
Twelve cells, January to December. The colours are tiers, never amounts, and every window is written out in words under its strip. Confidence says how firmly a pattern is documented, not how strong the season is. Of these, 45 rest on well documented patterns, 13 are marked medium because the seasons are clear but the money side is partly our own inference, and one, El Salvador, is marked low because the pattern is not documented well enough to state plainly.
Alpine hiking season, the ski season, Christmas markets through Dec, and the Vienna concert and New Year calendar
Two peaks with real gaps between them. In Nov and late Apr a lot of mountain infrastructure simply closes, which is why those weeks are quiet and cheap, and also why they can disappoint if a specific cable car was the plan. Vienna and Salzburg follow a city rhythm instead.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Late Apr to early May, and Nov
Weather to know
Mountain weather. High passes, lifts and many mountain hotels close between the summer and winter seasons
Costliest weeks
Christmas and New Year, the Feb school holiday weeks, mid-Aug
European school holidays, the Adriatic beach season, cruise calls in Dubrovnik and Split, and Aug being the busiest travel month in Europe
One of the sharpest peaks in Europe: in Aug the coast is full, and in Jan a good deal of it is shut. The sojourn tax is also set at its top rate on the coast in the summer band, so the season shows up on the bill as well as in the room rate. May, Jun and Sep are the value months.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Sep
Quietest
Nov to Mar
Weather to know
Hot dry summers. Coastal winters are mild but wet, ferry schedules thin out, and many island places close
The summer city break season, Prague's Christmas markets from late Nov, the Easter markets, and New Year
Prague sets the pattern and it is a city rhythm rather than a weather one. Late winter is genuinely quiet and the sights are unchanged, so you are trading daylight and warmth rather than access.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr, Oct
Quietest
Jan to Mar, and Nov
Weather to know
Cold grey winters with short days. Warm summers, and old town streets to match
Costliest weeks
New Year in Prague, the Dec market weeks, and Jun to Aug
Long Nordic summer days, Danish holidays in Jul, Copenhagen's outdoor season, and the Christmas weeks at Tivoli
The summer premium is about daylight and outdoor life, which is exactly what visitors come for. Winter is quieter and Copenhagen still works indoors, so this is a real trade rather than a compromise.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Sep
Quietest
Nov to Mar
Weather to know
Cool wet winters with short days. Summer is mild rather than hot
French school holidays in Jul and Aug, the Mediterranean coast season, Alpine ski weeks in Feb, and the Alsace Christmas markets
Paris and the coast pull in opposite directions in Aug: the city thins out as locals leave while the south fills up. Sep is the quiet favourite, with warm water and fewer people. Event weeks such as a film festival or a major race spike one city and leave the rest of the country untouched.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Nov to Mar, outside ski areas and the Christmas weeks
Weather to know
Hot summers in the south. Paris is mild and grey through winter
Costliest weeks
Aug on the Riviera, the Feb school holiday weeks in the Alps, Christmas and New Year
The Black Sea coast season, mountain hiking, the Gudauri ski season, and the Kakheti wine harvest in Sep
Tbilisi is a year-round city and inexpensive by European standards in any month, so the seasonality lives in the coast and the mountains rather than the capital. Sep is the quietly good one: harvest season, warm days, roads still open.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Nov, and Apr
Weather to know
Batumi is humid in summer. Mountain roads to Tusheti and Svaneti are seasonal and can be closed by snow well into spring
Jun to Aug, plus Oktoberfest and the Christmas market weeks
Cheaper and quieter
Jan to Feb, and Nov before the markets open
What drives it
Summer holidays, Oktoberfest in Munich from late Sep to early Oct, Christmas markets from late Nov, and the big trade fairs, which fill one city at a time
Two of Germany's spikes are strictly local. Oktoberfest absorbs Munich's hotel supply and does nothing to Hamburg, and a trade fair does the same to Frankfurt, Hannover or Berlin for a few days. Checking whether your dates land on one is worth more than picking a season.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Sep, and Oct outside Munich
Quietest
Jan to Feb, and Nov
Weather to know
Cold grey winters. Warm summers with long light evenings
Costliest weeks
Oktoberfest in Munich, the Dec market weeks, and any trade fair week in the host city
European school holidays, the island beach season, the mid-Aug Assumption holiday, which is a major domestic travel week, and Orthodox Easter, whose date differs from the Western one
The islands run on a season rather than a calendar: outside roughly Apr to Oct many of them shut, so the cheapest months can also be the ones where the place you wanted is closed. Greece sets its accommodation levy higher in the spring to autumn band too, so the season shows up on the bill as well.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Sep to mid-Oct
Quietest
Nov to Mar
Weather to know
Hot dry summers with strong meltemi winds in the Aegean. Winter closes many island hotels and restaurants and thins some ferry routes
The summer city break season, the Aug festival run including Sziget, the Budapest Christmas markets, and New Year
Budapest carries the whole pattern and it is demand-led. Late winter is the quiet window and the baths are arguably better then, so what you lose is terrace weather rather than access.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr to May, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Jan to Mar, and Nov
Weather to know
Hot summers and cold grey winters. The thermal baths are a year-round draw and are busiest in winter
Costliest weeks
New Year in Budapest, the Aug festival weeks, and the Dec market weeks
The midnight sun and the open highland season, cruise calls, Christmas and New Year, and a second smaller peak for northern lights in Feb and Mar
