Picture your ideal summer. Is it heading to an all-American coastal region for true rest and relaxation? Perhaps it’s traveling to one of the two best places to experience the total solar eclipse in Europe this month. 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 soak in as much sunshine as possible on your summer vacation, these are the top picks for the best places to travel in August.
Sado Island, Japan
Ride in a barrel boat around Sado Island this summer.
Photo by Maibaru Travel
This 330-square-mile island off Honshu’s west coast in the Sea of Japan might already be on your radar. It’s a gloriously under-trafficked corner of the country, with a lushly forested landscape and spectacular beaches, ideal for a warm summer afternoon (the temperatures typically max out in the low 80s). Stretch out on the long Sobama Beach on the west, where the waters are shallow and clear, making splashing around irresistible, or the sandy cove of Futatsugame Beach up north.
Yes, you’ll see tub boats, or tarai-bune, made famous from the 2001 animated hit Spirited Away; today, they’re less working fishing boats and mostly used for visitors, but that’s no reason not to hop on for a quick sail round the island.
Where to stay: Nipponia
The erstwhile gold-mining settlement of Aikawa had a stock of historic kominkan, or rural homes, ready for reimagining by Nipponia, the Kyoto-based hospitality firm that specializes in turning old homes into charming, quirky places to stay.
Grenada
Spicemas celebrates the end of slavery in Grenada.
Photo by Hugh Whyte/Unsplash
Grenada’s carnival season kicks off in July but peaks on the second Monday and Tuesday in August (this year, August 10–11) with Spicemas. This event is the climax of 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 local 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. If you want to join in with this particular tradition, expect to get covered in oil by locals.
“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.”
Where to stay: Silversands Collection Grenada
Silversands Collection Grenada sits on the two-mile Grand Anse Beach. If you’re not interested in lounging on the sand, you can opt to catch some rays at the hotel’s pool. At about 328 feet, it’s the longest in the region.
Iceland
The 2026 total solar eclipse will be visible from either Reykjavik or the mountains of the Westfjords.
Photo by SvedOliver/Shutterstock (L); Guillermo Galan/Unsplash (R)
If you’re an avid astrotourist, listen up: There are two European destinations primed to be the best place to observe the total solar eclipse coming this month, sitting in what’s known as the path of totality. One spot is Iceland, specifically the western reaches of the country, including Reykjavik proper, where, for a minute or so just before 5:50 p.m. local time on August 12, the moonlike landscape will be plunged into darkness during the daytime. It’s a particularly stark contrast, of course, as daylight endures for close to 24 hours in midsummer here, making the momentary blackness even more dramatic.
The best place to stretch out your viewing: the Westfjords, where totality should last more than two minutes total. The best way to reach that rural corner of the country is by joining a tour from the likes of Sirius Travel.
Where to stay: The Retreat at Blue Lagoon
The 60-suite Retreat at Blue Lagoon is a Goldilocks option to experience the world-famous man-made lake of warm, bright-blue water next door without the crowds. The hotel also has its a ring-fenced pool, which means you don’t have to venture into the densely crowded main lagoon.
Morocco
When crashing waves and thrashing currents of the Atlantic barrel into Africa here, they create superb swells at Sidi Kaouki Beach.
Photo by travellife18/Shutterstock
Morocco’s northern coast is well known, especially with renewed buzz in places such as Tangier (which we recommended as the place to be two years ago). 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 paces the wave patterns. Or venture to Sidi Kaouki, where the waters are equally manageable. More practiced hang-tenners can try to catch a tube wave near the fishing town of Safi, where the swells are widely recognized as among Africa’s finest.
To get there, fly on national carrier Royal Air Maroc, which flies nonstop from Miami, New York City, and other locations. The spiffy new high-speed train, Al Boraq, shuttles travelers up and down the country.
Where to stay: La Sultana Oualidia
Hide out in the oasis-like La Sultana Oualidia hotel, a reimagining of a onetime Moorish fortress with a dozen rooms, each with a private terrace and a Jacuzzi.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Spot performers on the Royal Mile during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Photo by Jan Kranendonk/Shutterstock
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 puts on more than 3,000 shows across 250 venues during nearly four weeks (from August 7 to 31 this year). Since it originated right after World War II, it’s been a staging ground for future superstars, including the likes of Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson and talk-show host Graham Norton. The dizzyingly full schedule is constantly updated, so download its app for the easiest planning.
Any trip without a visit to the Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street is “a missed opportunity,” says Ewan Grant, the general manager of Gleneagles Townhouse. “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.”
Where to stay: Gleneagles Townhouse
Housed in a glamorously updated former bank, Gleneagles Townhouse is a fun, urban offshoot of the palace-like country hotel of the same name in the town of Auchterarder. Make sure to have a sundowner in the rooftop bar, Lamplighters.
Medellín, Colombia
The silleteros walk the city with flower arrangements on their backs during the Feria de las Flores, the largest celebration in Medellín.
