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Barcelona · August · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Barcelona in August

In August, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Barcelona is Ankara, Turkey, 13.2 h of sun a day and 26.5 °C, about 6h 54m each way by air. Without flying, it is Badajoz, Spain, 12.9 h of sun a day, about 9h 18m each way by train, for about 27× less carbon (24.3 kg CO₂e return against 649 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Barcelona

Ranked on sunshine in August alone, among well-known places (a Wikivoyage travel guide and at least 40,000 Wikipedia readers a year), one per area and at most three per country. The carbon is shown, not used to choose: the list further down is the other question, how much sunshine each extra kilogram buys.

  1. Ankara, Turkey13.2 h · 26.5 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 54m · 649 kg CO₂e return
  2. Cosenza, Italy13.0 h · 25.4 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 28.3 °Cair ≈ 5h 6m · 306 kg CO₂e return
  3. Catanzaro, Italy13.0 h · 26.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.7 °Cair ≈ 5h 12m · 316 kg CO₂e return
  4. Mytilene, Greece13.0 h · 28.5 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.0 °Cair ≈ 6h 18m · 523 kg CO₂e return
  5. Konya, Turkey13.0 h · 26.7 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 7h · 657 kg CO₂e return
  6. Izmir, Turkey13.0 h · 29.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.8 °Cair ≈ 6h 24m · 540 kg CO₂e return
  7. Potenza, Italy13.0 h · 23.3 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h · 289 kg CO₂e return
  8. Athens, Greece12.9 h · 28.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.7 °Cair ≈ 6h · 473 kg CO₂e return
  9. Korçë, Albania12.9 h · 22.1 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 36m · 393 kg CO₂e return
  10. Pristina, Kosovo12.9 h · 23.4 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 36m · 396 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Badajoz is 12.9 h for 24.3 kg — about 27× less carbon than flying to Ankara.

  1. Badajoz, Spain12.9 h · 28.1 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 9h 18m · 24.3 kg CO₂e return
  2. Segovia, Spain12.9 h · 23.5 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 5h 36m · 15.6 kg CO₂e return
  3. Ávila, Spain12.9 h · 23.3 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 5h 54m · 17.1 kg CO₂e return
  4. Granada, Spain12.8 h · 28.7 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 8h 18m · 20.1 kg CO₂e return
  5. Viseu, Portugal12.8 h · 23.6 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 10h 18m · 25.0 kg CO₂e return
  6. Rome, Italy12.8 h · 27.1 °C · 1.7 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 30m · 25.4 kg CO₂e return

≈ is the model's estimate (air times include getting to and through the airport); ✓ is a rail journey checked against a real timetable, with the date it was checked. Temperatures are historical daily means for 2023–2024, averaged across day and night, so afternoons run warmer.

The low-carbon trade-off

The sunniest place you can reach from Barcelona in August within 15 hours is Isparta, 13.1 h, costing 618 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Tortosa at 4.5 kg — 137× less carbon, for 0.5 hours less sunshine.

Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else this site covers is both sunnier in August and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.

TortosaIsparta
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Barcelona. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, August, departing Barcelona. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.2 destinations. Lowest carbon Tortosa at 4.5 kilograms and 12.6 h; best for sunshine Isparta at 618 kilograms and 13.1 h. Tortosa · 4.5 kgIsparta · 618 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, August, departing Barcelona. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
August from Barcelona — 2 destinations on the frontier, 1 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Tortosa, SpainRail4.5 kg27.4 °C12.6 h0.4 mm3h 42m
Isparta, TurkeyAir618 kg25.7 °C13.1 h0.2 mm6h 48m

Warm is not the same as pleasant, which is why sunshine and rainfall are shown alongside temperature. All three are ERA5 monthly means for 2023–2024.

Where the curve breaks

The frontier is gentle until it isn't. Going from Tortosa (4.5 kg, 12.6 h) to Isparta (618 kg, 13.1 h) buys 0.5 hours more sunshine for an extra 613 kg — 1226 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

TortosaSpain4.5 kg CO₂e return27.4 °C · 12.6 h sun · 3h 42m by railwarm, bright and dryIsparta, TurkeyIspartaTurkey618 kg CO₂e return25.7 °C · 13.1 h sun · 6h 48m by airwarm, bright and dry

The same month, asked differently

August answers differently depending on what you are after, and the lists genuinely diverge: the brightest places are not the hottest, and in summer the useful question stops being where is warm at all.

Where to stay in Isparta

Places to stay in Isparta, Turkey, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.

Search places to stay in Isparta →Opens the booking search in a new tab. Same partners as the map below.

Affiliate disclosure. A booking made through this map may earn 0xCarbon a commission, at no extra cost to you. It changes nothing above it: the emissions figures come from UK Government conversion factors and are computed before anyone is paid anything.See the method.

Other months from Barcelona

August from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

Where is the sunniest place to go from Barcelona in August?

Isparta, Turkey, at 13.1 h. Reaching it emits 618 kg CO₂e return, travelling 6h 48m each way by air (modelled).

Can I get somewhere sunny from Barcelona in August without flying?

Yes. Tortosa reaches 12.6 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 3h 42m (modelled), emitting 4.5 kg CO₂e return — though Isparta is sunnier still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Barcelona to Isparta produce?

618 kg CO₂e for one person, return, by air. That uses the UK Government's 2026 conversion factors, including radiative forcing for flights.

Carbon uses UK Government (DESNZ/DEFRA) 2026 conversion factors applied to great-circle distance, with radiative forcing included for flights. Rail journey times are modelled estimates, not timetabled services. Full method · download the data.