Winter is quieter than summer but not empty, because the northern lights have a season of their own, which makes Feb and Mar busier than Nov or Jan. The honest catch in winter is access rather than price: interior routes are closed and a storm can rewrite a day.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Sep
Quietest
Nov to Mar, outside Christmas and New Year
Weather to know
Highland F-roads open only in summer. Winter brings storms, short days and genuine road closures
Summer holidays, long evenings on the west coast, Saint Patrick's Day in Mar, which spikes Dublin sharply, and big match and concert weekends
You are paying for daylight rather than sunshine, since it rains in every month. Sep still has long evenings and noticeably fewer people. Dublin rates also spike on event weekends in a way that has nothing to do with the season.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Nov to Feb
Weather to know
Wet and mild all year. Summer means longer days rather than reliable sun
Costliest weeks
Saint Patrick's weekend in Dublin, Jul and Aug on the Wild Atlantic Way, and big match weekends
Jun to Aug, plus Easter week and the mid-Aug holiday
Cheaper and quieter
Nov, and late Jan to Feb outside Carnival
What drives it
European school holidays, Ferragosto in mid-Aug, Easter, Venice Carnival in Feb, and the northern Christmas markets
Aug splits the country. Italians head for the coast and the lakes while the big cities thin out, so a city break can be better value in Aug than in May, just a great deal hotter. The shoulder months are the standing recommendation for a reason.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr to May, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Nov to Mar, outside Christmas, New Year and Venice Carnival
Weather to know
Hot humid city summers. Rome, Florence and Venice are draining in Jul and Aug
Costliest weeks
Ferragosto week, Easter week, and Aug on the coast and the lakes
Keukenhof and the bulb fields from late Mar to mid-May, King's Day in late Apr, summer holidays, and the winter light festival in Amsterdam
Amsterdam's tulip peak is a narrow, well known window and hotel rates know it. The King's Day weekend in late Apr is the single hardest weekend of the year to book well. May keeps a good deal of the flowers and loses some of the crowd.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Sep
Quietest
Nov to Feb, outside Christmas and New Year
Weather to know
Cool and wet through much of the year, and Apr can be cold as well as busy
Costliest weeks
The King's Day weekend, tulip weekends in Apr, and Aug
The midnight sun, the fjord and cruise season, the Norwegian common holiday in Jul, and a separate winter draw for northern lights in Tromso and skiing from Feb
Two separate seasons with different geography: the fjords in summer and the far north in winter. Late autumn falls between them and is quiet because there is genuinely less to do, with short days and closed summer routes.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Sep
Quietest
Oct to Apr, outside Christmas and the ski and northern lights weeks
Weather to know
Fjord and mountain services are seasonal, and some roads, ferries and lodges only run in summer
Costliest weeks
Jul, Christmas and New Year, and the Feb to Mar northern lights weeks in Tromso
The summer city break and Baltic coast season, the Krakow and Wroclaw Christmas markets, All Saints in early Nov, and the long weekends in May
Poland stays inexpensive by European standards in every month, so the season matters less to a budget here than the flight does. The Baltic coast is the exception, with a short season and real Jul and Aug pricing.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Sep
Quietest
Jan to Mar, and Nov
Weather to know
Cold winters with short days. Warm summers, and the Baltic coast has a short concentrated season
Costliest weeks
Aug on the Baltic coast, New Year, and the Dec market weeks
The Algarve beach season, European school holidays, Lisbon's Jun street festivals, and New Year in Madeira and Porto
The Algarve carries almost all of the seasonality, while Lisbon and Porto are much steadier and pleasant in the shoulder months. Madeira runs on its own clock, with New Year its single biggest week.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Nov to Mar on the mainland, outside the New Year week
Weather to know
Hot dry summers in the south. Atlantic winters are mild but wet, and the ocean stays cool even in high summer
Nov to Feb on the mainland, and midsummer in the hot interior cities
What drives it
European school holidays, Holy Week, Seville's Apr fair, Las Fallas in Mar in Valencia, San Fermin in Jul in Pamplona, and Canary Islands winter demand
Spain inverts in midsummer: the interior cities are quieter in Aug because the heat drives people out, while the coast and the islands are at their busiest. The Canaries invert again, peaking in the northern winter.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Nov to Mar on the mainland, outside the Christmas weeks
Weather to know
Madrid, Seville and Cordoba are extremely hot in Jul and Aug, the north coast is mild and wetter, and the Canaries are a winter destination
Costliest weeks
Holy Week, Aug on the Mediterranean coast, and festival weeks in the host city
Long Nordic summer days, Midsummer in late Jun, the Swedish holiday month of Jul, and a separate winter season in Lapland
Stockholm empties in Jul when Swedes take their own holidays, which quietly makes the city easier even in peak season, though some restaurants close with it. Lapland runs a separate winter season with its own peak.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Sep
Quietest
Nov to Mar, outside Christmas and the northern lights weeks
Weather to know
Short dark winter days in the south and polar night in the far north. Summers are mild rather than hot
Costliest weeks
Midsummer week, Jul in the archipelago, and Christmas and New Year
The Alpine hiking season, the ski season, Christmas and New Year in the mountains, and the summer festival calendar in the cities
The between-seasons gaps are the real Swiss discount and they carry a genuine catch: the cable car you wanted may be shut. Zurich and Geneva stay open and steady all year, and their rates follow conferences more than the season.
