Where to go in January

Nosara, Costa Rica

Barefoot, sandy-roaded, unhurried

32°C in January · sea at 29° · 5h 50m from Los Angeles · a week

Compare

Varkala, India

Clifftop, mellow, barefoot and cheap

31°C in January · sea at 29° · 18h 30m from Los Angeles · 4–7 nights

Compare

Koh Yao Noi, Thailand

Flat lanes, karst views, quiet

32°C in January · sea at 29° · 17h 10m from Los Angeles · 3-4 nights

Compare

Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Dusty, barefoot, surf-and-yoga

29°C in January · sea at 30° · 5h 50m from Los Angeles · 5 nights or more

Compare

Dahab, Egypt

Scruffy, relaxed, diver-obsessed

21°C in January, and dry · sea at 23° · 15h 30m from Los Angeles · 1-2 weeks

Compare

Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia

Barefoot, sunny, quietly polished

27°C in January · sea at 26° · 14h 20m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

Compare

Rotorua, New Zealand

Steaming, sulphurous, culturally rich

23°C in January · 13h from Los Angeles · 3 nights

Compare

Ses Illetes, Formentera, Spain

Flat, salty, deliberately low-key

16°C in January · 12h 15m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights, or a day trip from ibiza

Compare

Bali, Indonesia

Green, ceremonial, endlessly varied

29°C in January · sea at 30° · 17h 05m from Los Angeles · 10–14 days

Compare

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Green, ceremonial, busier than expected

29°C in January · sea at 30° · 17h 05m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

Compare

Amed, Bali, Indonesia

Black sand, early nights, volcano views

30°C in January · sea at 30° · 17h 05m from Los Angeles · 3-4 nights

Compare

Menjangan, Bali, Indonesia

Calm, reef-fringed, unhurried

28°C in January · sea at 30° · 17h 05m from Los Angeles · a day trip, or an overnight stop in pemuteran

Compare

Taketomi, Japan

Slow, sandy, gently traditional

20°C in January · sea at 24° · 13h 25m from Los Angeles · 1–2 nights

Compare

Comporta, Portugal

Barefoot, pine-scented, quietly expensive

15°C in January · 11h 30m from Los Angeles · 5–7 nights

Compare

Gozo, Malta

Rural, sun-baked, agreeably slow

15°C in January · 13h 30m from Los Angeles · 4–7 nights

Compare

Porquerolles, France

Car-free, pine-shaded, softly Provençal

13°C in January · 12h 15m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

Compare

Ischia, Italy

Volcanic, green, unhurriedly Italian

13°C in January · 12h 55m from Los Angeles · 4–5 nights

Compare

Antiparos, Greece

Whitewashed, unhurried, low key

13°C in January · 14h from Los Angeles · 3-4 nights

Compare

Saturnia hot springs, Tuscany, Italy

Steamy, rural, faintly pagan

11°C in January · 12h 30m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

Compare

Hakone, Japan

Steamy, forested, deliberately unhurried

9°C in January · 11h 05m from Los Angeles · 2 nights

Compare

Terme Čatež, Slovenia

Steamy, splashy, unpretentious

7°C in January · 12h 30m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

Compare

Bath, England

Georgian, steamy, softly romantic

8°C in January · 10h 55m from Los Angeles · 1–2 nights

Compare

Thermae Bath Spa, England

Georgian, steamy, softly indulgent

8°C in January · 10h 55m from Los Angeles · a long weekend

Compare

Széchenyi and Gellért baths, Budapest, Hungary

Steamy, ornate, gloriously old-fashioned

5°C in January · 12h 30m from Los Angeles · half a day at each, within a 2–3 night city break

Compare

Széchenyi Baths, Budapest, Hungary

Grand, steamy, cheerfully public

5°C in January · 12h 30m from Los Angeles · half a day, within a city break

Compare

Rodrigues, Mauritius

Remote, Creole, unhurried, undeveloped

22h 30m from Los Angeles · 4–5 nights

Compare

Wachau Valley, Austria

Terraced, vinous, softly baroque

5°C in January · 12h 20m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

Compare

Therme Erding, Germany

Warm, palm-lined, gleefully artificial

5°C in January · 12h from Los Angeles · a full day, or an overnight from munich

Compare

Baden-Baden, Germany

Genteel, steamy, quietly opulent

6°C in January · 11h 45m from Los Angeles · 2–3 nights

Compare

Karlovy Vary, Czechia

Faded imperial, restorative, formal

3°C in January · 12h from Los Angeles · 2-3 nights

Compare

Seefeld, Austria

Sunny, unhurried, quietly comfortable

1°C in January · 12h 05m from Los Angeles · 4–7 nights

Compare

Nida, Curonian Spit, Lithuania

Pine-scented, pale, deeply calm

3°C in January · 11h 40m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

Compare

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Steamy, engineered, oddly serene

2°C in January · 8h 50m from Los Angeles · a half-day stop

Compare

Bad Gastein, Austria

Faded grandeur, steam and snow

-6°C in January · 12h 10m from Los Angeles · 3–4 nights

Compare