Winter Sun Destinations Short Haul: Best December Heat

Key takeaways

• The Canary Islands, Egypt's Red Sea coast, Morocco, Cape Verde and Malta are the short-haul spots that stay warm and bright through UK winter.
• Egypt's Red Sea coast is the warmest option within five hours of London, with December highs of 24-25°C and sea temperatures of 22-24°C.
• The Canaries give roughly 10 hours of December daylight, two to three more than London, and winter is their low-rainfall window.
• Faro and the Costa del Sol miss the cut, with January highs of 16-17°C and a real chance of rain.
• British passport holders need a visa for Egypt, arranged in advance or on arrival, which adds to the cost of cheap Sharm flights.

The best winter sun destinations short haul from London are the Canary Islands, Egypt's Red Sea coast, Morocco, and Sharm-style resorts reachable in under five hours, where December sea temperatures still hit 20-22°C and daylight runs seven to ten hours. This ranking scores each one on December-to-February daylight, flight time, sea temperature and rainy-season risk, so you pick somewhere genuinely warm rather than mild-but-grey.

Which short-haul destinations are genuinely hot and sunny in December, January and February?

The short answer: the Canary Islands, Madeira, Egypt's Red Sea coast, Morocco, the Cape Verde islands and Malta are the short-haul spots that stay warm and bright through UK winter. Everything closer to London is mild at best and often grey.

What 'genuinely hot' means: the daylight, temperature and rain thresholds used in this ranking

We rank against three thresholds, using climate normals from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, which publishes long-run monthly averages for stations worldwide:

• Daytime temperature of 20°C or above through December to February, not just an annual average that hides winter.
• At least 7 hours of daylight in the darkest weeks, since a warm but short day feels grey.
• Rainfall under roughly 50mm per month in at least two of the three winter months, so a beach week is not a gamble.

Destinations that miss a threshold get flagged in the verdicts below rather than quietly included.

How many hours of daylight do short-haul winter sun destinations get?

Daylight is the thing that separates genuinely bright winter breaks from mild-but-grey ones, and the differences are bigger than most people expect. In late December, London gets roughly 7.5 hours of usable daylight. Head south and you gain daylight faster than you gain warmth, because you're also moving toward the equator, where day length barely changes all year.

Illustrative December daylight hours for popular sub-5-hour destinations:

The Canary Islands and Egypt give you two to three extra hours of light per day compared with London, which is the difference between a full beach afternoon and a 4pm sunset.

Where can you fly in under five hours and still get beach weather?

Canary Islands: Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria from London

The Canaries are the default answer for a reason. Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria all sit around 28° latitude, giving roughly 10 hours of daylight in December and January (timeanddate.com sunrise/sunset tables), December daytime highs near 21-22°C, and direct flights from LHR, LGW, STN and LTN in about 4.5 hours. That is beach-weather territory if you accept that swimming is bracing rather than bath-warm.

Egypt: Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh

Egypt is the warmest option inside five hours. Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh see December highs around 24-25°C and Red Sea water that stays swimmable, with flights from London in roughly 5 hours or slightly under. If your test is "can I lie on a beach and swim without a wetsuit," this is the strongest pick on the list.

Madeira and Malta: warm but check the verdicts

Both are pleasant, neither is hot. Madeira gets around 9.5 daylight hours in December and highs nearer 19°C; Malta similar temperatures with a bit more sun. Fine for walking, eating and pools, marginal for actual beach days in January.

Faro and the Costa del Sol: why they miss the cut in January

Faro and Málaga are the mild-but-grey trap this article exists to stop you falling into. January highs of 16-17°C, short daylight and a real chance of rain mean you get a city break with a beach view, not winter sun.

The honest verdict, applied evenly: the Canaries win on flight choice and price, Egypt wins on raw warmth, Madeira and Malta are shoulder picks you should only take if your trip is not really about the beach. If you would rather check daylight hours and temperatures yourself before committing, the tables at timeanddate.com let you compare any two destinations for the exact week you want to travel, which is the same check a good planner should run for you.

Which short-haul winter sun destinations should you avoid during rainy season?

The Canaries are the safe pick: December to February is their low-rainfall window, so a grey day there usually means cloud, not a washout.

Further south, the risk shifts. The Gambia sits in its dry season from November to May, so December and January trips generally dodge the wet. Morocco and Egypt are similarly dry in winter, with rain more likely in Marrakech's Atlas foothills than on the coast.

The ones to watch are Cape Verde and the Red Sea's southern end. Cape Verde's islands differ: Sal and Boa Vista stay arid, while Santiago and Fogo catch more of the August-to-October rains, which usually tail off before Christmas. Sharm El Sheikh is reliably dry, but Hurghada can catch the occasional winter storm.

Practical rule: the further south and the more desert-like the climate, the lower your December-to-February rain risk.

How do sea temperatures compare across short-haul winter sun destinations?

