Sunniest places to go from Zurich in January
The sunniest place you can reach from Zurich in January within 15 hours is Safaga at 10.0 h, costing 801 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Lugano at 4.5 kg — 178× less carbon for 3.8 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
| Destination | How | CO₂e return | Temp | Sun/day | Rain/day | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lugano, Switzerland | Rail | 4.5 kg | 5.5 °C | 6.2 h | 1.5 mm | 4h 6m |
| Merano, Italy | Rail | 6.3 kg | 5.0 °C | 6.9 h | 1.0 mm | 4h 54m |
| Marseille, France | Rail | 15.2 kg | 8.5 °C | 7.4 h | 0.9 mm | 9h 6m |
| Granollers, Spain | Rail | 23.9 kg | 8.8 °C | 7.9 h | 0.6 mm | 13h 6m |
| Santa Eulària des Riu, Spain | Air | 274 kg | 12.7 °C | 8.5 h | 0.6 mm | 5h |
| Gafsa, Tunisia | Air | 362 kg | 9.9 °C | 9.0 h | 0.0 mm | 5h 24m |
| Errachidia, Morocco | Air | 513 kg | 10.2 °C | 9.5 h | 0.1 mm | 6h 12m |
| Safaga, Egypt | Air | 801 kg | 18.9 °C | 10.0 h | 0.0 mm | 7h 42m |
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 (513 kg, 9.5 h) to Safaga (801 kg, 10.0 h) buys 0.5 hours more sunshine for an extra 289 kg — 577 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 Zurich 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 Zurich
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 Zurich in January?
Safaga, Egypt, at 10.0 h. Reaching it emits 801 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 42m each way by air.
Can I get somewhere sunny from Zurich in January without flying?
Yes. Granollers reaches 7.9 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 13h 6m, emitting 23.9 kg CO₂e return — though Safaga is sunnier still, if you fly.
How much carbon does a return trip from Zurich to Safaga produce?
801 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.