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Southampton · July · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Southampton in July

The sunniest place you can reach from Southampton in July within 15 hours is Nice at 14.3 h, costing 260 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Exeter at 12.1 kg — 21× less carbon for 4.2 h less.

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

ExeterNice
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Southampton. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, July, departing Southampton. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.8 destinations. Lowest carbon Exeter at 12.1 kilograms and 10.1 h; best for sunshine Nice at 260 kilograms and 14.3 h. Exeter · 12.1 kgRomans-sur-Isère · 33.0 kgNice · 260 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, July, departing Southampton. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Nice can only be reached by air — 260 kg CO₂e, in 4h 54m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 39.3 kg in 17h 36m — 7× less carbon for 12h 42m more travelling.

July from Southampton — 8 destinations on the frontier, 7 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Exeter, United KingdomRail12.1 kg16.2 °C10.1 h3.1 mm4h 6m
Chelmsford, United KingdomRail12.8 kg17.2 °C10.7 h3.1 mm4h 12m
Boulogne-sur-Mer, FranceRail13.4 kg17.6 °C11.4 h3.2 mm5h 36m
Hoorn, The NetherlandsRail20.1 kg17.5 °C11.7 h3.8 mm8h 42m
La Rochelle, FranceRail26.6 kg19.8 °C12.5 h1.4 mm11h 42m
Saint-Etienne, FranceRail31.2 kg21.0 °C13.2 h1.5 mm13h 48m
Romans-sur-Isère, FranceRail33.0 kg23.5 °C13.7 h1.6 mm14h 42m
Nice, FranceAir260 kg25.2 °C14.3 h0.3 mm4h 54m

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 Romans-sur-Isère (33.0 kg, 13.7 h) to Nice (260 kg, 14.3 h) buys 0.6 hours more sunshine for an extra 227 kg — 378 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

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

Where to stay in Nice

Places to stay in Nice, France, 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 Southampton

July from elsewhere

Questions

Where is the sunniest place to go from Southampton in July?

Nice, France, at 14.3 h. Reaching it emits 260 kg CO₂e return, travelling 4h 54m each way by air.

Can I get somewhere sunny from Southampton in July without flying?

Yes. Romans-sur-Isère reaches 13.7 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 42m, emitting 33.0 kg CO₂e return — though Nice is sunnier still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Southampton to Nice produce?

260 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.