Wondering where is hot in July? Almost everywhere around the Mediterranean, is the short answer: it is the height of European summer, with the Greek islands, southern Spain and Turkey all sitting between 29°C and 34°C. If you want serious heat, Antalya and Cyprus are the reliable picks; if you want warmth without the furnace, look at the Algarve or the Canary Islands.
July is peak season, so the trade-off is crowds and prices rather than weather risk. Rain is a non-event across most of the Med this month, and sea temperatures are at their most inviting. Here are the destinations we would book, with typical July daytime highs and sea temperatures for each.
ANTALYA, TURKEY
The Turkish Riviera is one of the hottest places you can fly to in under five hours, with July highs around 34°C and long, dry, cloudless days. The sea reaches a bath-like 27°C, and evenings stay warm enough to eat outside until midnight. All-inclusive resorts along the Lara and Belek coasts are built for exactly this month.
CYPRUS
Cyprus in July is hot, dry and utterly dependable: expect 33°C in Paphos and even warmer inland around Nicosia. Rain is practically unheard of this month. The sea sits around 26°C, and the island’s east coast beaches at Ayia Napa and Protaras get sunshine from dawn to dusk.
RHODES, GREECE
Rhodes gives you classic Greek island summer: highs of 30°C to 32°C, a reliable afternoon breeze on the west coast, and a 25°C sea. July is bone dry, so every beach day is a safe bet. Lindos, on the sheltered east side, is usually a couple of degrees warmer still.
MAJORCA, SPAIN
Majorca in July averages 31°C with barely a drop of rain, and the sea around Alcudia and Palma Bay warms to 26°C. It is the busiest month on the island, but the north-east coast coves stay quieter than the big resort strips if you are prepared to drive.
SICILY, ITALY
Sicily runs hot in July: 30°C on the coast and noticeably more inland. The sea is a warm 26°C, and the long evenings in Taormina and Cefalù are what Italian summers are supposed to look like. If you plan to sightsee in Palermo or visit Etna, start early in the day.
DUBROVNIK, CROATIA
Croatia’s Adriatic coast hits its stride in July with highs around 29°C, low humidity and a 24°C sea. Dubrovnik’s old town gets busy by mid-morning, so do the walls at 8am and spend afternoons on the islands: Lokrum is a ten-minute boat ride away.
ALGARVE, PORTUGAL
The Algarve is the pick if you want summer heat that stays comfortable: around 29°C most July days, cooled by Atlantic air. The sea is fresher than the Med at about 20°C, which is the price of those enormous, spotless beaches around Albufeira and Lagos.
IBIZA, SPAIN
Ibiza in July averages 30°C with a 26°C sea and effectively zero rain. Beyond the clubs, the island’s north coast around Portinatx and Benirràs offers pine-backed coves that feel a world away from San Antonio, with exactly the same weather.
TENERIFE, SPAIN
The Canaries do not do extremes, and that is their July appeal: Tenerife sits around 28°C on the south coast with sea breezes keeping it comfortable, and the Atlantic at about 22°C. If mainland Spain’s heat sounds like too much, this is the sensible hot option.
MARMARIS AND BODRUM, TURKEY
Turkey’s Aegean coast is slightly less fierce than Antalya but still properly hot: 32°C to 33°C in July, with a 25°C sea and pine-fringed bays that are made for gulet trips. Prices are usually friendlier than the Greek islands facing them across the water.
FURTHER AFIELD IN JULY
Most long-haul sun spots are the wrong way round in July: the Caribbean and Florida are in hurricane season, and Dubai is a searing 41°C. The exceptions worth knowing about are Bali and Zanzibar, both in their dry seasons with highs around 29°C, and Kenya’s coast at a comfortable 28°C. For most travellers though, July is the month Europe does best.
JULY AT A GLANCE
Hottest short-haul: Antalya (34°C). Warmest sea: Antalya (27°C). Best for comfortable heat: the Algarve or Tenerife. Best value: the Turkish Aegean. Avoid: Dubai and the Gulf unless you love extreme heat, and watch the hurricane forecast for Caribbean deals that look too good to be true.