Photo by Memo Ossa/Shutterstock
This charming city is known for many things: a few colonial-era buildings, the paisa culture of the surrounding coffee-growing regions, and its balmy, year-round climate (hence the nickname City of Eternal Spring). If you need an extra incentive to plan a trip, consider this month’s Feria de las Flores, or flower festival, one of its annual highlights, running from August 1 to 10.
It started as a boosterish event to draw attention to the flower farms nearby but has transformed into a joyously over-the-top bash, anchored by parades of silleteros, who carry elaborate floral creations on their backs using a wooden frame, or silleta. The headliner, El Desfile de Silleteros, is on Sunday, August 9, but expect plenty of other events, including a classic car parade, over the duration of the festival.
Where to stay: Wake Biohotel
Try this brand-new boutique hotel with an on-site Sastra Longevity Club offering one-, three-, or seven-day programs. The rooms at Wake Biohotel are primed for peak sleep, with total soundproofing and circadian-friendly lighting that cycles between blue and red spectrums as you wish.
Bold Coast, Maine
Stay at the Inn at Schoppee Farm, on the banks of the Machias River, along Maine’s Bold Coast.
Photos by Amy Welch-Olson
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.
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.
Where to stay: The Inn at Schoppee Farm
The Inn at Schoppee Farm sits along the 87-mile Down East Sunrise Trail (a walking and cycling path—the longest off-road trail on the East Coast Greenway). The hotel’s 1800s red farmhouse, which sits on a bank of the Machias River, has four rooms.
Spain
Both mainland Spain and the island of Mallorca will experience full totality this August.
Photo by Toa Heftiba/Unsplash (L); Calvin Craig/Unsplash (R)
If you’d rather enjoy the eclipse from a warmer corner of Europe, head to Spain, which also lies in the path of totality. Madrid and Barcelona, sadly, won’t be the best bases, but you’ll experience full immersion in Zaragoza and Valencia and even on the island of Mallorca and its capital, Palma de Mallorca. In the latter, you’ll be plunged into inky darkness for about 90 seconds at 8:30 p.m. local time, before the sun flickers back into view for 15 minutes or so at sundown—like a glitching movie on the horizon.
Stick around for a few days, and you can experience Assumption Day on August 15, which is a public holiday. Expect churches to open their doors to show off images of the Virgin, as well as fairs, parades, and concerts to celebrate the occasion.
Where to stay: Castell Son Claret
The dreamy, five-star Castell Son Claret sits on more than 300 acres in the countryside of southwest Mallorca, close to the base of the Tramuntana Mountains and ideally located for biking on the back streets (ask for an e-bike to offset the occasional steep climb).
Ascona, Switzerland
Ascona, Switzerland, is near Lake Maggiore in southern Switzerland.
Photo by Roman Babakin/Shutterstock
From August 5 to 15, the Locarno Film Festival returns to this area of Switzerland. The event, celebrating its 79th edition, is a prestigious venue for auteurs.
Last year’s champ, scoring the Golden Leopard, was Two Seasons, Two Strangers from Japanese director Sho Miyake. Rithy Panh, who’s known for both his documentaries and features and is arguably Cambodia’s foremost filmmaker, has taken over as the jury president, a role previously filled by Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner. The festival’s anchor venue is the Piazza Grande, the largest outdoor cinema in Europe, where 8,000 people can gather to watch premium screenings.
Cyrill Oehrli, an outdoor butler at Hotel Eden Roc Ascona, says the best place to explore in midsummer is the branching valleys of the Ticino canton. 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.
Where to stay: Hotel Eden Roc Ascona
Right on the Swiss side of Lake Maggiore, Hotel Eden Roc Ascona reopened its doors this spring after a major renovation of the complex. The overhaul incorporates three diverse buildings into a seamless property.
San Francisco, California
The Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco brings in big musicians every summer.
Photo by L Paul Mann/Shutterstock
Come to Golden Gate Park from August 7 to 9 to immerse yourself in Outside Lands, a three-day event that celebrates the Bay Area’s music and art (tickets are sold out, but you can join a waitlist). Expect art installations and exhibits across an 80-acre site, food vendors and trucks, beverages from breweries and wineries, as well as some headline-grabbing performers. In 2026, the lineup includes headliners Charli XCX and The Strokes, plus Wet Leg, Tinashe, and Modest Mouse.
Benjamin Malmquist, who oversees Hotel Zelos and several other hotels in the city, also suggests stopping by the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in Chinatown. The mildly sweet staple of restaurants worldwide was invented here. “Create your own custom fortune cookie there, which is a great keepsake and a local favorite,” he says.
Where to stay: Hotel Zelos
Based in the SoMa neighborhood, the 202-room Hotel Zelos is housed in the landmark Pacific Building, which has an instantly recognizable mint green exterior and corner turret.
This article was originally published in 2025 and most recently updated on April 16, 2026, with current information.
