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Reykjavík, Iceland - Starting off with dark destinations, this Icelandic capital has little daylight and long hours of darkness. During winter, the city is lit up with bright Christmas lights and auroras.
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Tórshavn, Faroe Islands - Tórshavn is the capital of the Faroe Islands. It's a freezing city, which apparently sees less than 40 days of sunshine every year.
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2 / 31 Fotos
London, England - London is famed for being one miserable city, weather-wise, of course. It doesn't get much sunlight, and gas lights still brighten the streets at night.
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Tallinn, Estonia - Tallinn has dark winter nights, which are perfect for looking for ghosts or spirits, as is tradition in the Estonian capital.
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4 / 31 Fotos
Rjukan, Norway - Rjukan is a small town in southern Norway, where towering mountains seem to almost touch the sky. From September to March, the area doesn't get much sun at all.
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5 / 31 Fotos
Utqiagvik, Alaska, USA - Utqiagvik is the most northern point of the US. The city, formerly known as Barrow, can go two months without sunlight every year.
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6 / 31 Fotos
Stockholm, Sweden - Stockholm is a dark city, one of many that celebrates St. Lucia Day, which is a holiday intended to celebrate light.
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7 / 31 Fotos
Helsinki, Finland - The Finnish capital is submerged in darkness during winter. Daylight in December can last for just six hours.
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8 / 31 Fotos
Oslo, Norway - During winter, Oslo has short days and long nights. It's said that Norway has five seasons, with a "dark" and "light" winter.
© Shutterstock
9 / 31 Fotos
Flagstaff, Arizona, USA - In 2001, Flagstaff became the first International Dark Sky City. You can even spot Pluto from the city's Lowell Observatory.
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10 / 31 Fotos
Glasgow, Scotland - Glasgow apparently gets just 50 days of sunshine every year.
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11 / 31 Fotos
Birmingham, England - Birmingham is another British city that gets little sunlight. It's a cloudy place, with dark wintry nights.
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12 / 31 Fotos
Cologne, Germany - Cologne gets just over 1,500 hours of sunlight every year.
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13 / 31 Fotos
Vaduz, Liechtenstein - Cloudy all year round, Vaduz is a dark city in Liechtenstein. The "cold season" lasts nearly four months, from November to March.
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14 / 31 Fotos
Hamburg, Germany - The winters are long in Hamburg, with around seven hours of daylight during winter.
© Shutterstock
15 / 31 Fotos
Yuma, Arizona, USA - Now, the sunny cities. Yuma is the sunniest place on Earth, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The arid Arizona city has around 100 days of 40+°C (104+ °F) weather every year.
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Aswan, Egypt - Aswan is Africa's sunniest city, with over 10 hours of intense sunlight every day.
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Phoenix, Arizona, USA - Forget Florida: the sunniest state in US is Arizona. The capital is also known as "the Valley of the Sun."
© iStock
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Valletta, Malta
- Malta's capital gets nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine every year.
© iStock
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Marseille, France - The south of France is always a good place to go during the summer. Marseille's temperatures can exceed 30°C (86°F).
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Lisbon, Portugal - Lisbon is one sunny city, with nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine every year. No wonder it's become such a popular tourist destination.
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Madrid, Spain - The central square of the Spanish capital is called Puerta del Sol (meaning "Door/Gate to the Sun"), and, during summer, the city sure is a hot place.
© iStock
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Athens, Greece - Athens is another city that's famed for its sunny weather. It's advised that you don't go for a stroll around 11 am to 2 pm.
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Nice, France - It's hard to beat a summer spent in Nice. If the weather gets too hot, take a stroll on the Promenade des Anglais.
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Monaco - Monaco is a beautiful place with a Mediterranean climate. It's a sunny, but the weather doesn't get too much, with temperatures usually staying below 40°C (104°F).
© iStock
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Tirana, Albania - The Albanian capital isn't exactly known to be a sunny place, but its location by the Mediterranean Sea makes it one of the sunniest and wettest places in the world.
© iStock
26 / 31 Fotos
Barcelona, Spain - The bustling city is one sunny metropolis, with boiling hot summers and humid winters too.
© iStock
27 / 31 Fotos
Podgorica, Montenegro - The hilly city gets its fair share of rays, with nearly 2,500 hours of sunlight every year.
© iStock
28 / 31 Fotos
Dongola, Sudan - Dongola has blistering temperatures of nearly 50°C (122°F), making it a city constantly submerged in sunlight.
© iStock
29 / 31 Fotos
Zanzibar, Tanzania
- The East African archipelago has a tropical climate, which means soaring sunlight and warm nights too. See also: Beautiful towns and villages in Belgium
© iStock
30 / 31 Fotos
© iStock
0 / 31 Fotos
Reykjavík, Iceland - Starting off with dark destinations, this Icelandic capital has little daylight and long hours of darkness. During winter, the city is lit up with bright Christmas lights and auroras.
© iStock
1 / 31 Fotos
Tórshavn, Faroe Islands - Tórshavn is the capital of the Faroe Islands. It's a freezing city, which apparently sees less than 40 days of sunshine every year.
© iStock
2 / 31 Fotos
London, England - London is famed for being one miserable city, weather-wise, of course. It doesn't get much sunlight, and gas lights still brighten the streets at night.
