Where to go in August

Lisbon, Portugal

Steep, sunlit, gently melancholic

27°C in August, and dry · 11h 30m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Oia, Santorini, Greece

White, vertical, engineered for sunset

27°C in August, and dry · 14h 05m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Sossusvlei, Namibia

Vast, silent, elemental, sun-bleached

27°C in August, and dry · 19h 05m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

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Mykonos, Greece

Glossy, loud, expensively bronzed

26°C in August, and dry · 14h from Los Angeles · 3–5 nights

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Madeira coastal road, Portugal

Dramatic, cliff-hugging, unhurried

27°C in August · 11h 15m from Los Angeles · a day or two, as part of a longer madeira stay

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Ponta da Piedade, Algarve, Portugal

Golden, salt-sprayed, camera-ready

25°C in August, and dry · 11h 40m from Los Angeles · a half day from lagos

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Porto, Portugal

Tiled, steep, warmly unpolished

26°C in August, and dry · 11h 20m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Folegandros, Greece

Whitewashed, windblown, deliberately quiet

25°C in August, and dry · 14h 05m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Antiparos, Greece

Whitewashed, unhurried, low key

24°C in August, and dry · sea at 26° · 14h from Los Angeles · 3-4 nights

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Praia da Ursa, Sintra, Portugal

Raw, windblown, gloriously empty

23°C in August, and dry · 11h 30m from Los Angeles · a half day from sintra

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Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy

Gardens, terraces, quiet and elevated

26°C in August · 12h 55m from Los Angeles · 3 nights

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Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy

Coloured houses, terraced cliffs, salt air

27°C in August · 12h 25m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Big Sur, California, USA

Cliff-edge, foggy, monumentally empty

22°C in August, and dry · 1h 05m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

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Langhe, Piedmont, Italy

Foggy, patient, seriously delicious

27°C in August · 12h 10m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Chicago, Illinois

Big-shouldered, musical, architecturally serious

26°C in August · 3h 55m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Vienna, Austria

Formal, comfortable, deeply civilised

27°C in August · 12h 20m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Disneyland Paris, France

Nostalgic, polished, unmistakably Disney

25°C in August · 11h 25m from Los Angeles · 3-4 nights

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Lugano, Switzerland

Italian warmth, Swiss precision

27°C in August · 12h 10m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

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Puy du Fou, France

Theatrical, ambitious, ride-free

24°C in August · 11h 20m from Los Angeles · 2 nights

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Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Green, ceremonial, busier than expected

27°C in August · sea at 27° · 17h 05m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Côte des Basques, Biarritz, France

Longboards, Belle Époque, Atlantic light

25°C in August · sea at 24° · 11h 40m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Leipzig, Germany

Flat, cheap, culturally overqualified

25°C in August · 11h 45m from Los Angeles · a long weekend

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Paris, France

Elegant, walkable, quietly demanding

25°C in August · 11h 25m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Studenty, cheap, late, unpolished

26°C in August · 12h 50m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

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Europa-Park, Germany

Ambitious, polished, pan-European

26°C in August · 11h 45m from Los Angeles · 2-3 nights

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Ljubljana, Slovenia

Green, walkable, quietly cultured

26°C in August · 12h 25m from Los Angeles · 2 nights

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Rulantica, Germany

Warm, Norse-themed, cheerfully loud

26°C in August · 11h 45m from Los Angeles · a day, or two with europa-park

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Bansko, Bulgaria

Cobbled, cheap, mountain-hearty

27°C in August · 13h 15m from Los Angeles · a week in winter, 3–4 nights in summer

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Moorea, French Polynesia

Dramatic, lush, gently paced

25°C in August · sea at 27° · 8h 25m from Los Angeles · 3-4 nights

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Sibiu, Romania

Cobbled, watchful, warmly Baroque

25°C in August · 12h 55m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

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Lake Como, Italy

Elegant, watery, unapologetically romantic

27°C in August · 12h 10m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

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Varenna, Lake Como, Italy

Steep, quiet, unhurriedly pretty

27°C in August · 12h 10m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

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Annecy, France

Turquoise water, arcades, mountain air

25°C in August · 11h 55m from Los Angeles · 2-3 nights

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Mosel Valley, Germany

Vine-draped, romantic, slow-paced

25°C in August · 11h 40m from Los Angeles · 3-4 nights

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Tropical Islands Resort, Germany

Surreal, warm, unashamedly artificial

25°C in August · 11h 45m from Los Angeles · one or two nights

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Warsaw, Poland

Rebuilt, restless, late and cheap

25°C in August · 12h 05m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

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