Best Countries to Visit in February

February sits at the end of Thailand's cool dry season, which is the best stretch of the year for the Andaman coast. Phuket, Krabi and the Phi Phi islands get calm seas and clear water, and Bangkok and Chiang Mai are warm without being punishing. This is peak season, so book flights and island transfers early. Packages average around Rs 35,000 per person.

February is dry and cool in the north, so Hanoi, Halong Bay and Ninh Binh are comfortable to walk and cruise, while Da Nang, Hoi An and Phu Quoc stay warm. Tet, the Lunar New Year, falls in late January or February and moves each year, so check the dates: the country is festive but many businesses close for several days. Packages average around Rs 60,000 per person.

Known For : Stay in an Overwater Bungalow Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Scuba Diving in Maldives

The Maldives is in the middle of its northeast monsoon dry season in February, with the calmest seas and clearest water of the year for snorkelling and diving. It is the most expensive window as a result, so resort rates and seaplane transfers are at their highest. Direct flights from Indian metros take under four hours. Packages average around Rs 89,000 per person.

Best Time: December to April

102 Maldives Attractions

February is the dry window on Sri Lanka's west and south coasts, so Bentota, Mirissa and Galle are at their best, and Yala is good for leopard sightings. The east coast around Trincomalee and Arugam Bay is on the wrong side of the island this month. Short flights and low package costs make it the best value beach trip from India. Packages average around Rs 32,000 per person.

February is calving season in the southern Serengeti and around Ndutu, when hundreds of thousands of wildebeest give birth within a few weeks and the predators follow. It is the strongest reason to go on safari this month, and it happens in Tanzania rather than Kenya. Zanzibar is warm and dry enough to add on afterwards. Packages average around Rs 2,42,000 per person.

The Sapporo Snow Festival runs for seven days in early February, and Hokkaido resorts like Niseko and Hakuba have the deepest, driest snow of the season. Cherry blossom does not arrive until late March, so come for snow, onsen and quiet temples rather than blossom. Pack for real cold. Packages average around Rs 1,41,000 per person.

February is the most comfortable month in the UAE, with daytime highs in the high twenties and cool evenings, before the heat sets in. It suits desert safaris, dhow cruises and long days at Dubai's parks and Abu Dhabi's museums rather than the summer's indoor-only routine. Flights are short and frequent from most Indian cities. Packages average around Rs 44,000 per person.

February is cool and dry in Cambodia, which matters at Angkor, where a temple day means hours on your feet in open sun. Sunrise at Angkor Wat, then Ta Prohm and the Bayon, are all far easier now than in the humid months. Most itineraries pair Siem Reap with Phnom Penh or run on from Vietnam.

February falls in the Philippines' dry season, when the seas are calmest for island hopping around Palawan, El Nido and Coron, and typhoon risk is at its lowest. Boracay and Siargao are both reliable this month. Connections run via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong. Packages average around Rs 77,000 per person.

February gives Egypt cool, dry days, which is exactly what the Giza pyramids, Luxor's temples and a Nile cruise need, all of them punishing in summer heat. Red Sea diving at Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh works too, though the water is cooler than later in the year. Packages average around Rs 80,000 per person.

February is the pick of Oman's cool season, comfortable for Muscat, the Wahiba Sands and the Jebel Akhdar mountains, and for wadi swimming without the desert heat. It is quieter and far less built up than the UAE next door, which is why most people choose it. Packages average around Rs 98,000 per person.

Known For : Gardens by the Bay Universal Studios Singapore Marina Bay Sands

Singapore is warm and humid all year, and February is one of its drier months. Chinese New Year usually falls in late January or February and Chinatown, the river and Marina Bay are at their liveliest, though hotels fill and rates rise that week. Good for a short family trip. Packages average around Rs 57,000 per person.

Best Time: January to November

271 Singapore Attractions

February brings the deepest snow of the winter to the Swiss Alps, so Zermatt, the Jungfrau region and Engelberg are set up for skiing, sledging and snow play, and the Glacier Express runs through a white landscape. Days are short and cold, so plan it as a winter trip rather than a sightseeing one. Packages average around Rs 1,57,000 per person.

Austria in February means full ski season in the Tyrol and Salzburgerland, with Innsbruck, Kitzbuhel and St Anton all running, while Vienna and Salzburg are cold, quiet and cheaper to stay in than at any other time. It is a good choice if you want mountains and a proper city in the same trip.

