Winter sun without the long flight: Lanzarote, Marrakech and the southern coasts
Where the sun still works between December and February, what each place is actually good for, and the hotels we rate in each — from a volcanic island at 21 °C to a riad in the medina.
By The Unlisted Editorial Team · 22 September 2026 · 8 min read
For the warmest reliable daytime temperatures in Europe, Lanzarote: around 21 °C in January (AEMET, 1981–2010 normals), and César or Palacio Ico to stay. For a short flight and a different country, Marrakech, at about 19 °C (NOAA, 1991–2020), with La Mamounia or El Fenn. For a long lunch by the sea rather than a beach holiday, the Costa del Sol at about 17 °C and Marbella Club. Nights are cold everywhere: 13 °C in Lanzarote, 7 °C in Marrakech.
Winter sun in Europe is a narrow thing. Above the 40th parallel there is none worth flying for, and what remains is the Canaries, the far south of the peninsula, Madeira and, a short flight further, Morocco. The differences between them are bigger than the brochures suggest.
The numbers below are the published climate normals, not a good week someone remembers. They are average daily highs in January: the temperature at two in the afternoon, in the sun, with no wind.
January, in figures
One row per place: the average daily high in January, what the month is actually for, and the catch nobody mentions.
| Where | January high | What it is for | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lanzarote | 20.7 °C (AEMET, 1981–2010) | Sun, volcanic landscape, walking and swimming pools | Wind, and nights around 13 °C |
| Marrakech | 19.1 °C (NOAA, 1991–2020) | A city break with sun: medina, gardens, food | Nights around 7 °C; riads can be cold indoors |
| Costa del Sol | 17.2 °C in Málaga (AEMET, 1991–2020) | Golf, long lunches, the old towns of the hills | The sea is too cold to swim |
| Algarve | 16.3 °C in Faro (IPMA, 1991–2020) | Empty cliffs and beaches, and the Ria Formosa | Several hotels close between November and February |
Lanzarote: the warmest of the four
Lanzarote is the only one of the four where January is genuinely warm by day and where the sea, at around 19 °C, is not out of the question for a swim. It is also the one where the landscape does not depend on the season: the lava fields of Timanfaya, the La Geria vineyards planted in black gravel pits, and César Manrique's buildings look the same in January as in July, and the island is far emptier.
César, at La Asomada, has twenty adults-only rooms on land that belonged to Manrique's family, and won the island's first MICHELIN Key in 2026. Palacio Ico, in the old capital of Teguise, is a 1690 house of nine rooms around a courtyard of cacti. Our Lanzarote in winter guide goes through the month in detail.
Marrakech: sun and a city, for the price of three hours' flying
Marrakech gives you what a winter beach cannot: something to do. Days are mild, the gardens are at their best, and the Atlas is white on the horizon. The catch is the temperature swing — nights around 7 °C — and that old riads were built to be cool in summer, so ask about heating.
La Mamounia has eight hectares of gardens inside the ramparts and three MICHELIN Keys; El Fenn is the other Marrakech, a riad of colour and contemporary art a few minutes from the Jemaa el-Fna. An hour away, Kasbah Tamadot sits in the High Atlas, where winter means snow on the peaks and fires indoors.
The southern coasts: for lunch, not for swimming
On the Costa del Sol and in the Algarve, winter is not a beach holiday: it is golf, walks, and long lunches with a jacket over the chair. Málaga's January high is 17.2 °C and Faro's 16.3 °C, which is pleasant at midday and cool by five.
Marbella Club, with two MICHELIN Keys, is the one that works best out of season: a garden hotel where the point was never the crowd. In the Algarve, check opening dates before anything else — several of the houses in our Algarve guide close for part of the winter.
What we did not include, and why
The Canary Islands beyond Lanzarote, which we cover island by island rather than as one destination. Madeira is here now, and it belongs on this list: Funchal averages 19.8 °C in January (IPMA, 1991–2020), warmer than anywhere on the mainland. Nothing in the Caribbean or the Indian Ocean either: this guide is about places you can reach in a morning from Madrid or Barcelona, which is what makes a week in January possible at all.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the warmest place in Europe in January?
The Canary Islands. On Lanzarote the average daily high in January is 20.7 °C (AEMET, 1981–2010 normals), against 17.2 °C in Málaga and 16.3 °C in Faro.
Can you swim in the sea in winter?
In the Canaries, at around 19 °C, some people do. On the mainland Mediterranean and in the Algarve the sea is too cold; hotels there rely on heated pools, so check that the pool is heated before booking.
Is Marrakech warm in winter?
By day, yes: about 19 °C in January (NOAA, 1991–2020). Nights fall to around 7 °C, and traditional riads are built to stay cool, so ask about heating in the room.
Do hotels close in winter in the south?
Some do. It is common in the Algarve and on the smaller islands, and less so in Marrakech, Lanzarote and the Costa del Sol. We only state opening dates where the hotel publishes them, so confirm yours when you book.
