Where to go in June: long days in the north

In June it is worth looking north. Around the summer solstice the days in Scandinavia and the Baltic states are as long as they get all year, temperatures are pleasant, and the big summer holidays have not started yet in most of Europe. In the south, June is already high summer – but without the heat and the full beaches of July and August.

We looked at the weather of the Junes 2015 to 2024 for 20 destinations between Iceland and Crete. One thing first: the sea in the north is still fresh in June. The North Sea, the Baltic and the Atlantic off Ireland and Norway warm up slowly and are warmest in high summer. If you go north in June, you go for the light, nature and cities – not for long swimming days.

The table: 20 destinations in June

Temperature and rain: average of the Junes 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (via Open-Meteo), rounded. The values describe a grid cell of about 25 km; in cities and sheltered spots it can be 1 to 2 degrees warmer. Flight times: typical direct flights, rounded.

1. Bergen 16.6°
2. Oslo 21.0°
3. Stockholm 20.8°
4. Helsinki 18.8°
5. Tallinn 20.1°
6. Riga 21.7°
7. Copenhagen 19.5°
8. Gdańsk 21.5°
9. Edinburgh 16.5°
10. Galway 17.4°
11. Amsterdam 20.5°
12. Brest 18.7°
13. Porto 21.8°
14. Lisbon 24.8°
15. Faro 25.6°
16. Palma 28.3°
17. Split 27.7°
18. Chania 26.7°

Base map: Natural Earth

Scandinavia and the Baltics: 21 °C and bright nights

The nicest surprise in the table: Stockholm, Oslo, Riga and Gdańsk all average around 21 °C in June, almost level with Porto. Then there is the light. Around the solstice Stockholm has about 18 hours of daylight, Helsinki and Tallinn a little more, and even in between it only gets dim. For a city break that means you can sit by the water at ten in the evening without looking at your watch.

Stockholm trip planDay by day, with map and tips

In Sweden and Finland, Midsummer on the weekend around 21 June is the most important holiday of the summer. Many locals head to the countryside, and in the cities some shops and restaurants close. In Stockholm, June is above all the time for the archipelago^* with its thousands of islands, reachable by scheduled boats.

Tallinn (20.1 °C) and Riga (21.7 °C) are compact old towns that combine well. Helsinki is a little cooler at just under 19 °C; Copenhagen sits at 19.5 °C and, with 51 mm of rain, is the driest city in the north of our list. Oslo gets more rain at 86 mm, often as short showers on warm days.

Tallinn trip planDay by day, with map and tips Copenhagen trip planDay by day, with map and tips

Iceland and northern Norway: cool, but light all night

Reykjavík averages only 11.5 °C in June, Tromsø 12.8 °C. In return you get something the south cannot offer: Tromsø lies north of the Arctic Circle and has the midnight sun from roughly late May to late July. In Reykjavík the sun does set briefly around midsummer, but it never gets properly dark. June is therefore a very good time for hiking, Iceland's Ring Road^* or the Lofoten Islands – although many of Iceland's highland roads only open later in the summer.

Reykjavík trip planDay by day, with map and tips

Pack for both as you would for a cool spring at home: fleece, rain jacket, sturdy shoes. At night the values drop to just under 7 °C, and 94 to 112 mm of rain a month means you should expect wet days.

The Atlantic coast: Scotland, Ireland, Brittany

Edinburgh (16.5 °C), Galway (17.4 °C) and Brittany (18.7 °C) are mild and green in June. Days are long here too – in Scotland it gets dark very late in June. Bergen on Norway's west coast is the wettest place in our list at 133 mm; plan days with museums and the fish market there, and use every dry hour for Mount Fløyen or a fjord trip.

Gdańsk is a good choice for a short break: 21.5 °C in June, a rebuilt historic centre and Baltic beaches right outside the city – though the water is still cool in June.

Gdańsk trip planDay by day, with map and tips

If you do want sun and sea

In the south, June is already summer. Mallorca averages 28.3 °C, Split 27.7 °C and Crete 26.7 °C. Crete is especially reliable with 11 mm of rain and 21 °C at night. The Algarve is almost dry with 7 mm of rain and not too hot at 25.6 °C. Lisbon is just under 25 °C – ideal for a city break before the heat of July and August.

How to plan the trip

June is the best time for the north if you want long days and mild weather. Combine two cities – for example Stockholm and Tallinn by ferry, Riga and Tallinn by bus^*, or Oslo and Bergen on the Bergen Railway. For Iceland and the Lofoten Islands you need at least a week, and hire cars get booked up early in summer.

In YesTrip you enter the destination and dates and get a day-by-day plan with a map and the forecast. The packing list suggests what you need for the weather – in the north that means a rain jacket even in June. For Stockholm there is a ready-made plan:

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