More on the season
Shoulder
Jun, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Late Apr to May, and Nov
Weather to know
Between seasons many mountain lifts, passes and hotels close for maintenance, which is what makes those weeks quiet
Costliest weeks
Christmas and New Year, the Feb ski weeks, and mid-Jul to mid-Aug
UK school summer holidays, the half-term weeks through the year, the Edinburgh festivals in Aug, Wimbledon from late Jun, and the Christmas market weeks
Edinburgh in Aug is the sharpest single spike in the country, a whole city on festival pricing, while London barely notices it. Half-term weeks lift family destinations for a few days at a time and are easy to miss when planning from abroad.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Nov to Feb, outside Christmas and New Year
Weather to know
Mild and wet year round. Summer means longer days more than warmer ones, and Scotland has midges through summer
Costliest weeks
Aug in Edinburgh, the half-term weeks, and Christmas and New Year
Apr to May and Sep to Oct, plus the national holiday weeks
Cheaper and quieter
Late Nov to early Dec, and the weeks after the New Year rush
What drives it
The National Day holiday in early Oct, the Labour Day holiday in early May, Chinese New Year in late Jan or Feb, and mild spring and autumn weather
The holiday weeks are the thing to plan around. Domestic travel moves at a scale that fills trains, flights and sites regardless of what foreign visitors do. Spring and autumn have the best weather, and they are priced for it.
More on the season
Shoulder
Mar, Jun, Nov
Quietest
Dec to Feb, outside the New Year period
Weather to know
Hot humid summers in the south and east, cold dry winters in the north
Costliest weeks
The national holiday weeks and the Chinese New Year travel period
Dry mild autumn weather, Chinese New Year in late Jan or Feb, and the convention and trade fair calendar, which moves hotel rates on its own
Hotel rates here track the convention calendar as much as the weather, which is why a midweek night in Oct can cost more than a weekend in Aug. Autumn is the nicest time to be there and is priced accordingly.
More on the season
Shoulder
Mar to Apr, Jun
Quietest
Jul to Sep
Weather to know
Hot and very humid May to Sep. Typhoon season runs roughly Jul to Sep, and a high signal can close the city for a day
Costliest weeks
Chinese New Year, Oct, and any major fair or event week
The cool dry season, Diwali in Oct or Nov, the Indian wedding season, and Christmas and New Year in Goa and Rajasthan
The country runs on the monsoon, and it flips the map. The plains are quietest and hardest in summer, while the hills and Ladakh are only really open then. Kerala and the west coast in the monsoon are quiet and cheap by design rather than by accident.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr, Sep
Quietest
Jun to Aug, the monsoon, and the hottest weeks in the plains
Weather to know
The southwest monsoon arrives around Jun and runs into Sep. Apr to Jun is extremely hot in the north, and hill stations invert, peaking in summer
Costliest weeks
Christmas and New Year in Goa, the Diwali travel weeks, and Rajasthan in Dec and Jan
The dry season, European and Australian summer holidays, Christmas and New Year in Bali, and Idul Fitri domestic travel, whose dates shift each year
Bali sets the pattern for the whole country, and it follows northern hemisphere holidays more than local weather. The shoulder months keep most of the dry season. Do check the Nyepi date, because nothing moves on the island that day, flights included.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr to Jun, Sep
Quietest
Nov to Mar, the wet season, outside the New Year weeks
Weather to know
Dry roughly Apr to Oct and wet Nov to Mar with afternoon downpours. Nyepi, Bali's day of silence in Mar, closes the island for a day, airport included
Late Mar to Apr for cherry blossom, and Nov for autumn leaves
Cheaper and quieter
Winter, Jan to Feb, outside the New Year period, and the humid midsummer lull
What drives it
Cherry blossom, autumn foliage, Golden Week in early May, and the New Year holidays
Crowds and rates swing hard around cherry blossom and Golden Week, and the shoulder months give similar weather with less of both. No price figure is quoted because it varies too much by city and route.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Oct
Quietest
Jan to Feb, and Jul to early Sep, which is hot and humid
Weather to know
A rainy season from Jun to mid-Jul in much of the country, and typhoons are possible Aug to Sep
Costliest weeks
The cherry blossom weeks, Golden Week, and New Year
The cool dry season, Christmas and New Year in Luang Prabang, and Lao New Year in mid-Apr
The burning haze in Mar and Apr is the underrated one. Rates are still shoulder-level then, but the air and the views are poor, so the cheap-looking window is not the good-value one. Nov to Feb is the best weather and is priced for it.
