Where to go in July

Sweden may be famously progressive, but for much of the year you may question the logic behind Stockholm’s many rooftop bars. But in July it all makes sense, as summer’s glow makes alfresco fikas and drinks with capital-V views the default. Archipelago cruising and ambling round Gamla Stan or Museums Island are all the more pleasant, and the city’s main street-food festival and Pride see the city go all out.

To glimpse Italy’s heartlands in high-definition, head to Umbria in July, when greens get greener, skies are at their clearest, and the sun most certainly has its hat on. Spend your days sipping on local trebbiano in the cooler climes of the mountains and countryside, or boogie down to Perugia, the region’s honey-hued capital, where the Umbria Jazz Festival fills the streets with melodic jams.

There’s a reason July is popular for hiking the Sacred Valley. Sure, you’ll be contending with more crowds, but less rain and cooler air make for a more comfortable trek (though you’ll need more layers at night), and your chances improve for clear days at Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo. It’s the height of dry season elsewhere in the country, too, such as in Arequipa, gateway to the Colca Canyon.

The bull run at Pamplona may be the Basque Country’s most (in)famous July date, but it’s not in our rationale for a summer road trip. Sure, the pintxos and begudas are irresistible year-round, but let the countryside’s summer finery, cities in holiday mood, and sun-kissed Atlantic beaches – from La Concha to roller-lapped St Jean de Luz – be your prompts to run wild from Bilbao to Biarritz. No bull.

Koh Samui is a year-round favourite (though things get a little damp between September and November), but it’s especially good in July, when the northern hemisphere’s winter-sun seeking has wrapped up and it’s far quieter, but still dry and sunny. Series three of cult TV hit The White Lotus is being filmed in this tropical Thai paradise, so it’s probably worth getting in there early…

Tropical Queensland moves to an alternative seasonal beat than the rest of Australia’s East Coast, so July is prime time for taking in the Whitsundays’ whites and blues. It’s not as humid, with less rainfall, meaning extra-clear visibility underwater (it’s the Great Barrier Reef’s back garden, after all). You’ll be in good company: humpback whales migrate to the Coral Sea to sun themselves come July.