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Madrid · September · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Madrid in September

In September, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Madrid is Alexandria, Egypt, 11.9 h of sun a day and 27.4 °C, about 7h 42m each way by air. Without flying, it is Granada, Spain, 11.5 h of sun a day, about 4h 48m each way by train, for about 75× less carbon (10.6 kg CO₂e return against 799 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Madrid

Ranked on sunshine in September alone, among well-known places (a Wikivoyage travel guide and at least 40,000 Wikipedia readers a year), one per area and at most three per country. The carbon is shown, not used to choose: the list further down is the other question, how much sunshine each extra kilogram buys.

  1. Alexandria, Egypt11.9 h · 27.4 °C · mostly dry · sea 28.7 °Cair ≈ 7h 42m · 799 kg CO₂e return
  2. Marmaris, Turkey11.8 h · 26.5 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 12m · 702 kg CO₂e return
  3. Fethiye, Turkey11.8 h · 26.0 °C · 1.6 mm rain a day · sea 27.7 °Cair ≈ 7h 18m · 722 kg CO₂e return
  4. Bodrum, Turkey11.8 h · 26.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 26.0 °Cair ≈ 7h 6m · 682 kg CO₂e return
  5. Rhodes, Greece11.8 h · 27.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.4 °Cair ≈ 7h 12m · 704 kg CO₂e return
  6. Damietta, Egypt11.7 h · 27.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 28.8 °Cair ≈ 7h 54m · 837 kg CO₂e return
  7. Al Fayyum, Egypt11.7 h · 30.3 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 8h · 845 kg CO₂e return
  8. Limassol, Cyprus11.6 h · 26.6 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.4 °Cair ≈ 7h 54m · 824 kg CO₂e return
  9. Amman, Jordan11.6 h · 24.9 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 8h 24m · 918 kg CO₂e return
  10. Heraklion, Greece11.6 h · 24.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.9 °Cair ≈ 6h 54m · 650 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Granada is 11.5 h for 10.6 kg — about 75× less carbon than flying to Alexandria.

  1. Granada, Spain11.5 h · 21.6 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 4h 48m · 10.6 kg CO₂e return
  2. Marbella, Spain11.3 h · 23.4 °C · mostly dry · sea 22.4 °Crail ≈ 5h 18m · 13.2 kg CO₂e return
  3. Almería, Spain11.3 h · 24.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.1 °Crail ≈ 6h 54m · 12.2 kg CO₂e return
  4. Jerez de la Frontera, Spain11.1 h · 22.6 °C · 1.6 mm rain a day · sea 22.6 °Crail ≈ 5h 42m · 13.7 kg CO₂e return
  5. Portimão, Portugal10.8 h · 21.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 19.3 °Crail ≈ 8h 18m · 16.4 kg CO₂e return
  6. Marseille, France10.7 h · 20.6 °C · 2.2 mm rain a day · sea 22.9 °Crail ≈ 10h · 24.1 kg CO₂e return

≈ is the model's estimate (air times include getting to and through the airport); ✓ is a rail journey checked against a real timetable, with the date it was checked. Temperatures are historical daily means for 2023–2024, averaged across day and night, so afternoons run warmer.

The low-carbon trade-off

The sunniest place you can reach from Madrid in September within 15 hours is Arona, 11.7 h, costing 456 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Tomelloso at 4.5 kg — 101× less carbon, for 0.6 hours less sunshine.

Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else this site covers is both sunnier in September and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.

TomellosoArona
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Madrid. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, September, departing Madrid. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.2 destinations. Lowest carbon Tomelloso at 4.5 kilograms and 11.1 h; best for sunshine Arona at 456 kilograms and 11.7 h. Tomelloso · 4.5 kgArona · 456 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, September, departing Madrid. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
September from Madrid — 2 destinations on the frontier, 1 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Tomelloso, SpainRail4.5 kg21.3 °C11.1 h1.4 mm3h 42m
Arona, SpainAir456 kg19.4 °C11.7 h0.3 mm5h 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 Tomelloso (4.5 kg, 11.1 h) to Arona (456 kg, 11.7 h) buys 0.6 hours more sunshine for an extra 451 kg — 752 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Tomelloso, SpainTomellosoSpain4.5 kg CO₂e return21.3 °C · 11.1 h sun · 3h 42m by railwarm overallArona, SpainAronaSpain456 kg CO₂e return19.4 °C · 11.7 h sun · 5h 54m by airwarm, bright and dry

The same month, asked differently

September answers differently depending on what you are after, and the lists genuinely diverge: the brightest places are not the hottest, and in summer the useful question stops being where is warm at all.

Where to stay in Arona

Places to stay in Arona, Spain, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.

Search places to stay in Arona →Opens the booking search in a new tab. Same partners as the map below.

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 Madrid

September from elsewhere

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Questions

Where is the sunniest place to go from Madrid in September?

Arona, Spain, at 11.7 h. Reaching it emits 456 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 54m each way by air (modelled).

Can I get somewhere sunny from Madrid in September without flying?

Yes. Tomelloso reaches 11.1 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 3h 42m (modelled), emitting 4.5 kg CO₂e return — though Arona is sunnier still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Madrid to Arona produce?

456 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.