Where is hot in January 2027?
The hottest places within 5½ hours of the UK in January are Sharm el-Sheikh (22°C), Gran Canaria (22°C) and Agadir (21°C), going by average daytime highs over the last ten years. Fly further and Guanacaste (32°C), Zanzibar (32°C) and Bangkok (32°C) are reliably hot.
Short haul: under 5½ hours from the UK
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 150 mm of rain or more in January.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharm el-SheikhEgypt | 22°C | 13°C | 24°C | 3 mm | 5h |
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 15°C | 21°C | 22 mm | 4h |
| AgadirMorocco | 21°C | 11°C | 18°C | 17 mm | 3½h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 21°C | 15°C | 21°C | 11 mm | 4h |
| HurghadaEgypt | 21°C | 14°C | 23°C | 1 mm | 5h |
| AqabaJordan | 21°C | 11°C | 22°C | 5 mm | 5h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 21°C | 15°C | 20°C | 6 mm | 3½h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 20°C | 15°C | 20°C | 9 mm | 4h |
| MarrakechMorocco | 20°C | 6°C | – | 24 mm | 3h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 19°C | 14°C | 20°C | 79 mm | 3½h |
| MalagaSpain | 17°C | 9°C | 15°C | 46 mm | 2½h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 16°C | 9°C | 17°C | 57 mm | 2½h |
| HammametTunisia | 16°C | 9°C | 17°C | 26 mm | 2½h |
| SevilleSpain | 16°C | 7°C | – | 50 mm | 2½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cyprus | 16°C | 9°C | 19°C | 119 mm | 4½h |
| MaltaMalta | 16°C | 12°C | 17°C | 38 mm | 3h |
| CreteGreece | 15°C | 10°C | 17°C | 85 mm | 3½h |
| RhodesGreece | 15°C | 11°C | 19°C | 84 mm | 4h |
| LisbonPortugal | 15°C | 9°C | 15°C | 67 mm | 2½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 15°C | 9°C | 15°C | 43 mm | 2h |
| SicilyItaly | 15°C | 9°C | 16°C | 86 mm | 2½h |
| AthensGreece | 12°C | 5°C | 17°C | 70 mm | 3½h |
| AntalyaTurkeywet season | 14°C | 6°C | 20°C | 215 mm | 4h |
Medium haul: 5½ to 8 hours
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 150 mm of rain or more in January.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The GambiaThe Gambia | 31°C | 21°C | 23°C | 0 mm | 6h |
| AntiguaAntigua and Barbuda | 28°C | 24°C | 27°C | 43 mm | 8h |
| Cape Verde (Sal)Cape Verde | 25°C | 21°C | 24°C | 0 mm | 5½h |
| MuscatOman | 25°C | 17°C | 24°C | 12 mm | 7½h |
| DubaiUAE | 24°C | 15°C | 22°C | 22 mm | 7h |
| Abu DhabiUAE | 24°C | 17°C | 22°C | 15 mm | 7h |
Long haul: over 8 hours
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 150 mm of rain or more in January.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GuanacasteCosta Rica | 32°C | 25°C | 28°C | 14 mm | 11h |
| ZanzibarTanzania | 32°C | 26°C | 29°C | 64 mm | 9h |
| BangkokThailand | 32°C | 22°C | – | 23 mm | 11½h |
| GoaIndia | 31°C | 20°C | 28°C | 6 mm | 9½h |
| Diani BeachKenya | 31°C | 25°C | 28°C | 47 mm | 9h |
| Kerala (Kochi)India | 30°C | 24°C | 30°C | 49 mm | 10h |
| PhuketThailand | 30°C | 25°C | 29°C | 78 mm | 12h |
| ArubaAruba | 28°C | 25°C | 27°C | 37 mm | 9½h |
| BarbadosBarbados | 28°C | 24°C | 28°C | 33 mm | 8½h |
| Jamaica (Montego Bay)Jamaica | 28°C | 22°C | 28°C | 53 mm | 9½h |
| MaldivesMaldives | 28°C | 26°C | 28°C | 123 mm | 10½h |
| St LuciaSt Lucia | 27°C | 24°C | 28°C | 70 mm | 8½h |
| Punta CanaDominican Republic | 27°C | 24°C | 27°C | 66 mm | 8½h |
| SydneyAustralia | 27°C | 20°C | 22°C | 107 mm | 20½h |
| CancunMexico | 26°C | 22°C | 27°C | 82 mm | 10h |
| Cape TownSouth Africa | 26°C | 17°C | 14°C | 15 mm | 12h |
| VaraderoCuba | 26°C | 21°C | 25°C | 44 mm | 9h |
| NassauBahamas | 25°C | 21°C | 24°C | 45 mm | 8½h |
| MiamiUSA | 24°C | 17°C | 22°C | 80 mm | 9h |
| OrlandoUSA | 21°C | 11°C | – | 69 mm | 8½h |
| Rio de JaneiroBrazilwet season | 30°C | 24°C | 26°C | 154 mm | 11½h |
| MauritiusMauritiuswet season | 30°C | 25°C | 28°C | 197 mm | 12h |
| SingaporeSingaporewet season | 29°C | 24°C | 28°C | 292 mm | 13½h |
| BaliIndonesiawet season | 29°C | 24°C | 29°C | 320 mm | 15h |
| Sri Lanka (south coast)Sri Lankawet season | 29°C | 23°C | 28°C | 150 mm | 11h |
| SeychellesSeychelleswet season | 27°C | 26°C | 29°C | 285 mm | 10h |
| Hoi AnVietnamwet season | 24°C | 20°C | 24°C | 167 mm | 12h |
Where is hot in Europe in January?
