Where to go in January
352 cities by what the weather does in January. Each group is one search: an afternoon temperature and how much rain you put up with. A city appears once, in the group that fits it best. Open one to see its whole year.
See January on the mapAcross the map, the hottest afternoons in January are in Asunción, around 34°C, and the coolest in Ulaanbaatar, around -15°C. Jakarta is the wettest city, with about 373 mm of rain; Santa Marta the driest, with 0 mm.
Hot in January
Afternoons around 34°C, no rain
34°C
Kochi IndiaRelentless June-Sept monsoon, hand-hauled Chinese fishing nets, Kerala's submarine-cable tech corridor
33°C
Santa Marta ColombiaGateway to Tayrona and Lost City — Caribbean coast meets Sierra Nevada mountains
33°C
Goa IndiaTropical beach paradise — Portuguese heritage, trance parties, yoga retreats, seafood shacks
33°C
Yangon MyanmarGolden pagodas — Shwedagon majesty, colonial architecture, street food, raw and authentic
33°C
Ho Chi Minh City VietnamElectric energy — street food capital, buzzing motorbikes, amazing cafés
33°C
Accra GhanaYear of Return diaspora hub on the Gulf of Guinea — Black Star history, Osu nightlife, visa needed before you fly
33°C
Lagos NigeriaAfrica's biggest megacity, Yaba's tech cluster and fintech unicorns, danfo buses on the lagoon bridges
33°C
Koh Phi Phi ThailandIconic Maya Bay, stunning viewpoint, beach parties, crystal snorkeling
Warm in January
Afternoons around 30°C, little rain
30°C
Santiago ChileAndean capital — wine country, snow-capped mountains, vibrant arts, cosmopolitan food scene
30°C
Pune IndiaDeccan Plateau counterweight to Bangalore, old Maratha capital, cooler nights, same tech scene
30°C
Bagan MyanmarTemple plains — 2,000+ ancient temples, hot air balloons at sunrise, spiritual and otherworldly
30°C
Udon Thani ThailandRed Lotus Sea, authentic culture, quiet expat community
30°C
Pai ThailandBohemian mountain village — hot springs, canyons, hippie backpacker vibe
30°C
Chiang Mai Thailand#1 digital nomad hub — temples, night markets, incredible street food, massive expat community
30°C
Kampot CambodiaRiverside colonial charm — pepper farms, cave temples, chill vibes
30°C
Chennai IndiaReversed monsoon brings its wettest months in Oct-Dec, carnatic music season, huge car plants
Mild in January
Afternoons around 25°C, little rain
25°C
Huanchaco PeruReed-boat fishing village turned Latin America's first World Surfing Reserve, Chan Chan ruins nearby
25°C
Santa Maria Cape VerdeAtlantic island escape — wind, waves, zero tax, €54 visa, Saharan sand beaches, Starlink-connected
25°C
Guadalajara MexicoBirthplace of mariachi and tequila country, now called Mexico's Silicon Valley
25°C
Todos Santos MexicoSurf breaks, mango orchards and gallery openings in a Baja mission town turned Pueblo Mágico
25°C
Dubai UAEFuturistic oasis — world's tallest buildings, luxury malls, desert adventures, tax-free living
25°C
Miami United StatesLatin America's US gateway — Art Deco beaches, Cuban coffee, direct flights to Bogotá and São Paulo
25°C
Punta del Este UruguayA peninsula between river and ocean, a hand rising from the sand, now a year-round address not just a summer one
25°C
Da Nang VietnamBeach city with Dragon Bridge, Marble Mountains, growing nomad scene
Cool in January
Afternoons around 20°C, rain or shine
20°C
Pokhara NepalLakeside retreat — Annapurna views, paragliding, adventure sports, peaceful traveler hub
20°C
Phoenix United StatesSonoran desert sprawl, saguaro-studded mountains in the city limits, brutal but dry summer heat
20°C
Hong Kong Hong KongWorld-class Asian hub — blazing internet, dim sum, neon-lit streets, hiking trails minutes from skyscrapers
20°C
Cuenca EcuadorColonial jewel — UNESCO old town, rivers and parks, expat haven, eternal spring at 2,500m
20°C
Los Angeles United StatesPacific boardwalks from Venice to Santa Monica, Hollywood filmmaking, and freeway sprawl in the sun
20°C
Taipei TaiwanNight market paradise — incredible street food, bubble tea, safe, efficient public transit
20°C
Okinawa JapanTropical Japan — coral reefs, Ryukyu culture, longevity diet, slow island pace
20°C
Cusco PeruAncient Inca capital at 3,400m — gateway to Machu Picchu, colonial architecture, Andean culture
Tropical in January
Afternoons around 32°C, rain or shine
32°C
Cartagena ColombiaWalled colonial city — Caribbean vibes, colorful streets, rooftop bars, beach escapes
32°C
Tamarindo Costa RicaSurf town paradise — Pacific sunsets, yoga retreats, laid-back beach vibes, wildlife encounters
32°C
Barranquilla ColombiaColombia's Caribbean river port, and home to the country's biggest Carnival
32°C
El Zonte El SalvadorThe surf village that sparked El Salvador's Bitcoin experiment, still trading on the Bitcoin Beach name
32°C
Puerto Escondido MexicoZicatela's Mexican Pipeline break and La Punta's surf-nomad scene, in a boomtown straining at the seams
32°C
Nosara Costa RicaRanked the world's fastest-growing surf town in a 2017 study, Costa Rica's yoga mecca, turtles nesting up the coast
32°C
Sukhothai ThailandUNESCO ancient ruins — cycle through 700-year-old temples
32°C
Phnom Penh CambodiaRiverside capital — rooftop bars, temples, growing café scene, dark history
Rainy in January
Afternoons around 24°C in the wet season
25°C
Ella Sri LankaHill country paradise — tea plantations, Nine Arches Bridge, misty mountains, backpacker haven
25°C
Johannesburg South AfricaCity of Gold — Maboneng arts district, vibrant food scene, Apartheid Museum, entrepreneurial energy
28°C
São Paulo BrazilMassive metropolis — world-class food scene, vibrant nightlife, huge startup ecosystem
28°C
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca Costa RicaSalsa Brava's heavy reef break on an Afro-Caribbean coast of reggae, Creole food and jungle beaches
28°C
Brasília BrazilNiemeyer's curved concrete capital, laid out from scratch like an aeroplane around an artificial lake
28°C
Roatán HondurasMesoamerican reef diving off West End, Bay Island English, hurricane season June to November
28°C
Buenos Aires ArgentinaParis of South America — tango, steak, café culture, vibrant arts scene, growing nomad hub
28°C
Sydney AustraliaHarbour city icon — Opera House, Bondi Beach, world-class dining, outdoor lifestyle