13 Best Places to Travel in August

Picture your ideal summer. Is it heading to the Italian lakes for some enriching rest and relaxation? Perhaps it’s traveling to Canada’s largest city for a celebration that makes the most of the balmy weather. Or could it be a short-haul jaunt to immerse yourself in a culturally rich summer Carnival in one of the lesser-touristed islands in the Caribbean?

Whether you want to attend a music festival or bask in as much sunshine as possible on your summer vacation—here are the top picks for the best places to travel in August.

Photo by Tony Dunn

1. Curaçao

August is great for: retro-minded music fans ready to boogie.

The North Sea Jazz Festival returns to this Dutch Caribbean island for a three-day event over the last weekend of August. The name is a misnomer, as it’s really a retro-minded fest, aimed at offering crowd-pleasing performances from classic artists across all genres.

In 2025, expect to see singer-songwriter Tems, and dance through the sets of Kool & The Gang. There’s even a performance scheduled for laid-back rapper Snoop Dogg.

Where to stay: Dreams

• Book now: hyattinclusivecollection.com

Indulge a little and stay at one of the new all-inclusive concepts cropping up all over the Caribbean. In Curaçao, try the outpost of Hyatt-owned Dreams, right on Piscadera Bay next to the concert venue.

Insider tip

If you want to try living in Curaçao, the country offers a remote work program that allows you to stay for six months, with the option for an extension of six more months for a maximum total of a year.

Photo by Jan Kranendonk/Shutterstock

2. Edinburgh, Scotland

August is great for: spotting the next Oscar winner making a live debut.

Think of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a combination of Broadway, Saturday Night Live, and the Groundlings improv theater in Los Angeles. The comedy-skewing live performance fiesta has more than 3,000 shows taking place across 250 venues during almost four weeks (from August 2 to 26 this year). Since its origins right after World War II, it’s been a staging ground for future superstars, including the likes of Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson and chatfest host Graham Norton. The dizzyingly full schedule is constantly updated, so download its app for the easiest planning.

Where to stay: Gleneagles Townhouse

• Book now: gleneagles.com

The fun, urban offshoot of the palace-like country hotel is housed in a glamorously updated former bank. Make sure to have a sundowner in the rooftop bar, Lamplighters.

Insider tip

General manager Ewan Grant says any trip without a visit to the Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street is “a missed opportunity.” “It’s a brilliant immersive way to sample whisky in many forms,” Grant says. “The young actors who play their part in telling the story do a great job of making it enjoyable for all age groups.”

Courtesy of Karol Kozlowski/age fotostock

3. Morocco

August is great for: catching a wave in the Atlantic.

Morocco’s northern coast is well known, especially with renewed buzz in places like Tangier. But the less-trafficked east coast overlooking the Atlantic has an appeal all its own, especially for anyone interested in surfing.

Consider Oualidia if you’re keen, but not pro: A lagoon there allows the ocean to squeeze in through a narrow opening, which better paces the wave patterns. Or venture to Sidi Kaouki, where the waters are equally manageable. More practiced Hang Tenners can even try to catch a tube wave near the fishing town of Safi, where the swells are widely recognized as among Africa’s finest.

Where to stay: La Sultana Oualidia

• Book now: lasultanahotels.com/oualidia

Hide out in this oasis-like hotel, a reimagining of a one-time Moorish fortress with only a dozen rooms, each with a private terrace and Jacuzzi.

Insider tip

Try national carrier Royal Air Maroc, which flies nonstop from cities including Miami and New York City. The spiffy new high-speed train, Al Boraq, can also shuttle travelers up and down the country.

Courtesy of Wally Hayes/Nova Scotia Tourism

4. Nova Scotia, Canada

August is great for: dark skies, bright days, and midtempo music.

Cape Breton Island has a thrillingly diverse cultural heritage, with a palpable Acadian presence from the settlers who came from France in early colonial days—try rappie pie or rapûre, the chicken-and-potato dish that’s one of its signature hand-me-downs. The Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival from August 7 to 10 offers a program of folk music that emphasizes a capella singing and acoustic instruments as well as the Clare Bluegrass festival over the same period, where the program reflects and highlights the Acadian traditions here.

Where to stay: Cabot Cape Breton

• Book now: cabotcapebreton.com

This 72-room lodge has ocean views from every room, as well as 46 holes of golf and a mile or more of sandy beaches. It’s located close to the Cabot Trail, the 186-mile-long hiking path that quilts Cape Breton Island.

Insider tip

In summer, you can stroll those wild hillsides by day or by night. Nova Scotia was the first North American destination to receive a Starlight Certification by the U.N. tourism-supported foundation, a nod to the minimal light pollution of its night skies.

Photo by Romana Kontowiczova/Shutterstock

5. Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

August is great for: a last-chance dip in the USA’s deepest lake.

