Where to Travel in September: 25 Places at Their Best
Quick answer: September belongs to cities: 16 are at their best, from San Francisco (1 rain day) and New York to Paris, London, Lisbon, Florence and Prague. Beaches are scarce at the peak of hurricane season: San Diego, Bali, Sicily and Curaçao lead a list of 6. Cusco, Aspen and Yellowstone are at their best.
Pick a destination to see its weather month by month and the best time to go, or pick a month to see where the weather is at its best.
Tokyo · a city trip
Good: Mar–May, Oct–DecNo month is ideal for a city trip by our rule, but these come close.
- Warmest
- Aug · 89°F
- Coolest
- Jan · 49°F
- Wettest
- Jul · 16 rain days
- Averages for 2006–2025: any single year can be hotter, colder or wetter.
Weather from NASA POWER daily data, 2006–2025, for the ~50 km area around each place. Right on the coast, afternoons can be a few degrees warmer than shown.
| Month | High / low (°F) | Rain days | Rain (in) | Storms within 100 mi | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49° / 34° | 5 | 2.4 | Off (too cold) | |
| Feb | 51° / 35° | 7 | 3.1 | Off (too cold) | |
| Mar | 57° / 40° | 12 | 5.1 | Good (cool, showery) | |
| Apr | 65° / 48° | 12 | 6 | Good (showery) | |
| May | 73° / 58° | 13 | 6.6 | Good (showery) | |
| Jun | 79° / 65° | 16 | 8.1 | Off (too wet) | |
| Jul | 86° / 73° | 16 | 6.5 | Off (too wet) | |
| Aug | 89° / 75° | 15 | 5.4 | Off (too hot) | |
| Sep | 82° / 70° | 16 | 8.7 | Off (too wet) | |
| Oct | 72° / 59° | 14 | 8.9 | Good (showery) | |
| Nov | 63° / 48° | 11 | 4.4 | Good (showery) | |
| Dec | 54° / 39° | 7 | 3.2 | Good (cool) |
The tool above opens on September: switch the kind of trip, or pick any of the 173 places for its weather all year. Below, every place at its best in September, sorted from the fewest rainy days.
Beach trips at their best in September (6)
| Place | High / low | Rain days | Storm seasons* |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego California | 85 / 64°F 29 / 18°C | 2 | — |
| Bali (Denpasar) Indonesia | 83 / 72°F 28 / 22°C | 6 | — |
| Cairns Australia | 80 / 64°F 27 / 18°C | 7 | — |
| Curaçao | 85 / 83°F 29 / 28°C | 8 | 3 of 50 |
| Sicily (Palermo) Italy | 82 / 69°F 28 / 20°C | 8 | — |
| Rio de Janeiro Brazil | 80 / 67°F 26 / 19°C | 9 | — |
* Seasons, of the last 50 (1976–2025), in which a tropical storm or hurricane passed within 100 miles in September. A beach with 5 or more is left out of this list; see the hurricane section below.
Warm cities at their best in September (0)
None of the 6 warm cities in the tool is at its best in September by the rule below. Closest: Santo Domingo, good but stormy and showery, with a high of 89°F.
City breaks at their best in September (16)
September is London’s one best month by the rule: 68°F / 20°C with 10 rain days.