More on the season
Shoulder
Mar, Oct
Quietest
May to Sep
Weather to know
Hot Mar to May, with agricultural burning haze in Mar and Apr that can sit over the north for weeks. The wet season runs roughly Jun to Oct
The cool dry season, Christmas and New Year, Holy Week, which is a major domestic travel week, and Chinese New Year
Holy Week is the domestic peak and it fills ferries and island resorts even when foreign demand is quiet. The typhoon window is wide but uneven across a country this spread out, so the risk is not the same in every island group.
More on the season
Shoulder
Mar to May, Nov
Quietest
Jun to Oct
Weather to know
Typhoon season runs roughly Jun to Nov and peaks Jul to Oct, concentrated on Luzon and the eastern seaboard, while Mindanao sees far fewer storms. Mar to May is hot and dry
Dec to early Jan, Chinese New Year, and the Grand Prix week
Cheaper and quieter
Late Jan to Feb outside Chinese New Year, and May
What drives it
Christmas and New Year, Chinese New Year in late Jan or Feb, the night Grand Prix in Sep or Oct, and the convention and school holiday calendar
There is almost no weather season here, so the swing is events and holidays. That makes Singapore the clearest argument against monthly price charts: a chart would imply a pattern the climate does not have, when what actually moves a room rate is whether a race or a convention is in town that week.
More on the season
Shoulder
Feb to Apr, Jul to Aug
Quietest
Nov, and the quieter weeks of Feb and May
Weather to know
Equatorial and hot all year. The wetter northeast monsoon runs roughly Nov to Jan, but rain is short and heavy rather than seasonal in the usual sense
Costliest weeks
The Grand Prix week, Chinese New Year, Christmas and New Year
Dec to Feb, outside the New Year weeks and the ski areas
What drives it
Cherry blossom from late Mar, autumn foliage from Oct, and Chuseok and Lunar New Year, whose dates move and which fill domestic transport
Spring and autumn are short, lovely and crowded, and demand tracks them closely. Winter is the honest quiet window in Seoul, cold and dry with everything open. The two big family holidays fill trains and buses rather than hotels.
More on the season
Shoulder
Jun, Sep
Quietest
Dec to Feb, and Jul to Aug
Weather to know
Monsoon rains from late Jun into Jul, typhoons possible Aug to Sep, and cold dry winters
Costliest weeks
The cherry blossom weeks, the autumn foliage peak, and the Chuseok travel days
Dec to Mar on the west and south coasts, Apr to Sep on the east coast
Cheaper and quieter
May to Sep in the southwest, which is when the east is at its best
What drives it
Two monsoons that split the island's season in half, plus Christmas and New Year, and Sinhala and Tamil New Year in mid-Apr
There is no bad time to visit Sri Lanka, only a wrong coast for the month. That is exactly why a single monthly figure for the country would be meaningless: Galle and Arugam Bay are busy and quiet in opposite halves of the year.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr, and Oct to Nov, between the two monsoons
Quietest
May to Sep in the southwest, Nov to Jan in the east
Weather to know
The southwest monsoon runs roughly May to Sep and hits the west and south coasts and the hill country. The northeast monsoon runs roughly Oct to Jan and hits the east
Dry mild autumn weather, Lunar New Year in late Jan or Feb, when domestic travel surges and many businesses close, and cherry blossom in Feb and Mar
Autumn is the best weather and the busiest stretch. Lunar New Year is the one to plan around: transport books out and many small businesses close for the week, so availability is the problem rather than price.
More on the season
Shoulder
Mar to Apr, Sep
Quietest
Jun to Aug
Weather to know
Plum rains in May and Jun, typhoon season roughly Jul to Sep, and hot humid summers
May to Sep on the Andaman coast, and the Gulf islands in their own low weeks
What drives it
The cool dry season, Christmas and New Year, Chinese New Year, and Songkran in mid-Apr
The two coasts run on different clocks, which is the single most useful thing to know here: when Phuket is wet, Koh Samui is often fine. Songkran is a real spike and a genuine reason to go, as long as you know it is coming.