This summer is the last chance for four years to fully explore Crater Lake National Park. Parts of the park are earmarked for an extended closure—notably, the Cleetwood Cove Trail, the only permitted path with access to the lake, which effectively means the water will be off-limits until 2029.

Book a tour boat by Explore Crater Lake for a leisurely journey across the lake; it will also shuttle you to Wizard Island, the volcanic cinder cone at the western end of the shoreline.

Where to stay: Crater Lake Lodge

• Book now: explorecraterlake.com

The 71-room lodge is one of the best options at any national park, with rocking chairs dotted around so you can enjoy the view of the waters from around the property.

Insider tip
Jenifer Roe, owner of Crater Lake Zipline, suggests timing your visits around dark nights. “I recommend visiting during the new moon phase so you can take in the National Park with a dark sky full to the brim with stars, planets, and a great chance to watch for shooting stars,” she says. “Grab a blanket or reclining lawn chair and take it all in.”

Photo by Itsik Marom

6. Toronto, Canada

August is great for: making the most of midsummer weather.

With extreme temperatures in midwinter, it’s no surprise Toronto hosts a month-long celebration in August. Take your pick of events. On August 2, Toronto celebrates its Commonwealth connections with the Caribbean Carnival Parade along Lakeshore Boulevard, a tradition dating back almost 60 years.

Later, the Canadian National Exhibition pops up for two weeks from August 15 to September 1. It incorporates a raft of activities, from an air show and parades to a line-up of live music; this year’s roster includes Toronto-born R&B artist Shawn Desman and enduring Canadian rockers Loverboy.

Where to stay: Hotel X Toronto

• Book now: hyatt.com

This 404-room hotel on Toronto’s lakefront is the ideal base for any fitness-minded traveler. Its amenities include a year-round heated rooftop pool and a 90,000-square-foot athletic club on site.

Insider tip

Fariyal Hasham, managing director of the hotel, says the best spot for souvenirs is the Drake General Store. “They always have creative, locally designed gifts. One of my favorites has been their provincial sock set, featuring the official flowers of each Canadian province and territory embroidered on them,” Hasham says.

H146/Shutterstock

7. Saitama Prefecture, Japan

August is great for: an earthbound alternative to the Milky Way.

Most visitors come to this landlocked region just north of Tokyo for the Edo-style buildings in Kawagoe and bonsai nurseries. The Furutone Floating Lantern Festival (August 2 to 3) offers an extra incentive for a trip this month. During this two-day celebration, hundreds of floating lanterns are set on the surface of the namesake river in Sugito Town.

It started as a gimmick to promote local businesses in the 1930s but has morphed into a beloved event that’s a fixture on the local calendar.

Where to stay: Daiwa Roynet Hotel Omiya-Nishiguchi

• Book now: daiwaroynet.jp

The 265-room property occupies the 14th through 22nd floors of a high-rise downtown, offering superb views across Saitama.

Insider tip

Ryota Sakamoto from travel specialist Remote Lands grew up in the area. “There are almost no tourists, and it’s a true Japanese festival experience, because few outsiders even know about this,” Sakamoto says. Don’t assume you have to stay in Saitama, either, he adds—it’s only a 30–40-minute drive from central Tokyo, so you can easily make it an excursion from there.

Photo by Hugh Whyte/Unsplash

8. Grenada

August is great for: summer season carnival.

Grenada’s carnival season kicks off in July, but peaks on the second Monday and Tuesday in August (this year, August 11–12) with Spicemas. This event climaxes the fest; expect costumed parades, soca and calypso music, and slabs of a rum-spiked fruit dessert known as black cake.

Look for people dressed as Jab Jab, the Grenadian devil-like figure (its name is a derivation of diable or devil in French). They’re slathered in black oil and sporting a horned headpiece—and if you want to join in with this particular tradition, expect to get covered in oil by locals, too.

Where to stay: Silversands Resort

• Book now: silversandscollection.com

This resort sits on the two-mile-long Grand Anse beach. Or you can opt to catch some rays at its pool—at around 328 feet, it’s the longest in the region.

Insider tip

“Pick up a calabash bowl from Lloyd, the Calabash Man, at the St. George’s Market,” says Rosana John-Mitchel, cofounder of Spice Foodie Tours. “They’re hand-carved from dried calabash fruit, and deeply rooted in Grenadian tradition.”

Photo by Rasmus Andersen

9. Lake Garda, Italy

August is great for: embracing Italy’s national holiday.

In Italy, there’s no greater summer holiday than Ferragosto, on August 15, when the entire country will shutter for a fiesta. The party dates back to Augustan times, more than 2,000 years ago, when the namesake emperor decreed this a rest period.

At Lake Garda, you can pick from events like the Palio delle Contrade in Garda that evening and the Yellow Night in Limone sul Garda. The latter is renowned for its limonaie, or homes with sun-catching walls primed for citrus-growth.

