0xCarbon
Rome · January · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Rome in January

In January, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Rome is Aswan, Egypt, 10.0 h of sun a day and 16.8 °C, about 7h 6m each way by air. Without flying, it is Catania, Italy, 8.4 h of sun a day, about 8h 48m each way by train, for about 43× less carbon (15.8 kg CO₂e return against 687 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Rome

Ranked on sunshine in January 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. Aswan, Egypt10.0 h · 16.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 6m · 687 kg CO₂e return
  2. Hurghada, Egypt10.0 h · 18.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 23.6 °Cair ≈ 6h 54m · 636 kg CO₂e return
  3. Luxor, Egypt9.9 h · 16.7 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 54m · 648 kg CO₂e return
  4. Aqaba, Jordan9.8 h · 16.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 23.0 °Cair ≈ 6h 48m · 614 kg CO₂e return
  5. Ouarzazate, Morocco9.7 h · 10.1 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 18m · 532 kg CO₂e return
  6. Maspalomas, Spain9.6 h · 19.6 °C · mostly dry · sea 21.2 °Cair ≈ 7h 30m · 751 kg CO₂e return
  7. Agadir, Morocco9.6 h · 17.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 18.7 °Cair ≈ 6h 36m · 591 kg CO₂e return
  8. Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain9.5 h · 18.3 °C · mostly dry · sea 21.3 °Cair ≈ 7h 30m · 752 kg CO₂e return
  9. Essaouira, Morocco9.5 h · 16.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 18.1 °Cair ≈ 6h 30m · 575 kg CO₂e return
  10. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain9.4 h · 18.8 °C · 1.8 mm rain a day · sea 21.2 °Cair ≈ 7h 24m · 742 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Catania is 8.4 h for 15.8 kg — about 43× less carbon than flying to Aswan.

  1. Catania, Italy8.4 h · 11.7 °C · 1.5 mm rain a day · sea 16.1 °Crail ≈ 8h 48m · 15.8 kg CO₂e return
  2. Agrigento, Italy8.3 h · 10.7 °C · 2.2 mm rain a day · sea 16.1 °Crail ≈ 9h · 15.3 kg CO₂e return
  3. Enna, Italy8.2 h · 4.8 °C · 1.3 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 8h 36m · 14.9 kg CO₂e return
  4. Messina, Italy7.9 h · 11.6 °C · 3.3 mm rain a day · sea 16.8 °Crail ≈ 7h 48m · 14.3 kg CO₂e return
  5. Barcelona, Spain7.7 h · 9.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 14.2 °Crail ≈ 14h 24m · 25.4 kg CO₂e return
  6. Girona, Spain7.5 h · 8.1 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 13h 36m · 23.6 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 Rome in January within 15 hours is Safaga, 10.0 h, costing 648 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Grosseto at 4.4 kg — 147× less carbon, for 2.9 hours less sunshine.

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

GrossetoSafaga
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Rome. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, January, departing Rome. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.6 destinations. Lowest carbon Grosseto at 4.4 kilograms and 7.1 h; best for sunshine Safaga at 648 kilograms and 10.0 h. Grosseto · 4.4 kgSliema · 173 kgErrachidia · 469 kgSafaga · 648 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, January, departing Rome. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
January from Rome — 6 destinations on the frontier, 3 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Grosseto, ItalyRail4.4 kg8.3 °C7.1 h2.3 mm3h 42m
Palermo, ItalyRail12.6 kg12.5 °C7.8 h2.6 mm7h 42m
Agrigento, ItalyRail15.3 kg10.7 °C8.3 h2.2 mm9h
Sliema, MaltaAir173 kg14.2 °C8.8 h1.0 mm4h 24m
Errachidia, MoroccoAir469 kg10.2 °C9.5 h0.1 mm6h
Safaga, EgyptAir648 kg18.9 °C10.0 h0.0 mm6h 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 Sliema (173 kg, 8.8 h) to Errachidia (469 kg, 9.5 h) buys 0.7 hours more sunshine for an extra 296 kg — 423 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

GrossetoItaly4.4 kg CO₂e return8.3 °C · 7.1 h sun · 3h 42m by railcold but brightAgrigento, ItalyAgrigentoItaly15.3 kg CO₂e return10.7 °C · 8.3 h sun · 9h by railmild and brightSafaga, EgyptSafagaEgypt648 kg CO₂e return18.9 °C · 10.0 h sun · 6h 54m by airwarm, bright and dry

The same month, asked differently

January 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 Safaga

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

Search places to stay in Safaga →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 Rome

January from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Safaga, Egypt, at 10.0 h. Reaching it emits 648 kg CO₂e return, travelling 6h 54m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Agrigento reaches 8.3 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 9h (modelled), emitting 15.3 kg CO₂e return — though Safaga is sunnier still, if you fly.

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

648 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.