More on the season
Shoulder
Mar, Oct
Quietest
May to Sep on the Andaman coast
Weather to know
The two coasts differ. The Andaman side around Phuket and Krabi is wettest roughly May to Oct, while the Gulf side around Koh Samui is wettest Oct to Dec, and Bangkok is hottest Mar to May
Nov to Apr in the south and centre, Jun to Aug for domestic beach travel
Cheaper and quieter
May to Sep in the north and south, avoiding the centre in Oct and Nov
What drives it
Christmas and New Year, Tet, the lunar new year in late Jan or Feb, whose date moves, and Vietnamese school holidays at the beaches
Vietnam is too long for a single season, which is why we do not give it one. Tet is the one date that matters everywhere: transport fills, rates firm up and many family-run places close for several days.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Sep to Oct
Quietest
It varies by region, so see the note
Weather to know
Three climates in one country: the north is coldest Dec to Feb, the centre is wettest Sep to Nov with typhoon risk, and the south is dry Dec to Apr and wet May to Oct
Costliest weeks
Tet, Christmas and New Year, and Vietnamese school holiday weeks on the coast
Southern summer, the Patagonia trekking season, Argentine school holidays in Jan, and ski season in Jul and Aug around Bariloche and Mendoza
Two countries by season. Patagonia realistically works Nov to Mar and quiets down hard outside it, while Buenos Aires empties in Jan as locals leave and can be easier then. The Oct to Nov and Mar to Apr shoulders give most of the summer access with fewer people. No figure is quoted because fares and rooms vary far too much by route and city.
More on the season
Shoulder
Oct to Nov, Mar to Apr
Quietest
May to Sep, outside the ski weeks
Weather to know
Buenos Aires is hot and humid in Jan and Feb; Patagonia is windy in summer and much of it winds down in winter, with reduced services
Costliest weeks
Jan in Patagonia, Christmas and New Year, the Jul school holidays
North Americans escaping winter, Christmas and New Year, US spring break in Mar, and Carnival season through Jan and Feb
The shape here is demand, not weather. The island is dry all year, so the swing comes from North American winter travel rather than from anything happening on the ground. Late Apr to Jun keeps the weather and loses much of the crowd.
More on the season
Shoulder
Late Apr to Jun
Quietest
Sep to Oct
Weather to know
Dry and windy most of the year, and the island sits south of the main Caribbean hurricane belt, so storm risk is lower than the northern islands rather than absent
North Americans escaping winter, Christmas and New Year, Junkanoo at Christmas and New Year, and US spring break in Mar
Cheapest and riskiest are the same weeks, and that is the whole trade. If you take the Sep to Oct window, book refundable and watch the forecast. Nov and early Dec are the quieter compromise, past most of the risk and before winter rates land.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Nov to mid-Dec
Quietest
Aug to Oct
Weather to know
The Atlantic hurricane season runs Jun to Nov, with the highest risk Aug to Oct
Carnival, whose date moves with Easter and lands in Feb or Mar, the southern summer, Brazilian school holidays in Jan and Jul, and New Year in Rio
Carnival moves with Easter, so check the date for your travel year before booking anything near it. The Amazon and the Pantanal run on the opposite clock to the beaches, which means the coast's quiet season is the wildlife season.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr to May, Sep to Nov
Quietest
Jun to Aug in the coastal cities
Weather to know
Rio and the southeast are hot and wet in the southern summer, while the Amazon and the Pantanal are drier and better for wildlife roughly Jun to Oct
Summer school holidays, the Rockies and national park season, autumn colour in Quebec and Ontario from late Sep, and the ski season
The mountain west and the eastern cities move together in summer and apart in winter. Nov and Apr are cheap for an honest reason: it is between seasons and a fair amount is shut.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Sep to Oct
Quietest
Nov, and Apr
Weather to know
Long cold winters. Some park roads, lodges and seasonal services only operate in the summer months
Costliest weeks
Jul and Aug in Banff and Jasper, Christmas week, and autumn colour weekends
Colombian holidays and school breaks, Holy Week, Barranquilla's Carnival in Feb or Mar, and Medellin's flower fair in Aug
There is no summer or winter here, only wetter and drier stretches, and demand follows Colombian holidays more closely than weather. Festival spikes are local: they hit the host city and leave the rest of the country alone.
