Best places to travel in February

February is short, and it’s one of the easiest months of the year to plan. Southeast Asia’s beaches are dry, Rajasthan is warm rather than hot, and two of Europe’s best carnivals happen on islands where it’s already 19 to 21°.

These are the best places to travel in February, chosen from our city guides using their own month-by-month weather, crowds and daily costs.

🌍 The best places to travel in February

📍 Udaipur, India

☀️ 27° average high👥 busy💶 about €17 a day

Udaipur is at its best before the heat: about 27° and listed as a good month in our guide. White palaces sit on the lakes, a hilltop monsoon palace glows at sunset and rooftop restaurants look over Lake Pichola. It’s the prettiest city in Rajasthan and the one people stay in longest, at around €17 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Mirissa, Sri Lanka

☀️ 30° average high👥 very busy💶 about €22 a day

February is dry season on Sri Lanka’s south coast, at about 30°. Mirissa’s curved beach has whale watching from November to April, surf breaks along the coast and beach parties at night. It’s busy, and a shoestring day comes in at about €22.

📍 Hoi An, Vietnam

☀️ 26° average high👥 busy💶 about €17 a day

Tet, the Lunar New Year, usually falls in our guide’s February row, and Hoi An is a lovely place for it, at about 26°. The lantern-lit trading town has yellow merchant houses on a river, tailors who make clothes in a day and rice fields to cycle through, with a beach nearby. Expect about €17 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Langkawi, Malaysia

☀️ 33° average high👥 very busy💶 about €24 a day

Langkawi’s dry season runs through February, at around 33°. The duty-free island has beaches, rainforest and mangroves, a cable car up to a curved bridge above the jungle, and cheap beer. It’s very busy, and about €24 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

☀️ 21° average high👥 very busy💶 about €41 a day

February is carnival month in Santa Cruz, one of the biggest carnivals in the world, with highs of about 21°. Outside the parties there are laurel forests in the hills and Spain’s highest mountain inland. It’s the busiest month of the year here, so book beds early. A shoestring day is about €41.

📍 Funchal, Portugal

☀️ 19° average high👥 fairly busy💶 about €42 a day

Madeira has carnival too, along with the almond blossom, and highs of about 19°. Levada walks start at the bus stop, a cable car climbs to a village above the city, and wicker toboggans are steered back down by men in straw hats. Plan on about €42 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Valletta, Malta

☀️ 16° average high👥 quiet💶 about €42 a day

St Paul’s Shipwreck and Carnival both fall in February in Malta’s capital, at about 16° and still fairly quiet. The fortified, honey-coloured city between two harbours is walkable end to end in twenty minutes. Budget about €42 a day on a shoestring.

📍 Kochi, India

☀️ 32° average high👥 very busy💶 about €16 a day

Kerala’s old port is at about 32° and listed as good in February. Chinese fishing nets line the waterfront, with Portuguese churches, a Jewish quarter and spice warehouses behind them, and the backwaters start to the south. It’s also one of the cheapest picks, at about €16 a day.

🏖️ Best places for a beach trip in February

Our guides with a beach, warm enough for it in February, and the most hostels first.

1. 1PhuketThailand33°, very busy
2. 2Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam33°, very busy
3. 3Hoi AnVietnam26°, busy
4. 4DubaiUnited Arab Emirates25°, very busy
5. 5GoaIndia32°, very busy
6. 6Koh TaoThailand30°, busy

💸 Cheapest places to travel in February

Good weather in February and the lowest shoestring budget, from each guide’s costs table.

1. 1VaranasiIndia€13 a day
2. 2PushkarIndia€13 a day
3. 3AmritsarIndia€13 a day
4. 4KolkataIndia€14 a day
5. 5HanoiVietnam€15 a day
6. 6VientianeLaos€15 a day

🤫 Quietest places to visit in February

Good weather and quiet or very quiet in February, according to each guide’s month-by-month table.

1. 1BarcelonaSpain15°, very quiet
2. 2MadridSpain12°, very quiet
3. 3LisbonPortugal16°, very quiet
4. 4PortoPortugal15°, very quiet
5. 5AthensGreece14°, very quiet
6. 6FlorenceItaly13°, very quiet