Winter sun finder for UK travellers
Where’s hot in winter? Pick your month
Choose when you want to go and compare daytime highs, sea temperature, sunshine, rain days and flight time from London for 23 destinations, from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean. Climate averages, not a forecast.
23 destinations in December, warmest first.
Thailand (Phuket)
Phuket
- Daytime high
- 32°C
- Sea
- 29°C
- Sunshine
- 8.4 h
- Rain days
- 8
- Flight
- –
No direct flight from the UK; usually one stop.
Sri Lanka
Colombo and the south-west coast
- Daytime high
- 31°C
- Sea
- 28°C
- Sunshine
- 7.0 h
- Rain days
- 9
- Flight
- ~10h 30m
Maldives
Malé atoll
- Daytime high
- 30°C
- Sea
- 28°C
- Sunshine
- 6.9 h
- Rain days
- 12
- Flight
- ~10h 30m
Jamaica
Montego Bay
- Daytime high
- 30°C
- Sea
- 28°C
- Sunshine
- 7.4 h
- Rain days
- 11
- Flight
- ~9h 30m
Barbados
Bridgetown
- Daytime high
- 30°C
- Sea
- 28°C
- Sunshine
- 8.2 h
- Rain days
- 11
- Flight
- ~8h 30m
St Lucia
Castries and Rodney Bay
- Daytime high
- 30°C
- Sea
- 28°C
- Sunshine
- –
- Rain days
- 16
- Flight
- ~8h 30m
Dominican Republic (Punta Cana)
Punta Cana
- Daytime high
- 29°C
- Sea
- –
- Sunshine
- 7.5 h
- Rain days
- 11
- Flight
- ~9h 30m
Mexico (Cancun)
Cancun and Riviera Maya
- Daytime high
- 29°C
- Sea
- 26°C
- Sunshine
- –
- Rain days
- 8
- Flight
- ~10h 30m
Antigua
St John's
- Daytime high
- 29°C
- Sea
- 27°C
- Sunshine
- –
- Rain days
- 12
- Flight
- ~8h 30m
Dubai
Dubai
- Daytime high
- 27°C
- Sea
- 26°C
- Sunshine
- 8.3 h
- Rain days
- 3
- Flight
- ~7h
Cape Verde (Sal)
Santa Maria, Sal
- Daytime high
- 25°C
- Sea
- 24°C
- Sunshine
- 5.0 h
- Rain days
- 1
- Flight
- ~6h
Egypt (Hurghada)
Hurghada, Red Sea
- Daytime high
- 24°C
- Sea
- 24°C
- Sunshine
- 8.0 h
- Rain days
- 0
- Flight
- ~5h
Tenerife
Tenerife South (Costa Adeje)
- Daytime high
- 24°C
- Sea
- 21°C
- Sunshine
- 6.9 h
- Rain days
- 3
- Flight
- ~4h 30m
Gran Canaria
Maspalomas
- Daytime high
- 23°C
- Sea
- 21°C
- Sunshine
- 5.8 h
- Rain days
- 2
- Flight
- ~4h 30m
Fuerteventura
Puerto del Rosario
- Daytime high
- 22°C
- Sea
- 20°C
- Sunshine
- 6.2 h
- Rain days
- 3
- Flight
- ~4h 30m
Morocco (Agadir)
Agadir
- Daytime high
- 22°C
- Sea
- 18°C
- Sunshine
- 7.2 h
- Rain days
- 4
- Flight
- ~3h 45m
Lanzarote
Arrecife
- Daytime high
- 22°C
- Sea
- 20°C
- Sunshine
- 6.5 h
- Rain days
- 3
- Flight
- ~4h 15m
Cyprus (Paphos)
Paphos
- Daytime high
- 19°C
- Sea
- 19°C
- Sunshine
- 5.8 h
- Rain days
- –
- Flight
- ~4h 30m
Tunisia (Djerba)
Djerba
- Daytime high
- 18°C
- Sea
- 18°C
- Sunshine
- 6.6 h
- Rain days
- 4
- Flight
- ~3h 30m
Portugal (Algarve)
Faro
- Daytime high
- 17°C
- Sea
- 18°C
- Sunshine
- 5.1 h
- Rain days
- 7
- Flight
- ~2h 45m
Spain (Mallorca)
Palma
- Daytime high
- 17°C
- Sea
- 16°C
- Sunshine
- 4.9 h
- Rain days
- 6
- Flight
- ~2h 15m
Turkey (Antalya)
Antalya, Belek and Lara
- Daytime high
- 17°C
- Sea
- 19°C
- Sunshine
- 4.7 h
- Rain days
- 10
- Flight
- ~4h 15m
Greece (Crete)
Heraklion
- Daytime high
- 17°C
- Sea
- 18°C
- Sunshine
- 3.4 h
- Rain days
- 9
- Flight
- ~4h
Nothing matches those filters in this month. Try a lower temperature or a longer flight.
