Barcelona · January · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Barcelona in January

The sunniest place you can reach from Barcelona in January within 15 hours is Safaga at 10.0 h, costing 836 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Tortosa at 4.5 kg — 186× less carbon for 2.1 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.

Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Barcelona. Pick one to compare.

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, January, departing Barcelona. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

January from Barcelona — 5 destinations on the frontier, 2 without flying.
Destination	How	CO₂e return	Temp	Sun/day	Rain/day	Journey
Tortosa, Spain	Rail	4.5 kg	10.2 °C	7.9 h	0.6 mm	4h 6m
Alicante, Spain	Rail	12.0 kg	12.9 °C	8.5 h	0.3 mm	7h 36m
El Aioun, Morocco	Air	216 kg	10.9 °C	9.0 h	0.4 mm	4h 36m
Errachidia, Morocco	Air	303 kg	10.2 °C	9.5 h	0.1 mm	5h 6m
Safaga, Egypt	Air	836 kg	18.9 °C	10.0 h	0.0 mm	7h 54m

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 (303 kg, 9.5 h) to Safaga (836 kg, 10.0 h) buys 0.5 hours more sunshine for an extra 533 kg — 1066 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

TortosaSpain4.5 kg CO₂e return10.2 °C · 7.9 h sun · 4h 6m by railmild and bright AlicanteSpain12.0 kg CO₂e return12.9 °C · 8.5 h sun · 7h 36m by railmild and bright SafagaEgypt836 kg CO₂e return18.9 °C · 10.0 h sun · 7h 54m by airwarm, bright and dry

If you'd rather have heat than sunshine

January answers differently depending on what you're after. The warmest destinations from Barcelona 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 Barcelona

January from elsewhere

Questions

Where is the sunniest place to go from Barcelona in January?

Safaga, Egypt, at 10.0 h. Reaching it emits 836 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 54m each way by air.

Can I get somewhere sunny from Barcelona in January without flying?

Yes. Alicante reaches 8.5 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 7h 36m, emitting 12.0 kg CO₂e return — though Safaga is sunnier still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Barcelona to Safaga produce?

836 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.