Not every winter trip needs a long-haul flight and a full day of travelling. A handful of places are close enough for a normal short-haul flight from the UK and still sit comfortably in the high teens or low twenties through November, December and January. Here's where to look.
The Canary Islands, Spain
Technically part of Spain but sitting off the coast of Morocco, which is exactly why they stay warm all winter. Tenerife and Gran Canaria are the most developed, with proper resort towns, but Lanzarote's volcanic landscape and Fuerteventura's beaches are worth the extra look if you want something quieter. Average winter temperatures sit around 20-22°C, and flights from the UK are typically four to four and a half hours.
Madeira, Portugal
Less known than the Canaries but arguably prettier, all dramatic cliffs and terraced hillsides rather than flat resort strips. Funchal, the capital, has genuine character beyond the hotels. Slightly cooler than the Canaries in winter, closer to 18-19°C, but still very mild by UK standards, and the hiking along the old irrigation channels (levadas) is one of the better reasons to go somewhere other than the beach.
The Algarve, Portugal
Quieter in winter than its summer reputation suggests, most of the beach crowds are gone and prices drop noticeably. Not quite as warm as the Canaries or Madeira, but still mild enough for a coastal walk in a jumper rather than a coat, and a short flight of around three hours.
Malta
Small enough to properly explore in a long weekend, with a genuinely interesting old town in Valletta if you want more than just sun. Winter temperatures hover around 16-17°C, cooler than the others on this list but still a big step up from a UK November, and it rarely rains for long.
Cyprus
The furthest flight of the group at around four and a half to five hours, but often the warmest, regularly into the high teens or low twenties even in December. Paphos and Limassol both work well depending on whether you want quieter or livelier.
Worth booking excursions ahead for winter, some seasonal tours run less often outside summer.
Browse tours on GetYourGuideA practical note
Flight frequency to all of these drops in winter compared to summer, so routes are less flexible and can sell out on the popular weeks around Christmas and New Year. Worth booking earlier than you would for a summer trip, and worth checking whether your outbound and return flights land on days with a reasonable number of other flights, in case anything gets disrupted.