More on the season
Shoulder
Feb to Mar, Jul to Aug
Quietest
May to Jun, Sep to Nov
Weather to know
Close to the equator, so altitude sets the temperature rather than the month. The drier stretches run roughly Dec to Mar and Jul to Aug
Costliest weeks
Christmas to mid-Jan, Holy Week, and festival weeks in the host city
Sep to Oct, and the green season shoulder in May to Jun
What drives it
The dry season, Christmas and New Year, Holy Week, and US spring break in Mar
The green season is the honest value window: mornings are often clear and the rain arrives later in the day. The two coasts run on different clocks, so the Pacific's wettest weeks can be the Caribbean's best.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Nov
Quietest
Sep to Oct
Weather to know
The green season runs roughly May to Nov with afternoon rain. Sep and Oct are wettest on the Pacific side, while the Caribbean coast is often drier then
North Americans escaping winter, Christmas and New Year, US spring break, and Holy Week, which is a major domestic travel week
Resort pricing swings with North American winter demand rather than with local weather. Holy Week is the one peak driven from inside the country, and it fills beaches even when foreign demand is quiet.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Nov
Quietest
Aug to Oct
Weather to know
The Atlantic hurricane season runs Jun to Nov, with the highest risk Aug to Oct
North American and European summer holidays, Christmas and New Year, and Galapagos cruise demand
The Galapagos has no bad season, only different ones, so the swing there is cruise demand rather than weather. On the mainland the seasons show up as rain rather than temperature, because altitude does the work a calendar would do elsewhere.
More on the season
Shoulder
Feb to May, Sep to Nov
Quietest
Feb to Apr in the highlands
Weather to know
The highlands are drier roughly Jun to Sep. The Galapagos has a warm wetter season Dec to May and a cooler drier season Jun to Nov, and both are good for wildlife
The dry season, Holy Week, Christmas and New Year, and the Pacific surf calendar
The weather season is clear, the price season is not. Tourism here is young and the demand pattern is not documented well enough for us to state it plainly, so treat the dry and wet windows as reliable and the money side as a light inference.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Oct
Quietest
Jun to Sep
Weather to know
The wet season runs roughly May to Oct, usually as afternoon rain, and the biggest Pacific swell arrives in those same wetter months
North Americans escaping winter, Christmas and New Year, US spring break, and Reggae Sumfest in Jul
The same trade as the rest of the Caribbean: the quiet weeks are the storm weeks. Nov and early Dec are the compromise, past most of the risk and before the winter rates arrive.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Nov
Quietest
Aug to Oct
Weather to know
The Atlantic hurricane season runs Jun to Nov, with the highest risk Aug to Oct, and Sep and Oct are the wettest months
North Americans escaping winter, Christmas and New Year, US spring break in Mar, Holy Week, Mexican school holidays in Jul and Aug, and Day of the Dead in early Nov in Oaxaca and Mexico City
Two peaks, one foreign and one domestic. The Sep to Oct low is a real trade, since it is the wettest and stormiest stretch, which is exactly why demand falls. Inland cities such as Mexico City and Oaxaca sidestep the storm question, and Day of the Dead spikes specific cities rather than the whole country.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to early Jun, Nov
Quietest
Sep to Oct
Weather to know
Hurricane season runs Jun to Nov on both coasts with the highest risk Aug to Oct, inland cities are unaffected by storms, and sargassum can affect Caribbean beaches in summer
Mild, dry winter weather, the Formula One Grand Prix, and the Christmas and New Year window
Bahrain is small and its hotel stock is limited, so single events move prices more than the season does. The Grand Prix is the obvious one: rates across Manama and Juffair rise sharply for that weekend. Check the calendar before you fix dates, then pick your month.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr, Oct
Quietest
May to Sep
Weather to know
May to Sep is very hot and humid, which is when rates fall hardest on an island with a finite number of hotel rooms. Ramadan and Eid shift earlier each year and change opening hours and the feel of the place considerably
Costliest weeks
Grand Prix weekend, when rooms are booked out and priced accordingly, plus Christmas and New Year
Cool sightseeing weather, Christmas and New Year, Western school holidays, and Red Sea resort demand
One of the clearest patterns anywhere: the reason to come is outdoors, midsummer makes it punishing, and demand follows the temperature. Ramadan and Eid shift earlier each year against the Western calendar, so check the dates for your travel year; they change opening hours more than they change prices.
