April to June and September. Month by month below, with the weather, what's on and what it costs to fly there from your city.
Sources most often name April to June and September for good weather with thinner crowds. Summer has the calmest water but the biggest crowds.
5 of the 7 travel guides we read name these months.
Average high and low in Lihue, and days with rain
JanuaryChecking fares…January and February are peak humpback whale months.Expect more rain from December through March.Na Pali boat tours are generally unavailable from November through March because of rough swells.
FebruaryChecking fares…Kauai Kanikapila, a Hawaiian music series, runs eight weeks across February and March.Humpback whales are at their peak in winter.Presidents' Day brings a price spike.
MarchChecking fares…The heaviest downpours come in December and March.Na Pali boat tours are generally unavailable from November through March because of rough swells.Whale watching continues through April.
Best timeAprilChecking fares…The ocean begins to calm and crowds thin after the winter holidays.Easter week brings a brief spike.April to June is called the single best window for a first trip.
Best timeMayChecking fares…May is called one of the best times to visit, with the winter crowd gone and spring break over.The north shore is swimmable again by early May.May Day and Lei Day celebrations take place in spring.
Best timeJuneChecking fares…June is one of the driest months, with calm north shore water.June is the second most crowded month, just behind July.Late June starts the calm-water summer season on the North Shore.
JulyChecking fares…July to August is peak season with reliable weather and the warmest ocean.Popular spots like Tunnels, Ke'e and Polihale fill before 9 a.m.Ha'ena State Park reservations sell out about 30 days ahead.
AugustChecking fares…Summer has the calmest ocean on the North Shore, good for snorkeling and paddleboarding.Summer is the busiest season because school is out.Average summer highs are about 83 F.
Best timeSeptemberChecking fares…Crowds drop once mainland schools restart.The ocean is at its calmest, good for north shore snorkeling.September to November is cheaper and less crowded than May.
OctoberChecking fares…The Kauai Chocolate and Coffee Festival is held in October.Trade winds shift in late October and rain returns to the north shore around the 20th.Fall on the North Shore often has dry, cloudless skies and fewer crowds.
NovemberChecking fares…The south shore stays excellent into November.Winter swells arrive and Na Pali boat tours stop around November.November is part of the fall season with fewer visitors after summer.
DecemberChecking fares…Peak whale-watching season starts in December.Expect more rain from December through March.The Christmas to New Year stretch is a price and crowd spike.Weather: Lihue averages (1991 to 2020 averages), as listed in its climate table on Wikipedia.
Live fares from your airport. Watch them and we alert you when they drop.
Cancún
The Grand Canyon
Disneyland
Miami
Myrtle Beach
Prague
Bali
Maui
Montreal
Venice
Aruba
New Orleans
Nashville
Disney World
New York
Rome
San Diego
Phuket
Boston
Dubai
Seoul
Florida
Lisbon
Los Angeles
Chicago
Paris
Las Vegas
San Francisco
Edinburgh
Napa
Sydney
Hawaii
Scotland
Punta Cana
Savannah
Washington, DC
Mexico City
Zion National Park
Turks and Caicos
Puerto Vallarta
Honolulu
Banff
Yosemite
Tulum
The Bahamas
Sedona
Seattle
Santorini
Buenos Aires
London
Charleston
Rio de Janeiro
Palm Springs
Yellowstone
Amsterdam
Toronto
Key West
Orlando
Europe
Austin
Machu Picchu
Cabo San Lucas
Niagara Falls
Colorado
Oregon
Arizona
Acadia National Park
Galapagos
Lake Tahoe
Montana
Okinawa
US Virgin Islands
Amalfi Coast
Santa Fe
Destin
Curacao
Utah
Joshua Tree
Patagonia
St. Thomas
Florida Keys
Smoky Mountains
Copenhagen
Death Valley
Mallorca
Madeira
Cape Town
Ibiza
Zanzibar
Lake Como
Madrid
New Mexico
Tennessee
Vermont
Wyoming
Bryce Canyon
Oahu
St. Martin
Hilton Head
Dolomites
Cape Cod
San Antonio
Rocky Mountain National Park
Dublin
Catalina Island
Athens
Asheville
Texas
South America
Shenandoah National Park
Phoenix
North Carolina
Medellín
Cairo
Budapest
Arches National Park
St. John
South Carolina
Reykjavik
Mykonos
Milan
Houston
Hanoi
Canary Islands
Big Island of Hawaii
Atlanta
The Caribbean
St. Barts
South Dakota
Rhode Island
New England
Nassau
Lima
Kyoto
Koh Samui
Colorado Springs
Chiang Mai
Stockholm
Porto
Montego Bay
Michigan
Melbourne
Louisiana
Kuala Lumpur
Kruger National Park
Jeju
Florence
Dallas
Zurich
Tampa
St. Kitts
Osaka
Munich
Moorea
Kailua-Kona
Everglades
Door County
Cusco
Calgary
Boracay
Bonaire
Swiss Alps
St. Croix
Seville
San Juan Islands
New Hampshire
Minnesota
Mazatlán
Manila
Kentucky
Isla Mujeres
Guam
French Riviera
Fort Lauderdale
Cinque Terre
Asia
Algarve
Virginia
Tenerife
Sapporo
Nairobi
Mumbai
The Hamptons
Grand Teton National Park
Finger Lakes
Charlotte
Bogotá
Auckland
Maine
Bora Bora
Olympic National Park
Redwood National Park
Sequoia National Park
Big Bend National Park
Mackinac Island
Sint Maarten
Nantucket
Outer Banks
California
Big Sur
Crater Lake
Scottsdale
Nice
Mount Rainier
Cozumel
Badlands National Park
Salt Lake City
Denali
Philadelphia
Tucson
Provence
Guadalajara
Albuquerque
Upper Peninsula
Sonoma
Memphis
Idaho
Da Nang
Cotswolds
Arkansas
St. Louis
Capri
Glacier National Park
Barcelona
Vancouver
Denver
Istanbul
Riviera Maya
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Santiago, Chile
Naples, Italy
Central America
Minneapolis
Sarasota
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Pittsburgh
Helsinki
Pensacola
Johannesburg
Brisbane
Málaga
Phu Quoc
Perth
Dubrovnik
Corpus Christi
Massachusetts
Oklahoma
Torres del Paine
Czech Republic
Ho Chi Minh City
Anchorage
Boise
Louisville
Juneau
Quito
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Canyonlands National Park
Baja California
Blue Ridge Mountains
Fort Myers
Detroit
Kansas City, Missouri
Kathmandu
Reno
Cebu
Brussels
Guangzhou
Chattanooga
Antalya
Daytona Beach
Cairns
Hilo
Alabama
Connecticut
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Capitol Reef National Park