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Where to go in January / Belgium in January / Ghent & East Flanders / January

Belgium · City

Ghent & East Flanders
in January.

Illustration of Graslei waterfront viewed across the Leie from Korenlei
Graslei waterfront, GhentDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 45°F afternoons, with about 14 rain days.

Afternoons
45°F
Rain days
14
Visitor demand
39%of July peak

Historical Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Ghent; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.3/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.3/10Fair
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostPriceyfor Europe; Belgium-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your January

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 45°F (7°C): a warm coat; nights around 34°F (1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 14 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 8 hours of daylight.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 8 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 08:42Sunset 17:0534°F45°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:42 and sets about 17:05 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 34°F (1°C); afternoons reach about 45°F (7°C). Expect rain on about 14 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
45°F (7°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
34°F (1°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 23m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late January?

Early and late January have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 48°F on the 1st, versus 46°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 45% to 42% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

48°F

Typical afternoon high

45% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

44°F

Typical afternoon high

42% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

46°F

Typical afternoon high

42% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 Jan New Year's Day.

Daily calendar & holiday datesJanuary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

January 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
148°247°347°
447°547°647°747°847°946°1046°
1146°1245°1345°1444°1544°1644°1744°
1844°1944°2044°2144°2244°2344°2444°
2544°2645°2745°2845°2946°3046°3146°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons cool from about 47°F (8°C) in the first week to 45°F (7°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 38–48%. Local schools are out 1–3 January 2027.

Schools here are off 1–3 January 2027 (winter holidays). Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year's Day. Elsewhere in January 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 21%, Spain 24%, Italy 20%, Poland 17%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. January averages 39% of July's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.

Overnight stays across Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

A little below usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Belgium as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 124 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does January vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 41°F (5°C) and 48°F (9°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 45°F (7°C). Rain days ranged from 9 to 17; half the years had 10–16.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 12 rain days1220112012: 15 rain days152013: 12 rain days122014: 17 rain days172015: 15 rain days152016: 16 rain days162017: 10 rain days102018: 15 rain days152019: 12 rain days122020: 10 rain days102021: 17 rain days172022: 9 rain days92023: 14 rain days142024: 10 rain days102025: 16 rain days162025
Rain days
14
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 17 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
2 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no January in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
1 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded JanuaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201145°F12
201247°F15
201341°F12
201448°F17
201545°F15
201647°F16
201742°F10
201848°F15
201944°F12
202048°F10
202144°F17
202247°F9
202347°F14
202444°F10
202544°F16

Checked against official climate averages for Semmerzake. How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs July peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons48°F45°F48°F
Rain days151410
Overnight demand55%39%52%

December: Warmer afternoons than January. More overnight demand. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than January. More overnight demand. February guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with January Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. January stays as your reference.

March to November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 55% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons45°F48°F
Nights34°F38°F
Rain days1415
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 105.35.6
Month rank#12#11
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.3#1245°F34°F144.3Moderate season
February5.9#1048°F34°F104.9Moderate season
March6.4#854°F37°F106.0Busy season
April6.7#561°F41°F77.4Busy season
May6.9#367°F46°F98.2Busy season
June7.4#173°F53°F88.8Busy season
July6.4#775°F55°F119.1Peak season
August6.8#476°F56°F109.1Peak season
September7.4#270°F51°F88.8Busy season
October6.6#662°F47°F126.9Busy season
November6.1#952°F41°F115.4Moderate season
December5.6#1148°F38°F154.6Moderate season

Near here

Nearby places in January

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better January weather than Ghent & East Flanders

Ghent & East Flanders' weather ranks 19 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Belgium have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Ghent & East Flanders.

All of Belgium in January · Everywhere in January

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's moderate season, 39% of the busiest month and 42% below its average month.The figures cover the whole Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen region, suburbs included. That means about 4,800 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 42% of them from Belgium itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,300 more: 27 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)57
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Semmerzake from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.4°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day3
Busiest month hereJuly · 8
Visitors as share of people present0.3%
Rank among Europe's regions this month15th percentile
Domestic share of nights42%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights27
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.4%
National hotel-price seasonBelgium historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−9% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.6 million
Statistical regionBE23 · Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.