January travel
Where to go on holiday in January?
Cancun scores 7.1 out of 10 in January: 28C days, a 26C sea you can swim in without flinching, and 100mm of rain that mostly falls in short afternoon bursts. Here is how the rest of the world stacks up this month.
Crowds. Peak season. Book flights and restaurants well ahead.
Prices. Highest rates of the year, so lock in early.
Seaweed. Sargassum seaweed risk is low, so the sand is at its cleanest.
Storms. Outside hurricane season entirely.
What is on in Cancun in January
- Three Kings Day on 6 January, with rosca de reyes in every bakery
- The calmest, clearest sea of the year
- Peak whale-free but perfect snorkelling conditions at Puerto Morelos reef
Book Cancun for January
- Check Cancun hotel ratesLive all-inclusive and boutique pricesOpen
- Browse Cancun toursChichen Itza, cenotes, Isla Mujeres and moreOpen
- Get an airport transfer quoteFixed price, 20 minutes to the Hotel ZoneOpen
Prefer a plan first? Build a free day-by-day Cancun itinerary.
January rivals, ranked and compared
- Cancun or Goa in January32C, 1mm rain7.1 v 9.2
- Cancun or Phuket in January32C, 35mm rain7.1 v 9.1
- Cancun or Varadero and Havana in January26C, 65mm rain7.1 v 8.7
- Cancun or Da Nang in January25C, 95mm rain7.1 v 8.7
- Cancun or Panama in January30C, 30mm rain7.1 v 8.7
- Cancun or Punta Cana in January28C, 60mm rain7.1 v 8.6
- Cancun or Jamaica in January30C, 25mm rain7.1 v 8.6
- Cancun or Hurghada and the Red Sea in January22C, 3mm rain7.1 v 8.6
- Cancun or Zanzibar in January32C, 75mm rain7.1 v 8.6
- Cancun or Montego Bay in January30C, 30mm rain7.1 v 8.6
- Cancun or Aruba in January30C, 40mm rain7.1 v 8.5
- Cancun or Cartagena in January31C, 2mm rain7.1 v 8.3
- Cancun or Costa Rica in January29C, 10mm rain7.1 v 8.2
- Cancun or Puerto Vallarta in January29C, 25mm rain7.1 v 8.2
- Cancun or Puerto Rico in January28C, 90mm rain7.1 v 8.2
- Cancun or Curacao in January29C, 50mm rain7.1 v 8.2
- Cancun or Nassau and the Bahamas in January25C, 55mm rain7.1 v 8.1
- Cancun or Cape Verde in January24C, 5mm rain7.1 v 8.1
- Cancun or Barbados in January29C, 65mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Tulum in January28C, 90mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Playa del Carmen in January28C, 92mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Cozumel in January28C, 95mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Miami in January25C, 45mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Belize in January28C, 140mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Rio de Janeiro in January30C, 115mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Hawaii in January27C, 90mm rain7.1 v 7.6
- Cancun or The Florida Keys in January25C, 55mm rain7.1 v 7.3
- Cancun or Los Cabos in January24C, 10mm rain7.1 v 7.2
- Cancun or Maldives in January30C, 110mm rain7.1 v 7.1
- Cancun or Mexico City in January22C, 10mm rain7.1 v 7
- Cancun or Tenerife and the Canaries in January21C, 30mm rain7.1 v 6.8
- Cancun or Dubai in January24C, 18mm rain7.1 v 6.7
- Cancun or Bali in January31C, 340mm rain7.1 v 6.4
- Cancun or Crete in January16C, 90mm rain7.1 v 6.4
- Cancun or The Algarve in January16C, 70mm rain7.1 v 6.4
- Cancun or Mallorca in January15C, 45mm rain7.1 v 6.2
- Cancun or Marrakech in January19C, 30mm rain7.1 v 6.1
- Cancun or Antalya in January15C, 220mm rain7.1 v 5.7
- Cancun or Orlando in January22C, 60mm rain7.1 v 5.5
- Cancun or Las Vegas in January15C, 12mm rain7.1 v 5.1