Flight times are approximate typical scheduled direct durations from London Gatwick or Heathrow; many airports also fly from Manchester and elsewhere. A dash means we have no verified figure. Resort links go to our full reviews.
Month by month: where is hot, and how far you fly
These are the warmest daytime highs for each month, drawn from the same figures as the finder above. We leave out anywhere above 34°C, because that is hot rather than pleasant for most beach holidays. “Short-haul” here means up to about five hours’ flying from London.
October
October short-haul leaders on daytime temperature: Hurghada, Egypt, where afternoons reach 32°C over a 27°C sea; Djerba, Tunisia at 28°C with about 7.8 hours of sun; Tenerife, 27°C by day and 24°C in the water; and Antalya, Turkey (27°C, 7.5 hours of sunshine a day). Hurghada, Egypt loses about 3°C compared with September. For sheer sunshine look to Paphos, Cyprus (9.0 hours a day); the warmest sea on a short flight is at Hurghada, Egypt, 27°C.
For a long-haul October holiday: Jamaica, 32°C by day and 29°C in the water – about 9h 30m direct; Phuket (32°C, 5.8 hours of sunshine a day) – no direct flight from the UK; and Cancun, where afternoons reach 32°C over a 28°C sea – about 10h 30m direct. The driest of these further-flung options in October is Sal, Cape Verde, with about 1 rain day.
November
Within roughly five hours of London, the warmest daytime highs in November belong to Hurghada, Egypt at 28°C with about 8.8 hours of sun; Tenerife, 25°C by day and 22°C in the water; Gran Canaria (25°C, 6.2 hours of sunshine a day); and Lanzarote, where afternoons reach 24°C over a 21°C sea. Hurghada, Egypt loses about 4°C compared with October. Hurghada, Egypt also has the sunniest days (8.8 hours) and the warmest short-haul sea (25°C).
Further afield in November: Phuket (32°C, 7.3 hours of sunshine a day) – no direct flight from the UK; Jamaica, where afternoons reach 31°C over a 29°C sea – about 9h 30m direct; and Dubai at 31°C with about 8.9 hours of sun – about 7h direct. The driest of these further-flung options in November is Sal, Cape Verde, with about 1 rain day.
December
Short flights still pay off in December: Hurghada, Egypt, 24°C by day and 24°C in the water; Tenerife (24°C, 6.9 hours of sunshine a day); Gran Canaria, where afternoons reach 23°C over a 21°C sea; and Fuerteventura at 22°C with about 6.2 hours of sun. Hurghada, Egypt loses about 4°C compared with November. Hurghada, Egypt also has the sunniest days (8.0 hours) and the warmest short-haul sea (24°C).
If you will fly longer for December heat: Phuket, where afternoons reach 32°C over a 29°C sea – no direct flight from the UK; Sri Lanka at 31°C with about 7.0 hours of sun – about 10h 30m direct; and the Maldives, 30°C by day and 28°C in the water – about 10h 30m direct. The driest of these further-flung options in December is Sal, Cape Verde, with about 1 rain day.