February is New Zealand's warmest and most settled month, the tail of summer, which makes it the best time of year for the Milford Track, Queenstown's lakes and the drive through Fiordland. It is also the busiest, so campervans and Great Walk huts need booking well ahead.

February is late summer in Australia, which suits Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania and the Barossa. The tropical north is a different story: Queensland is in its wet and cyclone season, and box jellyfish keep most beaches netted, so save Cairns and the reef for the middle of the year.

February is the cool dry season in Laos, the easiest month for Luang Prabang's temples and almsgiving, the Mekong slow boat and the Bolaven Plateau. It stays much quieter than Thailand or Vietnam next door, which suits a slower trip. Package options are limited, so most people add it to a Vietnam or Thailand itinerary.

February is dry on Malaysia's west coast, so Langkawi and Penang are the picks this month, along with Kuala Lumpur and the cooler Cameron Highlands. The east coast islands such as Perhentian and Redang are still closed or unreliable until around March. Packages average around Rs 48,000 per person.

February still has long dark nights, so the northern lights are a realistic reason to go, and the ice caves under Vatnajokull are only open in winter. Daylight is back to about eight hours, enough to drive the south coast. Roads can close at short notice, so keep the plan loose.

Carnival begins on the Friday before Ash Wednesday, which puts it in February or early March depending on the year, and Rio is the reason most people pick this month. Flights and hotels are booked out months ahead and prices multiply. Outside Carnival week it is hot, humid summer along the coast.

The Carnival of Venice ends on Shrove Tuesday, so it lands in February or early March and moves each year. Venice in the cold, with masks and far fewer day trippers, is a different city entirely. Rome and Florence are chilly but walkable, much quieter, and museum queues are short.

February is the middle of the French ski season and the school holidays, so Chamonix, Val d'Isere and the Three Valleys are busy and priced accordingly. Paris is cold, grey and short on daylight, but hotels are cheaper and the Louvre and Orsay are much easier to walk around.

February is still winter in Jordan, with cold nights and a chance of rain at Petra, but the days are mild and the site is at its emptiest all year. Wadi Rum camps need warm layers. The Dead Sea stays comfortable throughout. It pairs well with Egypt on one longer Middle East trip.

February is mild in Marrakech and Essaouira and cold in the Atlas and the Sahara at night, where desert camps drop close to freezing. Almond blossom is out in the valleys, and the medinas of Fes and Chefchaouen are far more comfortable to walk than in summer.

February is dry season in Mexico, with the Yucatan at its most reliable for Tulum, Chichen Itza and the cenotes. Grey whales are in the Baja lagoons from January to March, which is the month's best reason to go west rather than east. It is high season, so book the Riviera Maya early.

February is the middle of Costa Rica's dry season, the best window for Manuel Antonio, the Nicoya beaches and Arenal, with the least rain of the year. Wildlife gathers near water, so sightings come easier. It is peak season for North American visitors and the better lodges fill early.

February is late summer in Patagonia, one of the few months when El Chalten and El Calafate are fully open and the trails are clear of snow. Iguazu is hot and busy, which is also when the falls carry the most water. Buenos Aires is humid and half empty as locals head to the coast.

February is high summer in South Africa, which is Cape Town's best month for Table Mountain, the Cape peninsula and the Winelands. Kruger is green and hot, and the thick bush makes game harder to spot than in the dry winter, so treat safari as a bonus rather than the reason to go.

Mainland Spain is cold in February, but the Canary Islands sit off Africa and stay in the low twenties, which is the real reason to come now. Tenerife's Carnival and the almond blossom on Mallorca both fall this month, and Madrid, Seville and Barcelona are at their cheapest and least crowded.

February is India's short shoulder month between the winter and summer holidays, so it is the cheapest time of year to travel domestically. Rajasthan, Kerala's backwaters and Goa are all in their good weather, and the Jaisalmer Desert Festival and Goa Carnival both fall this month.

February in Portugal is mild rather than warm, around 15 degrees, with rain likely and the Algarve too cold to swim. Lisbon and Porto are the reason to come now: low season prices, short queues at Belem and the Douro, and a table free at most restaurants.

February is off season in Greece and honest about it. Athens works well, with the Acropolis quiet and cheap, and Thessaloniki is fine. Most Cycladic islands, including much of Santorini, shut for winter with limited ferries and closed hotels, so save the islands for later in the year.