Where to travel

United States

The International Balloon Fiesta, in early October: hundreds of hot air balloons lifting off at dawn.

India

The cooler, dry months begin, and Diwali, in October or November, lights up the Pink City.

Italy

The White Truffle Fair opens in October, while the vineyards of the Langhe turn red and gold.

Japan

The autumn leaves peak in the temple gardens from mid to late November.

Argentina

Spring in the southern hemisphere: the jacaranda trees turn the avenues purple.

Australia

The Melbourne Cup, on the first Tuesday of November, at the height of the spring racing season.

Germany

The Christkindlesmarkt, one of Germany's oldest Christmas markets, runs from late November to Christmas Eve.

Chile

The door to Torres del Paine: summer opens the trails, with very long days.

Laos

The cool, dry season, from November to February: mild days for the temples and the Mekong.

New Zealand

Midsummer in New Zealand: long days on the lake and on the mountain trails.

Tanzania

Hot, dry weeks between the short and the long rains: calm sea and sunny beaches.

Sri Lanka

The dry season on Sri Lanka's south-west coast, from December to March: sun on the beaches and the old fort.

Italy

Carnival fills the city with masks and costumes in the weeks before Lent, usually in February.

Brazil

Carnival and the samba schools' parades at the Sambadrome usually fall in February, in the middle of summer.

Vietnam

From February to April it is dry and mild on Vietnam's central coast, before the summer heat.

Spain

Las Fallas, from 15 to 19 March: giant sculptures in the streets, fireworks every day and bonfires on the last night.

Japan

Cherry blossoms usually open in late March: picnics under the trees in the parks and along the rivers.

Argentina

The grape harvest and its festival, the Vendimia, in early March, with the Andes behind the vineyards.

Netherlands

Tulip season: the fields and the Keukenhof gardens, a short trip away, are at their best in mid-April.

Spain

Spring brings the Holy Week processions and then the April Fair: a week of flamenco dresses, horses and casetas.

Guatemala

Holy Week, in March or April: processions walk over carpets of dyed sawdust and flowers laid in the streets.

Spain

The Patios Festival, in the first half of May: private courtyards full of flowers open to visitors.

Indonesia

Bali's dry season has begun: clear mornings over the rice terraces, before the busy summer months.

Zambia

Victoria Falls carry the most water from March to May, with a cloud of spray you can see from far away.

Iceland

Around the June solstice the sun barely sets: almost 24 hours of light to drive around the island.

Peru

Inti Raymi, the Inca festival of the sun, on 24 June, in the middle of the dry season.

Australia

The dry season begins in tropical Queensland: cooler days and clear water on the Great Barrier Reef.

France

The Avignon Festival fills the city with theatre in July, with the lavender in bloom nearby.

Mongolia

Naadam, from 11 to 13 July: wrestling, archery and horse racing at Mongolia's biggest festival.

Canada

High summer in the Canadian Rockies: the lakes have thawed and the mountain trails are open.

United Kingdom

The Festival Fringe and the International Festival take over the city every August.

Tanzania

The gateway to the Serengeti, where the great migration crosses the Mara River from July to September.

Fiji

Fiji's dry season, from May to October: less rain, less humidity and calm days on the islands.

Germany

Oktoberfest starts in the second half of September and runs into the first days of October.

South Africa

Southern right whales come close to shore, best seen from the cliffs in September and October.

United States

Harvest season: the grapes are picked from August to October and the vineyards are at their busiest.