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Best time to sail: 16 cruising areas compared

When is it pleasantly warm on the water, when does it rarely rain, when does it blow 6 Beaufort and more too often? The table shows the average daily high per month for 16 cruising areas, with the three most pleasant months marked green. All figures are 2015 to 2024 averages, weather from the NASA POWER reanalysis, sea temperature from NOAA satellite data.

Daily high in °C per month
Cruising area	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
CroatiaCentral Dalmatia	10	11	13	16	21	26	30	30	25	21	16	12
DenmarkSouth Funen Archipelago	4	4	6	10	15	19	20	21	18	13	8	5
FranceFrench Riviera	12	13	14	16	19	23	26	27	24	20	16	14
GreeceCyclades	14	15	16	18	21	25	27	27	25	22	19	16
ItalyNorthern Sardinia	13	14	16	19	23	29	32	32	27	23	18	15
MaltaValletta	16	15	16	17	20	24	28	28	27	24	21	18
MontenegroBay of Kotor	11	12	14	16	20	25	28	29	25	21	17	13
NetherlandsIJsselmeer	6	7	10	13	18	21	22	23	20	15	10	7
NorwaySouthern Norway	4	4	5	8	12	16	18	18	16	12	8	6
PolandMasurian Lakes	-1	2	6	12	18	22	23	24	19	12	5	1
PortugalAlgarve	16	16	17	19	22	25	28	29	26	23	19	17
SloveniaPiran	7	9	12	16	20	25	28	28	23	18	13	9
SpainMallorca	14	15	16	18	21	25	29	29	26	23	19	16
SwedenWest Coast	4	3	5	8	13	17	18	19	16	12	8	5
SwitzerlandLake Constance	3	6	10	14	17	22	24	24	20	15	9	5
TurkeyGöcek	16	16	17	19	23	27	30	30	29	25	22	18

How the best months are picked

Pleasant here means an average daily high between 21 and 27 degrees. Outside that range a month loses points, as it does for every rain day and every percentage point of days with wind of 6 Beaufort or more. The three months with the fewest deductions are marked.

Weather figures are grid values from the NASA POWER reanalysis (MERRA-2) for a point on land near the area, not readings from a single station. Sea temperature comes from satellite data offshore. A grid cell is about 50 kilometres across and smooths out local extremes, and every year differs. Averages help you plan; on the day, the forecast decides.

Each area in detail

Croatia: Central Dalmatia

Best months: June, July, September

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days109.19.38.7117.44.66.9119.11311

Days with wind 6 Bft+12%17%12%6%3%1%1%0%3%6%14%11%

More on Croatia

Denmark: South Funen Archipelago

Best months: June, July, August

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days1411118.79.510141211151515

Days with wind 6 Bft+35%35%19%17%13%8%11%6%16%24%27%30%

More on Denmark

France: French Riviera

Best months: June, July, August

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days5.76.66.47.89.97.95.86.97.69.8117.5

Days with wind 6 Bft+18%19%18%10%3%1%3%1%5%7%22%15%

Greece: Cyclades

Best months: May, June, August

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days1510105.05.72.20.91.04.26.69.412

Days with wind 6 Bft+39%35%29%13%6%4%24%11%13%14%15%26%

Italy: Northern Sardinia

Best months: May, June, September

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days9.38.18.45.65.53.31.23.27.38.2139.4

Days with wind 6 Bft+25%16%17%13%9%3%6%4%6%9%17%17%

Malta: Valletta

Best months: June, July, September

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days8.96.67.54.24.41.90.75.47.810127.8

Days with wind 6 Bft+33%27%27%17%10%6%6%4%5%11%21%28%

Montenegro: Bay of Kotor

Best months: June, July, August

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days1311129.3118.04.58.010101312

Days with wind 6 Bft+14%18%14%5%2%2%1%0%3%6%17%15%

More on Montenegro

Netherlands: IJsselmeer

Best months: June, July, August

Air, daily high (°C) best months

Rain days151312101311141313141615

Days with wind 6 Bft+20%22%16%5%4%2%3%3%4%8%11%18%

More on Netherlands

Norway: Southern Norway

Best months: June, July, August

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days1815139.99.810141416181920

Days with wind 6 Bft+26%21%9%5%1%3%3%3%7%15%15%18%

Poland: Masurian Lakes

Best months: June, August, September

Air, daily high (°C) best months

Rain days15111011121317129.3121115

Days with wind 6 Bft+10%11%7%6%3%1%2%0%1%5%3%5%

Portugal: Algarve

Best months: June, July, September

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days6.35.99.79.04.11.70.50.32.88.89.37.7

Days with wind 6 Bft+8%6%12%6%2%1%0%0%1%5%5%5%

More on Portugal

Slovenia: Piran

Best months: June, August, September

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days9.09.99.59.8161212111112129.2

Days with wind 6 Bft+2%5%2%1%1%0%0%0%0%1%2%2%

More on Slovenia

Spain: Mallorca

Best months: June, July, August

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days7.45.78.17.06.65.22.25.11210117.5

Days with wind 6 Bft+22%17%18%8%5%1%0%1%4%8%20%19%

Sweden: West Coast

Best months: June, July, August

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days1513138.61111131314161618

Days with wind 6 Bft+27%23%11%8%4%5%5%5%12%14%17%22%

Switzerland: Lake Constance

Best months: June, July, August

Air, daily high (°C) best months

Rain days161314131918181613141415

Days with wind 6 Bft+6%6%5%2%1%0%0%0%1%0%2%5%

More on Switzerland

Turkey: Göcek

Best months: May, June, October

Air, daily high (°C) Sea (°C) best months

Rain days169.98.64.24.12.90.41.63.25.09.413

Days with wind 6 Bft+20%11%11%5%1%1%0%0%3%1%5%9%

Sources: NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), MERRA-2, NOAA Coral Reef Watch CoralTemp v3.1 (Ersatz fuer OISST v2.1). 2015 bis 2024.

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