Christmas in the sun: where to spend 25 December in a T-shirt

Four hours from a UK airport there is a version of Christmas with lunch outside and a walk on the promenade afterwards. It costs less than you think, and it is not the Caribbean.

See winter sun

The Canaries are the shortest flight to reliable December sun from the UK: four and a half hours, no jet lag, and daytime temperatures that still allow lunch outside.

Cite this page: Atravel.uk, “Christmas in the sun: where to spend 25 December in a T-shirt”, updated 12 November 2026. https://atravel.uk/festive/christmas-sun/

How warm is warm

Our winter sun guide carries the climate normals we use, and the February figures show the shape of the winter: Tenerife at 22°C by day, Benidorm and Malta around 16 to 17°C, London at 8°C with rain in most weeks. December sits at the front of that winter, with the sea still holding the summer's heat.

That means a T-shirt at midday in the Canaries, a jacket in the evening, and a sea that is bracing rather than warm. Malta in December is a walking city break with sun on your face, not a beach holiday.

The short list

Place	Flight from the UK	Christmas Day looks like
Tenerife	About 4h 30m	Lunch outside, a swim for the brave, sunset at six
Lanzarote	About 4h 15m	Windier, quieter, best for walking and cycling
Malaga and the Costa del Sol	About 2h 45m	Sunny promenades, cold evenings, Spanish Christmas Eve
Alicante and Benidorm	About 2h 35m	Mild days, cheap hotels, plenty open
Faro and the Algarve	About 2h 50m	Quiet resorts, open cafés, Atlantic cold
Malta	About 3h 20m	City walks, harbour lights, 16°C at midday

What is open on the 25th

Resort hotels serve lunch, a handful of restaurants open for visitors, supermarkets are shut and taxis are thin. Book the meal with the room, and check whether your hotel runs a shuttle on the day. In cities, the Spanish and Maltese Christmas Eve is the bigger night, and the 25th is quieter than you expect.

Flying on the 25th

There are flights, but fewer of them, and the airport train may not run. If you are flying out on Christmas Day, price the taxi and the parking before you book the fare. Our Christmas flights page has the day-by-day picture.

Longer haul

Dubai, Sharm el-Sheikh and Orlando are in our route tables and all three are genuinely warm in December. They are also peak season, with the highest fares of the year, so they only make sense if the trip is a week or more.

What we do

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Frequently asked questions

Where is the warmest place near the UK at Christmas?

The Canaries: Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria all sit in the low twenties by day in December, four to four and a half hours from the UK.

Can you swim in Tenerife at Christmas?

Yes, in heated hotel pools and, for most people, briefly in the sea. The water is around 20°C, which is bracing rather than balmy.

Is Christmas in the Canaries expensive?

It is peak season, so rooms cost more than in November, but flights are often cheaper than the Alps or Lapland and there is no need for ski equipment.

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At a glance

Where to find warm weather at Christmas from the UK: the Canaries, Malta, the Spanish coast and the longer-haul options, with flight times and what's open.

The Canaries are 4h 15m to 4h 30m from the UK
Malta sits around 16°C at midday in winter

Free comparison, partner prices, no booking fee · Reviewed 12 November 2026 · Machine-readable site summary