January
Within roughly five hours of London, the warmest daytime highs in January belong to Tenerife (23°C, 7.1 hours of sunshine a day); Hurghada, Egypt, where afternoons reach 22°C over a 23°C sea; Gran Canaria at 22°C with about 5.9 hours of sun; and Agadir, Morocco, 21°C by day and 18°C in the water. Tenerife loses about 1°C compared with December. Hurghada, Egypt also has the sunniest days (8.6 hours) and the warmest short-haul sea (23°C).
Beyond the five-hour mark, January favours: Phuket at 33°C with about 9.0 hours of sun – no direct flight from the UK; Sri Lanka, 31°C by day and 28°C in the water – about 10h 30m direct; and the Maldives (31°C, 8.3 hours of sunshine a day) – about 10h 30m direct. The driest of these further-flung options in January is Sal, Cape Verde, with about 1 rain day.
February
Short flights still pay off in February: Hurghada, Egypt, where afternoons reach 24°C over a 22°C sea; Tenerife at 23°C with about 7.8 hours of sun; Gran Canaria, 22°C by day and 19°C in the water; and Agadir, Morocco (22°C, 8.0 hours of sunshine a day). Hurghada, Egypt gains about 1°C on January. Hurghada, Egypt also has the sunniest days (9.9 hours) and the warmest short-haul sea (22°C).
For a long-haul February holiday: Phuket, 34°C by day and 29°C in the water – no direct flight from the UK; Sri Lanka (32°C, 8.8 hours of sunshine a day) – about 10h 30m direct; and the Maldives, where afternoons reach 31°C over a 29°C sea – about 10h 30m direct. The driest of these further-flung options in February is Sal, Cape Verde, with about 1 rain day.
March
For a short-haul March escape, start with Hurghada, Egypt at 26°C with about 8.8 hours of sun; Tenerife, 24°C by day and 19°C in the water; Agadir, Morocco (23°C, 8.6 hours of sunshine a day); and Gran Canaria, where afternoons reach 23°C over a 19°C sea. Hurghada, Egypt gains about 3°C on February. Hurghada, Egypt also has the sunniest days (8.8 hours) and the warmest short-haul sea (22°C).
Further afield in March: Sri Lanka (32°C, 8.9 hours of sunshine a day) – about 10h 30m direct; the Maldives, where afternoons reach 32°C over a 29°C sea – about 10h 30m direct; and Cancun at 31°C – about 10h 30m direct. The driest of these further-flung options in March is Sal, Cape Verde, which averages under one rain day.
April
If you want the sun without a long flight in April, these are the warmest picks within five hours: Hurghada, Egypt, 30°C by day and 23°C in the water; Tenerife (24°C, 8.3 hours of sunshine a day); Gran Canaria, where afternoons reach 24°C over a 19°C sea; and Lanzarote at 24°C with about 8.6 hours of sun. Hurghada, Egypt gains about 4°C on March. Hurghada, Egypt also has the sunniest days (9.5 hours) and the warmest short-haul sea (23°C).
If you will fly longer for April heat: Dubai, where afternoons reach 34°C over a 26°C sea – about 7h direct; Cancun at 32°C – about 10h 30m direct; and Sri Lanka, 32°C by day and 30°C in the water – about 10h 30m direct. The driest of these further-flung options in April is Sal, Cape Verde, which averages under one rain day.
May (off-season for winter sun)
May short-haul leaders on daytime temperature: Hurghada, Egypt (34°C, 10.2 hours of sunshine a day); Djerba, Tunisia, where afternoons reach 27°C over a 19°C sea; and Antalya, Turkey at 26°C with about 9.4 hours of sun. Hurghada, Egypt gains about 4°C on April.
Beyond the five-hour mark, May favours: Cancun at 33°C – about 10h 30m direct; Phuket, 33°C by day and 31°C in the water – no direct flight from the UK; and Jamaica (32°C, 8.2 hours of sunshine a day) – about 9h 30m direct.
June (off-season for winter sun)
Within roughly five hours of London, the warmest daytime highs in June belong to Antalya, Turkey, where afternoons reach 32°C over a 25°C sea; Djerba, Tunisia at 30°C with about 11.2 hours of sun; and Crete, 29°C by day and 23°C in the water. Antalya, Turkey gains about 5°C on May.
