10 incredible places to visit in July around the world
Embrace the season with outdoor theaters, desert swimming holes—and ski trips.


The July peak of summer travel season means kids are off from school, crowds are at their densest, and temperatures are skyrocketing. Trips during this time tend to fall broadly into two categories: Those designed to take you as far away from the heat as possible (say, above the Arctic Circle to enjoy the midnight sun or to the Southern Hemisphere to play in the snow), and those that unabashedly embrace the sun and the sweat. Whether you’re beach-hopping in one of America’s largest cities, exploring lunar landscapes in Idaho, or even heading straight into the red-rock desert of Arizona, July is a time to declare independence from the ordinary and chart an adventurous course.
Calgary, Alberta
For the cowboy obsessed
Average temp: 73ºF high, 49ºF low

July in the largest city in the Canadian Rockies means it’s time to dust off those cowboy boots for the Calgary Stampede, the world’s largest outdoor rodeo. In addition to events like barrel-racing and bull-riding, the city erupts into a massive party, with concerts from the likes of Miranda Lambert and Nickelback (this is Canada, after all) and a powwow at the Scotiabank Saddledome that brings together First Nations dancers, singers, and drummers from across the country. This year also sees the much-anticipated opening of the Sam Centre, a year-round immersive attraction dedicated to the history and culture of the Stampede.
A lesser-known part of the festivities (at least to out-of-towners) are the free pancake breakfasts all around Calgary. The tradition dates back to 1923, when a rancher named Jack Morton served flapjacks off the back of his chuckwagon. These days, different cultural groups put their own spins breakfast; last year’s offerings included bharazi (pigeon peas in coconut curry) from the Ismaili Muslim community, longanisa sausage and pandesal (sweet bread) from a Filipino group, and green tea pancakes and wagyu croquettes served in the parking lot of OMO Teppan and Kitchen.
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Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, Idaho
For wannabe astronauts
Average temp: 89ºF high, 56ºF low
Located about three hours from Boise or an hour from Sun Valley, the otherworldly Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve gets its name from its sprawling lava fields, criss-crossed by hiking trails and a seven-mile loop road. This year marks its centennial, so you can expect star parties and full moon hikes to celebrate the anniversary.
While July marks peak season, don’t expect Yellowstone-level crowds. It’s often possible to find quieter paths, like the Broken Top Loop Trail, which are especially lovely on a summer morning. When temperatures rise midday, it's time to cool off underground in one of the park’s lava tubes, such as Indian Tunnel or Dewdrop Cave. Come nightfall, you’ll be dazzled by the overhead display in this International Dark Sky Park.
Note that lodging near the park is pretty basic, so if you’re looking to upgrade from a motel, drive about 45 minutes north to the town of Mackay and the charming Bear Bottom Inn or head back to Sun Valley/Ketchum for accommodations that run from hip (Limelight Hotel) to grand (Sun Valley Lodge).
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Queenstown, New Zealand
For snow seekers
Average temp: 46ºF high, 30ºF low
Yes, you can ski in the middle of July—you’ll just have to head to the Southern Hemisphere. New Zealand’s adventure capital, Queenstown is a hub for extreme sports like bungee jumping, sky-diving, and jet-boating, but come wintertime, it offers access to four unique ski spots.
- Coronet Peak: Just 20 minutes outside of town, this was the country’s first commercial ski area, opened in 1947. Today, it has varied terrain for all levels, plus early morning and night skiing to maximize your time on the slopes.
- Cardrona Alpine Resort: Set to become the South Island’s largest ski area after the construction of a new lift, it shares the valley with Cardrona Distillery, which has won awards for its single-malt whiskeys.
- Treble Cone: With runs that look out over Lake Wānaka and the Mātukituki Basin, this is for skiers who love a view.
- The Remarkables: It more than lives up to its name as a center for freeriding, a style of skiing that involves gliding through ungroomed terrain.
Prague
For classical connoisseurs
Average temp: 79ºF high, 60ºF low

In 1924, the Czech people started celebrating “The Year of Czech Music” to mark the 100th birthday of the great composer Bedřich Smetana. It’s become a worldwide tradition celebrated every 10 years, and this year you can find Czech music programs across the globe, including at Carnegie Hall.
In Prague, there are tons of historic music venues celebrating the storied composer in July, such as the National Theater Opera, the Rudolfinum, and Obecní Dům, home to Smetana Hall. While you’re in town, be sure to check out the Národní Muzeum and its ongoing exhibitions about Smetana’s family and his opera’s incredible costumes.
To get away from the capital’s summer crowds, consider a day trip to Litomyšl, Smetana’s birthplace, about three hours from Prague by train. In early July, the UNESCO World Heritage–designated Litomyšl Castle and Smetana House host a long-running music festival that includes operas, string quartets, and piano concertos. While in town, stop by the Regionální Muzeum v Litomyšli for an exhibit about the icon, then visit the apartment in the castle’s old brewery building where he was born in 1824.
Mougins, France
For feminist art fans
Average temp: 80ºF high, 64ºF low
Located a 15-minute drive from Cannes, the village of Mougins sits on a rocky outcrop surrounded by forests, and it has been a magnet for artistic types for decades. In fact, Pablo Picasso spent the last 12 years of his life here in a villa near the Chapelle de Notre-Dame-de-Vie. (His former residence is now a private home.) As of this summer, Mougins will also be home to FAMM (Femmes Artistes du Musée de Mougins), mainland Europe’s first major museum dedicated exclusively to women artists.
Despite the town’s tiny size, it has an outsized gallery scene. As you walk through the medieval cobblestoned streets, stop into art spaces like Mirena Art Gallery, which shows contemporary works from across Europe and beyond, and the Centre de la Photographie de Mougins, which this summer is exhibiting Stephen Shames’ portraits of women in the Black Panther Party.
Asheville, North Carolina
For hungry travelers
Average temp: 85ºF high, 65ºF low

