Three days, no planning

Enough for a long weekend

Destinations with a published hour-by-hour weekend route, so the trip is already planned when you land.

45 destinations

Aerial view of London at sunset: Tower Bridge, the River Thames and the skyline of the City

United KingdomBest May–September

The Colosseum in Rome at dusk, its arches glowing with warm light under a deep blue evening sky

ItalyBest April–June, September–October

A temple complex in Bangkok on a clear day: the gilded Loha Prasat and traditional Thai temple roofs

ThailandBest November–February

A gondolier steering a gondola on the Grand Canal in front of the white arches of the Rialto Bridge in Venice

ItalyBest April–June, September–October

Rows of freshly baked pasteis de nata with flaky golden pastry shells and caramelised, blistered custard tops

PortugalBest March–June, September–October

Sydney Harbour seen from above Circular Quay, with the white sails of the Opera House, ferries cutting wakes across the water and the CBD skyline behind

AustraliaBest October–November and February–April

The Golden Gate Bridge spanning the strait from the Marin headlands, with San Francisco visible across the water

United StatesBest September–October, April–May

Colourful gabled townhouses and moored wooden boats along the Nyhavn canal in Copenhagen under an evening sky

DenmarkBest May–September

The Pyramid of Khafre at Giza under a bright sky, with horses and their handler standing on the sand below

EgyptBest October–April

Aerial view over Rio de Janeiro with Sugarloaf Mountain rising above Guanabara Bay, Botafogo's boat-dotted cove and the city's white buildings below

BrazilBest December–March (summer); April–May for clearer air and fewer crowds

The Pudong skyline of Shanghai at night, with the Oriental Pearl Tower and illuminated skyscrapers reflected in the Huangpu River

ChinaBest Autumn and spring

Cloud Gate, the mirrored bean-shaped sculpture in Millennium Park, reflecting Chicago's skyscrapers with visitors gathered beneath it

United StatesBest Late spring through mid-fall

Aerial view of Miami's Brickell waterfront, with high-rise towers lining Biscayne Bay and a palm-fringed shoreline drive curving below

United StatesBest Winter dry season

The row of Kato Mili windmills above the whitewashed waterfront houses of Little Venice in Mykonos Town, with waves breaking against the terraces, Greece

GreeceBest May–June & September

Seljalandsfoss waterfall in south Iceland plunging off a green cliff into a wide valley at sunset

Best June–August (midnight sun), September–March (aurora)

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque illuminated at dusk, its white domes and minarets reflected in a still pool

United Arab EmiratesBest Winter

Colourful houses of the Ribeira district rising above the Douro riverside quay in Porto, with traditional boats on the water

PortugalBest May–June, September–October

A classic Neapolitan margherita with melted mozzarella, tomato sauce and fresh basil leaves on a marble table

ItalyBest April–June, September–October

The white marble slopes of the Oslo Opera House on the waterfront, with sailboats on the fjord and the city skyline behind.

NorwayBest Summer

Aerial view of Geneva's Mont Blanc bridge where the Rhone meets Lake Geneva

SwitzerlandBest Late spring to early autumn, when the lakefront comes alive

Cologne Cathedral and the Hohenzollern Bridge illuminated at night over the Rhine

GermanyBest Late spring to early autumn; Carnival season peaks in February

Ljubljana Castle on its wooded hill rising above the neoclassical Slovenian Philharmonic building in the city centre, Ljubljana, Slovenia

SloveniaBest Spring through early autumn

Riga Cathedral rising above the old town rooftops with the Daugava river beyond

LatviaBest Late spring through early autumn

St Mark's Church in Zagreb's Upper Town, its glazed tiled roof laid out as the coats of arms of Croatia and of the city

CroatiaBest Spring and early autumn; December for Advent

Wooden longtail boats moored on white sand at Phra Nang beach, Railay, with a limestone karst rising from turquoise water behind

ThailandBest November–March (dry season)

The white dome and painted Buddha eyes of Swayambhunath stupa in Kathmandu, strung with colourful prayer flags at dusk

NepalBest October to November and March to April

Sunset glowing over the Naka River canal between buildings in Fukuoka

JapanBest Spring and autumn

A monk in saffron robes standing before the gilded gable and tiered roof of a Lao temple hall in Vientiane, the low evening sun setting the gold leaf alight against a clear blue sky

LaosBest November to February, the dry season's coolest months

Strings of glowing red lanterns hung above a crowded night market street lined with food stalls

VietnamBest February to May, after the rains and before peak summer heat

Densely packed earth-toned rooftops and terraces of the medina of Fez, Morocco, seen from the surrounding hills

MoroccoBest Spring and autumn

The Johannesburg skyline under a cloudy sky, with the Hillbrow Tower rising above apartment blocks and a curving road below

South AfricaBest Spring, September to November

The Black Star Gate at Independence Square in Accra, inscribed Freedom and Justice

GhanaBest Dry season, November to March

View down Avenida Paulista in São Paulo, its canyon of office towers, rounded glass high-rise and red-and-white antenna towers under a blue sky

BrazilBest April to October (drier, milder)

A row of brightly painted colonial houses with wooden balconies on a Cartagena street in warm evening light, modern towers rising in the background

ColombiaBest December to April (dry season)

The white balustrade of La Concha promenade overlooking the bay and Santa Clara Island in San Sebastián

SpainBest summer

The red-brick and white-stone arches of Verona's Ponte Pietra spanning the fast green Adige, with the dome and bell tower of San Giorgio in Braida rising among cypresses behind.

ItalyBest Late spring through early autumn

The Torre di Scopello and sea stacks at golden hour on Sicily's north-west coast

ItalyBest Spring and autumn

The gatehouse and red-and-yellow towers of Pena Palace above the forested hills of Sintra

PortugalBest spring

The White Tower of Thessaloniki, the city's landmark Ottoman-era stone tower on the seafront promenade, Greece

GreeceBest May–June & September–October

Red-brick buildings, curving tram tracks and office towers in central Manchester, seen from above.

United KingdomBest Late spring and early autumn

One of the medieval watchtowers of the Ponts Couverts standing over the River Ill in Strasbourg, half-timbered houses on the far bank and the cathedral spire rising behind under a clear blue sky.

FranceBest Spring, early autumn and the December market season

Gravensteen, the moated medieval Castle of the Counts in Ghent, at dusk

BelgiumBest Late spring and early autumn

The blue-tiled facade and tall minaret of the Zangiota mosque complex, framed by trees, in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan

UzbekistanBest Spring and autumn

Sunset panorama over Tbilisi's rooftops with a church dome in the foreground and the curved glass canopy of the Bridge of Peace by the river

GeorgiaBest Late spring and early autumn

Udaipur's City Palace rising above Lake Pichola in golden evening light, with a red tour boat crossing the water in front

IndiaBest September to March

Every destination here qualifies on the basis stated above, and each one is somewhere we have published guides for. Back to the full atlas.