Best Time to Visit Montego Bay

December to April: dry and easy

This is the sweet spot, and January and February top our comfort score. Days are warm but not heavy, and evenings feel pleasant on the veranda. Showers do happen, but they're short. Most days you'll still get long stretches of sun.

It's also high season. Hotels along the Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue) and the big all-inclusives out toward Rose Hall fill up, especially around Christmas and New Year. Travelling with kids? Late December and the Easter break are the busiest weeks. Doctor's Cave Beach gets crowded on cruise-ship days, so go at the start or end of the day if you want space.

March is still rated Excellent, and April is Good. April is a little hotter and wetter, but prices and crowds usually ease once Easter is over.

May to November: wet and sticky

Be honest with yourself about this stretch. Rain falls on most days from May through October, and October is the wettest month, with 212 mm. June is the gloomiest for sun. It's usually not all-day drizzle. It's more like heavy downpours that come and go, and the air stays sticky.

It's also hurricane season, and the later months carry the most risk. If you travel then, buy travel insurance that covers storms. Boat trips and the Martha Brae river rafting can be cancelled when the rivers run high.

The upside is quiet beaches and lower prices. July is the best of the wet months if you can't avoid them. November is rated Fair and slowly dries out.

Events worth planning around

Reggae Sumfest is the big one. It's a huge music festival held in Montego Bay in July, with nights of reggae and dancehall. Expect rain, but nobody seems to mind. Book your bed early, because the city fills up.

In December, the dry weather returns just in time for Christmas, and the city feels festive. Many visitors also time a trip for Jamaican Independence Day on 6 August, though that falls in the wet season.

If you want the easiest trip, come in January or February. If you want music, accept the rain and come in July.