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Where to go in January / Belgium in January / The Belgian Ardennes / January

Belgium · Countryside

The Belgian Ardennes
in January.

Illustration of Tombeau du Géant from the Botassart lookout above the Semois meander
The Semois valley at BotassartDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 41°F afternoons, with about 16 rain days.

Afternoons
41°F
Rain days
16
Visitor demand
19%of August peak

Historical Prov. Luxembourg (BE) regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Durbuy and Bouillon; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.4/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather3.4/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
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 41°F (5°C): a warm coat; nights around 30°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 16 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 9 hours of daylight.

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

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 08:31Sunset 17:0230°F41°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:31 and sets about 17:02 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 30°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 41°F (5°C). Expect rain on about 16 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
41°F (5°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
30°F (−1°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 32m
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 43°F on the 1st, versus 42°F on the 31st.

Early January 1 January

43°F

Typical afternoon high

50% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

40°F

Typical afternoon high

44% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

42°F

Typical afternoon high

48% 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
143°243°343°
443°543°642°742°842°942°1041°
1141°1241°1340°1440°1540°1640°1740°
1839°1939°2039°2139°2240°2340°2440°
2540°2640°2741°2841°2941°3041°3142°

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

Afternoons cool from about 43°F (6°C) in the first week to 41°F (5°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 41–52%. 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?

Low season. January averages 19% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.

Overnight stays across Prov. Luxembourg (BE) do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

Well 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 35°F (2°C) and 45°F (7°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 41°F (5°C). Rain days ranged from 9 to 19; half the years had 11–17.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 14 rain days1420112012: 18 rain days182013: 10 rain days102014: 18 rain days182015: 17 rain days172016: 17 rain days172017: 9 rain days92018: 19 rain days192019: 16 rain days162020: 11 rain days112021: 17 rain days172022: 11 rain days112023: 15 rain days152024: 13 rain days132025: 16 rain days162025
Rain days
16
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 18 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
201140°F14
201242°F18
201338°F10
201444°F18
201540°F17
201641°F17
201735°F9
201845°F19
201938°F16
202045°F11
202138°F17
202242°F11
202342°F15
202440°F13
202541°F16

Checked against official climate averages for Saint-Hubert. How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons44°F41°F44°F
Rain days171610
Overnight demand29%19%25%

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 29% 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
Afternoons41°F44°F
Nights30°F33°F
Rain days1617
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 105.45.5
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
January5.4#1241°F30°F163.4Low season
February6.1#844°F30°F104.3Low season
March6.7#551°F34°F115.4Low season
April6.7#458°F38°F96.7Moderate season
May6.8#364°F44°F117.5Moderate season
June7.3#271°F51°F98.3Moderate season
July6.3#774°F54°F128.9Peak season
August6.0#974°F54°F108.8Peak season
September7.4#167°F48°F98.1Moderate season
October6.5#658°F44°F116.1Moderate season
November6.0#1048°F37°F124.5Low season
December5.5#1144°F33°F173.6Low 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 The Belgian Ardennes

The Belgian Ardennes' weather ranks 111 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Belgium have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with The Belgian Ardennes.

All of Belgium in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's low season, 19% of the busiest month and 59% below its average month. That means about 3,600 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 70% of them from Belgium itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,900 more: 52 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)52
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Saint-Hubert from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day12
Busiest month hereAugust · 62
Visitors as share of people present1.2%
Rank among Europe's regions this month81st percentile
Domestic share of nights70%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights52
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.8%
National hotel-price seasonBelgium historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−9% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used300,000
Statistical regionBE34 · Prov. Luxembourg (BE)

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.