Europe’s sunniest destination for January has been revealed as Brits look for ways to beat the winter blues. Christmas is a great distraction when the days are shorter and the temperatures are colder. But once we enter the new year, January can feel like one of the longest months to ever exist. A way to help with that is a nice little break in the sun. Although hotspots around Europe boom with tourists over summer, they are just as nice in winter with way fewer crowds. 

Holidu, a site that allows tourists to book holiday rentals, examined the average amount of daily sunshine around Europe to reveal the sunniest destinations to head to in January. One island that’s a hit with tourists proved to be the sunniest in January, with an impressive 320 hours of sunshine throughout the month. In comparison, the UK only gets around 40 to 60 hours of sunshine in January.

The list revealed that the resort town of Los Cristianos in Tenerife is Europe’s best destination to escape winter. Tenerife is a hugely popular destination for Brits to travel to over the summer. 

In fact, it is one of the places that has seen protests from locals against overtourism, as visitor numbers swell in the high season. This, some locals say, puts pressure on the island and pushes residents out of the property market.

However, January is a quiet month in Tenerife, so tourists might feel a bit more welcome when locals aren’t fed up with huge crowds of visitors clogging up streets and beaches. 

Temperatures in Tenerife are relatively high compared to the UK in January. Although you won’t get the usual temperatures in the high 20s and 30s like you would in the months of July and August, you can enjoy warm conditions of around 20C. 

Holidu says: “Los Cristianos is the perfect place to stay warm this winter. Whether you want to hit one of the town’s dreamy beaches or go on an adventure to the Monkey Park, there is plenty to do in this warm escape.”

Los Cristianos is located on the southern tip of the largest of the Canary Islands. It is surrounded by scenic beaches and plenty for tourists to do. 

There is a quaint harbour with bobbing boats and seafront bars and restaurants, as well as luxury hotels where visitors can unwind in the generous amount of sunshine. 

Some of the best beaches in the area include Playa de las Vistas and Puerto del Cristianos. Apart from lounging at the beach, tourists can visit attractions such as Los Cristianos Old Town, Monkey Park and the Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen church.

While Tenerife came out on top as the sunniest European destination in January, it was followed in second place by Agios Nikolaos in Crete, Greece. The top five sunniest European spots in January are:

1. Los Cristianos, Tenerife, Spain
2. Agios Kikolaos, Crete, Greece
3. Siracusa, Italy
4. Cala Rossa, France
5. Luz, Portugal