Where to stay: Cape of Senses

• Book now: capeofsenses.com

The family-owned, 55-suite hotel opened two years ago and has spectacular views of the lake and mountain, plus an indulgent, 21,000-square-foot spa.

Insider tip

Make sure to have a meal or two at Riviera Ristorante in the village of Punta San Vigilio, says Alina Deutsch, general manager of Cape of Senses. She recommends ordering paccheri (large tube-shaped pasta) with sweet Corbarino tomatoes, a dish she says “captures the essence of the region.” And take home a bottle of local olive oil from Le Prandine. “The region’s mild climate and fertile soil yield some of the best olive oils,” says Deutsch.

Photos by Amy Welch-Olson

10. Bold Coast, Maine

August is great for: avoiding the crowds on the seashore.

Consider a trip to the Bold Coast, close to the border with New Brunswick, this month. Maine’s fishing villages, views, and seafood are as superb as ever, but these northwestern roads and beaches are far less trafficked than popular spots like Bar Harbor.

Amble along the Bold Coast National Scenic Byway for almost 150 miles of coastal driving from Milbridge to Eastport, surrounded by the classic tropes of the region—wild blueberry fields or barrens and dramatic, jagged peninsulas.

Where to stay: The Inn at Schoppee Farm

• Book: schoppeefarm.com

The Inn at Schoppee Farm is along the 87-mile Sunrise Trail (the longest off-road trail on the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile walking and cycling path between Maine and Florida). Its red farmhouse from the 1800s has four rooms on a bank of the Machias River.

Insider tip

Anna Fiorentino, a Maine-based outdoor enthusiast and Afar contributor, recommends the state’s largest lobster capital, Stonington, as a fine midpoint stop for a drive on the coast.

Photo by Gonzalo Buzonni/Shutterstock

11. Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

August is great for: an eye-popping, underwater sensation.

Come here between May and August, and you’ll experience a particularly spectacular, unexpected natural phenomenon: the mating of the giant Australian cuttlefish. Thousands of the sea animals gather in the shallow waters off the coast, their bodies pulsing with different colors and hypnotic movements. You can dive or snorkel in the Upper Spencer Gulf Marine Park for a closer view.

Where to stay: Rumi on Louth

• Book now: rumionlouth.com.au

Australian tech entrepreneur Che Metcalfe owns and runs this luxury resort on Louth island, a short boat ride from the peninsula. Travelers can take excursions that include island buggy tours and kayak fishing expeditions.

Insider tip

Renae Blackshaw from local tour operator Australian Coastal Safaris suggests a hike in Lincoln National Park. “The Stamford loop is an easy-to-medium hike. But don’t expect paved pathways, as it is slightly off-road, and expect a climb,” she explains. “But the views are amazing and well worth it.”

Photo by Roman Babakin/Shutterstock

12. Ascona, Switzerland

August is great for: catching the best in indie films before everyone else.

From August 6 to 18, the Locarno Film Festival returns to this area of Switzerland. The event, celebrating its 78th edition, is a prestigious venue for auteurs.

Last year’s champ was Lithuanian debut director Saulė Bliuvaitė’s modeling satire Toxic; the same jury president, Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner, returns for this year’s go-round. Its anchor venue is the Piazza Grande, the largest outdoor cinema in Europe, where 8,000 people can gather to watch premium screenings.

Where to stay: Hotel Eden Roc

• Book now: tschuggencollection.ch

Right on the Swiss side of Lake Maggiore, this retreat reopened its doors this spring after a major renovation of the complex. The overhaul incorporates three diverse buildings into a seamless single property.

Insider tip

Cyrill Oehrli, an outdoor butler at the hotel, says the branching valleys of the Ticino canton are the best place to explore in midsummer. Standouts include Valle Verzasca, which Oehrli calls “the Maldives of Switzerland” thanks to its deep blue bathing spots, as well as Valle Maggia, another pool-filled place to cool down as the sun grows fiercer.

Photo by Natalie Chaney

13. San Francisco, California

August is great for: an only-in-San-Francisco parkfest.

Come to Golden Gate Park from August 8 to 10 to immerse yourself in Outside Lands, a three-day event that celebrates the Bay Area’s music and art. Expect art installations and exhibits across an 80-acre site, food vendors and trucks, breweries and wineries, as well as some headline-grabbing performers. In 2025, the lineup includes Doja Cat, Tyler the Creator, Beck, and Gracie Abrams.

Where to stay: Hotel Zelos

• Book now: zhotelssf.com

Based in the SoMa neighborhood, this 202-room hotel is housed in the landmark Pacific Building, with its instantly recognizable mint green exterior and corner turret.

Insider tip

Benjamin Malmquist, who oversees that hotel and several others in the city, suggests stopping by the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in Chinatown. The mildly sweet staple of restaurants worldwide was actually invented right here. “Create your own custom fortune cookie there, which is a great keepsake and a local favorite,” he says.