Del BaileyBali, Santorini, Iceland, Barcelona, Maui, Cape Town, Tokyo, Cancún, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro are our top 10 summer vacation destinations. Each has one big thing to plan the trip around, from sunrise on Haleakalā to diving the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. Three of them sit south of the equator, where June is winter.
Updated October 31, 2026.
I’ve planned more summer trips than I can count, and the good ones follow a pattern. Pick one big activity and build the days around it. Leave enough slack that you aren’t worn out by day three. Most of us have come home from a trip so tired we needed a vacation from the vacation. The travel hacks that make a trip easier matter more on a long-haul summer trip than on a weekend away, and so does knowing how to travel on a budget when peak-season prices hit. Whether you want quiet beaches, big mountains or busy cities, there’s something here for every traveler. So pack your bags and let’s dive in.
1. Bali, Indonesia
Bali, often called the “Island of the Gods,” packs a lot into one island. Wander the busy markets, visit the old temples, and treat yourself to a spa day. There are the stepped rice terraces at Tegalalang, the surf at Uluwatu, calm snorkeling around Menjangan Island, and a pre-dawn hike up Mount Batur to watch the sun come up. If you’d rather plan nothing at all, the beaches at Nusa Dua are the easy option.
2. Santorini, Greece
Santorini’s white-washed buildings and blue water make it a dreamy summer stop, and the sunsets over the Aegean Sea are hard to beat. Oia and Fira sit on the rim of a flooded volcanic crater, called a caldera. That is why the cliffs drop so sharply into the sea. The youngest caldera formed in a huge eruption around 1600 BCE that forced people to leave the island, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program. Spend a day on the Bronze Age ruins at Akrotiri. Then take a boat out to Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni, the young volcanic islands in the middle of the bay, and swim at the warm springs. Save some time for Greek food, local wine, and maybe a catamaran cruise around the island.
3. Iceland
Iceland in June and July barely gets dark. That long light turns the Golden Circle loop, with the Geysir hot-spring area and Gullfoss waterfall, into a relaxed day instead of a race against sunset. Vatnajökull National Park has the glaciers and the guided glacier hikes, and the scenery looks like another planet. On your way to or from the airport, warm up in the Blue Lagoon. Anyone who has tried to fall asleep while it’s still light out knows the long days can make sleep tricky, so an eye mask is worth packing. Boats leave Húsavík on the north coast for whale watching. Don’t come in summer for the Northern Lights, though. The sky is too bright to see them.
4. Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona blends old history with modern charm. Antoni Gaudí’s buildings, led by the Sagrada Família and Park Güell, give Barcelona a skyline you won’t mistake for anywhere else. Book Sagrada Família tickets ahead in summer. Everyone has stood in a long line at a famous place and watched half the morning disappear. Walk La Rambla once, then spend more time in the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter. Barceloneta Beach is right in the city for an afternoon swim, and Montjuïc Hill has the long view over the port. Evenings mean tapas, lively bars, live music and flamenco shows.
5. Maui, Hawaii
Maui, the second-largest Hawaiian island, mixes adventure with relaxation. Molokini is a small crescent-shaped island about 3 miles off Maui’s southwest coast, the rim of an extinct volcanic crater. Its sheltered cove has been a protected Marine Life Conservation District since 1977, per Hawaii’s Division of Aquatic Resources, and it is the island’s best-known snorkel trip. Haleakalā is the other big one. The summit area tops out at 10,023 feet at Puʻuʻulaʻula, and you need a Recreation.gov reservation to drive up for sunrise between 3 and 7 a.m., per the National Park Service. Save a full day for the Road to Hana, with its rainforests, waterfalls and ocean views. End the day with sunset at Kaanapali Beach, and if you can, go to a Hawaiian luau.
6. Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town’s summer runs roughly November through February, the reverse of the US and Europe. Go then, not in July. Table Mountain is the main sight, by cable car or on foot, with big views of the city and the coast. After that, walk the bright houses of Bo-Kaap, take the ferry to Robben Island, and drive the Cape Peninsula out to Cape Point. The wine country around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek is an easy day trip. Boulders Beach, near Simon’s Town, has a colony of African penguins you can watch from boardwalks.
7. Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo mixes old tradition with new ideas. In summer it is hot and sticky, so plan for it. Most of us know how fast a hot, sticky day wears you out when you’re on your feet all day, so build in breaks. Do Shinjuku and Shibuya in the evening, see Meiji Shrine in the morning shade, and duck into Senso-ji in Asakusa. Shop in Ginza and Harajuku, and eat plenty of sushi and ramen. When the city gets to be too much, take a day trip to Hakone for the hot springs and, on a clear day, a look at Mount Fuji. The Sumida River Fireworks Festival is held on the last Saturday of July. The 2026 show ran on July 25, per the festival’s official site.
8. Cancún, Mexico
Cancún sits at the north end of the Mesoamerican Reef. WWF says the reef holds the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere and stretches nearly 700 miles from the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula to the Bay Islands of Honduras, per WWF. That reef is the reason to snorkel or dive here instead of just lying on the beach. The Mayan ruins at Tulum and the cenotes, freshwater sinkholes you can swim in, are easy day trips. Back in town, you can try jet skiing or parasailing, and the food and nightlife are lively.
9. Sydney, Australia
Sydney flips the calendar too. Its summer is December through February. Bondi and Manly cover the surf and sand, and the coastal walk out of Bondi is worth the morning. Have a picnic in the Royal Botanic Garden and eat at a waterfront restaurant. In the city, see the Opera House, climb the Harbour Bridge, and ride the ferry across to Taronga Zoo. If Sydney is the start of a longer trip, our list of the best cities to visit in Australia covers where to go next. The New Year’s Eve fireworks over the harbor are famous too, and they fall in Sydney’s summer.
10. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio’s summer also runs December through February. Copacabana and Ipanema are the beaches everyone pictures. Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer are the two views worth the trip up. Santa Teresa, the hillside arts neighborhood, is the slow afternoon. At night, catch some samba at a local dance club, and browse the street markets for crafts and street food. If your dates land on Carnival, in the days before Lent, expect every hotel to cost more and every street to be packed. Anyone who has tried to book a hotel on a big holiday weekend knows how fast the prices jump.
Summer Destinations: Common Questions
What is the best island to visit in summer?
Bali and Maui are the two strongest picks here. Each gives you one big thing to plan around. In Bali, that’s surfing at Uluwatu or the sunrise hike up Mount Batur. In Maui, it’s snorkeling Molokini or watching sunrise from Haleakalā, which needs a Recreation.gov reservation. Santorini is the pick if you want views and ruins more than water sports.
Are Cape Town and Sydney warm in July?
No. Both are in the Southern Hemisphere, so their summer runs roughly November or December through February, the opposite of the US and Europe. A July trip lands in their winter, with cooler weather. For beach time in either city, plan your trip for December through February. Rio de Janeiro follows the same calendar.
What is there to do in Cancún besides the beach?
Get in the water. Cancún sits at the north end of the Mesoamerican Reef, which WWF says holds the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, so snorkeling and diving are the main draw. On land, the Mayan ruins at Tulum and the freshwater cenotes, sinkholes you can swim in, are both easy day trips from the hotel zone.
Why is Iceland good to visit in summer?
Iceland barely gets dark in June and July, so you have long days for the Golden Circle, the glaciers of Vatnajökull National Park, and whale-watching boats out of Húsavík. Roads into the interior are also easier in summer. The one thing you won’t see is the Northern Lights, because the sky is too bright.
When is Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival?
Carnival falls in February or early March, in the days before Lent, so the exact dates move each year. It lands in Rio’s own summer. If your trip overlaps with it, book early and expect higher hotel prices and big crowds. If you want the beaches without the crush, pick a week away from Carnival.
Tami Benedict
