Warmest places to go from Cardiff in January
The warmest place you can reach from Cardiff in January within 15 hours is Maspalomas at 19.6 °C, costing 713 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Reading at 12.3 kg — 58× less carbon for 14.7 °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 — 355 kg CO₂e, in 5h 24m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 58.1 kg in 24h — 6× less carbon for 18h 36m more travelling.
| Destination | How | CO₂e return | Temp | Sun/day | Rain/day | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, United Kingdom | Rail | 12.3 kg | 4.9 °C | 4.7 h | 2.2 mm | 4h 6m |
| Portsmouth, United Kingdom | Rail | 13.2 kg | 5.7 °C | 4.8 h | 3.0 mm | 4h 12m |
| Falmouth, United Kingdom | Rail | 16.0 kg | 7.0 °C | 3.9 h | 3.8 mm | 4h 42m |
| La Rochelle, France | Rail | 34.7 kg | 7.5 °C | 5.0 h | 3.4 mm | 13h 6m |
| La Teste-de-Buch, France | Air | 195 kg | 8.4 °C | 5.4 h | 3.7 mm | 4h 30m |
| Santander, Spain | Air | 224 kg | 9.8 °C | 5.5 h | 6.2 mm | 4h 42m |
| A Coruña, Spain | Air | 247 kg | 10.7 °C | 5.6 h | 6.0 mm | 4h 48m |
| Santa Uxia de Ribeira, Spain | Air | 273 kg | 11.5 °C | 5.5 h | 6.3 mm | 4h 54m |
| Gandia, Spain | Air | 355 kg | 13.0 °C | 7.8 h | 1.0 mm | 5h 24m |
| Ibiza Town, Spain | Air | 363 kg | 13.3 °C | 8.6 h | 0.6 mm | 5h 24m |
| Melilla, Spain | Air | 453 kg | 14.6 °C | 8.6 h | 0.9 mm | 5h 54m |
| Essaouira, Morocco | Air | 575 kg | 16.0 °C | 9.5 h | 0.3 mm | 6h 30m |
| Taroudant, Morocco | Air | 599 kg | 17.7 °C | 9.5 h | 0.0 mm | 6h 42m |
| Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain | Air | 703 kg | 18.8 °C | 9.4 h | 1.8 mm | 7h 12m |
| Maspalomas, Spain | Air | 713 kg | 19.6 °C | 9.6 h | 0.2 mm | 7h 18m |
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 Rochelle (34.7 kg, 7.5 °C) to La Teste-de-Buch (195 kg, 8.4 °C) buys 0.9 °C more warmth for an extra 161 kg — 178 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 Cardiff 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 Cardiff
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 Cardiff in January?
Maspalomas, Spain, at 19.6 °C. Reaching it emits 713 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 18m each way by air.
Can I get somewhere warm from Cardiff in January without flying?
Yes. La Rochelle reaches 7.5 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 13h 6m, emitting 34.7 kg CO₂e return — though Maspalomas is warmer still, if you fly.
How much carbon does a return trip from Cardiff to Maspalomas produce?
713 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.