January is the month most people book a workation, and the month most people book the wrong one. Thailand or Mexico deliver warmth, but also a time difference of five to seven hours. You end up in your daily stand-up at 4 pm while the sun sets outside. Some destinations manage both: daytime highs around 18 to 21 degrees and at most one hour's difference from German time. Here they are, with climate data instead of brochure figures.
What "warm" means in January
The figures below are long-term averages of daily highs (climate tables from the weather services, reference period 1991 to 2020). The daily mean is three to five degrees lower in each case, and nights everywhere are cooler than you'd think. 18 degrees during the day means: T-shirt in the midday sun, jumper from 5 pm, and heating in your apartment is not a luxury. Ask whether there is any before you book. On the Canary Islands and in Andalusia, it isn't a given.
| Place | Max. January | Rain January | Sun January | Time vs. Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) | 21.1 °C | 23 mm | 184 h | −1 h |
| Agadir (Morocco) | 21.2 °C | 32 mm | 235 h | 0 h |
| Funchal (Madeira) | 20.0 °C | 67 mm | 161 h | −1 h |
| Marrakesh (Morocco) | 19.1 °C | 25 mm | 230 h | 0 h |
| Limassol (Cyprus) | 17.9 °C | 87 mm | 195 h | +1 h |
| Málaga (Andalusia) | 17.2 °C | 62 mm | 183 h | 0 h |
| Valletta (Malta) | 15.7 °C | 79 mm | 169 h | 0 h |
Canary Islands: the safe bet
In January, Las Palmas is the warmest place in Europe with a real city around it: 21 degrees during the day, 15 at night, water temperature around 20 degrees, hardly any rain. Several coworking spaces are within walking distance of Playa de las Canteras, plus a university and nightlife that isn't just tourists. The south of Gran Canaria and Tenerife is a degree or two warmer, but it's a hotel zone. If you want to work in January, head for the cities: Las Palmas, Santa Cruz, Puerto de la Cruz.
The clock is one hour behind, which is an advantage in everyday life: your workday starts at 8 am local time when your colleagues get going at 9, and ends at 4 pm with two hours of daylight left.
Madeira: green, damp, surprisingly productive
Funchal has 20 degrees during the day, but 67 mm of rain in January. That's not constant rain, but showers that roll over the mountains. The south coast often stays dry while it pours in the north. Madeira has been actively courting remote workers since 2021, and the well-known spots are full in winter. If you want peace and quiet, stay in Funchal itself and head out at weekends. There's coworking in Funchal and on the southwest coast, with monthly prices below Lisbon's. Water temperature 18 to 19 degrees, which is for the hardy. And: the island has mountains up to 1,800 metres, so the weather in Funchal tells you nothing about the weather ten kilometres away.
Andalusia: city instead of beach
Málaga reaches 17 degrees in January and drops to 8 at night. That's not beach weather, but it's excellent working weather: 183 hours of sunshine, little wind, a city with a train station, an airport and coworking on every other corner. Seville and Cádiz are similar. What's missing is heating: old Andalusian apartments are built for summer. A split air conditioner with a heating function belongs in your booking request.
Malta and Cyprus: just below the line
Both miss the 18 degrees. Valletta has 16 degrees during the day and ten rainy days in January, Limassol 18 degrees and the most rain on the list. On the plus side, both are English-speaking, have an EU legal framework and, in Cyprus's case, 195 hours of sunshine. Cyprus is one hour ahead of Germany, which suits teams that start early. For January, both are second choice. From March they come into their own.
Morocco: the warmest, but outside the EU
Agadir and Marrakesh have the most hours of sunshine and daytime highs around 19 to 21 degrees. At night, though, Marrakesh drops to six degrees, and the riads are barely heated. Agadir on the coast is more balanced. Morocco is on the same time as Germany (during Ramadan the country turns its clocks back an hour). Keep in mind: it's not an EU country, so no A1 certificate (the EU form that keeps you in German social security), check your travel health insurance separately, and internet quality outside the cities varies.
The choice in one sentence
If you want beach and warmth: Las Palmas. If you want a city and good connections: Málaga. If you want landscapes and can handle rain: Madeira. If you want the most sun and will put up with some bureaucracy: Agadir.