It’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere since it’s school vacation time. However, don’t assume that a regular beach vacation or cabin rental is the best option.
Why not spend your Fourth of July on the water at one of the country’s lesser-known lakes, or dress up in a costume or two to celebrate Marvel and more at a convention in California? However, it is also an excellent time to visit New Zealand and immerse yourself in the traditions and practices of Indigenous culture.
The Top 10 Best Places to Visit in July
July is an ideal month to begin planning a vacation. If that’s the case, or if you’re just searching for some travel ideas, here are a few fantastic places to stimulate your appetite.
1. Antigua, Guatemala
Antigua, Guatemala’s former capital, is a colonial-era city that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site more than 40 years ago for its remarkable baroque architecture. There are great structures, cobblestone streets, and, most importantly, ruins that were left untouched following the last severe earthquake in 1976—for example, the Cathedral of Santiago.
On July 25, the city’s citizens will commemorate their patron saint, James, with fireworks, parades, concerts, and carnival attractions. In addition to this Catholic holiday, don’t miss the La Fiesta Nacional Indigena de Guatemala or Rabin Ajau in Coban, a 5.5-hour trip from Antigua.
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It runs for the last two weeks of July and celebrates Indigenous Mayan culture with traditional dancing and music, as well as a beauty competition to round off the festivities.
2. France, Aix-en-Provence
Indeed, Vive La France. Why not spend this year’s Bastille Day in Provence, an alternative to our own Independence Day with a little more je ne sais quoi?
Of course, there will be fireworks and celebrations—we recommend knowing the words to “La Marseillaise” ahead of time—but the 75th Festival International d’Art Lyrique is also taking place in Aix-en-Provence from July 4 to 24.
3. Queenstown, New Zealand
The newest New Zealand public holiday, which was instituted last year, will be observed on July 14, 2023. It commemorates the Maori New Year, which is celebrated when the dazzlingly luminous Matariki constellation (also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters) appears for the first time in the early morning sky.
The crew behind the city’s son-et-lumière festival LUMA will illuminate Buckingham Street with installations and projections. Take a helicopter journey to Milford Sound, one of the wettest locations in the world, where the precipitation transforms the surrounding cliffs into impromptu waterfalls.
4. Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
What better way to celebrate July 4th than by the lake? With almost 135 miles of shoreline and exceptionally long days this month—the sun sets close to 9 p.m. in July—the 25-mile-long namesake for this town in northern Idaho is an unexpected, outdoor treat.
The greatest swimming areas are Sanders or City beaches, while local bands perform on cruising barges during the Bands on the Boat summer cruise series in July and August.
5. North Jutland, Denmark
The Kunsten Museum of Modern Art, designed by Alvar Aalto, has long been the primary attraction in the former industrial center of Aalborg, Denmark.
The REGAN Vest, which opened in February, is an intriguing new museum that analyzes the Cold War period in Europe. It is located 200 feet underground in the Rold Forest in a nuclear shelter.
6. Croatia’s Hvar
Far from the generic waterfronts of the adjacent Mediterranean, Hvar is a wonderfully vintage retreat. Visit Velo Grablje on July 14–15 for its two-day Lavender Festival, which takes place in this little village from the fourteenth century.
Expect anything from a craft market to dry stone walling workshops, as well as the opportunity to see oil being extracted from the newly gathered flower stems, as the community used to manufacture the herb in large quantities for use throughout the Dalmatian Coast.
7. San Diego, California
This year, from July 19 to 23, the spiritual home of cosplay comes to San Diego: the first, and still largest, Comic-Con, which originally took place here in 1970. Last year, more than 135,000 people attended the event, which had been canceled due to COVID-19 for the previous two years; this year’s attendance is expected to exceed that figure.
There are look-and-sound-alike fests all over the country and the world—through the SDCC has taken legal action against several imposters—but the lure of this OG fanfest is its location, which is only a few hours from Hollywood.
8. Calgary, Canada
Calgary is the world’s rodeo capital for ten days this month, hosting the Calgary Stampede from July 7 to 16, 2023. Consider this a celebration of all aspects of rodeo culture—ranching has been essential to Alberta’s life and economy since a couple of Methodist pastors brought a cattle breeding herd here in the 1870s.
9. The Bahamas
This month, come celebrate an alternate Independence Day in this Caribbean Island nation, which marks the 50th anniversary of its independence from British colonial domination on July 10th. It will ensure that this year’s festivities are bigger than ever, including the National Float Parade and Bahama Rock, which will feature Bahamian music and will be headlined by the Grammy-winning Baha Men.
The country also celebrates the first ten days of the month with parties and parades, the highlight of which is the summer edition of Junkanoo, a Bahamian fiesta with more than a whiff of Mardi Gras; expect lots of dancing to music heavy on cowbells, goatskin drums, and brass.
10. Olympic Peninsula, Washington
Summer is a great road trip season, and the Olympic Peninsula is a tempting destination for a few days of driving in July. Sequim on the northeast coast claims to be the “Lavender Capital of North America” and will spend a long weekend staking that claims this month with a celebration beginning on July 21.
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