The reading room
The next twelve months
The windows opening, month by month. Find when to go, then plan it.
Cool and far northWarm lightEarth and railQuiet
September
nowSep-Nov · Sep to Nov · in season nowIceland's aurora season reopens in SeptemberIceland
Sep-Oct · Sep to Oct · in season nowLake Bled empties out after the last coach toursSlovenia
Sep-Nov · Sep to Nov · in season nowLapland's first snow meets the last of the aurora lightFinnish Lapland
October
Oct-Mar · Oct to MarAurora nights deepen over Northern NorwayNorthern Norway
Oct-Nov · Oct to NovBhutan's clearest mountain views open in autumnBhutan
Mar-Apr or Oct-Nov · Oct to AprJapan's early cherry blossom windowJapan
Mar-Apr or Oct-Nov · Oct to AprKansai's autumn colour window opensJapan
Oct-Mar · Oct to MarLonger nights reopen the aurora seasonNorthern Norway
Feb-Apr or Oct-Nov · Oct to AprVietnam's cooler north-south threadVietnam
Feb-Apr or Oct-Nov · Oct to AprVietnam's late-winter coast and city calmVietnam
November
Nov-Mar · Nov to MarIceland's deep winter aurora and ice cavesIceland
Nov-Apr · Nov to AprNew Zealand's South Island summer window opensNew Zealand
Nov-Mar · Nov to MarPatagonia's trails reopen for the southern springArgentina + Chile
Nov-Feb · Nov to FebRajasthan's cool dry season for fort townsIndia
Nov-Feb · Nov to FebScotland's short winter days and empty glensScotland
December
Dec-Feb · Dec to FebCanada's Rockies hold their deep-winter quietCanada
Dec-Apr dry; May green shoulder · Dec to MayCosta Rica's green shoulder after the dry peakCosta Rica
Dec-Feb · Dec to FebJapan's winter cities and quiet temple morningsJapan
Dec-Mar · Dec to MarSri Lanka's south coast dry season beginsSri Lanka
Dec-Mar · Dec to MarTasmania's late-summer light and empty beachesTasmania
Dec-Mar · Dec to MarWestern Australia's dry-season coast lightWestern Australia
January
Quiet month.
March
Mar-May, Sep-Nov · Mar to Nov · in season nowIguazu's flow steadies as spring beginsIguazu, Argentina/Brazil
Mar-May or Sep-Nov · Mar to Nov · in season nowJordan's spring cool for Petra and the desertJordan
Mar-May · Mar to MayLow Countries tulip season and canal citiesNetherlands + Belgium
Mar-May, Sep-Oct · Mar to Oct · in season nowMont-Saint-Michel's spring tide windowNormandy, France
Mar-May or Sep-Nov · Mar to Nov · in season nowMorocco's heat breaks across the Atlas and the coastMorocco
Mar-May or Sep-Nov · Mar to Nov · in season nowMorocco's spring cool across Atlas and coastMorocco
Mar-May or Sep-Nov · Mar to Nov · in season nowSouthern Iberia's spring before the heatSpain + Portugal
April
Apr-Jun or Sep-Oct · Apr to Oct · in season nowCappadocia's clearer balloon mornings beginTurkey
Apr-Jun or Sep-Oct · Apr to Oct · in season nowFrench Riviera's warm quiet before summerFrance + Monaco
Apr-Jun or Sep-Oct · Apr to Oct · in season nowItaly's shoulder coast before the summer crushItaly
Apr-May or Oct-Nov · Apr to NovKorea's rail and island autumn turns goldSouth Korea
Apr-Jun or Sep-Oct · Apr to Oct · in season nowMadeira's spring bloom and cliff pathsMadeira
Apr-Jun or Sep-Oct · Apr to Oct · in season nowSpain's modernist cities in spring lightSpain
Apr-May or Sep-Oct · Apr to Oct · in season nowThe Southwest's canyon light turns without the summer heatUnited States
May
May-Jun or Sep · May to Sep · in season nowDalmatian ferries reopen for the calm seasonCroatia
May-Jun or Sep-Oct · May to Oct · in season nowGreece's first warm island weeksGreece
May-Oct peak dry, summer workable · May to Oct · in season nowNamibia's dry heat and empty desert roadsNamibia
May-Sep dry peak; shoulder Feb-Apr · May to Sep · in season nowPeru's high-season light over Cusco and the Sacred ValleyPeru
May-Sep · May to Sep · in season nowScotland's long June light on the west coastScotland
June
Jun-Aug · Jun to AugCopenhagen's long summer harbour eveningsDenmark + Sweden
Jun-Aug · Jun to AugFaroe Islands' green summer cliffsFaroe Islands
Jun-Aug · Jun to AugIreland's long summer light along the Wild Atlantic WayIrelandJun-Aug · Jun to AugIreland's midsummer light on the west coastIreland
Nov-Apr dry; green summer Jun-Sep · Jun to Apr · in season nowMexico's highlands and cooler summer nightsMexico
Jun-Sep · Jun to Sep · in season nowSwitzerland's high trails and lake trains, open while the passes holdSwitzerlandJun-Aug · Jun to AugThe Atacama's darkest winter skiesAtacama, ChileJun-Oct · Jun to Oct · in season nowThe dry season that clears the reef and the canopyTropical North QueenslandJun-Oct · Jun to Oct · in season nowTropical North Queensland's dry reef windowTropical North Queensland
July
Quiet month.
August
Quiet month.