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Zurich · July · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Zurich in July

In July, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Zurich is Nice, France, 14.3 h of sun a day and 25.2 °C, about 8h 6m each way by train. You can get there without flying, for 12.4 kg CO₂e return.

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Zurich

Ranked on sunshine in July 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. Nice, France14.3 h · 25.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.4 °Crail ≈ 8h 6m · 12.4 kg CO₂e return
  2. Bastia, France14.3 h · 27.5 °C · mostly dry · sea 26.2 °Cair ≈ 4h 12m · 132 kg CO₂e return
  3. Sofia, Bulgaria14.3 h · 24.6 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 12m · 319 kg CO₂e return
  4. Ajaccio, France14.2 h · 26.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.1 °Cair ≈ 4h 18m · 152 kg CO₂e return
  5. Segovia, Spain14.2 h · 22.9 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 6m · 311 kg CO₂e return
  6. Ávila, Spain14.2 h · 22.7 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 12m · 325 kg CO₂e return
  7. Sanremo, Italy14.2 h · 25.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.4 °Crail ≈ 7h 48m · 11.8 kg CO₂e return
  8. Visby, Sweden14.1 h · 17.5 °C · 2.2 mm rain a day · sea 16.9 °Cair ≈ 5h 18m · 331 kg CO₂e return
  9. Florence, Italy14.1 h · 26.7 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 7h 30m · 13.3 kg CO₂e return
  10. Pristina, Kosovo14.1 h · 24.0 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h · 281 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours.

  1. Nice, France14.3 h · 25.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.4 °Crail ≈ 8h 6m · 12.4 kg CO₂e return
  2. Sanremo, Italy14.2 h · 25.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.4 °Crail ≈ 7h 48m · 11.8 kg CO₂e return
  3. Florence, Italy14.1 h · 26.7 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 7h 30m · 13.3 kg CO₂e return
  4. Carrara, Italy14.1 h · 24.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 26.2 °Crail ≈ 7h 36m · 11.4 kg CO₂e return
  5. Toulon, France14.0 h · 26.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 23.4 °Crail ≈ 9h 24m · 15.2 kg CO₂e return
  6. Siena, Italy14.0 h · 26.2 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 8h 54m · 14.7 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 Zurich in July within 15 hours is Nice, 14.3 h, costing 12.4 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Sion at 4.6 kg — 3× less carbon, for 1.3 hours less sunshine.

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

SionNice
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Zurich. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, July, departing Zurich. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.3 destinations. Lowest carbon Sion at 4.6 kilograms and 13.0 h; best for sunshine Nice at 12.4 kilograms and 14.3 h. Sion · 4.6 kgAosta · 6.0 kgNice · 12.4 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, July, departing Zurich. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
July from Zurich — 3 destinations on the frontier, 3 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Sion, SwitzerlandRail4.6 kg22.5 °C13.0 h2.9 mm3h 48m
Aosta, ItalyRail6.0 kg23.7 °C13.9 h2.3 mm5h
Nice, FranceRail12.4 kg25.2 °C14.3 h0.3 mm8h 6m

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.

The pick of them

SionSwitzerland4.6 kg CO₂e return22.5 °C · 13.0 h sun · 3h 48m by railwarm overallNice, FranceNiceFrance12.4 kg CO₂e return25.2 °C · 14.3 h sun · 8h 6m by railwarm, bright and dry

The same month, asked differently

July 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 Nice

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

Search places to stay in Nice →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 Zurich

July from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Nice, France, at 14.3 h. Reaching it emits 12.4 kg CO₂e return, travelling 8h 6m each way by rail (modelled).

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

Yes. Nice reaches 14.3 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 8h 6m (modelled), emitting 12.4 kg CO₂e return — which is also the best on this frontier.

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

12.4 kg CO₂e for one person, return, by rail. 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.