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Leeds · September · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Leeds in September

In September, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Leeds is Alexandria, Egypt, 11.9 h of sun a day and 27.4 °C, about 8h 12m each way by air. Without flying, it is Marseille, France, 10.7 h of sun a day, about 12h 30m each way by train, for about 17× less carbon (51.4 kg CO₂e return against 892 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Leeds

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 12m · 892 kg CO₂e return
  2. Marmaris, Turkey11.8 h · 26.5 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 24m · 744 kg CO₂e return
  3. Fethiye, Turkey11.8 h · 26.0 °C · 1.6 mm rain a day · sea 27.7 °Cair ≈ 7h 30m · 762 kg CO₂e return
  4. Bodrum, Turkey11.8 h · 26.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 26.0 °Cair ≈ 7h 24m · 728 kg CO₂e return
  5. Rhodes, Greece11.8 h · 27.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.4 °Cair ≈ 7h 30m · 753 kg CO₂e return
  6. Damietta, Egypt11.7 h · 27.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 28.8 °Cair ≈ 8h 18m · 914 kg CO₂e return
  7. Al Fayyum, Egypt11.7 h · 30.3 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 8h 30m · 883 kg CO₂e return
  8. Limassol, Cyprus11.6 h · 26.6 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.4 °Cair ≈ 8h 6m · 861 kg CO₂e return
  9. Amman, Jordan11.6 h · 24.9 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 8h 36m · 897 kg CO₂e return
  10. Heraklion, Greece11.6 h · 24.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.9 °Cair ≈ 7h 24m · 733 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Marseille is 10.7 h for 51.4 kg — about 17× less carbon than flying to Alexandria.

  1. Marseille, France10.7 h · 20.6 °C · 2.2 mm rain a day · sea 22.9 °Crail ≈ 12h 30m · 51.4 kg CO₂e return
  2. Toulon, France10.6 h · 21.3 °C · 2.1 mm rain a day · sea 23.3 °Crail ≈ 13h 18m · 52.5 kg CO₂e return
  3. Montpellier, France10.3 h · 20.1 °C · 3.4 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 12h 48m · 49.2 kg CO₂e return
  4. Avignon, France10.3 h · 20.1 °C · 3.1 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 12h 6m · 48.9 kg CO₂e return
  5. Eisenach, Germany10.1 h · 16.7 °C · 2.1 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 36m · 43.4 kg CO₂e return
  6. Kassel, Germany10.0 h · 16.9 °C · 2.1 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 54m · 41.6 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 Leeds in September within 15 hours is Izmir, 11.6 h, costing 695 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Coventry at 12.4 kg — 56× less carbon, for 4.2 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.

CoventryIzmir
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Leeds. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, September, departing Leeds. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.9 destinations. Lowest carbon Coventry at 12.4 kilograms and 7.4 h; best for sunshine Izmir at 695 kilograms and 11.6 h. Coventry · 12.4 kgJaén · 450 kgIzmir · 695 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, September, departing Leeds. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
September from Leeds — 9 destinations on the frontier, 7 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Coventry, United KingdomRail12.4 kg15.1 °C7.4 h3.6 mm3h 42m
Peterborough, United KingdomRail13.0 kg16.2 °C8.1 h2.9 mm3h 48m
Kings Lynn, United KingdomRail14.0 kg16.2 °C8.6 h2.8 mm4h
Norwich, United KingdomRail18.5 kg16.3 °C8.9 h2.8 mm4h 48m
Nijmegen, The NetherlandsRail34.1 kg17.2 °C9.6 h2.3 mm11h
Düsseldorf, GermanyRail36.0 kg17.5 °C9.9 h2.7 mm11h 24m
Avignon, FranceRail48.9 kg20.1 °C10.3 h3.1 mm12h 6m
Jaén, SpainAir450 kg22.3 °C11.4 h0.7 mm5h 54m
Izmir, TurkeyAir695 kg24.9 °C11.6 h1.0 mm7h 12m

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 (450 kg, 11.4 h) to Izmir (695 kg, 11.6 h) buys 0.2 hours more sunshine for an extra 245 kg — 1225 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Coventry, United KingdomCoventryUnited Kingdom12.4 kg CO₂e return15.1 °C · 7.4 h sun · 3h 42m by railwarm but wetAvignon, FranceAvignonFrance48.9 kg CO₂e return20.1 °C · 10.3 h sun · 12h 6m by railwarm but wetIzmir, TurkeyIzmirTurkey695 kg CO₂e return24.9 °C · 11.6 h sun · 7h 12m 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 Leeds

September from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Izmir, Turkey, at 11.6 h. Reaching it emits 695 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 12m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Avignon reaches 10.3 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 12h 6m (modelled), emitting 48.9 kg CO₂e return — though Izmir is sunnier still, if you fly.

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

695 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.