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London · August · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from London in August

In August, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of London is Ankara, Turkey, 13.2 h of sun a day and 26.5 °C, about 7h 18m each way by air. Without flying, it is Lleida, Spain, 12.8 h of sun a day, about 14h 18m each way by train, for about 22× less carbon (32.5 kg CO₂e return against 713 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of London

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 ≈ 7h 18m · 713 kg CO₂e return
  2. Cosenza, Italy13.0 h · 25.4 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 28.3 °Cair ≈ 6h · 467 kg CO₂e return
  3. Catanzaro, Italy13.0 h · 26.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.7 °Cair ≈ 6h · 481 kg CO₂e return
  4. Mytilene, Greece13.0 h · 28.5 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.0 °Cair ≈ 6h 48m · 624 kg CO₂e return
  5. Konya, Turkey13.0 h · 26.7 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 24m · 743 kg CO₂e return
  6. Izmir, Turkey13.0 h · 29.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.8 °Cair ≈ 6h 54m · 646 kg CO₂e return
  7. Potenza, Italy13.0 h · 23.3 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 48m · 432 kg CO₂e return
  8. Athens, Greece12.9 h · 28.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.7 °Cair ≈ 6h 42m · 602 kg CO₂e return
  9. Korçë, Albania12.9 h · 22.1 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 12m · 504 kg CO₂e return
  10. Pristina, Kosovo12.9 h · 23.4 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h · 472 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Lleida is 12.8 h for 32.5 kg — about 22× less carbon than flying to Ankara.

  1. Lleida, Spain12.8 h · 27.9 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 14h 18m · 32.5 kg CO₂e return
  2. Marseille, France12.7 h · 24.5 °C · mostly dry · sea 22.8 °Crail ≈ 8h 54m · 29.6 kg CO₂e return
  3. Zaragoza, Spain12.7 h · 27.2 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 14h · 32.4 kg CO₂e return
  4. Huesca, Spain12.7 h · 25.9 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 13h 18m · 30.8 kg CO₂e return
  5. Montpellier, France12.6 h · 25.5 °C · mostly dryrail 9h 54m ✓ · 27.4 kg CO₂e return
  6. Avignon, France12.6 h · 25.6 °C · 1.3 mm rain a dayrail 8h 42m ✓ · 27.1 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 London in August within 15 hours is Guarda, 13.0 h, costing 336 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Calais at 4.5 kg — 75× less carbon, for 1.8 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.

CalaisGuarda
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from London. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, August, departing London. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.4 destinations. Lowest carbon Calais at 4.5 kilograms and 11.2 h; best for sunshine Guarda at 336 kilograms and 13.0 h. Calais · 4.5 kgAvignon · 27.1 kgGuarda · 336 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, August, departing London. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Guarda can only be reached by air — 336 kg CO₂e, in 5h 18m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 39.5 kg in 19h 18m — 9× less carbon for 14h more travelling.

August from London — 4 destinations on the frontier, 3 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Calais, FranceRail4.5 kg18.3 °C11.2 h2.4 mm5h 24m
La Rochelle, FranceRail17.7 kg20.5 °C12.0 h1.9 mm9h 36m
Avignon, FranceRail27.1 kg25.6 °C12.6 h1.3 mm8h 42m ✓
Guarda, PortugalAir336 kg21.6 °C13.0 h0.0 mm5h 18m

The flights, in practice

The model measures to the town, not to a runway. For the destinations above reached by air, this is the nearest airport, how far it is, and whether a direct flight from London is listed on the airport's own destination page (researched 2026-09-15; route existence, not availability on a date). "Not checked" means no destination list was read for that airport.

Airports for the air destinations on this frontier, checked 2026-09-15.
DestinationAirportFrom townDirect from LondonOnward
Guarda, Portugalnone within 150 km—not checkedPorto is the practical major gateway, followed by a long intercity road or rail journey.
Sources for this table

    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 Avignon (27.1 kg, 12.6 h) to Guarda (336 kg, 13.0 h) buys 0.4 hours more sunshine for an extra 309 kg — 773 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

    The pick of them

    CalaisFrance4.5 kg CO₂e return18.3 °C · 11.2 h sun · 5h 24m by railwarm overallAvignon, FranceAvignonFrance27.1 kg CO₂e return25.6 °C · 12.6 h sun · 8h 30m by railwarm overallGuarda, PortugalGuardaPortugal336 kg CO₂e return21.6 °C · 13.0 h sun · 5h 18m 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 Guarda

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

    Search places to stay in Guarda →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 London

    August from elsewhere

    Photo credits

    Questions

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

    Guarda, Portugal, at 13.0 h. Reaching it emits 336 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 18m each way by air (modelled).

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

    Yes. Avignon reaches 12.6 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 8h 42m by timetable, emitting 27.1 kg CO₂e return — though Guarda is sunnier still, if you fly.

    How much carbon does a return trip from London to Guarda produce?

    336 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.