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Where to Go in June: The Best Places to Travel
In much of the northern hemisphere, June is an excellent time weather-wise to squeeze in a trip before most school vacations start, the summer crowds surge, and the heat descends. In some places, it’s also a great month for hiking and spotting elusive beasts of the wild. Here are our Trusted Travel Experts’ recommendations for the best places to travel in June.
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Iceland
The black sand beach near Vik with violet lupine flowers. Photo: Shutterstock
Around the summer solstice (June 21), Iceland offers 24 hours of sunshine and an explosion of wildflowers as far as the eye can see. It’s also a good time for animal lovers: There are day-old foals, lambs, and wild chicks, and eggs visible in ground nests.
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Canada’s Maritime Provinces, including Newfoundland
The coastline of Twillingate, New World Islands, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Photo credit: Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism
June is typically an optimal month for iceberg watching—a popular pastime in Newfoundland. On a warm day, you can watch these majestic mountains of ice flow along the province’s northern and eastern coasts. It’s also the start of the summer season of food, festivals, and spectacular scenery in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
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San Sebastián, Spain
San Sebastian, Spain, is ideal in June. Photo: Shutterstock
June is a great time in San Sebastián: The weather has cleared but it’s not yet warm enough for beach-goers, so the crowds are manageable. Enjoy the top pintxo bars while they are still filled with locals—most of whom will be replaced by tourists come July and August. And a lot of produce comes into season now, making the many Michelin-starred menus even more delectable than usual.
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The Mediterranean Island of Malta
Xlendi Tower, Malta
If you must travel in summer and you want ocean temperatures that are warm enough for swimming, plan your Malta trip for the second half of June, when the island isn’t as busy—and the weather not as hot—as later on in the summer. There are also village feasts happening around the country just about every weekend from May through October, with parades, concerts, and fireworks. (If swimming isn’t a prerequisite for your trip, March is a fabulous time for Malta.)
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Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
The watchtower in Grand Canyon. Photo: Mike Buchheit
The peak of summer sees crowds almost as huge as the Grand Canyon itself, which is up to a mile deep and 18 miles wide; go in June and you’ll have much more breathing room, as well as access to the far less visited North Rim (which is open only from mid-May to mid-October). The right local fixer can arrange helicopter flights over the canyon, mule rides down to where the rocks are 1.8 billion years old, float trips along the Colorado River, and behind-the-scenes tours of sites not accessible to ordinary travelers.
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Alaska Cruises
An adult humpback whale breaches in Southeast Alaska. Photo: Lindblad Expeditions/Michael S. Nolan
The first two weeks of June in Southeast Alaska—the region also known as the Inside Passage—typically offer drier days and better wildlife spotting on the beaches at low tide. This is also a prime time to spot transient orcas, migrating humpback whales, and hauled-out harbor seals. Winds coming off the snow-covered mountain peaks make the air crisp, and the forests showcase an abundance of colorful and diverse wildflowers.
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Cappadocia, Turkey
Balloons over Cappadocia. Photograph courtesy of Earl Starkey
In June the wildflowers are in bloom and everything is still green. The light is ideal for photography, the days are long, and the nights are lovely. It is also a perfect time for balloon flights over the fairy chimneys in Cappadocia.
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Italy’s Dolomites Region
The Dolomites, Italy
The craggy peaks and verdant valleys of the Dolomites, a.k.a. the Italian Alps, provide some of the country’s most spectacular scenery. In June you are guaranteed sunny days and warm evenings, with not too much humidity. Enjoy hiking and biking into the UNESCO-designated landscape, and afterward sample the local culinary delicacies over lunch at a mountain rifugio or from a picnic basket.
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Bali
Uma by Como, Ubud, Bali. Courtesy Como Resorts
June is the calm before—and after—the tourist storms that hit this island during the Christmas/New Year period and in July, August, and early September. It also has the most reliably pleasant weather (daytime temps in the 80s and gentle breezes to keep the sun from feeling too hot) and decent prices (high-season hotel rates don’t kick in until July).
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Koh Phangan, Thailand
Koh Phangan, Thailand. Photo: Journeys Within
While the rest of Thailand is entering the rainy season in June, the island of Koh Phangan is still sunny and dry, making it ideal for snorkeling, diving, and lounging on the beach. As it’s high season on Koh Phangan, you won’t see deep discounts for your stay there, but if you’re pairing the beach time with a larger journey around Thailand you can take advantage of the “green season” specials in the rest of the country.
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India’s Himalaya Mountains: Trekking and Tigers
A royal Bengal tiger stretches in the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, India. Photo: Sanjay Saxena
June is an excellent time for hikers, as many Himalayan trekking routes are open, and the mountains (up to about 14,000 feet, at least) are covered with rhododendron blooms and other wildflowers. And while it’s very hot in the central plains, it’s also the best time for visiting that region’s wildlife parks—especially the tiger reserves.
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Rwanda and Uganda: Gorilla Trekking
Gorilla trekking in Uganda. Photo: Explore Inc.
Gorilla sightings are equally good all year long (though never guaranteed). However, the best time for gorilla tracking is June, when it’s cool and there is less precipitation (but remember, this is still the rainforest, and storms can hit any day).
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Borneo
Tun Sakaran Marine Park. Photo: Shutterstock
Borneo’s dry season (if you can have one in the rainforest) runs from May through September, and by June the fruiting season is in full swing; this is the ideal time to see orangutans and other animals swinging through the trees.
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Yakushima, Japan
Japan’s sub-tropical island of Yakushima is ideal for intrepid travelers. Photo: Sankara Hotel & Spa Yakushima
This sub-tropical island, located in the waters just south of Kyushu, is ideal for intrepid travelers: Its mountains and vast forest of ancient cedar trees are crisscrossed by a network of hiking trails, from easy walks to challenging ascents. June signals the end of the rainy season, so you’ll find stunning waterfalls along the trails; it’s also when endangered loggerhead sea turtles return to Yakushima’s beaches to nest.
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Bhutan
Punakha Dzong Monastery, one of the largest monasteries in Asia, Punakha, Bhutan. Photo: Shutterstock
In June the higher mountainsides are dressed in the pinks, whites, reds, purples, and oranges of Himalayan rhododendron flowers. Iris, orchids, primula, and other flowers are blooming, spring plantings are poking their leaves up out of fields, and migratory birds are heading north across the mountains. Many travelers have gone home, so roads are not teeming with buses and other tourist vehicles (which is very important in a country with only one east-west road). Moreover, with fewer visitors, Bhutanese locals have time to sit and chat or cook special meals instead of the typical tourist buffets. Yes, you may have some clouds or perhaps a shower, but the more peaceful countryside makes the trade-off well worthwhile.
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Other Smart Options This Month
Click on any of the destinations below to find out why June is a good time to go.
North America and Caribbean
Montana and Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park
St. Barts: value season and annual sales
Washington: whale watching in the San Juan Islands
Central and South America
Brazil: Pantanal wetlands, Rio de Janeiro, southern Amazon, and Trancoso’s off season
Ecuador: family trips to the Galapagos
Europe
England: London
France: Paris, Provence, and canal barge trips
Italy: Florence’s Festa di San Giovanni, Sicily, and Umbria’s festival season
Portugal, including the Algarve
Turkey: Aegean Coast and Istanbul
Asia and Pacific
French Polynesia (second half of the month)
Mongolia (first half of the month)
New Zealand: winter activities in Queenstown
Africa and Middle East
Namibia (first half of the month)
South Africa: whale watching and shark-cage diving
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Hi Wendy,
Many great ideas for some fabulous journeys.
Thank you
Patricia McEwen