For a long-haul June holiday: Cancun, 34°C by day and 28°C in the water – about 10h 30m direct; Jamaica (33°C, 8.2 hours of sunshine a day) – about 9h 30m direct; and Phuket, where afternoons reach 33°C over a 30°C sea – no direct flight from the UK.
July (off-season for winter sun)
Short flights still pay off in July: Djerba, Tunisia at 33°C with about 11.9 hours of sun; Paphos, Cyprus, 30°C by day and 27°C in the water; and Crete (30°C, 12.4 hours of sunshine a day). Djerba, Tunisia gains about 3°C on June.
Further afield in July: Cancun (34°C) – about 10h 30m direct; Jamaica, where afternoons reach 33°C over a 29°C sea – about 9h 30m direct; and Phuket at 32°C with about 3.9 hours of sun – no direct flight from the UK.
August (off-season for winter sun)
For a short-haul August escape, start with Djerba, Tunisia, 34°C by day and 28°C in the water; Paphos, Cyprus (31°C, 11.5 hours of sunshine a day); and Crete, where afternoons reach 30°C over a 26°C sea. Djerba, Tunisia gains about 1°C on July.
If you will fly longer for August heat: Jamaica, where afternoons reach 33°C over a 30°C sea – about 9h 30m direct; Phuket at 32°C with about 3.8 hours of sun – no direct flight from the UK; and Punta Cana, 32°C by day – about 9h 30m direct.
September (off-season for winter sun)
If you want the sun without a long flight in September, these are the warmest picks within five hours: Antalya, Turkey (32°C, 9.1 hours of sunshine a day); Djerba, Tunisia, where afternoons reach 31°C over a 27°C sea; and Paphos, Cyprus at 29°C with about 10.4 hours of sun. Antalya, Turkey loses about 3°C compared with August.
Beyond the five-hour mark, September favours: Cancun at 33°C – about 10h 30m direct; Jamaica, 33°C by day and 30°C in the water – about 9h 30m direct; and Punta Cana (32°C, 8.2 hours of sunshine a day) – about 9h 30m direct.
Reading the numbers
Daytime high is the average hottest temperature of the day, so evenings are cooler, especially in the Canaries and North Africa where winter nights can feel chilly. Sea temperature decides whether you will actually swim: most people find anything below about 20°C bracing. Sunshine is average hours of bright sun a day, and rain days count days with measurable rain, not how wet they are.
The Caribbean and Indian Ocean are warm all year but have wet and dry seasons, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November. Our Caribbean weather and sargassum planner goes deeper on those islands.
Methodology and sources
Daytime highs, sunshine and rain days are climate normals from the nearest published weather station, mostly 1991–2020 normals from national weather services and the World Meteorological Organization (NOAA, AEMET in Spain, the Turkish State Meteorological Service, IPMA in Portugal, the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, the Barbados Meteorological Services and others), as reproduced in Wikipedia climate tables that cite them. Sea temperature is the monthly climatology from seatemperature.org wherever it has the location; exceptions are noted per destination. Where a monthly sunshine total was published we divided it by the days in the month.
We do not estimate. When a source did not provide a figure, or we could not verify it, the cell is blank and shows a dash. Periods and rain-day thresholds (0.1 mm versus 1 mm) differ by station, so compare rain days within a destination across months more than between destinations. Station figures describe the airport or town, not a particular resort or beach. Flight times are approximate typical scheduled direct durations from London Gatwick or Heathrow and vary by airline and season. Data and method last reviewed 2 November 2026.
