Join the club
Where to go in June
Crowd-free summer trips
School’s not out for summer… yet. Beat the kids to it with a pre-Solstice summer stay, whether you fancy tracking leopards in Sri Lanka, seeking out Sicily’s most serene shores or chancing it in Scotland. Unicorn-inflatable-free pools (almost) guaranteed.
Sicily
Avg. temperature: high 28ºC; low 19ºC
Italy’s sun-baked isle is a gem all year long, but this jewel of the Med truly sparkles in Gemini season, when bountiful beaches, cities and countryside can be enjoyed without deep summer’s stifling heat (and with a fraction of the crowds). Much like the mercurial star sign, Sicily in June is full of variety, with offbeat ceremonies like U pisci a mari and the star-studded Taormina Film Festival.
Upstate New York
Avg. temperature: high 27ºC; low 17ºC
You may think of one thing and one thing only when it comes to Upstate New York, but instead of putting your baby in the corner (or not), swap the Catskills for Lake Placid, whose very name will help you chill out – and that’s before you’ve even started your hike in the Adirondacks. More attractive bodies of water await in the Finger Lakes, which span 11 digits, including Canandaigua.
London
Avg. temperature: high 22°C; low 13°C
The sun hits Londoners just right come June — as if someone’s spiked the water supply with serotonin. But the weather, picnics and Euro-style street dining aren’t the only reasons they’re chirpier. The free-to-see Trooping of the Colour kicks things off in regal style, Taste of London turns Regent’s Park into a massive street-food fair and at month end, everyone’s game for the Wimbledon Championships.
Mainland Greece
Avg. temperature: high 29°C; low 18°C
Before the crowds really start to flock, head to the Greek mainland ahead of the curve, when Helios’s rays still beat down, only on fewer people. Athens is a year-round favourite for Acropolis admiration and souvlaki sourcing. Then follow in Theseus’s footsteps across the Isthmus of Corinth (with no mythical sow to slay en route) to the Peloponnese; or voyage to a Saronic isle, or an easy-access Cyclade.
East Coast Sri Lanka
Avg. temperature: high 33°C; low 25°C
Avoid the monsoons in Sri Lanka by sticking to the east coast, where the sun will likely be shining, there’s little rain and humidity is at a reasonable level. Peak wildlife sightings are promised in Yala National Park in the south-east, since lower water levels mean increased visibility of thirsty animals frequenting lagoons for a drink. Residents include elephants, leopards, buffalo and sloth bears.
California
Avg. temperature: high 28°C; low 19°C
There’s never really a bad time to visit almost-always-sunny California. Drive perennial road-trip favourite Highway One from San Francisco to Los Angeles, stopping off for brief detours to see all-American towns like Cuyama, San Luis Obispo and Ojai, with a constantly spectacular backdrop: the Sierra Madre mountains, the Los Padres forest and, of course, the Pacific Ocean itself.