Parts of Europe can be as bone chilling as Alaska in the winter, and across most of the continent, winter means wearing a coat, and living off warm beverages and Netflix for a while.
But without embarking on a proper long haul a flight, you can enjoy bountiful sun, glorious sun well after autumn has left us behind. Here are top picks for a little bit of winter sunshine in Europe, or at least islands really nearby.
Cyprus
Not only will you find water not far off the color of a pool in parts of Cyprus, you’ll find weather nearly warm enough to want to dive in. Winter temperatures from November through March hover around 65°F, or 18°C and up.
Cyprus is a perfect place for social distancing, with a variety of villas and boutique hotels, rather than behemoth properties with shared elevators and thousands of other people.
It’s a perennial great pick for winter sun, but in 2020 Cyprus is also a destination which has wrangled with covid-19 better than others, with fewer than 20 cases per 100,000 at the time of writing. This means it’s avoided most quarantine lists, including the UK!
Azore Islands, Portugal
With many parts of Portugal situated far south enough to bring temperate, lovely weather in winter, the Azores aren’t your only choice. Faro is always wonderful too, but when travel matters more than ever, the scenery of the Azores mixed with the weather is second to none.
Think: rugged mountains, quaint coves, friendly local towns and all the delicious food and culture you’d hope to soak up anywhere in Portugal, but with the added thrill of being on islands.
The Azores are easy to reach with direct flights from Portugal and various European gateways via Ponta Delgado (PDL) Airport, and with temperatures hovering around 60-65°F, or 16-18°C, you really can’t go wrong.
Sevilla, Spain
Come for the sun, leave with diet plans. Sevilla isn’t just a place to escape and sit by the pool, it’s at the epicenter of European culinary culture, and year round food growing conditions bring some of the greatest produce on earth. It’s home to way too many Michelin restaurants.
While tables are tough to come by in summer, things are quieter here in winter, and you can enjoy a far more local experience, with better prices and even better sunsets. Fun fact: Sevilla historically is the warmest place in continental Europe, with an average year round temperature of 66°F, or 19.2°C .
This may be the best mix of culture, weather and relaxation you’ll find anywhere in the world during winter, let alone Europe. There’s always the Canary Islands if you’re more into the sun than the other stuff.
Turkey
Ok, you may not be talking tanning weather, but Turkey can be lovely in winter, and on the theme of places which aren’t currently subject to quarantine, and have relatively low covid-19 numbers, Turkey is among the best options.
Antalya and Bodrum are among your top choices for easy access, great coastal views, lovely food and plenty to explore, being major cities themselves. Both Antalya and Bodrum can be reached directly from many European gateways, or one hops via Istanbul from just about anywhere in the world.
And for any Americans reading this, Turkey is also one of the few places in Europe – ok technically Turkey is Eurasia – which you can go! With temperatures in the teens celsius and high 50’s, low 60’s Fahrenheit, you can’t go wrong.
