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Edinburgh · October · warmth

Warmest places to go from Edinburgh in October

In October, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Edinburgh is Aswan, Egypt, averaging 29.1 °C across day and night and 11.0 h sun a day, about 9h 36m each way by air. Without flying, it is Marseille, France, averaging 18.2 °C across day and night, about 14h 42m each way by train, for about 15× less carbon (72.5 kg CO₂e return against 1,075 kg).

Every city at once, with and without flying: where is hot in October.

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Edinburgh

Ranked on warmth in October 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 warmth each extra kilogram buys.

  1. Aswan, Egypt29.1 °C · 11.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 9h 36m · 1,075 kg CO₂e return
  2. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt29.0 °C · 10.9 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 28.3 °Cair ≈ 9h 12m · 1,008 kg CO₂e return
  3. Luxor, Egypt28.4 °C · 11.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 9h 24m · 1,036 kg CO₂e return
  4. Aqaba, Jordan26.8 °C · 10.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 26.3 °Cair ≈ 9h 6m · 981 kg CO₂e return
  5. Maspalomas, Spain24.9 °C · 10.7 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.0 °Cair ≈ 7h 54m · 827 kg CO₂e return
  6. Tataouine, Tunisia24.2 °C · 9.7 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 12m · 696 kg CO₂e return
  7. Sfax, Tunisia24.1 °C · 9.5 h sun a day · 1.5 mm rain a day · sea 25.9 °Cair ≈ 6h 54m · 651 kg CO₂e return
  8. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain23.9 °C · 10.4 h sun a day · 1.3 mm rain a day · sea 24.0 °Cair ≈ 7h 48m · 817 kg CO₂e return
  9. Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain23.7 °C · 10.3 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.7 °Cair ≈ 7h 48m · 812 kg CO₂e return
  10. Sousse, Tunisia23.5 °C · 9.4 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 25.0 °Cair ≈ 6h 48m · 621 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Marseille is 18.2 °C for 72.5 kg — about 15× less carbon than flying to Aswan.

  1. Marseille, France18.2 °C · 9.0 h sun a day · 2.2 mm rain a day · sea 20.5 °Crail ≈ 14h 42m · 72.5 kg CO₂e return
  2. Montpellier, France17.5 °C · 7.6 h sun a day · 4.4 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 54m · 70.3 kg CO₂e return
  3. Avignon, France17.4 °C · 7.9 h sun a day · 5.3 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 12m · 70.0 kg CO₂e return
  4. Grenoble, France16.2 °C · 7.6 h sun a day · 5.6 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 36m · 67.3 kg CO₂e return
  5. Geneva, Switzerland13.8 °C · 7.9 h sun a day · 5.2 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 42m · 64.9 kg CO₂e return
  6. Brighton, United Kingdom13.4 °C · 6.8 h sun a day · 4.4 mm rain a day · sea 16.9 °Crail ≈ 7h 54m · 48.6 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 warmest place you can reach from Edinburgh in October within 15 hours is Sharm el-Sheikh, 29.0 °C, costing 1,008 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Whitehaven at 12.7 kg — 79× less carbon, for 17.7 degrees less warmth.

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

WhitehavenSharm el-Sheikh
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Edinburgh. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, October, departing Edinburgh. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.17 destinations. Lowest carbon Whitehaven at 12.7 kilograms and 11.3 °C; best for warmth Sharm el-Sheikh at 1,008 kilograms and 29.0 °C. Whitehaven · 12.7 kgMarseille · 72.5 kgSant Feliu de Guíxols · 412 kgSharm el-Sheikh · 1,008 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against warmth, October, departing Edinburgh. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Valencia can only be reached by air — 464 kg CO₂e, in 6h. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 82.4 kg in 22h 24m — 6× less carbon for 16h 24m more travelling.

October from Edinburgh — 17 destinations on the frontier, 8 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Whitehaven, United KingdomRail12.7 kg11.3 °C5.1 h4.0 mm3h 48m
Colwyn Bay, United KingdomRail23.9 kg12.3 °C5.8 h4.7 mm5h 48m
Great Yarmouth, United KingdomRail39.4 kg12.9 °C5.7 h3.5 mm8h 30m
Le Havre, FranceRail49.5 kg14.0 °C6.7 h3.3 mm13h 24m
St-Malo, FranceRail53.1 kg15.0 °C7.1 h3.0 mm14h 30m
Bordeaux, FranceRail64.8 kg16.1 °C7.2 h4.5 mm13h 42m
Montpellier, FranceRail70.3 kg17.5 °C7.6 h4.4 mm14h 54m
Marseille, FranceRail72.5 kg18.2 °C9.0 h2.2 mm14h 42m
Sant Feliu de Guíxols, SpainAir412 kg19.4 °C8.6 h3.2 mm5h 42m
Valencia, SpainAir464 kg20.6 °C8.7 h3.1 mm6h
Ibiza Town, SpainAir484 kg22.0 °C9.8 h0.7 mm6h 6m
Kairouan, TunisiaAir621 kg23.7 °C9.2 h0.9 mm6h 48m
Sfax, TunisiaAir651 kg24.1 °C9.5 h1.5 mm6h 54m
Tozeur, TunisiaAir654 kg25.4 °C10.0 h0.3 mm7h
Aqaba, JordanAir981 kg26.8 °C10.6 h0.0 mm9h 6m
Sohag, EgyptAir1,005 kg27.0 °C10.9 h0.0 mm9h 12m
Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptAir1,008 kg29.0 °C10.9 h0.0 mm9h 12m

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 Marseille (72.5 kg, 18.2 °C) to Sant Feliu de Guíxols (412 kg, 19.4 °C) buys 1.2 °C more warmth for an extra 340 kg — 283 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Whitehaven, United KingdomWhitehavenUnited Kingdom12.7 kg CO₂e return11.3 °C · 5.1 h sun · 3h 48m by railmild but wetMarseille, FranceMarseilleFrance72.5 kg CO₂e return18.2 °C · 9.0 h sun · 14h 42m by railwarm overallSharm el-Sheikh, EgyptSharm el-SheikhEgypt1,008 kg CO₂e return29.0 °C · 10.9 h sun · 9h 12m by airwarm, bright and dry

The same month, asked differently

October 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 Sharm el-Sheikh

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

Search places to stay in Sharm el-Sheikh →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 Edinburgh

October from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

Where is the warmest place to go from Edinburgh in October?

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, at 29.0 °C. Reaching it emits 1,008 kg CO₂e return, travelling 9h 12m each way by air (modelled).

Can I get somewhere warm from Edinburgh in October without flying?

Yes. Marseille reaches 18.2 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 42m (modelled), emitting 72.5 kg CO₂e return — though Sharm el-Sheikh is warmer still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Edinburgh to Sharm el-Sheikh produce?

1,008 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.