Best destinations to visit in January

Warm southern hemisphere beach tracks and crisp northern winter valleys in January

For a lot of travellers, January comes down to one choice, escape the cold with a warm trip or lean into winter with a proper snow trip instead.

Some travellers want to chase the sun straight into a Southern Hemisphere summer, trading a cold commute for a beach day instead. Others lean into the season, heading somewhere snowy for skiing, hot springs or the simple pleasure of a quiet mountain town. City breaks appeal to travellers who want lower prices and thinner crowds once the holiday rush has passed. A fresh start to the year also makes January a popular time for a first big trip, whether that means somewhere new or a place worth returning to.

The destinations on our list cover that whole range, from warm escapes to proper winter settings built for the season. Either way, starting the year off with a trip is always a good idea, wherever you may land.

Lists by region

Worldwide (36) Africa (21) Asia (20) Europe (25) North America (27) Oceania (23) South America (17)

Alpine beauty meets imperial grandeur

Kitzbühel hosts the Hahnenkamm ski races each January on the steep Streif course. Vienna's Musikverein holds its famous New Year's Concert on 1 January. Salzburg celebrates Mozart's birthday on 27 January with a festival called Mozart Week. Reliable snow at high altitude keeps Tyrol's ski resorts busy.

Explore Austria

Land of diverse wonders

Millions of monarch butterflies cluster on oyamel fir trees in Michoacán from November to March. Grey whales give birth in Baja California lagoons in January. Families celebrate Three Kings Day on 6 January with a sweet ring shaped bread called rosca. Sunny dry weather fills beaches from Cabo San Lucas to Cancún.

Land of smiles and contrasts

January sits in the cool dry season across most of Thailand. Andaman Sea beaches near Krabi have calm water and sunny skies. Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh reopened to visitors in 2022 with limits on boats. The Grand Palace in Bangkok has been a royal site since 1782.

Explore Thailand

Bullet trains, temples, onsen and neon cities

Meiji Shrine in Tokyo draws about three million people in the early days of January. Visitors line up to pray for good fortune in the new year. Snow monkeys bathe in hot springs at Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano each winter. Niseko in Hokkaido is known for deep powder snow.

United Arab Emirates

Desert luxury meets coastal charm

Dubai Shopping Festival usually runs from December into January with sales and fireworks. Burj Khalifa rises 828 metres above downtown Dubai with an observation deck near the top. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi has 82 white marble domes. Daytime highs around 24 degrees Celsius suit long days of sightseeing.

Explore United Arab Emirates

Vast wilderness meets urban charm

The Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa stretches 7.8 kilometres once the ice is thick enough. Whistler Blackcomb offers more than 200 marked runs across two mountains. Northern lights appear over Yellowknife on clear January nights. Ice sculptors carve giant blocks at Lake Louise during the Ice Magic festival.

City in United States

Jazz, Creole Flavors and Mardi Gras Vibes

Carnival season in New Orleans begins on 6 January with Twelfth Night. Bakeries sell king cake, a sweet ring topped with purple, green and gold sugar. Whoever finds the plastic baby hidden inside traditionally brings the next cake. Jazz clubs on Frenchmen Street fill with live music every night.

Explore New Orleans

Palaces, temples, backwaters and Himalayan peaks

Republic Day on 26 January brings a grand military parade to Kartavya Path in New Delhi. Jaipur Literature Festival gathers authors at Diggi Palace each January. Kite flying fills the skies over Gujarat around 14 January during Uttarayan. Cool dry weather across the north suits visits to the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Ancient wonders meet desert landscapes

January daytime highs in Luxor reach about 23 degrees Celsius with mostly clear skies. Karnak Temple's Hypostyle Hall holds 134 giant stone columns in sixteen rows. The Valley of the Kings contains more than 60 royal tombs. Nile cruises between Luxor and Aswan typically take three to four nights.

Alpine beauty meets urban charm

The Lauberhorn ski races draw huge crowds to the village of Wengen every January. The famous downhill course runs about 4.5 kilometres down the mountain. A cogwheel train climbs to the Jungfraujoch station at 3,454 metres above sea level. Cosy chalet restaurants in ski villages serve cheese fondue and raclette.