Gran Canaria is the warmest place in Europe in January at 22°C on an average day, with the sea at 21°C. Nowhere in Europe averages 24°C in January, so treat these as warm, not hot.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 15°C | 21°C | 22 mm | 4h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 21°C | 15°C | 21°C | 11 mm | 4h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 21°C | 15°C | 20°C | 6 mm | 3½h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 20°C | 15°C | 20°C | 9 mm | 4h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 19°C | 14°C | 20°C | 79 mm | 3½h |
| MalagaSpain | 17°C | 9°C | 15°C | 46 mm | 2½h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 16°C | 9°C | 17°C | 57 mm | 2½h |
| SevilleSpain | 16°C | 7°C | – | 50 mm | 2½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cyprus | 16°C | 9°C | 19°C | 119 mm | 4½h |
| MaltaMalta | 16°C | 12°C | 17°C | 38 mm | 3h |
| CreteGreece | 15°C | 10°C | 17°C | 85 mm | 3½h |
| RhodesGreece | 15°C | 11°C | 19°C | 84 mm | 4h |
| LisbonPortugal | 15°C | 9°C | 15°C | 67 mm | 2½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 15°C | 9°C | 15°C | 43 mm | 2h |
| SicilyItaly | 15°C | 9°C | 16°C | 86 mm | 2½h |
| AthensGreece | 12°C | 5°C | 17°C | 70 mm | 3½h |
| AntalyaTurkeywet season | 14°C | 6°C | 20°C | 215 mm | 4h |
January sun: quick answers
Where is hot in Europe in January?
Gran Canaria (22°C), Tenerife (21°C), Lanzarote (21°C), Fuerteventura (20°C) have the highest average daytime temperatures in Europe in January. That is warm rather than hot: for 24°C and above you need to leave Europe.
What is the hottest place within 4 hours of the UK in January?
Gran Canaria averages 22°C by day and 15°C at night in January, about 4h from London.
Where is the sea warm enough to swim in January?
Within 5½ hours of the UK the sea is warmest in Sharm el-Sheikh (24°C), Hurghada (23°C), Aqaba (22°C). We count 21°C and above as comfortable without a wetsuit.
Where should I avoid in January because of rain?
Rio de Janeiro (154 mm), Mauritius (197 mm), Singapore (292 mm), Bali (320 mm) are hot but in their rainy season in January, averaging 150 mm of rain or more.
What is the hottest destination in January?
Of the 56 places we track, Guanacaste is the hottest outside its rainy season in January, averaging 32°C by day.
Picked a spot? Our guide to January holidays from the UK covers what to do there, school-holiday timing and booking checks. For city breaks rather than sun, see the best places to travel in January.
How we measured this
Temperatures and rain are averages of every day in January from 2016 to 2025, taken from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive (ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis). Sea temperatures are 2023 to 2025 averages from the Open-Meteo marine archive. Rain is the average monthly total. Flight times are estimates for a direct flight from London Heathrow, based on distance, and rounded to the half hour; check your airline for exact times. Reanalysis data describes an area about 25 km across, so a sheltered beach can run a degree or two warmer than the figure here. Data last refreshed 2026-09-25.
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