More on the season
Shoulder
May, Sep
Quietest
Jun to Aug
Weather to know
Luxor and Aswan are extremely hot Jun to Aug. The Red Sea coast stays usable through summer
Mild winter weather and the kashta season, when Kuwaiti families camp in the desert from roughly November to March
The most extreme summer in the Gulf and the most pleasant winter, so the season choice is not close. Late February has the added draw of National and Liberation Day celebrations, which is the one time hotel rooms tighten. Note that alcohol is prohibited outright, which quietly changes what an evening costs compared with Dubai or Manama.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr, Oct
Quietest
May to Sep
Weather to know
Kuwait records some of the highest temperatures on earth in summer, regularly past 50C in July and August, and it is genuinely dangerous rather than merely uncomfortable. Nothing outdoors is realistic then. Ramadan and Eid shift earlier each year and change opening hours substantially
Costliest weeks
National Day and Liberation Day in late February, when the city fills up
Cool, dry winter weather, the wadi and diving season, and the Christmas and New Year window
The national pattern is as predictable as the UAE's, but Oman has a split personality. North in winter, south in summer. If you are going to Salalah in the khareef, treat it as high season and price it that way.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr, Oct
Quietest
May to Sep
Weather to know
May to Sep is punishing inland and humid on the coast, which is exactly when hotel rates fall. Salalah is the exception: the khareef monsoon turns the Dhofar hills green from about Jun to Sep, so southern Oman runs its own peak in the months the north empties out
Costliest weeks
Christmas and New Year, and Salalah during the khareef
Cool, dry winter weather, a dense events calendar from Formula One to the tennis and the shopping festival weeks, and the Christmas and New Year window
One of the most predictable patterns anywhere: the comfortable season and the expensive season are the same months. The wrinkle is events. Doha is small enough that a single Formula One or major football weekend can do more to your room rate than the season does, so check the calendar before you fix dates.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr, Oct
Quietest
May to Sep
Weather to know
May to Sep is extremely hot and humid, regularly over 40C, which is exactly when hotel rates fall hardest. Qatar leans into it with an indoor summer programme rather than pretending otherwise, and the malls, museums and souq arcades are built for it. Ramadan and Eid shift earlier each year and change opening hours
Costliest weeks
Christmas and New Year, and any major event weekend, which move hotel prices sharply in a city with a finite number of rooms
Cool, dry winter weather, the AlUla season and the events calendar, and the Riyadh Season running through the cooler months
The comfortable months and the expensive months are the same, as everywhere in the Gulf. Two Saudi-specific wrinkles: Hajj moves the whole country's travel economy for several weeks each year, and Asir in the southwest inverts the national pattern by being at its best in summer.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr, Oct
Quietest
May to Sep
Weather to know
May to Sep is brutal across most of the country, regularly over 45C, and the interior is the worst of it. The mountains of Asir around Abha are the genuine exception, cooler and greener in summer and busy with domestic visitors precisely then. Ramadan and Hajj both shift earlier each year and change everything about opening hours, crowds and prices
Costliest weeks
The Hajj season, when travel and accommodation across the country tighten and price, plus AlUla's peak winter weeks
Jul to Aug on the coast, Apr to Jun and Sep to Oct in Istanbul
Cheaper and quieter
Nov to Mar on the coast, where many resorts close, and Jan to Feb in Istanbul
What drives it
European school holidays on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, mild city weather in spring and autumn, and Ramadan and Eid, whose dates shift earlier each year
Istanbul and the coast peak at different times, so the country has two seasons rather than one. Coastal resorts genuinely close in winter, so a quiet month can mean a closed hotel, while Istanbul is open all year.
More on the season
Shoulder
May to Jun, Sep to Oct on the coast
Quietest
Nov to Mar on the coast
Weather to know
Coastal summers are very hot, Istanbul is grey and wet in winter, and Cappadocia is cold in winter with balloon flights weather-dependent all year
Costliest weeks
Aug on the coast, the Eid travel days, and Christmas and New Year in Istanbul
Cool winter weather, Christmas and New Year, the winter events and conference calendar, and the shopping festival weeks
One of the most predictable patterns anywhere, because the outdoor season and the price season are the same thing. Summer is genuinely cheap and the city is built to be lived indoors, which is a real if unglamorous option.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr, Oct
Quietest
Jun to Sep
Weather to know
Jun to Sep is extremely hot and humid, which is exactly when hotel rates are at their lowest. Ramadan and Eid shift earlier each year and change opening hours
Costliest weeks
Christmas and New Year, Feb to Mar, and major event and race weekends
Jul to Aug inland, and Jan to Feb outside the holiday weeks
What drives it
Mild sightseeing weather in spring and autumn, European school holidays, Christmas and New Year in Marrakech, and Ramadan and Eid, whose dates shift earlier each year
Spring and autumn are the comfortable months and they cost the most. Midsummer is quiet inland because the heat is genuinely hard, and the coast inverts, so Essaouira fills up as Marrakech empties.
More on the season
Shoulder
Dec to Feb
Quietest
Jul to Aug inland
Weather to know
Marrakech, Fes and the desert are punishing in Jul and Aug, while the Atlantic coast at Essaouira stays cool and is busiest then
Costliest weeks
Easter week, and Christmas and New Year in Marrakech
The dry season, when animals concentrate at waterholes, plus European and North American summer holidays
This is a supply story as much as a demand one. Lodge beds are limited and the dry season fills them, so Jul to Oct books out far ahead. The green season is quieter and beautiful, with harder wildlife spotting as the trade.
