Every city has that one month. Warm enough to sit outside all afternoon, dry enough that you’re not watching the clouds, and sunny enough that the beer garden is the only place you want to be. The trick is knowing when it is, because it’s not always the month you’d expect.
We went through the long-term weather averages for cities on every continent and picked the month that gets the balance just right.
How we picked
The best month for beer garden weather isn’t simply the hottest one. We looked for:
- Warmth without the scorch. Average daily highs somewhere in the low to mid-20s °C are what most people find comfortable. Much higher and you’re hunting for shade instead of sun.
- Plenty of sunshine. More sunny hours means more chances to find a garden in the sun.
- Not much rain. A dry month beats a warm but stormy one.
These are long-term averages, so any given year can be hotter, cooler or wetter. Treat this as a guide, not a guarantee.
Europe
| City | Best month | Average high | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | July | About 24°C | The warmest month, with around 218 hours of sunshine on average (Met Office) and sunsets after 9pm early in the month. |
| Munich | July | About 24°C | The warmest and sunniest month in the city that invented the beer garden. Keep an eye out for summer afternoon thunderstorms. |
| Barcelona | June | About 25°C | Long, sunny days before the heat of July and August really sets in. |
North America
| City | Best month | Average high | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | June | About 26°C | Warm, long evenings before the sticky heat of midsummer (National Weather Service). September, at about 24°C, is a close second. |
| Vancouver | July | About 22°C | The sunniest and driest month of the year, in a city better known for its rain. |
| Mexico City | April | About 26°C | The warmest part of the dry season, before afternoon storms become a regular thing from May or June. |
South America
| City | Best month | Average high | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buenos Aires | November | About 25°C | Late spring, with long sunny days before the humid heat of January. |
| Santiago | March | About 27°C | Still dry and sunny, but past the peak heat of midsummer. |
Africa
| City | Best month | Average high | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | February | About 26°C | The warmest month, and one of the driest and sunniest, thanks to Cape Town’s dry summers. |
| Marrakesh | April | About 25°C | Warm and sunny before summer temperatures climb well above 35°C. October is a good second choice. |
| Nairobi | February | About 27°C | The middle of the short dry season, with plenty of sunshine. |
Asia
| City | Best month | Average high | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | May | About 23°C | Sunny and warm before the rainy season arrives in June and the humid summer that follows. |
| Seoul | October | About 21°C | Clear skies, low humidity and autumn colours. May is a close second. |
| Singapore | February | About 31°C | The driest and sunniest month. It’s hot all year round, so here a little shade is part of the plan. |
Oceania
| City | Best month | Average high | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | November | About 24°C | Warm, long evenings thanks to daylight saving, and usually drier than late summer (Bureau of Meteorology). March, at about 25°C, is a close second. |
| Melbourne | March | About 24°C | Settled, warm days without the heatwaves of January and February. |
| Brisbane | September | About 25°C | Spring sunshine and low rainfall, before the summer humidity and storms. |
| Auckland | February | About 23°C | The warmest month of the year, and often one of the most settled. |
Antarctica
| Location | Best month | Average temperature | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernadsky Research Base | January | About 0.8°C | The warmest month on average at this Ukrainian station on the Antarctic Peninsula (Ukrainian Antarctic research data). It’s home to the Faraday Bar, one of the most famous pubs in Antarctica. |
| McMurdo Station | January | Around freezing | The peak of the short Antarctic summer at the largest US research station, which is even further south and has not one but two bars: Gallagher’s and Southern Exposure. |
Yes, there are bars in Antarctica. The Faraday Bar at Vernadsky is said to have been built from timber that was meant for a new pier, and it serves beer and vodka to the scientists who live there. There’s no beer garden, of course. The view is spectacular and the beer never gets warm, but it’s the kind of sunshine you enjoy from inside, through a window, with your coat still on.
Summing up
Wherever you are, there’s a month when the weather is on your side. But you don’t have to wait for the perfect month to enjoy a drink in the sun. Even in the middle of winter there are bright days, and a sheltered, sunny spot can make all the difference. Sunny shows you pubs and beer gardens in the sun right now, anywhere in the world. It’s free, and no venue can pay to be on it.
Averages are based on long-term climate records from national weather services and climate data providers, rounded to the nearest degree.
Header photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash.