Best Places to Visit in Summer
Summer is the season of big plans and long days, when the whole world seems to stop at the water’s edge and the sun refuses to quit. It is my season for adventures that feel bigger than life, for swimming in things bigger than pools, and for letting the golden hours stretch into late night. These are the destinations I think about all winter, waiting for the warmth to return.
The Greek Islands
There is nowhere on earth that does summer like the Greek islands. I have spent weeks island hopping across the Cyclades, from the whitewashed lanes of Santorini to the slower rhythms of Naxos and Paros. Every morning I swim in the warm Aegean, every afternoon I take a long lunch in the shade, and every night I watch the sun drop into the sea from a terrace. The light, the food, the pace, it is the quintessence of summer.
Bali, Indonesia
Bali in the dry season, from about April to October, is the gold standard for a tropical summer. I base myself near the rice terraces of Ubud and split my time between yoga, temple visits, and days by the pool. The beaches of the Bukit Peninsula have some of the best surf and sunset bars on the planet. There is an energy to a Bali summer, lush and green and alive, that is impossible to describe without being there.
Portugal’s Algarve Coast
For a European beach holiday built around cliffs and golden coves, the Algarve is unbeatable. I spend my days driving between the famous limestone arches of the western beaches, swimming in water that is cooler and more Atlantic, then warming up in the sun. The seafood is fresh, the whitewashed fishing towns are charming, and the coastline is one of the most dramatic in the world. Summer here is a long, golden dream.
The Canadian Rockies
If your idea of summer is not a beach but a lake, the Rockies deliver in spectacular fashion. In July the snow finally melts from the trails, lakes turn that impossible milky blue, and every viewpoint looks like a postcard. I hike for days around Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, swim in the cold mountain water, and sleep exhausted and happy under the big sky. It is summer that fills the lungs.
Scandinavia’s Midnight Sun
Nothing makes summer feel infinite like the midnight sun of Scandinavia. In Norway above the Arctic Circle, the sun barely sets in June and July, so I spend whole days and nights outdoors. Fjord cruises under a sun that hardly dips, hiking at 11pm, kayaking in the soft night light. It is disorienting and magical in equal measure. If you have ever wanted to feel that time is endless, this is where to go.
Handling the Summer Crowds
Summer is the busiest travel season, so I plan around the crush. I book major sights early, start my days before dawn to beat the tour groups, and save the afternoons for swimming or long lunches. I also look at the shoulder edges of summer, early June or early September, which often have most of the warm weather and fewer people. A little strategy goes a long way toward a relaxed season.
The Season of Big Feeling
Summer is emotional travel. It is long evenings, warm skin, salt on your lips, and the feeling that anything is possible while the sun holds. Every year it gives me the memories I replay all winter. Whether it is an island, a coast, or a mountain lake, the right summer destination has the power to reset you completely. Go somewhere the sun shines hard and let it do its work.
