Where to go in Europe that's mild in winter

[eminere]

Hello all,

Looking for some advice from the collective brains trust. Am planning a 7-10 day holiday in January, mainly for sightseeing, and I'd like to visit somewhere in Europe that's mild in winter. I've done some Googling and have come up with Athens, Barcelona, Larnaca, Lisbon, Malta and Nice as options that are fairly easy to get to. Have never been to any of these places. Would love to hear some thoughts/suggestions/recommendations.

 

[ausfox]

The weather in Barcelona in winter is similar to that in Melbourne in winter. Not balmy but not freezing. We were in Barcelona for Christmas a few years ago and then Madrid for new year. Both cities were enjoyable.

 

[SYD]

The south of Spain? We‘ll be passing through Malaga after New Year heading to BCN to fly home.

 

[Mattg]

I've enjoyed visiting Lisbon and Faro during winter. Malta also has mild weather.

 

[Human]

As a guide ...

Istanbul is further to the north than New York City. So there's nowhere in Europe that's going to be warm in winter in the same way that there are places in, say, the USA that are warm in winter.

The above advice is good, but frankly I think you should also consider embracing the cold and visiting a Winter Wonderland such as Norway or Iceland. You really won't regret it, the sightseeing is beyond spectacular, and as an added bonus, you'll get to see the Northern Lights!

 

[downgraded]

Hello all,

Looking for some advice from the collective brains trust. Am planning a 7-10 day holiday in January, mainly for sightseeing, and I'd like to visit somewhere in Europe that's mild in winter. I've done some Googling and have come up with Athens, Barcelona, Larnaca, Lisbon, Malta and Nice as options that are fairly easy to get to. Have never been to any of these places. Would love to hear some thoughts/suggestions/recommendations.

Canary Islands. Southern Italy might not be too cold. But why go to NH winter and hide from it? Geneva, Vienna provide many options.

 

[Wanderlust_tim]

If you like hiking, Madeira could be an option?

 

[SCM]

Malaga, Almeria, Alicante, then go to Sicily and mediterranean islands like Malta, Crete, Cyprus.

 

[Scarlett]

Whilst living in the UK we took winter holidays to:
Marrakech
Cairo
Southern Greece (Athens, Peloponnes, Crete)
Malta

Marrakech and Malta were okay with about 20deg and mostly sunny days. Needed to buy an extra jumper in Cairo. Greece was mostly closed outside Athens and still needed a light jacket during the day.

 

[outthere1000]

Malta is great. Larnaca (and Paphos etc) is also good - definitely low season with prices to match, though it can be cool at night, and showery. Your Euro goes a long way here.