Sunniest places to go from Amsterdam in January
The sunniest place you can reach from Amsterdam in January within 15 hours is Safaga at 10.0 h, costing 874 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Aarschot at 4.6 kg — 190× less carbon for 6.3 h less.
Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else in Europe is both sunnier in January and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.
By rail or ferry By air
What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Marseille can only be reached by air — 254 kg CO₂e, in 4h 48m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 29.8 kg in 15h 48m — 9× less carbon for 11h more travelling.
| Destination | How | CO₂e return | Temp | Sun/day | Rain/day | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aarschot, Belgium | Rail | 4.6 kg | 4.2 °C | 3.7 h | 2.4 mm | 4h 6m |
| Ghent, Belgium | Rail | 5.0 kg | 4.7 °C | 4.2 h | 2.8 mm | 4h 18m |
| London, United Kingdom | Rail | 10.6 kg | 5.0 °C | 4.7 h | 2.0 mm | 6h 54m |
| Chur, Switzerland | Rail | 20.6 kg | 1.8 °C | 5.9 h | 3.0 mm | 11h 36m |
| Bellinzona, Switzerland | Rail | 22.1 kg | 5.7 °C | 6.6 h | 1.3 mm | 12h 18m |
| Marseille, France | Air | 254 kg | 8.5 °C | 7.4 h | 0.9 mm | 4h 48m |
| Olot, Spain | Air | 289 kg | 6.5 °C | 7.7 h | 0.5 mm | 5h |
| Santa Eulària des Riu, Spain | Air | 380 kg | 12.7 °C | 8.5 h | 0.6 mm | 5h 30m |
| Almería, Spain | Air | 458 kg | 13.3 °C | 8.8 h | 0.2 mm | 5h 54m |
| Errachidia, Morocco | Air | 602 kg | 10.2 °C | 9.5 h | 0.1 mm | 6h 42m |
| Safaga, Egypt | Air | 874 kg | 18.9 °C | 10.0 h | 0.0 mm | 8h 30m |
Warm is not the same as pleasant, which is why sunshine and rainfall are shown alongside temperature. All three are ERA5 monthly means for 2023–2024.
Where the curve breaks
The frontier is gentle until it isn't. Going from Errachidia (602 kg, 9.5 h) to Safaga (874 kg, 10.0 h) buys 0.5 hours more sunshine for an extra 272 kg — 544 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.
The pick of them
If you'd rather have heat than sunshine
January answers differently depending on what you're after. The warmest destinations from Amsterdam in January are a different list — hours of sunshine and degrees of warmth come apart, especially early and late in the year.
Where to stay in Safaga
Places to stay in Safaga, Egypt, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.
Affiliate disclosure. A booking made through this map may earn 0xCarbon a commission, at no extra cost to you. It changes nothing above it: the emissions figures come from UK Government conversion factors and are computed before anyone is paid anything.See the method.
Other months from Amsterdam
January from elsewhere
- Amsterdam
- Barcelona
- Berlin
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Brussels
- Cardiff
- Copenhagen
- Dublin
- Edinburgh
- Frankfurt
- Glasgow
- Leeds
- Lisbon
- Liverpool
- London
- Madrid
- Manchester
- Milan
- Munich
- Newcastle
- Nottingham
- Oslo
- Paris
- Prague
- Rome
- Sheffield
- Southampton
- Stockholm
- Vienna
- Warsaw
- Zurich
Questions
Where is the sunniest place to go from Amsterdam in January?
Safaga, Egypt, at 10.0 h. Reaching it emits 874 kg CO₂e return, travelling 8h 30m each way by air.
Can I get somewhere sunny from Amsterdam in January without flying?
Yes. Bellinzona reaches 6.6 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 12h 18m, emitting 22.1 kg CO₂e return — though Safaga is sunnier still, if you fly.
How much carbon does a return trip from Amsterdam to Safaga produce?
874 kg CO₂e for one person, return, by air. That uses the UK Government's 2026 conversion factors, including radiative forcing for flights.
Carbon uses UK Government (DESNZ/DEFRA) 2026 conversion factors applied to great-circle distance, with radiative forcing included for flights. Rail journey times are modelled estimates, not timetabled services. Full method · download the data.