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Edinburgh · September · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Edinburgh in September

The sunniest place you can reach from Edinburgh in September within 15 hours is Izmir at 11.6 h, costing 747 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Inverness at 14.6 kg — 51× less carbon for 4.3 h less.

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

InvernessIzmir
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 Inverness at 14.6 kilograms and 7.3 h; best for sunshine Izmir at 747 kilograms and 11.6 h. Inverness · 14.6 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.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Aix-en-Provence can only be reached by air — 380 kg CO₂e, in 5h 30m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 71.8 kg in 22h 42m — 5× less carbon for 17h 12m more travelling.

September from Edinburgh — 8 destinations on the frontier, 4 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Inverness, United KingdomRail14.6 kg12.5 °C7.3 h2.9 mm4h 30m
Elgin, United KingdomRail15.2 kg13.2 °C8.3 h3.6 mm4h 36m
Ipswich, United KingdomRail41.6 kg16.6 °C9.1 h1.7 mm9h 6m
Nijmegen, The NetherlandsRail55.1 kg17.2 °C9.6 h2.3 mm15h
Wilhelmshaven, GermanyAir194 kg16.8 °C10.0 h2.3 mm4h 30m
Aix-en-Provence, FranceAir380 kg19.3 °C10.8 h2.1 mm5h 30m
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

If you'd rather have heat than sunshine

September answers differently depending on what you're after. The warmest destinations from Edinburgh in September are a different list — hours of sunshine and degrees of warmth come apart, especially early and late in the year.

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.

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

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.

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

Yes. Nijmegen reaches 9.6 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 15h, emitting 55.1 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.