Where to go in January: 9 places at their best
January splits the world in two. In the northern hemisphere it is the coldest month, with short days, snow in the mountains and quiet city streets once the New Year holidays are over. In the southern hemisphere it is high summer, with long days and school holidays that make beaches, campsites and flights busy.
That split is useful. You can chase dry, warm weather in Asia and East Africa, ski in the Alps, or look for the northern lights, and in most of those places the first week is the expensive one. Prices and crowds drop once the Christmas and New Year rush is over, usually by the second week, so a trip that starts in mid-January often costs less and feels calmer than one that starts on the 2nd. Here are nine places that are properly good this month.
A word on the middle of the month: it is when flight searches get cheaper for many routes, because the holiday demand has gone and spring is still far off. If your dates are flexible, our advice on finding cheaper flights is worth a read before you pick a destination from the list.
Thailand
The cool, dry season runs to February, and January is its heart: sunny days, lower humidity and calm water on the Andaman coast around Phuket and Krabi. It is the busiest time for the beaches, so book rooms ahead. Bangkok is at its most comfortable for walking, and our Bangkok itinerary fits it well. Mornings in the north can be properly cool. Smoke from burning fields can affect Chiang Mai from about February, so January is the safer month to go. Read the Thailand travel guide for the full year.
United Arab Emirates
Winter is the season in the Emirates, and January is the pick of it: warm dry days, mild evenings that suit eating outside, and desert, beach and park all comfortable. Hotels are at their dearest at the start of the month and ease after the New Year weeks. Give Dubai three days with the Dubai itinerary, then add a day in Abu Dhabi or the desert. The UAE travel guide covers both.
Egypt
Egypt is in high season, and for good reason. Days are warm and dry in Cairo and the south, and the temples and tombs at Luxor and Aswan are comfortable to walk, which is not true from May to September. Nights are cool, and cold in the desert, so bring layers. Christmas and New Year are the busiest weeks, so a Nile cruise in mid-January is easier to book. See the Egypt travel guide.
Tanzania
January and February are the calving season, when hundreds of thousands of wildebeest calves are born on the southern plains around Ndutu in the Serengeti and predators follow. It is hot and dry, and quieter than the July crowds. Ngorongoro and Tarangire are also good now, and Zanzibar is warm for a beach week to finish. Camps near Ndutu are few, so book well ahead. The Tanzania travel guide has the rest of the calendar.
Sri Lanka
One coast is always in season, and in January it is the west and south, plus the hill country and the cultural sites. The weather is dry and sunny, the sea is calm, and whale watching off the south coast is at its best in the first months of the year. The first week is expensive and busy, so a later start helps. The east coast is in its wet spell, so plan around the south and the hills. Details are in the Sri Lanka travel guide.
Costa Rica
The dry season is under way on the Pacific side and in the central valley, with sunny mornings, clear volcano views and the best beach weather of the year. Prices peak around Christmas and New Year, then settle a little. Rental cars and the best lodges still sell out, so book them early. The Caribbean coast follows its own pattern and can be wet, so check it before you commit. Our Costa Rica travel guide explains the two coasts.
Austria
January is ski season, with reliable snow at altitude from the Arlberg to the Tyrol and the Salzburg valleys. It is also ball season in Vienna, which usually peaks in January and February, and the city is atmospheric in the cold, with cafés, concerts and a lot of cake. Resorts are fullest at the turn of the year and in mid-February, so the middle weeks of January are the sweet spot. Read plan a ski trip and use the Vienna itinerary for the city days. The Austria travel guide has more.
Iceland
January is cold, dark and wonderful if you like that. Daylight is short, about four to five hours in Reykjavik around midwinter and a little more as the month goes on, but the nights bring the northern lights on clear evenings, and the days give you snowy landscapes, ice caves and geothermal pools in the cold. Storms can close roads at short notice, so allow several nights for the lights and keep your driving plans flexible. Check the official weather and road sites each morning, as the Iceland travel guide explains.
New Zealand
It is midsummer, with long warm days, the best walking weather and every tour running. It is also the most expensive and busiest time, because New Zealanders take their own holidays in January. Book accommodation, campervans and popular tracks and cruises well ahead. Weather in the mountains and on the coast can still change fast, so allow a spare day for places that need clear skies, such as Milford Sound. The New Zealand travel guide has a route.
Planning a trip for January
January trips are often decided in the autumn, and the popular ones sell out. Flights and rooms for the first fortnight are the first to go, and school holidays in the southern hemisphere make New Zealand and the beach coasts tight. Our guide to how far in advance to book gives sensible lead times, and starting after the second week is the simplest way to pay less and queue less.
If you are heading to two climates at once, such as a ski week followed by a beach week, you will need two packing plans, so decide the route first and the bags second. For the cold half of the list, the cold-weather packing list covers layers, gloves and what to leave at home. For the warm half, bring a light waterproof anyway, since afternoon showers happen in the tropics even in the dry season.
Whoever you travel with, agree early which place on this list you are choosing and which weeks you can all take off. January is a month when everyone has a different idea of a good trip: one person wants snow, another wants a beach. Picking from this list, and settling on a place and a rough date before anyone books, avoids the usual argument about flights that were bought too soon.
