Where is hot in August?

August in brief

Dubai leads the table with 43°C by day and 29°C at night, a 33°C sea and 0 rainy days (7 h 36 min from London). Abu Dhabi leads with 40°C by day and 30°C at night, a 34°C sea and 0 rainy days (7 h 36 min from London). Sharm El Sheikh leads with 39°C by day and 26°C at night, a 29°C sea and 0 rainy days (5 h 36 min from London). Las Vegas leads with 38°C by day and 26°C at night and 2 rainy days (11 h 18 min from London). Marrakech leads with 36°C by day and 19°C at night and 3 rainy days (3 h 36 min from London).

Warm rather than hot (20-25°C): Prague 25°C, Flic en Flac 25°C, Lanzarote 25°C, Bled 24°C, Paris 24°C, La Palma 24°C and 2 more. Hot but wet - over 25°C with more than eight rainy days: Bangkok (24 days), Hanoi (23 days), Montego Bay (25 days), Orlando (24 days), Puerto Vallarta (29 days). Over 30°C by day: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharm El Sheikh, Las Vegas, Marrakech, Seville and 34 more. For scale, London averages 21°C in August.

Short, mid and long-haul in August

• Short-haul (up to 4.5 h): Marrakech 36°C, Seville 35°C, Kusadasi 35°C, Sousse 35°C, Antalya 34°C, Marmaris 33°C and 72 more - see the short-haul list
• Mid-haul (4.5-7 h): Sharm El Sheikh 39°C, Hurghada 35°C, Limassol 33°C, Ayia Napa 32°C, Alanya 31°C, Paphos 30°C and 3 more
• Long-haul (7 h+): Dubai 43°C, Abu Dhabi 40°C, Las Vegas 38°C, Bangkok 31°C, Hanoi 31°C, Montego Bay 31°C and 41 more

By region

• Europe: 78 destinations, warmest Seville (35°C)
• Asia: 14 destinations, warmest Bangkok (31°C)
• Caribbean & Mexico: 14 destinations, warmest Montego Bay (31°C)
• Africa: 12 destinations, warmest Sharm El Sheikh (39°C)
• The Americas: 6 destinations, warmest Las Vegas (38°C)
• Indian Ocean: 6 destinations, warmest Maldives (28°C)
• Middle East: 2 destinations, warmest Dubai (43°C)
• Oceania & Pacific: 2 destinations, warmest Hawaii (28°C)

Shorter flights: choose between cooler nights and the sea

Seville suits travellers who want a short journey and can plan around hot afternoons: the flight takes 2 h 42 min, with dry weather but little reason to stay out in the midday heat. Marrakech takes 3 h 36 min and reaches 36°C, yet its 19°C nights offer more relief than many coastal choices. For a swimming holiday, Sousse makes a useful compromise: a 3 h 6 min flight, 27°C sea and 2 rainy days. Kusadasi suits those who prefer a cooler dip, with 24°C water against 35°C daytime heat. Its 4 h flight is longer, but the contrast between air and sea should appeal if very warm water feels less refreshing.

For warm-water swimming, balance the sea against the heat

Antalya is a good fit if warm-water swimming matters more than finding the highest air temperature: its sea reaches 29°C, with 34°C days and 1 rainy day. Marmaris and Fethiye are slightly cooler by day at 33°C, though neither avoids hot afternoons. Sharm El Sheikh combines 29°C water with 38°C days, so it suits travellers happy to keep midday plans indoors; Hurghada is less fierce by day, but its 28°C nights leave little cooling-off time. Both Egyptian options take 5 h 36 min to reach. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are harder to recommend for spending much time outdoors. Their seas reach 33°C and 34°C respectively, so a swim offers limited relief, while the flight takes 7 h 36 min.

Heat is plentiful, but dry weather is not universal

Do not treat tropical heat as a promise of settled weather. Bangkok and Orlando each have 24 rainy days in August, while Cancun has 21 and Puerto Vallarta has 29. These suit travellers who can keep plans flexible rather than those whose holiday depends on dry days outdoors. Rainy-day figures do not tell you that it rains all day, but they make rain a central trade-off. If the hotter options sound tiring, Lanzarote and Flic en Flac both reach 25°C, while La Palma reaches 24°C. They belong on the shortlist for gentler daytime warmth, though those temperatures alone do not establish how dry the weather or how warm the sea will be.