| Place | High / low | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco California | 76 / 56°F 24 / 13°C | 1 |
| Lisbon Portugal | 73 / 64°F 23 / 18°C | 5 |
| Buenos Aires Argentina | 63 / 54°F 17 / 12°C | 6 |
| Sydney Australia | 68 / 57°F 20 / 14°C | 6 |
| Denver Colorado | 78 / 49°F 25 / 9°C | 6 |
| Porto Portugal | 75 / 61°F 24 / 16°C | 7 |
| Istanbul Turkey | 78 / 67°F 26 / 19°C | 7 |
| Berlin Germany | 71 / 51°F 21 / 11°C | 8 |
| Dubrovnik Croatia | 76 / 69°F 24 / 21°C | 9 |
| Boston Massachusetts | 75 / 56°F 24 / 13°C | 9 |
| Florence Italy | 75 / 55°F 24 / 13°C | 9 |
| Paris France | 71 / 51°F 22 / 11°C | 10 |
| Seattle Washington | 69 / 52°F 21 / 11°C | 10 |
| New York City | 74 / 64°F 23 / 18°C | 10 |
| Prague Czechia | 69 / 49°F 21 / 10°C | 10 |
| London United Kingdom | 68 / 51°F 20 / 10°C | 10 |
Mountains and nature at their best in September (3)
| Place | High / low | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| Cusco (Machu Picchu) Peru | 61 / 39°F 16 / 4°C | 4 |
| Aspen Colorado | 61 / 34°F 16 / 1°C | 8 |
| Yellowstone (Old Faithful) Wyoming | 63 / 37°F 17 / 3°C | 9 |
Popular places in September
New York, Paris, London and Lisbon are at their best; Rome, Barcelona and Athens rate good but still warm.
| Place | September | High / low | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancún Mexico | Off (too wet) | 86 / 80°F 30 / 27°C | 23 |
| Punta Cana Dominican Republic | Off (too wet, storms) | 85 / 83°F 29 / 28°C | 16 |
| Montego Bay Jamaica | Off (too wet) | 87 / 82°F 31 / 28°C | 26 |
| Nassau Bahamas | Off (too wet, storms) | 85 / 83°F 29 / 28°C | 23 |
| Aruba | Good (showery) | 85 / 83°F 30 / 28°C | 11 |
| San Juan Puerto Rico | Off (too wet, storms) | 87 / 80°F 31 / 27°C | 26 |
| Honolulu (Oʻahu) Hawaii | Good (showery) | 83 / 77°F 28 / 25°C | 11 |
| Maui (Kahului) Hawaii | Good (showery) | 79 / 76°F 26 / 24°C | 11 |
| Miami Beach Florida | Off (too wet, storms) | 85 / 82°F 30 / 28°C | 27 |
| Key West Florida | Off (too wet, storms) | 85 / 84°F 30 / 29°C | 24 |
| Orlando Florida | Off (too hot, too wet, storms) | 87 / 74°F 31 / 23°C | 21 |
| New York City | Best | 74 / 64°F 23 / 18°C | 10 |
| Las Vegas Nevada | Off (too hot) | 96 / 70°F 36 / 21°C | 3 |
| New Orleans Louisiana | Good (storms, hot, showery) | 85 / 76°F 30 / 24°C | 14 |
| Cabo San Lucas Mexico | Good (storms, showery) | 87 / 80°F 31 / 27°C | 10 |
| Puerto Vallarta Mexico | Off (too wet, storms) | 81 / 70°F 27 / 21°C | 28 |
| Paris France | Best | 71 / 51°F 22 / 11°C | 10 |
| London United Kingdom | Best | 68 / 51°F 20 / 10°C | 10 |
| Rome Italy | Good (hot) | 82 / 63°F 28 / 17°C | 8 |
| Barcelona Spain | Good (hot) | 80 / 63°F 26 / 17°C | 9 |
| Lisbon Portugal | Best | 73 / 64°F 23 / 18°C | 5 |
| Athens Greece | Good (hot) | 84 / 69°F 29 / 20°C | 5 |
| Santorini (Fira) Greece | Good (cool) | 78 / 74°F 25 / 23°C | 3 |
| Tokyo Japan | Off (too wet) | 82 / 70°F 28 / 21°C | 16 |
| Bali (Denpasar) Indonesia | Best | 83 / 72°F 28 / 22°C | 6 |
| Bangkok Thailand | Off (too wet) | 87 / 76°F 31 / 25°C | 27 |
| Phuket Thailand | Off (too wet) | 83 / 80°F 28 / 27°C | 28 |
| Dubai United Arab Emirates | Off (too hot) | 93 / 90°F 34 / 32°C | 0 |
| Cusco (Machu Picchu) Peru | Best | 61 / 39°F 16 / 4°C | 4 |
| Reykjavík Iceland | Off (too wet) | 50 / 43°F 10 / 6°C | 21 |
| Banff Canada | Good (cool, showery) | 54 / 34°F 12 / 1°C | 14 |
| Grand Canyon (South Rim) Arizona | Good (hot) | 82 / 55°F 28 / 13°C | 5 |
Hurricane season in September
Cabo San Lucas has the highest count of any place in the tool in September: 24 of 50 seasons. Bermuda and the Outer Banks follow.