Explore Switzerland

City in Thailand

Ancient temples and mountain escapes

Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest peak at 2,565 metres, feels chilly on January mornings. A naga stairway of roughly 300 steps leads up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Cool dry weather suits walking around the old city moat. Sunday Walking Street fills Ratchadamnoen Road with handmade crafts and snacks.

Explore Chiang Mai

Where wildlife meets diverse landscapes

Cape Town's Minstrel Carnival, known as Kaapse Klopse, parades through the city on 2 January. Troupes in bright costumes march with banjos, whistles and drums. Table Mountain rises 1,086 metres above the city with a cable car to the top. African penguins waddle across the sand at Boulders Beach near Simon's Town.

Explore South Africa

7,641 islands of tropical wonder

Sinulog Festival fills Cebu City with dancing on the third Sunday of January. Ati-Atihan in Kalibo happens the same weekend with drumming and painted faces. Dry season sunshine brings calm seas to El Nido and Boracay. The Black Nazarene procession in Manila on 9 January draws huge crowds.

Explore Philippines

Land of savage beauty

The Australian Open tennis tournament begins at Melbourne Park in mid January. Australia Day falls on 26 January with fireworks, concerts and beach picnics. Sydney Festival fills the city with concerts and shows, many of them free. Summer sunshine keeps beaches busy from Queensland to Western Australia.

Explore Australia

Angkor temples, riverside cities and quiet coast

Angkor Wat was built in the early 1100s by King Suryavarman II. January falls in the cool dry season with clear skies over the temples. Ta Prohm, where tree roots wrap ancient stone walls, is a short tuk tuk ride away. Sunrise crowds gather beside the reflecting pond before dawn.

Explore Cambodia

Town in Vietnam

Charming Lanterns and Timeless Streets

UNESCO listed Hoi An's Old Town as a World Heritage Site in 1999. January temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius make wandering the streets comfortable. Rain eases considerably after the heavy downpours of the autumn months. Tailor shops nearby can sew custom clothes in a couple of days.

City in United States

Park City (Utah)

Where Olympic dreams meet culture

Utah Olympic Park in Park City hosted ski jumping and sliding events at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Visitors can ride a bobsled with a professional pilot there in winter. Old silver mining buildings on Main Street now hold restaurants and shops. Salt Lake City airport is about 35 minutes away by road.

Explore Park City (Utah)

City in United States

Desert Modernism and Mountain Views

Average January highs in Palm Springs reach about 21 degrees Celsius under clear desert skies. The Palm Springs International Film Festival screens movies from around the world each January. The Aerial Tramway climbs to about 2,600 metres above sea level in ten minutes. Joshua Tree National Park is about an hour's drive northeast.

Explore Palm Springs

Lush rainforests, stunning beaches, pure adventure

The dry season on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica runs from December to April. Guanacaste beaches such as Tamarindo get plenty of sunshine and very little rain. Humpback whales visit Marino Ballena National Park near Uvita from December to April. Hanging bridges wind through the misty Monteverde cloud forest.

Explore Costa Rica

Andalusia's Heartbeat of History

Bitter oranges ripen on the trees lining Seville's streets in winter. The Three Kings parade on 5 January tosses sweets from floats through central streets. Daytime highs around 16 degrees Celsius suit long walks through the old town. The Real Alcázar palace has gardens with fountains and orange trees.

Explore Seville

City in United States

Red Rocks, Vortexes and Starry Skies

Winter dusts Sedona's red sandstone buttes with occasional snow that melts within a day or two. January highs around 13 degrees Celsius suit hikes to Bell Rock. Cathedral Rock glows orange at sunset above Oak Creek. Airport Mesa offers wide views for sunrise and sunset.

City in United States

Tropical charm at the end of the road

A literary seminar brings authors to Key West every January. Ernest Hemingway lived in a Spanish colonial house on Whitehead Street in the 1930s. Polydactyl cats with extra toes roam the house and garden. January highs near 24 degrees Celsius suit strolls through Old Town.

Explore Key West

Vibrant culture meets pristine beaches

Rebel Salute reggae festival takes place each January at Grizzly's Plantation Cove in St Ann. The all night event is known for healthy vegetarian food. Dry winter weather keeps Negril's Seven Mile Beach sunny. Dunn's River Falls near Ocho Rios climb about 55 metres in stepped terraces.

