What’s the best time of year to visit Iraq?

Iraq is a country of extremes, and that includes its weather, notably its hottest summer months and coldest winter months.

Autumn and spring

In our opinion, the best time of year to visit Iraq is in autumn or spring, both of which enable you to enjoy the country at its very best. However, if you like it hot, September and May can also be great options.

If you’re planning to visit the (wonderful) marshes in southern Iraq, the favoured tourist season, especially for locals, roughly runs from October through to April. However, even in winter, the southern Iraqi sun can be extremely strong and its reflection on the waters is more than capable of giving you a nice case of facial sunburn (speaking from experience).

Winter

Iraqi winters can be surprisingly cold, especially at night so, if you are travelling in winter, make sure you pack sufficient warm clothing. Rain can technically occur any time between November and April but, in reality, it tends to be more occasional and sporadic, although sometimes heavy and lasting for days on end. The worst rainfall we have experienced has been in January and February. Sudden and excessive rainfall can be frustrating for tourists as rains sometimes transform desert terrain into mud, thus rendering some remote historic sites inaccessible.

Summer

The summer - June through to August - is sweltering. Southern Iraq is hottest (the highest recorded temperature in Basra was 53.8 degrees Celsius), with central Iraq (Baghdad etc) coming a fairly close second, especially in summer 2022, which was a scorcher. Although northern Iraq, including Iraqi Kurdistan, is noticeably cooler (making it an attractive summer holiday destination for southern and central-based Iraqis), it is still extremely hot by western standards.

Most hotels, restaurants and cafes have air-conditioning so it can be quite a shock when you step outside, which can feel literally like a giant oven. Despite the heat, it’s still advisable to dress appropriately (eg modest clothing with full coverage for ladies, with t-shirts and longer-length shorts acceptable for men). In more budget hotels, the air-conditioning may not function during (hours-long) power cuts, during which time electricity is provided by generators.

If you are planning a summer holiday in Iraq, be prepared that the climate in itself can be quite exhausting if you’re not accustomed to it, and the high temperatures and searing summer sun can make sightseeing challenging or even downright unpleasant.

We recommend always covering your head when out in the sun in the summer, but it can also be a good idea in early autumn and late spring, so take (or buy) a wide-brimmed hat or a cap and keep it handy. Sunblock may be a wise precaution but, in high summer, a better idea is to stay out of the sun as much as possible.

Summer temperatures can also be too much for your devices. If you’ve never seen a thermometer appear on your phone with an announcement that it’s overheating so will shut itself down, Iraq in high summer could afford you that opportunity.