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How we make money149 route guides · 35 weekend budgets · 35 destination guides · Updated 12 November 2026
Departure airports
Deals from your airport
Pick the airport you can actually get to at 05:00. Each page covers the direct winter routes, the weeks that are cheapest and what the weather is really like at the other end.
From London
London
Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and City — the widest choice, and the widest price spread.
From ManchesterManchester
Direct to all four Canaries, plus Malaga, Alicante, Malta and Cyprus.
From BirminghamBirmingham
Quiet security, short walks, and the Canaries on Saturdays and Tuesdays.
From GlasgowGlasgow
The shortest flight time to the Canaries of any UK airport.
From Leeds BradfordLeeds Bradford
Yorkshire's winter-sun airport, with Saturday departures to all four islands.
From BelfastBelfast
Two airports, Canaries and Malaga — and Dublin two hours away as the backstop.
Winter sun
Seven places that are warm in January
Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Benidorm, Malta and Cyprus. Below is what the thermometer actually says, because "winter sun" covers a 9°C afternoon and a 22°C one.
TenerifeGran CanariaLanzaroteFuerteventuraBenidormMaltaCyprus
London vs Tenerife vs Malta vs Benidorm
| Average | London | Tenerife | Malta | Benidorm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it feels like | Coat, and rain most weeks | Shorts at midday, jumper after dark | T-shirt in the sun, jacket in shade | Warm out of the wind, cold evenings |
| January, day / night | 8 / 3°C | 21 / 14°C | 16 / 10°C | 17 / 8°C |
| February, day / night | 9 / 3°C | 22 / 15°C | 16 / 10°C | 18 / 9°C |
| March, day / night | 12 / 5°C | 22 / 15°C | 18 / 12°C | 20 / 11°C |
| Sea temperature in February | — | 19°C | 16°C | 15°C |
South-coast averages for the islands and the coast, from thirty-year climate normals (AEMET/WMO 1991–2020). Not a forecast. All four are warmer by day than by night, so take a layer for the evening.
Christmas 2026
Christmas markets worth the flight
Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow and Cologne — with the dates they open, what a two-night trip costs from the UK and which British markets are worth a train instead of a plane.
Ski and snow
Six resorts, three levels
Chamonix, the SkiWelt, Andorra, Zermatt, St Anton and Banff. Three are built for learning and three for people who already ski hard, so filter by which one you are: the wrong resort for your level is the most expensive mistake in winter travel.
Chamonix
Serious off-piste and a town that works without skis. Beginners use the lower slopes at Les Grands Montets; families stay in the valley and take the train between areas.
SkiWelt
280km of blue and red runs above Söll, ski-in ski-out villages and a six-day pass around £200. The gentlest week on this list, and the cheapest in Austria.
Andorra
The cheapest week here. Short transfers from Barcelona, English-speaking ski schools and a duty-free edge that suits families on a budget.
Zermatt
Car-free, high and expensive. The skiing is as good as it gets above 3,000 m, and the price reflects it. Not a beginner's first trip.
St Anton
Steep, deep and loud. The best off-piste in Austria, a village that stays up late, and an hour from Innsbruck — short enough to ski the same afternoon.
Banff
Long flights, huge terrain, reliable powder and no altitude problems. The family option that beats the Alps on space, and the expert option that beats it on snow.
Winter 2026–27
Tenerife in January22°C while London sits at 9°C, four and a half hours from Gatwick. Flights from £60 return.
Prague, 28 November to 6 JanuaryThe cheapest of the big markets: £260–£420 each for two nights with flights and a mid-range hotel.
Rovaniemi, three nightsSanta, huskies and a glass-roofed cabin from £900 per person, with thermal suits included.
Chamonix, 1h 15m from GenevaThe shortest transfer in the Alps, with terrain for people who already know how to ski.Winter sunTenerife, the other Canaries, Malta and Cyprus, with the temperatures, flight times and which UK airports fly direct.Christmas marketsPrague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, Cologne and the British ones, with the 2026 dates and what a weekend costs.Ski and snowSix resorts from Chamonix to Banff, sorted by who they suit, with transfer times and lift-pass prices.Lapland and the auroraRovaniemi, Tromsø and Reykjavík: what is included, what it costs and which month to pick.
Winter UK breaksCardiff, Pitlochry, Keswick, Durham and Bristol, plus lodges with a hot tub and parks with a pool.
