Where to go for winter sun without breaking the bank

The warmest winter sun within a short flight of the UK is the Canary Islands, where the average afternoon high stays at about 21 to 22°C from December to February. Cyprus comes next at about 18 to 20°C, then the Costa del Sol and the Algarve at 16 to 18°C, and Malta at 15 to 17°C. What makes any of them cheap is mostly when you go and what the price includes, and we cover both below.

Winter temperatures, month by month

These are average daily highs, the warmest part of the day, from each country's national weather service as published by the World Meteorological Organization. Nights are noticeably cooler everywhere, so pack for the evening.

Place	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar
Tenerife (Santa Cruz), Canaries	24°C	22°C	21°C	21°C	22°C
Fuerteventura (Puerto del Rosario), Canaries	24°C	22°C	21°C	21°C	22°C
Gran Canaria (Las Palmas), Canaries	24°C	22°C	21°C	21°C	22°C
Paphos, Cyprus	23°C	20°C	18°C	18°C	20°C
Málaga, southern Spain	20°C	18°C	17°C	18°C	20°C
Seville, southern Spain	20°C	17°C	16°C	18°C	22°C
Faro, Algarve	19°C	17°C	16°C	17°C	18°C
Luqa, Malta	20°C	17°C	15°C	16°C	17°C

Rain matters as much as warmth. In January, Fuerteventura averages about 5 days with rain, Gran Canaria about 6, Málaga and Seville 7 to 8, and the Algarve, Paphos and Malta between 12 and 14. The figures for Spain are 1981 to 2010 averages from AEMET; Cyprus covers 2002 to 2011; Malta and Faro are 1961 to 1990, so treat them as a guide to the pattern rather than a forecast.

Where to go for winter sun in December

For warmth you can sit out in, the Canaries are the one reliable choice in December, at about 22°C in the afternoon. Cyprus is close behind, at about 20°C across the month. Southern Spain, the Algarve and Malta are pleasant for walking about a town in the low to high teens, and you would pack a jumper for the evening.

November is warmer everywhere on the list than December, by 2 to 4°C. If you can go early, the Mediterranean choices come much closer to the Canaries.

Best short-haul winter sun

Flight time is the other half of the choice. From London, Faro, Málaga and Seville are all about three hours, Malta a little over three, and the Canaries and Paphos about four and a half. So the Algarve and Andalusia are the shortest trips, and the Canaries are the warmest for the extra couple of hours in the air.

Seville is worth a note for late winter. By March its average high is about 22°C, level with the Canaries, and it is a city you want to walk around rather than lie beside. Our Surprising Seville city break is 4 nights from £549, with the next departure on 4 Mar 2027.

What makes winter sun cheap

• Dates. Christmas, New Year and the February school half-term are when the schools are off. If you are free to go in the weeks between, compare those first.
• What is included. A low room price with every meal and drink on top can end up dearer than an all-inclusive week. Add up the whole week before comparing.
• The room. On our holidays, sharing a twin room costs nothing extra, with a friend or with another guest. A room to yourself carries a supplement, and every figure is on our single rooms and supplements page.
• Transfers. A cheap flight into an airport an hour from the hotel is not cheap once you have paid for a taxi both ways. Our Fuerteventura week includes the transfers.

Our hosted winter sun week in Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura has the fewest rain days of anywhere in the table above, and it is where our winter sun week goes. The hotel is the Occidental Jandía Royal Level, an adults-only 4-star (local rating) above Jandía beach in the south of the island. The week is all inclusive, so meals and drinks at the resort are covered, along with transfers and, if you book them, flights. That makes it one of the easier winter holidays to budget for: you know the cost before you leave.

All Inclusive Fuerteventura Winter Sun and Fun is 7 nights, 30 Jan 2027 – 6 Feb 2027, from £1,199, and your host is Steve Dell. Availability: 3 places left.

30 Jan 2027 – 6 Feb 2027 · 7 nightsAll Inclusive Fuerteventura Winter Sun & FunPlaces availablefrom £1,19936 already going · 3 places leftSee this holiday →

The host travels with the group, sorts the airport and the hotel, and books a table for the first evening so that nobody arrives wondering where to sit. After that, the days are as busy or as idle as you want them to be.

Malta and the Mediterranean

Malta is cooler than the Canaries in midwinter, but in October its average high is still about 24°C, and the flight is a little over three hours. Our Maltese Chillout week runs 17 Oct 2026 – 24 Oct 2026, and its availability today is: Waitlist only. You can see what else is on in the sun on our relaxation holidays page and our Canary Islands and Malta pages.

If you would like a hand choosing between the Canaries and a city in the spring sun, ask the office and we will tell you what is on sale for your dates.