Explore Jamaica

City in Iceland

Vibrant city amidst stunning nature

Daylight lasts only about four hours in Reykjavik in early January. Northern lights are visible on clear nights away from city lights. The geothermal Blue Lagoon holds milky blue water at about 37 to 39 degrees Celsius. Hallgrímskirkja church tower rises 74.5 metres above the city with views of colourful rooftops.

Explore Reykjavík

City in Colombia

Walled city of Caribbean color

January falls in the dry season with sunny days and steady sea breezes. Hay Festival brings authors and readers to the walled city around the end of January. The fortress of San Felipe de Barajas guards a hill above the old town. Boats reach the Rosario Islands in about an hour.

Explore Cartagena

Safari paradise meets coastal charm

January begins a short dry spell that thins the bush and makes wildlife easier to spot. Amboseli National Park frames herds of elephants against Mount Kilimanjaro. Masai Mara holds resident lions, cheetahs and elephants throughout the year. Nairobi's Giraffe Centre offers a raised platform for feeding Rothschild's giraffes.

Coral atolls, lagoons and overwater villas

The Maldives spreads 1,192 coral islands across 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean. January belongs to the northeast monsoon, which brings dry weather and calm seas. Whale sharks gather around South Ari Atoll throughout the year. Water temperatures stay near 28 degrees Celsius for snorkelling and diving.

Explore Maldives

Ancient cities, tea hills and surf beaches

Blue whales feed off Mirissa on the south coast from November to April. Whale watching boats leave the harbour at dawn for a morning at sea. Galle Fort, a UNESCO site since 1988, sits about an hour's drive along the coast. Yala National Park in the southeast is known for its leopards.

Explore Sri Lanka

Wild safaris meet tropical beaches

Wildebeest give birth on the short grass plains near Ndutu from late January into March. Lions and cheetahs follow the herds across the open grassland. The summit of Kilimanjaro stands at 5,895 metres above sea level. January to March is one of two dry seasons for climbing the mountain.

Explore Tanzania

Desert wilderness meets wildlife wonders

Some dunes at Sossusvlei tower more than 300 metres above the desert floor. January falls in the green season with occasional afternoon showers. Etosha National Park fills with newborn springbok and zebra foals around its waterholes. Coastal Swakopmund stays mild thanks to the cold Benguela current offshore.

Explore Namibia

Village in Japan

Alpine ski valley beneath the Japan Alps

The 1998 Winter Olympics used Hakuba for alpine skiing and ski jumping. Ten ski areas fill the valley beneath the Northern Alps. Cold winds from Siberia pick up moisture over the Sea of Japan and drop deep snow. Onsen baths in the village warm tired skiers after a day on the slopes.

Tropical paradise with year-round sunshine

Sunny dry season weather brings low humidity and cooling trade winds to Barbados each January. Sea temperatures stay around 27 degrees Celsius along the calm west coast. Errol Barrow Day on 21 January honours the leader who guided independence in 1966. Beachside restaurants in Holetown fill with winter visitors.

Explore Barbados

Laid-back charm by the Mekong River

Monks collect alms in a silent dawn procession along the main street. UNESCO named the town a World Heritage Site in 1995. Kuang Si Falls about 30 kilometres south has turquoise pools for swimming. January is cool and dry with mornings that call for a light jacket.

Explore Luang Prabang

Region in Finland

Northern lights and midnight sun

Rovaniemi lies on the Arctic Circle with only a few hours of daylight in early January. Northern lights often glow over frozen lakes on clear nights. Huskies pull sleds through snowy forests on guided safaris. Glass igloos at Kakslauttanen near Saariselkä give guests a view of the sky from bed.

Explore Lapland

Arctic Lights, Culture and Wild Beauty

Polar night in Tromsø ends in mid January when the sun returns above the horizon. Northern lights often glow over the fjord on clear nights. Orcas and humpback whales follow herring into nearby fjords from November until January. Dog sled tours cross snowy plains outside the city.

Explore Tromsø

Tropical paradise with pristine beaches

Sea temperatures around 28 degrees Celsius keep snorkelling comfortable throughout January. The Vallée de Mai on Praslin became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Its coco de mer palms produce seeds that can weigh 25 kilograms. Giant tortoises wander freely across the grassy trails of Curieuse Island.

Explore Seychelles

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