It’s June and summer’s in full swing – time to let out a collective cheer. It’s an alluring time to hang out in the UK when pub gardens hum until late and brighter evenings urge Aperol-drinking and outdoor cinema pop-ups. Meanwhile, night owls will relish a trip to Iceland while it's in the throes of the midnight sun - the perfect time for searching out Nordic-inspired menus and roving around design-conscious Reykjavik. Escape to Botswana for some of the best wildlife spotting opportunities you’ll find all year in the Okavango Delta. Or for something entirely different, Peru celebrates the Inca Festival of the Sun (the winter solstice in the summer hemisphere) at the end of the month. Here, we reveal where to go in June.
BEST PLACES TO TRAVEL IN JUNE
Greece
Set your sights on Greece in June and you’ll see it under its sizzling summer glow. The Med waters are deliciously warm and sailing boats are striking out for island-hopping holidays. Hotel doors are flinging open too. Opt for boho retreats - hidden on crumbling clifftops - where you can spend your days gazing out to sea over breakfasts of yoghurt, sticky honey and just-baked bread. There are slick pads drawing in glamour-pusses searching for hedonism and high-rolling antics and farmhouses sitting pretty-as -a-picture next to orchards with sun-dappled terraces. Wherever you plot a course to - Cycladic islands and Crete, the Dodecanese through Athens and the Peloponnese – it’s a fine time to discover Greece.
Botswana
June is one of the best months of the year to visit Botswana. The dry season, which lasts until around October, is now in full swing and daily temperatures average a lovely 25°C. While the days are usually sunny, the mornings and evenings can be a bit chilly, particularly in the Kalahari, so be sure to pack layers. The lack of rain across the country draws congregations of animals to the Okavango Delta in search of water, and thanks to the thinning vegetation, it’s much easier to spot predators at this time of year than during the lusher rainy months. Despite it being the dry season, the waterways of the Okavango are often at their highest levels in June, making it the perfect time to explore the delta by traditional mokoro dugout canoe, where you can spot some of the smaller creatures and birdlife you might miss on a conventional game drive.
Spain
As June hits the calendar in Spain, summer has officially arrived and it’s seriously scorchio. Coats are well and truly tucked away, flip flops are de rigueur, and piazzas and rooftops are packed with sangria-swilling locals. Arise early and you’ll catch the flurry of morning activity: rollerbladers soaring along seaside paths; beach yoga sessions; and refreshing morning dippers. Things are starting to get busy, so this is your time to step away from the tourist trail - to nab a table at that secret surf bar, to book into the new city supper club that’s turning culinary heads, and to find beaches far from the maddening crowds.
Croatia
Follow the cool crowd and escape to Croatia in June, from Zadar to Dubrovnik, Split to Istria. Music festivals are in full swing across its sprinkling of islands, fresh and innovative hotels are popping up, and action abounds, from kayaking along emerald waterways to hiking around Plitvice National Park. Yachties love to whizz around its coastline, but sneaky shoestring travellers can follow their lead aboard its comprehensive ferry network, taking you to serene islands along paths fragranced with citrus and jojoba, and to cities tumbling down hillsides.