No-fly cruisesSouthampton to Hamburg, Rotterdam, Bruges and the fjords, without an airport in sight.
The winter trips worth planning now
Four trips we would look at this month, with the dates they run, how warm it actually gets and what they cost from a UK airport. Then the guides behind them — and no packages of our own: you compare, then book with the partner.
Tenerife in January22°C while London sits at 9°C, four and a half hours from Gatwick. Flights from £60 return.Prague, 28 November to 6 JanuaryThe cheapest of the big markets: £260–£420 each for two nights with flights and a mid-range hotel.Rovaniemi, three nightsSanta, huskies and a glass-roofed cabin from £900 per person, with thermal suits included.Chamonix, 1h 15m from GenevaThe shortest transfer in the Alps, with terrain for people who already know how to ski.Winter guides and posts
Winter sunTenerife, the other Canaries, Malta and Cyprus, with the temperatures, flight times and which UK airports fly direct.Christmas marketsPrague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, Cologne and the British ones, with the 2026 dates and what a weekend costs.Ski and snowSix resorts from Chamonix to Banff, sorted by who they suit, with transfer times and lift-pass prices.Lapland and the auroraRovaniemi, Tromsø and Reykjavík: what is included, what it costs and which month to pick.Winter UK breaksCardiff, Pitlochry, Keswick, Durham and Bristol, plus lodges with a hot tub and parks with a pool.No-fly cruisesSouthampton to Hamburg, Rotterdam, Bruges and the fjords, without an airport in sight.Photos: Los Cristianos, Tenerife © Mike Peel (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Prague market © Hynek Moravec (CC BY 2.5) · Rastkogel © Petr Novák (CC BY-SA 2.5) · Lapland aurora © Vincent Guth (CC0) · Derwentwater and Catbells © Jennifer Petrie (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Southampton © ITookSomePhotos (CC BY 4.0). Via Wikimedia Commons.
Lapland
A · Santa experience
B · Northern Lights
Two different trips, often sold as one
The Santa trip and the aurora trip share an airport and a latitude. They are not the same holiday, and the season that suits one is wrong for the other.
Lapland, Finland
Two or three nights in Rovaniemi or Saariselkä, with the reindeer, the huskies and the man himself. Booked as a package, usually with the thermal kit included, and sold out months ahead for December.
Best for: children between about five and nine.
Lapland tripsTromsø and Reykjavik
Aurora chasing from two bases: Tromsø inside the aurora oval, Reykjavik on its southern edge with better flights. Three nights minimum, and the lights are never guaranteed.
Best months: January and February.
Northern Lights guideNo airport
UK winter breaks
Cardiff, Pitlochry, Keswick, Durham and Bristol, plus the three things people actually book in January: a holiday park with a heated indoor pool, a hot-tub lodge, and a forest cabin.
Cardiff
The castle, the arcades and the bay, with the Brecon Beacons an hour away. The city break that works in the rain because half of it is indoors.
Pitlochry
Lodges with hot tubs, the dam, and hills that look like the postcards. The quietest of the five, and the one where a dog is welcome everywhere.
Keswick
Forest cabins at Whinlatter, a town you can walk in an hour, and Derwentwater at the end of the street. Book the cabin, not the hotel, if you have children.
Durham
The cathedral, the castle and the river loop — a weekend that costs less than a day in London and looks better in the frost.
Bristol
Harbourside, the SS Great Britain and the Clifton bridge, with the Mendips twenty minutes away. The easiest no-fly break from the south and the Midlands.
Heated indoor pool
The difference between a good January week and a wet one. Look for a park with a pool, a soft-play and a restaurant on site, and check the pool is open in winter before booking.
Winter cruises
No-fly cruises from Southampton
No baggage limit, no airport, no 03:00 alarm. Southampton is the only UK port with a full winter programme, and the short northern routes are the cheapest way to try a cruise.
Southampton → Hamburg
A city break with a cabin. Hamburg's Speicherstadt and the Miniatur Wunderland in one day, with a sea day either side.
Southampton → Rotterdam
The shortest route that still feels like a cruise. Rotterdam is a design city with a harbour, and the transfer is a tram ride.
Southampton → Paris (Le Havre)
Docked at Le Havre, coached into Paris for the day. Long day, one city, and no airport at either end.
London
Book the big four before you fly
Timed tickets are the one thing in London that genuinely sells out. These are the four we would book before leaving, with what each costs and how long it takes — then the full twelve, half of them free.
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