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Edinburgh · September · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Edinburgh in September

In September, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Edinburgh is Alexandria, Egypt, 11.9 h of sun a day and 27.4 °C, about 8h 30m each way by air. Without flying, it is Marseille, France, 10.7 h of sun a day, about 14h 42m each way by train, for about 12× less carbon (72.5 kg CO₂e return against 881 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Edinburgh

Ranked on sunshine in September 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. Alexandria, Egypt11.9 h · 27.4 °C · mostly dry · sea 28.7 °Cair ≈ 8h 30m · 881 kg CO₂e return
  2. Marmaris, Turkey11.8 h · 26.5 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 42m · 796 kg CO₂e return
  3. Fethiye, Turkey11.8 h · 26.0 °C · 1.6 mm rain a day · sea 27.7 °Cair ≈ 7h 48m · 813 kg CO₂e return
  4. Bodrum, Turkey11.8 h · 26.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 26.0 °Cair ≈ 7h 36m · 781 kg CO₂e return
  5. Rhodes, Greece11.8 h · 27.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.4 °Cair ≈ 7h 48m · 805 kg CO₂e return
  6. Damietta, Egypt11.7 h · 27.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 28.8 °Cair ≈ 8h 36m · 900 kg CO₂e return
  7. Al Fayyum, Egypt11.7 h · 30.3 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 8h 48m · 934 kg CO₂e return
  8. Limassol, Cyprus11.6 h · 26.6 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.4 °Cair ≈ 8h 18m · 911 kg CO₂e return
  9. Amman, Jordan11.6 h · 24.9 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 8h 54m · 942 kg CO₂e return
  10. Heraklion, Greece11.6 h · 24.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.9 °Cair ≈ 7h 42m · 789 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Marseille is 10.7 h for 72.5 kg — about 12× less carbon than flying to Alexandria.

  1. Marseille, France10.7 h · 20.6 °C · 2.2 mm rain a day · sea 22.9 °Crail ≈ 14h 42m · 72.5 kg CO₂e return
  2. Montpellier, France10.3 h · 20.1 °C · 3.4 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 54m · 70.3 kg CO₂e return
  3. Avignon, France10.3 h · 20.1 °C · 3.1 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 12m · 70.0 kg CO₂e return
  4. Lyon, France10.0 h · 18.4 °C · 4.7 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 24m · 64.7 kg CO₂e return
  5. Koblenz, Germany9.9 h · 17.7 °C · 3.1 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 24m · 59.3 kg CO₂e return
  6. Düsseldorf, Germany9.9 h · 17.5 °C · 2.7 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 30m · 57.1 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 Edinburgh in September within 15 hours is Izmir, 11.6 h, costing 747 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Whitehaven at 12.7 kg — 59× less carbon, for 3.7 hours less sunshine.

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

WhitehavenIzmir
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Edinburgh. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, September, departing Edinburgh. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.8 destinations. Lowest carbon Whitehaven at 12.7 kilograms and 7.9 h; best for sunshine Izmir at 747 kilograms and 11.6 h. Whitehaven · 12.7 kgJaén · 509 kgIzmir · 747 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, September, departing Edinburgh. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
September from Edinburgh — 8 destinations on the frontier, 6 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Whitehaven, United KingdomRail12.7 kg14.0 °C7.9 h4.7 mm3h 48m
Bridlington, United KingdomRail22.7 kg14.6 °C8.4 h2.7 mm5h 30m
Ipswich, United KingdomRail41.6 kg16.6 °C9.1 h1.7 mm8h 18m
Nijmegen, The NetherlandsRail55.1 kg17.2 °C9.6 h2.3 mm13h 12m
Düsseldorf, GermanyRail57.1 kg17.5 °C9.9 h2.7 mm13h 30m
Marseille, FranceRail72.5 kg20.6 °C10.7 h2.2 mm14h 42m
Jaén, SpainAir509 kg22.3 °C11.4 h0.7 mm6h 12m
Izmir, TurkeyAir747 kg24.9 °C11.6 h1.0 mm7h 30m

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 Jaén (509 kg, 11.4 h) to Izmir (747 kg, 11.6 h) buys 0.2 hours more sunshine for an extra 238 kg — 1189 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Whitehaven, United KingdomWhitehavenUnited Kingdom12.7 kg CO₂e return14.0 °C · 7.9 h sun · 3h 48m by railmild and brightMarseille, FranceMarseilleFrance72.5 kg CO₂e return20.6 °C · 10.7 h sun · 14h 42m by railwarm overallIzmir, TurkeyIzmirTurkey747 kg CO₂e return24.9 °C · 11.6 h sun · 7h 30m by airwarm, bright and dry

The same month, asked differently

September 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 Izmir

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

Search places to stay in Izmir →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 Edinburgh

September from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

Where is the sunniest place to go from Edinburgh in September?

Izmir, Turkey, at 11.6 h. Reaching it emits 747 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 30m each way by air (modelled).

Can I get somewhere sunny from Edinburgh in September without flying?

Yes. Marseille reaches 10.7 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 42m (modelled), emitting 72.5 kg CO₂e return — though Izmir is sunnier still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Edinburgh to Izmir produce?

747 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.