Best known for the opulent Biltmore estate and its robust craft beer scene, this funky Blue Ridge Mountain city has emerged as a culinary powerhouse. In 2022, Chai Pani took home the James Beard Award for outstanding restaurant, and it’s a favorite for its craveable street food like green mango chaat and matchstick okra fries. That same year, Cúrate tapas bar—which has a $76 “Spanish experience,” with dishes chosen by the chef—won best hospitality.
Among the most exciting newcomers in town is Neng Jr.’s, an innovative, tucked-away restaurant where chef Silver Iocovozzi pairs Southern ingredients with Filipino flavors. Start with a garlic-and-soy-spiked adobo martini and then continue with their cult-hit raw oysters, duck adobo, or keso (cheese) ice cream.
Beyond restaurants, you can get in on the burgeoning gastronomic scene through a guided walk with Eating Asheville, Asheville Food Tours, or No Taste Like Home Food Tours, which offers the unique opportunity to forage in the forests outside of town. Come July, you can often find chanterelles, blackberries, lambsquarter, and much more.
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Sedona, Arizona
For swimming-hole seekers
Average temp: 100ºF high, 68ºF low
Summer in Arizona may seem prohibitively hot, but temperatures up here in Sedona, at about 4,350 feet above sea level, are significantly cooler than the rest of the state, and late-afternoon/early-evening monsoons help moderate the heat. That being said, when the mercury does rise, Sedona and the surrounding red-rock landscapes are filled with plenty of spots to cool off. The most famous is Slide Rock State Park, in Oak Creek Canyon, which comprises an 80-foot natural, sandstone water slide.
Other area favorites include Grasshopper Point, where visitors cliff jump into the perpetually shaded (read: chilly) water below; Midgley Bridge, which can get a bit crowded thanks to red-rock “beaches” perfect for sunbathing; and Red Rock Crossing, which is accessible from the Crescent Moon Picnic Site and allows you to take a dip in the shadow of the iconic Cathedral Rock. And if you’re less of an outdoorsy type, you could always just stick to the pool at the newly opened Ambiente Sedona, A Landscape Hotel.
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Chicago
For urban beach-goers
Average temp: 82ºF high, 70ºF low

Chicago might not immediately leap to mind as a beach destination, but the city’s parks department manages 26 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan that are tailor-made for sunbathing and splashing around. Perhaps the most iconic is North Avenue Beach, which is known for its ocean-liner-shaped beach house that’s home to a waterfront restaurant called Castaways. Other standouts include the queer-friendly Kathy Osterman (or Hollywood) Beach; Montrose Beach, which attracts dog owners and migratory birds; and Oak Street Beach, which is so close to the Loop that skyscrapers seem to practically rise out of the sand.
If your idea of a perfect day on the shore involves a bit more activity, join a class with Ohio Street Beach Yoga or stop by Chicago Water Sports Rentals at 31st Street Harbor where you can rent a jet ski, boat, kayak, or paddleboard. And for a totally different view of the city, stop by the newest attraction at Navy Pier: FlyOver Chicago, an immersive flight simulator that uses drone footage, scents, and more to make you feel like you’re soaring above the skyline.
The Berkshires, Massachusetts
For theater lovers
Average temp: 88ºF high, 65ºF low
Every summer, drama fans flock to Western Massachusetts for star-studded regional theater performances—after all, Broadway is only three hours south. Housed on the Williams College campus (home to a must-visit art museum), the Williamstown Theatre Festival kicks off with Death, Let Me Do My Show, a one-woman musical comedy by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom. The festival is also presenting an immersive art installation and film by artist Robin Frohardt called The Plastic Bag Store, about consumption and single-use plastics, at the nearby MASS MoCA, an enormous art center in a converted 19th-century factory.
The Berkshire Theatre Group, meanwhile, will present shows at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield and the Unicorn Theatre and Fitzpatrick Main Stage in Stockbridge, including Robert E. Sherwood’s Pulitzer-winning Abe Lincoln in Illinois and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Pipe Dream. The Shakespeare & Company festival will celebrate with a production of The Comedy of Errors at its amphitheater in Lenox—a worthy day trip for New Yorkers who might be missing Shakespeare in the Park during the lengthy refurbishment of Central Park’s Delacorte Theater.
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Bodø, Norway
For Arctic adventurers
Average temp: 62ºF high, 51ºF low

One of three cities to earn European Capital of Culture status in 2024, Bodø is the first town north of the Arctic Circle to ever hold the title. Here, you’ll find the Jektefartsmuseet, which houses an 1876 jekt (an open-cargo sailing ship), and the recently reopened Bymuseet I Bodø, which is filled with exhibits about indigenous Sami culture, handicrafts, and architecture. Beyond cultural institutions, Bodø shows off its vibrant creative side in spots like Studio EBN, where designer Elisabeth Benonisen transforms salmon skin into surprisingly beautiful bags, bracelets, belts, and more. And PopUp Norge is turning the Landegode Fyr lighthouse outside of town into a pop-up restaurant where a rotating slate of eight star chefs will present multi-course tasting menus. The boat back to town leaves at about 11:30 p.m., but remember, you’re above the Arctic Circle: For much of July, the sun never sets, and when it does, it barely dips below the horizon.