Warm destinations in February: where it's hot

Where is it warm in February with a short flight time

In February, reliably warm weather within a short distance is found only on the Canary Islands and on the Red Sea. Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Hurghada reach long-term averages of 21.0 to 22.6 °C during the day. All four lie a good three thousand kilometres in a straight line from Frankfurt, as the table below shows. Around the Mediterranean, by contrast, it remains pleasantly spring-like but cool.

Distance rather than flight time

This guide does not quote fixed flight times, because they depend on the departure airport, the route and the airline. What is comparable is the straight-line distance, which Adtouro calculated as the great-circle distance between Frankfurt am Main and the destination airport. The actual flight route is somewhat longer; the figures shift for departures from Munich, Berlin or Hamburg.

So anyone who wants to travel somewhere warm in February without a long journey is choosing between Lanzarote and Hurghada. Malta and Málaga are considerably closer, but in February they are not destinations for sunbathing. Cape Verde and the Gulf are once again considerably further away.

Climate figures compared

The table shows long-term February averages from the climate tables published by the German Weather Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst, DWD) for stations worldwide. There, rainy days are days with at least 1.0 mm of precipitation.^[1]

The rows are not directly comparable, because the climate tables cover different periods per station: 1961 to 1990 for Tenerife, Funchal, Marrakesh, Málaga and Malta, 1971 to 2000 for Hurghada, and 1991 to 2010 for Gran Canaria. For Hurghada, the climate table does not list rainy days but a mean precipitation of 0.0 mm in February. A dash means the table contains no value.

Warm days, cool nights

The daytime high alone is misleading in February. In Hurghada, temperatures drop to an average of 11.4 °C at night, in Marrakesh to 7.6 °C. On Gran Canaria and Tenerife, nights stay milder at 15.6 and 15.0 °C because the Atlantic evens things out. If you want to sit outside in the evening, the islands are the better choice; a jacket belongs in your luggage for all of these destinations.

For swimming, the sea is fresh in February even on the Canary Islands. The climate tables give a mean water temperature of 18.0 °C for Lanzarote and Tenerife, 17.0 °C for Funchal and 13.0 °C for Málaga.

Long-haul destinations with summer weather

Summer-like temperatures above 24 °C in February only appear on longer routes — and there, February is usually the dry season.

• Muscat (Oman): The climate table for Seeb Airport gives February averages of 26.1 °C by day, 17.6 °C at night and 2.4 rainy days.^[10]
• Sharjah (United Arab Emirates): At Sharjah Airport, Dubai's neighbouring airport, the February daytime high is 25.2 °C with 1.4 rainy days.^[11]
• Sal (Cape Verde): 24.1 °C by day, 18.1 °C at night and 0.5 rainy days; the sea averages 22.0 °C.^[12]
• Colombo (Sri Lanka): 31.2 °C by day and 5.2 rainy days, with a water temperature of 27.0 °C.^[13]

Sal is thus the long-haul destination with the fewest rainy days. Colombo has the warmest water of the destinations for which the climate tables give a value, at 27.0 °C. You can find the comparison for late autumn in the guide travel destinations in November, and further destinations in the overview travel destinations.

Travel destinations in February

The right travel destinations in February depend on what you plan to do there; there is no universal ranking. This guide therefore sorts the destinations by the criteria from the first section: daytime high, rainy days and straight-line distance.

By purpose of travel

• Sunshine with a short journey: Lanzarote and Gran Canaria. Both average 21.2 °C with only around three rainy days. Hurghada is slightly warmer and drier during the day, but the evenings are cool.
• Hiking and nature: Madeira and Tenerife. Funchal averages 19.1 °C, but also nine rainy days; rain gear belongs in your luggage.
• City trip with mild weather: Marrakesh, Málaga and Valletta. Marrakesh is the warmest of these cities by day at 19.9 °C, but also the coldest at night at 7.6 °C.
• Summer in winter: Sal, Sharjah, Muscat and Colombo, better suited to longer stays. At five to eight thousand kilometres, the journey is hardly worth it for a long weekend.

It matters just as much to know for whom a destination is a poorer fit. Anyone expecting beach weather will usually be disappointed in Malta, Cyprus or Málaga in February. Anyone sensitive to cold nights should plan for heated accommodation in Marrakesh.

School holidays 2027

This guide does not quote fixed prices, because flight and hotel prices change daily and it has not run its own price comparison. What can be verified are the school holidays. According to the holiday calendar of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education, Hamburg has a holiday day on 29 January 2027; Bremen and Lower Saxony have winter holidays on 1 and 2 February, Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia from 1 to 6 February, Bavaria and the Saarland from 8 to 12 February, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony from 8 to 19 February.^[14] Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Schleswig-Holstein have no holidays in February.

From 20 February 2027 until the end of the month, no federal state is on holiday. Whether that makes an offer cheaper only a comparison on the day of booking will show — but a date in that week is the best starting point.

Check entry requirements before booking

The Canary Islands and Madeira belong to Spain and Portugal. For the remaining destinations, the following rules apply to German citizens according to the travel and safety advice as of 22 October 2026:

• Egypt: A visa is required. On arrival it costs 30 US dollars; alternatively it can be applied for in advance as an eVisa. Travel to the north of the Sinai Peninsula is advised against.^[15]
• Morocco: No visa is required for tourist stays of up to 90 days.^[16]
• United Arab Emirates: For stays of up to 90 days within 180 days, no visa is required with a biometric passport.^[17]
• Oman: A visa is required; according to the embassy, tourist stays of up to 14 days qualify for a free visa on arrival if a hotel booking and return flight are in place.^[18]
• Cape Verde: No visa is required for stays of up to 30 days, but travellers must register online with the police up to five days before departure and pay a fee.^[19]
• Sri Lanka: A visa free of charge is required, applied for before entry via the immigration authority's official ETA portal.^[20]

These rules change; read them again shortly before you depart.

Choosing a February destination in three steps

1. Fix your dates, if possible in the holiday-free last week of February.
2. For two or three destinations, compare the daytime high, nighttime low and rainy days from the tables above. A single February can deviate noticeably from the long-term average.
3. For the remaining destinations, get flight and accommodation prices on the same day, and for long-haul destinations factor in visa fees and the longer travel time.

The section Travel seasons collects the fundamentals on choosing your month of travel, and the Travel section covers everything to do with being on the road. Cross-check your travel dates against the climate table and your budget before you book.

Frequently asked questions

Where is it warmest in Europe in February?

On the Canary Islands. Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife reach around 21 °C by day on long-term average, with Madeira just below at 19.1 °C.

Which warm destination is quickest to reach in February?

Among the warm destinations, Lanzarote is the closest and averages 21.2 °C by day in February. Malta and Málaga are nearer, but cooler.

Can you swim in the Red Sea in February?

Hurghada is warm in February at 22.6 °C by day and almost without precipitation, but the nights are fresh at 11.4 °C. You should check the water temperature for your destination separately.

Which long-haul destination is driest in February?

Sal in Cape Verde, with an average of 0.5 rainy days. For entry, online registration with the police is required.

When is the low season in February 2027?

From 20 to 28 February 2027, no federal state has school holidays. Before that, eleven federal states have winter holidays between 29 January and 19 February.

Sources

1. dwd.de
2. dwd.de
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7. dwd.de
8. dwd.de
9. dwd.de
10. dwd.de
11. dwd.de
12. dwd.de
13. dwd.de
14. kmk.org
15. auswaertiges-amt.de
16. auswaertiges-amt.de
17. auswaertiges-amt.de
18. auswaertiges-amt.de
19. auswaertiges-amt.de
20. auswaertiges-amt.de