More on the season
Shoulder
Apr to Jun, Nov
Quietest
Jan to Mar
Weather to know
The rainy season runs roughly Dec to Mar, hot with green landscapes and dispersed wildlife, and some lodges close or cut back then
Dec to mid-Jan on the coast, and Jun to Sep for game viewing
Cheaper and quieter
May, and the Cape winter from Jun to Aug
What drives it
South African summer school holidays around Christmas, the Cape Town summer season, and the dry winter months when Kruger wildlife concentrates at water
Two peaks pulling opposite ways: the Cape peaks in the southern summer and the safari areas peak in the southern winter. Feb and Mar are the underrated window, still warm in the Cape with the holiday crowds gone.
More on the season
Shoulder
Feb to Apr, Oct to Nov
Quietest
May, and Jun to Aug in Cape Town
Weather to know
Seasons are reversed. Cape Town winters from Jun to Aug are wet and windy, while the Kruger region is dry and mild in those same months
Costliest weeks
Christmas to mid-Jan in Cape Town and along the Garden Route
Dec to Jan in the south, Jun to Sep in the tropical north
Cheaper and quieter
May to early Jun and late Oct in the south
What drives it
Christmas and the Australian summer school holidays, Easter, and the northern dry season for the reef and the Top End
The country splits in two. Sydney and Melbourne peak in the southern summer, while Cairns, the reef and the Northern Territory peak in the middle of the year when the north is dry. Whichever half you want, the weeks around Christmas are the ones to move away from.
More on the season
Shoulder
Feb to Apr, Oct to Nov
Quietest
May to Aug in the southern cities
Weather to know
Seasons are reversed. Cairns and Darwin have a wet season roughly Nov to Apr, and marine stingers make many tropical beaches unswimmable then
Costliest weeks
Christmas through late Jan, Easter week, and school holiday weeks
The southern summer, New Zealand school holidays around Christmas, the Queenstown ski season, and the Great Walks booking season
Campervans and rental cars swing harder with the season here than hotels do. Mar and Apr are the quiet favourite, with settled autumn weather and tracks still open. May and Jun are the cheapest and are honestly wetter and colder.
More on the season
Shoulder
Mar to Apr, Oct to Nov
Quietest
May to Jun
Weather to know
Seasons are reversed. The South Island can be cold and unsettled in any month, and some alpine tracks and roads are seasonal
Costliest weeks
Christmas through late Jan, and the Jul ski school holidays
No country by that name here yet. Try another spelling, or browse the list above.
What a monthly chart would hide
Some countries run on two clocks at once
Sri Lanka has two monsoons hitting opposite coasts, so the south is at its best from December and the east from April. Thailand does the same on a smaller scale: when Phuket is wet, Koh Samui is often fine. Australia and South Africa each have two peaks pulling against each other, one on the coast in the southern summer and one inland or up north in the southern winter. India flips the whole map with the monsoon, and Brazil's beaches and its wildlife seasons are direct opposites. A single national figure for any of them would be an average of two contradictory things.
Sometimes the cheapest month is when it is shut
In Greece and on the Turkish coast, much of the island and resort infrastructure closes outside roughly April to October, and ferry schedules thin out with it. Switzerland and Austria have real gaps between their summer and ski seasons, in late spring and November, when lifts and mountain hotels shut for maintenance. Iceland's highland roads open only in summer. Those weeks are quiet and cheap for an honest reason, and the trade is access rather than money.
In the Caribbean, cheap and risky are the same weeks
The Bahamas, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico's coasts all bottom out in September and October, which is the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. That is not a bargain hiding in plain sight, it is the market pricing a risk. If you take that window, book refundable and watch the forecast. Aruba sits south of the main belt, which lowers the risk rather than removing it, and inland Mexico sidesteps the question entirely.
Sometimes it is not the season at all, it is one week
Oktoberfest empties Munich's hotel supply and does nothing to Hamburg. A trade fair does the same to Frankfurt or Hannover for a few days. Edinburgh in August is a whole city on festival pricing while London barely notices. Singapore has almost no weather season, so what moves a room rate there is whether a race or a convention is in town. In every one of those cases, the useful question is not which month, it is which week.
The holidays that matter are often not yours
Holy Week fills beaches in Mexico, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic. Chinese New Year and Golden Week move so many people that trains, flights and sights fill regardless of foreign demand. Tet closes family businesses across Vietnam. Ferragosto empties Italian cities and fills the coast. Several of these move each year, and Ramadan and Eid shift earlier annually against the Western calendar, so the only reliable move is to check the date for your own travel year. It is also why a holiday lasting a week never colours a whole month on the calendars above.
Compiled by the True Trip Costs desk and checked July 2026. This is timing guidance, not a price quote, and we have deliberately not put a number on any of it. The coloured months restate each country's own stated seasons and add nothing to them. The cheapest month for you depends on your route, your dates and how far ahead you book, so use the season to choose a window and then check real fares for your own days. For what a day actually costs once you are there, see thecost of a day compared, and each country name above opens its full money guide.
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