Beach Holiday Weather Planner

Enter a coastal city and your dates, up to 20 days, and the planner scores every day and marks the beach days.

Plan Your Trip

Search by city to get per-day scores, or by country to compare cities

What makes a beach day

In coastal cities the planner suggests the beach on days with a high of 18–28 °C and less than 20% chance of rain, and on very hot days above 32 °C. On days with more than 50% chance of rain or a rain icon it suggests a museum instead, and above 30 km/h of wind a sheltered plan.

The day score adds the usual rules: a chance of rain above 20% costs up to 5 points, wind above 20 km/h up to 2 and heat above 32 °C 1 point (2 above 38 °C), so a very hot beach day scores a little lower. Up to 15 days ahead you get the live forecast; for later trips, an estimate from 20 years of climate data.

Worked example: in a coastal city, a day of 26 °C with 10% chance of rain scores 10 and the planner suggests the beach. At 40% chance of rain the same day scores 8.4, and because the chance is above 20% the planner suggests a park or picnic instead.

Beach months in 10 coastal cities

We count a month as a beach month when the average high is 24 °C or more and an average day scores 8 or more (2006–2025 averages, chance of rain = rainy days divided by 30). This is our table’s rule; the planner itself decides day by day as described above.

City	Beach months	Best month
Barcelona	Jun, Jul, and Aug	July · 9.1
Lisbon	Jun, Jul, Aug, and Sep	June · 10
Nice	Jun, Jul, and Aug	July · 8.7
Athens	May, Jun, Jul, Aug, and Sep	June · 10
Antalya	May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, and Oct	June · 10
Dubai	Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, and Dec	February · 10
Cancun	Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Nov, and Dec	April · 9.3
Miami	Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov, and Dec	March · 9.1
Honolulu	Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, and Dec	September · 9.3
Istanbul	Jun, Jul, Aug, and Sep	July · 9.4

10 of 10 cities have at least one beach month; Honolulu has the most (12). In places with frequent summer showers, the average chance of rain keeps the score below 8 even in warm months.

Beach trip checklist

On very hot days, plan the beach for the morning and late afternoon.
Keep a museum or a market for the days the planner marks as wet.
Check the wind: above 30 km/h the planner moves you away from the beach.
For trips more than 15 days away, check again when the live forecast starts.

FAQ

What is the best weather for a beach day?

Warm, dry and calm: a high of 18–28 °C with less than 20% chance of rain, or very hot days above 32 °C. Those are the days the planner suggests the beach.

How far ahead can I check beach weather?

Up to 15 days ahead with the live forecast. For later dates the planner shows an estimate from 20 years of climate data.

Why does the planner not suggest the beach on a warm day?

Usually because of rain or wind: above 50% chance of rain it suggests a museum, above 30 km/h of wind a sheltered plan, and between 28 and 32 °C sightseeing.

Can I compare beach cities?

Yes. Use the country mode to compare the cities of one country for your dates, or the table above for 10 popular coastal cities.