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Glasgow · January · warmth

Warmest places to go from Glasgow in January

In January, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Glasgow is Maspalomas, Spain, averaging 19.6 °C across day and night and 9.6 h sun a day, about 7h 48m each way by air. Without flying, it is Marseille, France, averaging 8.5 °C across day and night, about 14h 48m each way by train, for about 11× less carbon (74.2 kg CO₂e return against 818 kg).

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

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Glasgow

Ranked on warmth 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 warmth each extra kilogram buys.

  1. Maspalomas, Spain19.6 °C · 9.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.2 °Cair ≈ 7h 48m · 818 kg CO₂e return
  2. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt18.9 °C · 9.9 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.1 °Cair ≈ 9h 18m · 1,020 kg CO₂e return
  3. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain18.8 °C · 9.4 h sun a day · 1.8 mm rain a day · sea 21.2 °Cair ≈ 7h 48m · 808 kg CO₂e return
  4. Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain18.3 °C · 9.5 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.3 °Cair ≈ 7h 48m · 803 kg CO₂e return
  5. Hurghada, Egypt18.2 °C · 10.0 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.6 °Cair ≈ 9h 24m · 1,028 kg CO₂e return
  6. Agadir, Morocco17.1 °C · 9.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 18.7 °Cair ≈ 7h 18m · 719 kg CO₂e return
  7. Aqaba, Jordan16.8 °C · 9.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.0 °Cair ≈ 9h 12m · 994 kg CO₂e return
  8. Aswan, Egypt16.8 °C · 10.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 9h 42m · 1,087 kg CO₂e return
  9. Essaouira, Morocco16.0 °C · 9.5 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 18.1 °Cair ≈ 7h 12m · 690 kg CO₂e return
  10. Ponta Delgada, Portugal15.2 °C · 7.0 h sun a day · 4.6 mm rain a day · sea 17.4 °Cair ≈ 6h 54m · 646 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Marseille is 8.5 °C for 74.2 kg — about 11× less carbon than flying to Maspalomas.

  1. Marseille, France8.5 °C · 7.4 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 14.0 °Crail ≈ 14h 48m · 74.2 kg CO₂e return
  2. Bordeaux, France7.0 °C · 4.7 h sun a day · 2.8 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 48m · 66.5 kg CO₂e return
  3. Nantes, France6.6 °C · 5.0 h sun a day · 3.7 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 42m · 59.1 kg CO₂e return
  4. Truro, United Kingdom6.5 °C · 4.0 h sun a day · 4.1 mm rain a day · sea 10.8 °Crail ≈ 10h 30m · 50.2 kg CO₂e return
  5. Plymouth, United Kingdom6.5 °C · 4.2 h sun a day · 4.8 mm rain a day · sea 10.9 °Crail ≈ 10h 18m · 49.1 kg CO₂e return
  6. Avignon, France6.4 °C · 6.9 h sun a day · mostly dryrail ≈ 14h 24m · 71.7 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 Glasgow in January within 15 hours is Maspalomas, 19.6 °C, costing 818 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Whitehaven at 12.3 kg — 67× less carbon, for 14.6 degrees less warmth.

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

WhitehavenMaspalomas
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Glasgow. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, January, departing Glasgow. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.14 destinations. Lowest carbon Whitehaven at 12.3 kilograms and 5.0 °C; best for warmth Maspalomas at 818 kilograms and 19.6 °C. Whitehaven · 12.3 kgMarseille · 74.2 kgGijón · 346 kgMaspalomas · 818 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against warmth, January, departing Glasgow. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Gandia can only be reached by air — 479 kg CO₂e, in 6h. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 85.8 kg in 23h 48m — 6× less carbon for 17h 48m more travelling.

January from Glasgow — 14 destinations on the frontier, 4 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Whitehaven, United KingdomRail12.3 kg5.0 °C3.9 h5.7 mm3h 42m
Birkenhead, United KingdomRail23.0 kg6.0 °C3.8 h3.9 mm5h 24m
Newquay, United KingdomRail48.9 kg7.2 °C4.1 h4.4 mm10h 18m
Marseille, FranceRail74.2 kg8.5 °C7.4 h0.9 mm14h 48m
Gijón, SpainAir346 kg9.5 °C5.7 h6.5 mm5h 18m
A Coruña, SpainAir357 kg10.7 °C5.6 h6.0 mm5h 24m
Santa Uxia de Ribeira, SpainAir382 kg11.5 °C5.5 h6.3 mm5h 30m
Gandia, SpainAir479 kg13.0 °C7.8 h1.0 mm6h
Roquetas de Mar, SpainAir535 kg13.9 °C8.7 h0.2 mm6h 18m
Melilla, SpainAir576 kg14.6 °C8.6 h0.9 mm6h 36m
Essaouira, MoroccoAir690 kg16.0 °C9.5 h0.3 mm7h 12m
Taroudant, MoroccoAir716 kg17.7 °C9.5 h0.0 mm7h 18m
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainAir808 kg18.8 °C9.4 h1.8 mm7h 48m
Maspalomas, SpainAir818 kg19.6 °C9.6 h0.2 mm7h 48m

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 (74.2 kg, 8.5 °C) to Gijón (346 kg, 9.5 °C) buys 1.0 °C more warmth for an extra 272 kg — 272 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Whitehaven, United KingdomWhitehavenUnited Kingdom12.3 kg CO₂e return5.0 °C · 3.9 h sun · 3h 42m by railgrey and wetMarseille, FranceMarseilleFrance74.2 kg CO₂e return8.5 °C · 7.4 h sun · 14h 48m by railcold but brightMaspalomas, SpainMaspalomasSpain818 kg CO₂e return19.6 °C · 9.6 h sun · 7h 48m 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 Maspalomas

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

Search places to stay in Maspalomas →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 Glasgow

January from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

Where is the warmest place to go from Glasgow in January?

Maspalomas, Spain, at 19.6 °C. Reaching it emits 818 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 48m each way by air (modelled).

Can I get somewhere warm from Glasgow in January without flying?

Yes. Marseille reaches 8.5 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 48m (modelled), emitting 74.2 kg CO₂e return — though Maspalomas is warmer still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Glasgow to Maspalomas produce?

818 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.