74 of the tool’s beaches had a tropical storm or hurricane within 100 miles in September in 5 or more of the last 50 seasons, so none of them can rate “best” this month: Cabo San Lucas (24 of 50), San José del Cabo (23 of 50), Bermuda (15 of 50), Outer Banks (Nags Head) (14 of 50), Guadeloupe (13 of 50), Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach (13 of 50), Anguilla (12 of 50), Antigua (12 of 50), Dominica (12 of 50), Myrtle Beach (12 of 50), Barbados (11 of 50) and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo (11 of 50) and 62 more.
For your own dates, the hurricane risk calculator counts the storms near 92 beach towns, day by day. It is history, not a forecast: for a storm that exists now, read the National Hurricane Center.
Plan a September trip
- Your September bucket list
- Your first trip to New York
- Things to do in London
- The best airlines to fly to Paris
- Is Tampa safe from hurricanes?
FAQ
Where to travel in September?
By the weather, 25 of the 173 places in our tool are at their best in September. Beach trips: San Diego, Bali (Denpasar), Cairns and Curaçao; warm cities: none; city breaks: San Francisco, Lisbon, Buenos Aires and Sydney; mountains and nature: Cusco (Machu Picchu), Aspen and Yellowstone (Old Faithful). The tables above list every one, with its average high, low and rain days.
What are the best places to travel in September?
The driest place at its best for each kind of trip: for beach trips, San Diego at 85°F / 29°C with 2 rain days; for city breaks, San Francisco at 76°F / 24°C with 1 rain day; for mountains and nature, Cusco (Machu Picchu) at 61°F / 16°C with 4 rain days.
What are warm places to travel in September?
6 beaches and warm cities are at their best in September. The warmest of them: Curaçao at 85°F / 29°C; San Diego at 85°F / 29°C; Bali (Denpasar) at 83°F / 28°C; Sicily (Palermo) at 82°F / 28°C.
What are the warmest places in the US in September?
By average high: Las Vegas at 96°F / 36°C; Galveston at 88°F / 31°C; Daytona Beach at 87°F / 31°C; Destin at 87°F / 31°C; Orlando at 87°F / 31°C. Of the US places at least “good” in September, Destin, Gulf Shores and Pensacola lead.
Is September hurricane season?
Yes. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 (the eastern Pacific’s from May 15). In September the most storms came near Cabo San Lucas (24 of 50 seasons), San José del Cabo (23 of 50 seasons), Bermuda (15 of 50 seasons) and Outer Banks (Nags Head) (14 of 50 seasons).
How “at its best” is decided
A place is at its best in a month when its average daily high falls in the range for its kind of trip and it rains (1 mm or more) on 10 days or fewer. At a beach, a month in which a tropical storm or hurricane came within 100 miles in 5 or more of the last 50 seasons cannot be best.
| Kind of trip | Average high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| Beach | 79–88°F (26–31°C) | 10 or fewer |
| Warm city | 79–90°F (26–32°C) | 10 or fewer |
| City | 63–79°F (17–26°C) | 10 or fewer |
| Mountains and nature | 59–77°F (15–25°C) | 10 or fewer |
The weather is NASA POWER’s daily record for 2006–2025, averaged for each place over about 50 km, so a beach right on the water can be a few degrees warmer, day and night, than shown, most where mountains rise behind the coast. Storms: NOAA’s hurricane tracks (HURDAT2), 1976–2025. Every month is an average: any single year can be hotter, colder or wetter.