Warmest places to go from Birmingham in January
The warmest place you can reach from Birmingham in January within 15 hours is Maspalomas at 19.6 °C, costing 748 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Colwyn Bay at 12.2 kg — 61× less carbon for 13.4 °C less.
Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else in Europe is both warmer 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 Gandia can only be reached by air — 379 kg CO₂e, in 5h 30m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 54.2 kg in 23h 18m — 7× less carbon for 17h 48m more travelling.
| Destination | How | CO₂e return | Temp | Sun/day | Rain/day | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colwyn Bay, United Kingdom | Rail | 12.2 kg | 6.2 °C | 3.7 h | 4.8 mm | 4h 6m |
| Cherbourg, France | Rail | 19.9 kg | 7.0 °C | 4.1 h | 3.8 mm | 7h 24m |
| La Teste-de-Buch, France | Rail | 35.7 kg | 8.4 °C | 5.4 h | 3.7 mm | 14h 42m |
| Santander, Spain | Air | 255 kg | 9.8 °C | 5.5 h | 6.2 mm | 4h 48m |
| A Coruña, Spain | Air | 282 kg | 10.7 °C | 5.6 h | 6.0 mm | 5h |
| Santa Uxia de Ribeira, Spain | Air | 308 kg | 11.5 °C | 5.5 h | 6.3 mm | 5h 6m |
| Gandia, Spain | Air | 379 kg | 13.0 °C | 7.8 h | 1.0 mm | 5h 30m |
| Ibiza Town, Spain | Air | 385 kg | 13.3 °C | 8.6 h | 0.6 mm | 5h 30m |
| Melilla, Spain | Air | 481 kg | 14.6 °C | 8.6 h | 0.9 mm | 6h 6m |
| Essaouira, Morocco | Air | 608 kg | 16.0 °C | 9.5 h | 0.3 mm | 6h 42m |
| Taroudant, Morocco | Air | 632 kg | 17.7 °C | 9.5 h | 0.0 mm | 6h 54m |
| Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain | Air | 738 kg | 18.8 °C | 9.4 h | 1.8 mm | 7h 24m |
| Maspalomas, Spain | Air | 748 kg | 19.6 °C | 9.6 h | 0.2 mm | 7h 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 La Teste-de-Buch (35.7 kg, 8.4 °C) to Santander (255 kg, 9.8 °C) buys 1.4 °C more warmth for an extra 219 kg — 156 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.
The pick of them
If you'd rather have sunshine than heat
January answers differently depending on what you're after. The sunniest destinations from Birmingham in January are a different list — the brightest places are not always the hottest, and in winter the difference is large.
Where to stay in Maspalomas
Places to stay in Maspalomas, Spain, 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 Birmingham
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 warmest place to go from Birmingham in January?
Maspalomas, Spain, at 19.6 °C. Reaching it emits 748 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 30m each way by air.
Can I get somewhere warm from Birmingham in January without flying?
Yes. La Teste-de-Buch reaches 8.4 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 42m, emitting 35.7 kg CO₂e return — though Maspalomas is warmer still, if you fly.
How much carbon does a return trip from Birmingham to Maspalomas produce?
748 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.