Stations, caveats and source links for each destination
- Tenerife: Tenerife South Airport (AEMET, 1991-2020). Air temperature and rain days are for Tenerife South airport; sea temperature is an island-wide average, not specific to the south coast. Sources: seatemperature.org Tenerife water temperatures (island-level, Avg C), Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Gran Canaria: Maspalomas (AEMET, 2009-2025) and Gran Canaria Airport (sunshine, 1981-2010). Mixed stations: highs and rain days come from Maspalomas (a short record), sunshine from the airport on the east coast. Sea temperature is island-wide. Sources: seatemperature.org Gran Canaria water temperatures (island-level), Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Lanzarote: Lanzarote Airport, Arrecife (AEMET, 1991-2020). The sea-temperature series is shared with Fuerteventura, so the two rows are identical. Sources: seatemperature.org Arrecife, seatemperature.org Lanzarote, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Fuerteventura: Fuerteventura Airport (AEMET, 1991-2020). The sea-temperature series is shared with Lanzarote. Sources: seatemperature.org Puerto del Rosario, seatemperature.org Fuerteventura, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Egypt (Hurghada): Hurghada International Airport (NOAA). Highs and rain days are 1991-2020; sunshine is the older 1961-1990 NOAA series. Sharm el-Sheikh runs a little warmer and has a similar flight time, but we could not verify its sunshine data, so it is not included. Sources: seatemperature.org Hurghada (al-ghardaqah page), Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Cape Verde (Sal): Sal, German weather service (DWD) 1961-1990 table. Older 1961-1990 data, so recent winters may read slightly warmer. Rain days count 1 mm or more, 1968-1990. Boa Vista, a short hop away, has a near-identical climate. Sources: DWD Klimatafel Santa Maria / Sal (PDF), seatemperature.org Santa Maria (Sal), NOAA WMO normals 1991-2020 Sal (precip totals only), Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Cyprus (Paphos): Paphos Airport (NOAA, 1991-2020). No usable rain-day figure was available, so that row is blank. Sea temperature is from Kissonerga, about 10 km up the same coast. Sources: NOAA WMO normals 1991-2020 Pafos Airport CSV, seatemperature.org Kissonerga (Paphos coast), Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Turkey (Antalya): Antalya (Turkish State Meteorological Service, 1991-2020). The rain-day threshold is not stated in the source. Sources: seatemperature.org Antalya, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Morocco (Agadir): Agadir (NOAA, 1991-2020). The weather station is inland near Inezgane, about 15 km from the beach. The Atlantic stays cool and the coast can be breezy. Sources: seatemperature.org Agadir, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Tunisia (Djerba): Djerba (Tunisian Institut National de la Meteorologie, 1981-2010). Rain days are 1961-1990. Sea temperature is a whole-degree series from Weather2Travel, a different source from the other destinations. Sources: seatemperature.org Tunisia index (no Djerba page listed), Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Greece (Crete): Heraklion (Hellenic National Meteorological Service, 1991-2020). Sunshine is from an older 1977-2002 series. Heraklion is on the north coast, which is cooler and wetter in winter than the south. Sources: seatemperature.org Heraklion, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Portugal (Algarve): Faro Airport (IPMA). Sunshine is the older 1971-1995 series. Sources: seatemperature.org Faro, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Spain (Mallorca): Puerto de Palma (AEMET, 1991-2020, provisional). The station is the port, not the airport. Sources: seatemperature.org Palma, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Dubai: Dubai International Airport (NOAA, 1991-2020). Rain-day figures are whole numbers from a very dry station and look noisy; read them as "almost none". Sources: seatemperature.org Dubai, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Jamaica: Montego Bay, Sangster Airport (NOAA, 1991-2020). Rain days are from the German weather service (DWD), 1961-1990, 1 mm or more. Sources: NOAA/WMO 1991-2020 normals CSV, Montego Bay Sangster, seatemperature.org Montego Bay, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Barbados: Grantley Adams Airport (Barbados Meteorological Services, 1991-2020). The original Met Service link is dead, so we could not re-check it at source. The rain-day threshold is not stated. Sources: seatemperature.org