Asia by month

Where to go in Asia, month by month

Asia has no single season. When Japan is at its best, India is hot. When the Himalaya clears, Vietnam's coast floods. The grid below rates fourteen regions for every month, and each month has its own page with the reason behind every verdict.

The ratings describe typical patterns, not forecasts. Use them to choose a region and a window, then check a current forecast before you book.

Best timeGoodMixedHard going

Seasonal rating of each region of Asia, by month
Region	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
JapanKyoto, Tokyo, Hokkaido	Japan, January: Good	Japan, February: Good	Japan, March: Good	Japan, April: Best time	Japan, May: Best time	Japan, June: Mixed	Japan, July: Mixed	Japan, August: Mixed	Japan, September: Mixed	Japan, October: Best time	Japan, November: Best time	Japan, December: Good
South KoreaSeoul, Gyeongju, Jeju	South Korea, January: Hard going	South Korea, February: Hard going	South Korea, March: Mixed	South Korea, April: Best time	South Korea, May: Best time	South Korea, June: Good	South Korea, July: Mixed	South Korea, August: Hard going	South Korea, September: Good	South Korea, October: Best time	South Korea, November: Good	South Korea, December: Hard going
TaiwanTaipei, Taroko, Tainan	Taiwan, January: Good	Taiwan, February: Good	Taiwan, March: Good	Taiwan, April: Best time	Taiwan, May: Mixed	Taiwan, June: Mixed	Taiwan, July: Hard going	Taiwan, August: Hard going	Taiwan, September: Mixed	Taiwan, October: Best time	Taiwan, November: Best time	Taiwan, December: Good
ChinaBeijing, Xi'an, Shanghai	China, January: Hard going	China, February: Hard going	China, March: Mixed	China, April: Best time	China, May: Best time	China, June: Mixed	China, July: Hard going	China, August: Hard going	China, September: Good	China, October: Best time	China, November: Best time	China, December: Hard going
VietnamHanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Saigon	Vietnam, January: Good	Vietnam, February: Good	Vietnam, March: Best time	Vietnam, April: Best time	Vietnam, May: Mixed	Vietnam, June: Mixed	Vietnam, July: Mixed	Vietnam, August: Hard going	Vietnam, September: Mixed	Vietnam, October: Best time	Vietnam, November: Best time	Vietnam, December: Good
Cambodia and LaosAngkor, Luang Prabang	Cambodia and Laos, January: Best time	Cambodia and Laos, February: Best time	Cambodia and Laos, March: Good	Cambodia and Laos, April: Mixed	Cambodia and Laos, May: Mixed	Cambodia and Laos, June: Mixed	Cambodia and Laos, July: Mixed	Cambodia and Laos, August: Mixed	Cambodia and Laos, September: Hard going	Cambodia and Laos, October: Good	Cambodia and Laos, November: Best time	Cambodia and Laos, December: Best time
ThailandBangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Samui	Thailand, January: Best time	Thailand, February: Best time	Thailand, March: Good	Thailand, April: Mixed	Thailand, May: Mixed	Thailand, June: Mixed	Thailand, July: Mixed	Thailand, August: Mixed	Thailand, September: Hard going	Thailand, October: Mixed	Thailand, November: Good	Thailand, December: Best time
Bali and IndonesiaBali, Komodo, Lombok	Bali and Indonesia, January: Mixed	Bali and Indonesia, February: Mixed	Bali and Indonesia, March: Mixed	Bali and Indonesia, April: Good	Bali and Indonesia, May: Best time	Bali and Indonesia, June: Best time	Bali and Indonesia, July: Best time	Bali and Indonesia, August: Best time	Bali and Indonesia, September: Best time	Bali and Indonesia, October: Good	Bali and Indonesia, November: Mixed	Bali and Indonesia, December: Mixed
The PhilippinesManila, El Nido, Cebu, Bohol	The Philippines, January: Best time	The Philippines, February: Best time	The Philippines, March: Best time	The Philippines, April: Best time	The Philippines, May: Good	The Philippines, June: Mixed	The Philippines, July: Hard going	The Philippines, August: Hard going	The Philippines, September: Hard going	The Philippines, October: Mixed	The Philippines, November: Good	The Philippines, December: Best time
MalaysiaKuala Lumpur, Penang, Borneo	Malaysia, January: Good	Malaysia, February: Good	Malaysia, March: Good	Malaysia, April: Mixed	Malaysia, May: Mixed	Malaysia, June: Good	Malaysia, July: Good	Malaysia, August: Good	Malaysia, September: Mixed	Malaysia, October: Mixed	Malaysia, November: Hard going	Malaysia, December: Mixed
Sri LankaSigiriya, Kandy, Ella, Galle	Sri Lanka, January: Best time	Sri Lanka, February: Best time	Sri Lanka, March: Best time	Sri Lanka, April: Good	Sri Lanka, May: Mixed	Sri Lanka, June: Mixed	Sri Lanka, July: Mixed	Sri Lanka, August: Mixed	Sri Lanka, September: Mixed	Sri Lanka, October: Hard going	Sri Lanka, November: Mixed	Sri Lanka, December: Best time
IndiaRajasthan, Kerala, Delhi	India, January: Best time	India, February: Best time	India, March: Best time	India, April: Hard going	India, May: Hard going	India, June: Mixed	India, July: Mixed	India, August: Mixed	India, September: Mixed	India, October: Best time	India, November: Best time	India, December: Best time
Nepal and BhutanKathmandu, Pokhara, Paro, Thimphu	Nepal and Bhutan, January: Mixed	Nepal and Bhutan, February: Mixed	Nepal and Bhutan, March: Best time	Nepal and Bhutan, April: Best time	Nepal and Bhutan, May: Good	Nepal and Bhutan, June: Hard going	Nepal and Bhutan, July: Hard going	Nepal and Bhutan, August: Hard going	Nepal and Bhutan, September: Mixed	Nepal and Bhutan, October: Best time	Nepal and Bhutan, November: Best time	Nepal and Bhutan, December: Mixed
MongoliaUlaanbaatar, the Gobi, the steppe	Mongolia, January: Hard going	Mongolia, February: Hard going	Mongolia, March: Hard going	Mongolia, April: Hard going	Mongolia, May: Mixed	Mongolia, June: Best time	Mongolia, July: Best time	Mongolia, August: Best time	Mongolia, September: Best time	Mongolia, October: Mixed	Mongolia, November: Hard going	Mongolia, December: Hard going

Choose a month

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Planning for someone in particular

The right month depends on who is travelling. These guides cover the questions that change a plan:

Multigenerational trips · Teenagers · Solo travellers · Honeymoons · LGBTQ+ travellers