It’s that time of year again. The UK submerges into darkness by 16:00 (sometimes earlier on a grey, rainy day), the temperature is consistently below 5°C, and the Met Office is dishing out predictions of ‘the worst snow the UK has ever seen to fall in December.’
The concept of the sun becomes almost an illusion, except for those beautiful yet rare sunny winter days. For most of us, we’re dreaming of some winter sun, or any sun, let’s be honest. The UK doesn’t really experience substantial sun until the summer.
To these troubles, Europe is the answer. Read on for the top European destinations for year-round sun.
Portugal
Portugal is one of Europe’s sunniest countries, experiencing 2,500 to 3,200 hours of sunshine per year. Putting that into days, that’s over 300 days a year on average.
We will admit that it is on the slightly cooler side than some of the destinations we’ll discuss, especially the sea, but if you’re sitting at a beach bar out of the breeze and with the sun on your face, we promise you that it’s warm. And anywhere is warmer than the UK.
You’ve got plenty of location and accommodation options in Portugal. From a luxurious house rental in Comporta to city vibes in Porto. It depends on the type of holiday you’re looking for, but we’d recommend visiting:
- Comporta
- Porto
- Lagos
- Coimbra
- Azores
Spain
Spain is similar to Portugal, weather-wise. Well, everything-wise. Well, anywhere but the north is. If you go to the North, especially areas like the Basque Country, you’re likely to experience weather similar to the UK.
The south of Spain is where it’s at, with the area experiencing over 320 days of sunshine. That’s almost every day of the year, with it not being uncommon to enjoy 20°C+ in November and December. You will need a coat at night, but, again, if you sit in the sun out of any strong wind, it’s absolute heaven.
The south of Spain has some incredible locations, but some of the must-visit include:
- Alicante (South, not north)
- Malaga
- Seville
- Almeria
- Valencia
Cyprus
We’re getting sunnier now, because depending on the area in Cyprus, you can expect up to 340 days of sun annually. That’s literally almost every day, so you can imagine how unlucky you would be to go and not enjoy some winter sun. And does anything sound better than sitting in the sun, a drink of choice in hand, and a gyro in the other hand? We think not.
The culture and history of Cyprus are also interesting, so whether you want to spend the day in the sun or explore the cities, there’s plenty to do away from the holiday resorts.
People think Cyprus doesn’t have that many options for places to stay. They’re wrong. Some of the best areas include:
- Paphos
- Larnaca
- Coral Bay
- Limassol
- Protaras
Knowing the destinations that give you year-round sun gives you hope that maybe you can get away from the winter doom and gloom. We’re not saying these places are super hot, but they have sun and great food, and that’s more than we have in the UK.