The Canary Islands sit around 19-21°C in winter: swimmable for most Brits, brisk after ten minutes. Egypt's Red Sea is the standout at 22-24°C, which is why Sharm and Hurghada feel genuinely tropical when Heathrow is 5°C. Madeira and the Algarve drop to 17-18°C, fine for a dip if you're hardy, better for coastal walks. Further afield within the five-hour band, Marrakech has no sea, and Cape Verde runs about 23-24°C.

Monthly averages per destination are worth checking before you book, since air temperature flatters places the sea doesn't. Seatemperature.org publishes current and average sea temperatures by location, and it's the quickest way to separate a swimming holiday from a paddling one.

Which short-haul destinations are best for a winter honeymoon?

For couples, the picks that balance heat, daylight and quiet are the Canary Islands' smaller islands and Sharm El Sheikh. Tenerife and Gran Canaria get the honeymoon clichés; La Palma and Fuerteventura stay calmer, with February sea temperatures around 19°C, warm enough for a swim if you pick your days. Sharm gives you proper heat, 8+ hours of daylight and coral reefs, at the cost of a longer transfer from the airport to most resorts.

Couples: quiet-luxury picks under five hours

Madeira is the compromise between scenery and mild weather: dramatic, walkable, rarely grey, but not reliably beach-warm in January. If you want guaranteed heat, Sharm or Marsa Alam beat anything European on temperature, and both sit inside the five-hour window from LHR and LGW.

Families: the compromise picks

Families do better with short transfers and self-catering: Lanzarote, Tenerife south coast, or Malta. Malta is the greyest of the three but has the shortest flight and the most to do on a rainy afternoon.

What does a short-haul winter sun trip typically cost in peak winter months?

December to February is peak season for the Canary Islands, Egypt and Morocco, so expect the highest fares of the year on exactly the dates you want: Christmas, New Year and February half term. Mid-January is the quiet window where London departures drop noticeably. Ballparks, illustrative rather than quoted: a Tenerife or Marrakech break often lands in the low hundreds per person return, while Sharm el-Sheikh can come in cheaper on the flight but adds visa and entry costs. Egypt currently requires a visa on arrival or in advance for British passport holders, plus proof of arrangements at the border; check the current rules before booking on Foreign travel advice for Egypt. Budget the destination too: the Canaries and Egypt skew self-catering cheap, Marrakech runs cheaper once you're there, and Cyprus sits mid-range. All-inclusive packages from LHR, LGW and STN frequently beat flight-plus-hotel booked separately in peak weeks, so price both before committing.

How do the planning tools compare for winter sun trips?

For a winter sun break, Kayak and Skyscanner do the flight-and-hotel legwork once you already know where you're going. Booking.com covers accommodation in depth. Mindtrip and Layla are chat-first planners that help you pick a destination, though users report mixed results: "I didn't see much improvement over a general online search."

TurnTrip works differently. You describe the vibe ("somewhere warm and bright in January, under five hours, good for a couple") and it matches that against daylight hours, flight time from your London airport, temperature, sea temperature and rainy-season risk. It only books through its current partner, Trip.com, so flight coverage is narrower than Skyscanner's.

Where TurnTrip falls short

It is built for the "knows the vibe, not the destination" stage, not detailed day-by-day planning. If you already know you want Malta, use Kayak. If you want restaurant-level detail, you'll still end up with a few tabs open.

FAQ

Is the Canary Islands weather good in January or is it grey?

January is one of their better months, not a grey one. Winter is the Canaries' low-rainfall window, so a dull day usually means cloud rather than a washout. Expect daytime highs near 21-22°C, roughly 10 hours of daylight, and sea temperatures around 19-21°C: swimmable for most people, though brisk after ten minutes.

Do I need a visa for Egypt or Sharm el-Sheikh as a UK traveller?

Yes. British passport holders currently need a visa for Egypt, either arranged in advance or on arrival, plus proof of arrangements at the border. The cost is part of why Sharm flights that look cheap can work out less of a bargain than they first appear. Check the current rules on gov.uk's foreign travel advice for Egypt before booking.

What is the warmest place within a four-hour flight from London in February?

Strictly within four hours, nothing is reliably hot; the Canaries at about 4.5 hours are the closest genuine option, with highs around 21-22°C. If you can stretch to five, Egypt's Red Sea coast is the warmest pick, with December highs of 24-25°C and sea temperatures of 22-24°C that stay swimmable without a wetsuit.

Are AI trip planners actually any good, or do they just reformat a Google search?

It depends which one. Chat-first planners like Mindtrip and Layla have drawn mixed feedback, with users reporting little improvement over a general online search. TurnTrip is more useful at the "knows the vibe, not the destination" stage, matching requests against daylight, flight time and rain risk, though it only books through Trip.com, so flight coverage is narrower than Skyscanner's.

When should I book December flights from London to get a decent price?

Avoid Christmas, New Year and February half term if you can, since those dates carry the highest fares of the year for the Canaries, Egypt and Morocco. Mid-January is the quiet window where London departures drop noticeably. Also price all-inclusive packages against flight-plus-hotel booked separately, because packages from LHR, LGW and STN frequently come out cheaper in peak weeks.