Bridgetown, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Dominican Republic (Punta Cana): Punta Cana (NOAA; sunshine and rain days 1961-1990). Sunshine and rain days are older 1961-1990 figures (rain: 0.1 mm or more). No sea-temperature series was available. Sources: NOAA/WMO 1991-2020 normals CSV, Punta Cana (confirmed tMax; sun and rain-day rows empty), Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Mexico (Cancun): Cancun (Wikipedia climate table). The source lines in the underlying table are garbled, so the origin of highs and rain days is unverified. No sunshine figure could be verified. Sources: seatemperature.org Cancun, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Antigua: V.C. Bird Airport (NOAA, 1991-2020). No sunshine series is published for this station. Sources: NOAA/WMO 1991-2020 normals CSV, V.C. Bird Intl Airport, seatemperature.org Saint John's, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- St Lucia: Castries, George F. L. Charles Airport (NOAA, 1991-2020). Sea temperature is from Gros Islet. No verified sunshine series was available. St Lucia's rain-day count (1 mm or more) is high because the island is mountainous and catches showers. Sources: NOAA/WMO 1991-2020 normals CSV, George F L Charles, seatemperature.org Gros Islet, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Thailand (Phuket): Phuket (WMO 1991-2020; sunshine from the Royal Irrigation Department, 1981-2010). There is no scheduled direct flight from the UK; most itineraries have one stop and take roughly 14 to 17 hours, so we leave the flight time blank. Sources: seatemperature.org Phuket (monthly avg sea temp), Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Maldives: Velana International Airport, Malé (1991-2020). Sources: seatemperature.org Male, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
- Sri Lanka: Colombo (WMO 1991-2020; sunshine 1961-1990). Colombo stands in for the south-west coast, where most of the resorts are. Sources: seatemperature.org Colombo, Wikipedia climate table (cites the met service above).
Frequently asked questions
Where is hot in December from the UK?
Within about five hours, the warmest December highs on our data are Hurghada, Egypt (24°C), Tenerife (24°C), Gran Canaria (23°C). Further afield, Phuket (32°C), Sri Lanka (31°C) are warmer still, but the flights are much longer. December is dry across the Canaries and Red Sea compared with the Mediterranean, where Crete and Antalya sit near 16 to 17°C.
Where is hot in January?
January is the coolest month everywhere in the northern hemisphere, so short-haul heat means 20 to 23°C rather than beach-and-swim weather. The best January picks within five hours are Tenerife (23°C), Hurghada, Egypt (22°C), Gran Canaria (22°C). For genuinely hot January days you need Phuket (33°C), Sri Lanka (31°C) or similar long-haul options.
Where is hot in February?
February starts to improve slightly. Within five hours, Hurghada, Egypt (24°C), Tenerife (23°C), Gran Canaria (22°C) lead on daytime temperature, with Phuket (34°C), Sri Lanka (32°C) further afield. Sea temperatures are at their lowest in the Canaries and Mediterranean (around 14 to 19°C), so it is a sightseeing and sunbathing month rather than a swimming one.
What is the warmest place in Europe in winter?
The Canary Islands are the usual answer. In January Tenerife reaches 23°C by day and Gran Canaria 22°C, which is higher than anywhere on mainland Europe or in Cyprus (17°C). The islands are Spanish and part of the EU's customs area but lie off the coast of Morocco, so geographically they are in Africa. Cape Verde is warmer still, but about six hours away.
Canaries or Egypt for winter sun?
In January Hurghada, Egypt averages 22°C with 8.6 hours of sun and almost no rain, and the Red Sea is 23°C. Tenerife is similar by day (23°C, 7.1 hours of sun) but the sea is cooler at 20°C, and it sees about 2 rain days a month against Hurghada's 0. Flights are about 4h 30m to the Canaries and 5h to Hurghada. Egypt tends to suit swimming and snorkelling; the Canaries suit people who want the shortest flight, easy flight frequency and walking weather. Check current Foreign Office travel advice before booking Egypt.
Browse by region: Canary Islands: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura · Red Sea: Hurghada, Egypt · Mediterranean and Atlantic Europe: Paphos, Cyprus, Antalya, Turkey, Djerba, Tunisia, Crete, the Algarve, Mallorca · North Africa, Cape Verde and the Gulf: Sal, Cape Verde, Agadir, Morocco, Dubai · Caribbean and Mexico: Jamaica, Barbados, Punta Cana, Cancun, Antigua, St Lucia · Indian Ocean and Asia: Phuket, the Maldives, Sri Lanka.