© iStock
3 / 31 Fotos
Tallinn, Estonia - Tallinn has dark winter nights, which are perfect for looking for ghosts or spirits, as is tradition in the Estonian capital.
© Shutterstock
4 / 31 Fotos
Rjukan, Norway - Rjukan is a small town in southern Norway, where towering mountains seem to almost touch the sky. From September to March, the area doesn't get much sun at all.
© iStock
5 / 31 Fotos
Utqiagvik, Alaska, USA - Utqiagvik is the most northern point of the US. The city, formerly known as Barrow, can go two months without sunlight every year.
© iStock
6 / 31 Fotos
Stockholm, Sweden - Stockholm is a dark city, one of many that celebrates St. Lucia Day, which is a holiday intended to celebrate light.
© iStock
7 / 31 Fotos
Helsinki, Finland - The Finnish capital is submerged in darkness during winter. Daylight in December can last for just six hours.
© iStock
8 / 31 Fotos
Oslo, Norway - During winter, Oslo has short days and long nights. It's said that Norway has five seasons, with a "dark" and "light" winter.
© Shutterstock
9 / 31 Fotos
Flagstaff, Arizona, USA - In 2001, Flagstaff became the first International Dark Sky City. You can even spot Pluto from the city's Lowell Observatory.
© Shutterstock
10 / 31 Fotos
Glasgow, Scotland - Glasgow apparently gets just 50 days of sunshine every year.
© Shutterstock
11 / 31 Fotos
Birmingham, England - Birmingham is another British city that gets little sunlight. It's a cloudy place, with dark wintry nights.
© iStock
12 / 31 Fotos
Cologne, Germany - Cologne gets just over 1,500 hours of sunlight every year.
© iStock
13 / 31 Fotos
Vaduz, Liechtenstein - Cloudy all year round, Vaduz is a dark city in Liechtenstein. The "cold season" lasts nearly four months, from November to March.
© Shutterstock
14 / 31 Fotos
Hamburg, Germany - The winters are long in Hamburg, with around seven hours of daylight during winter.
© Shutterstock
15 / 31 Fotos
Yuma, Arizona, USA - Now, the sunny cities. Yuma is the sunniest place on Earth, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The arid Arizona city has around 100 days of 40+°C (104+ °F) weather every year.
© iStock
16 / 31 Fotos
Aswan, Egypt - Aswan is Africa's sunniest city, with over 10 hours of intense sunlight every day.
© iStock
17 / 31 Fotos
Phoenix, Arizona, USA - Forget Florida: the sunniest state in US is Arizona. The capital is also known as "the Valley of the Sun."
© iStock
18 / 31 Fotos
Valletta, Malta
- Malta's capital gets nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine every year.
© iStock
19 / 31 Fotos
Marseille, France - The south of France is always a good place to go during the summer. Marseille's temperatures can exceed 30°C (86°F).
© iStock
20 / 31 Fotos
Lisbon, Portugal - Lisbon is one sunny city, with nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine every year. No wonder it's become such a popular tourist destination.
© iStock
21 / 31 Fotos
Madrid, Spain - The central square of the Spanish capital is called Puerta del Sol (meaning "Door/Gate to the Sun"), and, during summer, the city sure is a hot place.
© iStock
22 / 31 Fotos
Athens, Greece - Athens is another city that's famed for its sunny weather. It's advised that you don't go for a stroll around 11 am to 2 pm.
© iStock
23 / 31 Fotos
Nice, France - It's hard to beat a summer spent in Nice. If the weather gets too hot, take a stroll on the Promenade des Anglais.
© iStock
24 / 31 Fotos
Monaco - Monaco is a beautiful place with a Mediterranean climate. It's a sunny, but the weather doesn't get too much, with temperatures usually staying below 40°C (104°F).
© iStock
25 / 31 Fotos
Tirana, Albania - The Albanian capital isn't exactly known to be a sunny place, but its location by the Mediterranean Sea makes it one of the sunniest and wettest places in the world.
© iStock
26 / 31 Fotos
Barcelona, Spain - The bustling city is one sunny metropolis, with boiling hot summers and humid winters too.
© iStock
27 / 31 Fotos
Podgorica, Montenegro - The hilly city gets its fair share of rays, with nearly 2,500 hours of sunlight every year.
© iStock
28 / 31 Fotos
Dongola, Sudan - Dongola has blistering temperatures of nearly 50°C (122°F), making it a city constantly submerged in sunlight.
© iStock
29 / 31 Fotos
Zanzibar, Tanzania
- The East African archipelago has a tropical climate, which means soaring sunlight and warm nights too. See also: Beautiful towns and villages in Belgium
© iStock
30 / 31 Fotos
Explore the world's darkest and most sunlit cities
Plan your travels accordingly!
© iStock
Weather: you can’t always get what you want. Whether it’s sunny but too hot, or too cold and dark, it’s hard finding a place that has the most perfect climate. However, it’s nice to know where to go if you’re looking for a sunny city or a dark destination. The sun brings beach days and BBQs, while lack of light can be perfect for stargazing or getting some much-needed sleep.
To help you plan your travels, click through this gallery for a guide to the world’s darkest and most sunlit cities.
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