Where to go in September
The places at their best in September, ranked by what the weather actually does — not by what a brochure says it does.
1. Johannesburg
South Africa
Apartheid museum, gold history, and South Africa's engine.
Highs around 25° (77°) · about 3 wet days a month · 159 airlines fly there
2. San Diego
United States
Perfect weather, surf beaches, and fish tacos.
Highs around 25° (78°) · about a wet day a month · 119 airlines fly there
3. Beijing
China
The Forbidden City, the Wall, and duck worth the queue.
Highs around 27° (80°) · about 6 wet days a month · 528 airlines fly there
4. New York
United States
Five boroughs of food, theatre, and skyline.
Highs around 25° (77°) · about 10 wet days a month · 452 airlines fly there
5. Lisbon
Portugal
Tiled hills, trams, and Atlantic light.
Highs around 26° (80°) · about 4 wet days a month · 216 airlines fly there
6. Casablanca
Morocco
Art deco Morocco and a mosque over the Atlantic.
Highs around 26° (80°) · about 2 wet days a month · 121 airlines fly there
7. Brisbane
Australia
Riverside subtropics, with the coast half an hour away.
Highs around 25° (77°) · about 6 wet days a month · 142 airlines fly there
8. Bucharest
Romania
Belle époque boulevards against enormous communist ambition.
Highs around 25° (78°) · about 4 wet days a month · 110 airlines fly there
9. Nice
France
Promenade des Anglais, an old town, and the Alps behind.
Highs around 25° (77°) · about 5 wet days a month · 131 airlines fly there
10. Los Angeles
United States
Beaches, canyons, tacos, and the industry that makes everything.
Highs around 29° (84°) · about 2 wet days a month · 496 airlines fly there
11. Aix-en-Provence
France
Fountains, plane trees, and Cézanne's light.
Highs around 25° (78°) · about 5 wet days a month · 125 airlines fly there
12. Marbella
Spain
Costa del Sol glamour with a real old town behind.
Highs around 27° (81°) · about 3 wet days a month · 197 airlines fly there