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Where to go in January / Croatia in January / Northern Croatia / January

Croatia · Countryside

Northern Croatia
in January.

Illustration of Old Town castle in Varaždin
Stari Grad castle in VaraždinDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 44°F afternoons, with about 8 rain days.

Afternoons
44°F
Rain days
8
Visitor demand
36%of August peak

Historical Sjeverna Hrvatska regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Varaždin; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.8/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#10 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.9/10Fair
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of Europe this month
CostModeratefor Europe; Croatia-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 44°F (6°C): a warm coat; nights around 29°F (−2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 8 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 07:33Sunset 16:3429°F44°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:33 and sets about 16:34 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 29°F (−2°C); afternoons reach about 44°F (6°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
44°F (6°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
29°F (−2°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
9h 01m
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 45°F on the 1st, versus 44°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 26% to 23% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

45°F

Typical afternoon high

26% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

43°F

Typical afternoon high

27% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

44°F

Typical afternoon high

23% 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; 6 Jan Epiphany.

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
145°245°345°
445°544°644°745°845°944°1044°
1144°1244°1344°1443°1543°1643°1743°
1843°1943°2043°2143°2242°2343°2443°
2543°2643°2743°2844°2944°3044°3144°

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

Afternoons cool from about 45°F (7°C) in the first week to 44°F (6°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 23–32%.

School-holiday dates for January 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year's Day; 6 Jan Epiphany. 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 36% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.

Overnight stays across Sjeverna Hrvatska do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter than most of Europe this month.

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.

Croatia as a whole
Near EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 95 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 34°F (1°C) and 49°F (9°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 44°F (6°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 13; half the years had 6–12.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 3 rain days320112012: 8 rain days82013: 13 rain days132014: 11 rain days112015: 8 rain days82016: 12 rain days122017: 4 rain days42018: 9 rain days92019: 10 rain days102020: 3 rain days32021: 12 rain days122022: 6 rain days62023: 13 rain days132024: 8 rain days82025: 7 rain days72025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 13 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
4 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
5 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
201143°F3
201244°F8
201340°F13
201448°F11
201545°F8
201642°F12
201734°F4
201849°F9
201940°F10
202044°F3
202144°F12
202244°F6
202347°F13
202444°F8
202547°F7

Checked against official climate averages for Varazdin. 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
Afternoons45°F44°F48°F
Rain days886
Overnight demand43%36%40%

December: 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 has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, without a substantially busier visitor season.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 43% of the busiest month.

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

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons44°F45°F
Nights29°F31°F
Rain days88
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 106.86.4
Month rank#10#12
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.8#1044°F29°F84.9Moderate season
February6.9#848°F31°F65.2Moderate season
March7.7#656°F37°F76.7Moderate season
April8.0#265°F44°F78.1Moderate season
May7.9#372°F51°F138.5Moderate season
June7.8#481°F59°F98.3Busy season
July7.0#785°F61°F97.5Busy season
August6.6#1185°F61°F87.8Peak season
September8.0#174°F54°F98.6Moderate season
October7.8#564°F46°F87.9Moderate season
November6.8#952°F38°F95.4Moderate season
December6.4#1245°F31°F84.9Moderate 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 Northern Croatia

Northern Croatia's weather ranks 21 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Croatia have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Northern Croatia.

All of Croatia in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's moderate season, 36% of the busiest month and 33% below its average month. That means about 2,300 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 65% of them from Croatia itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 410 more: 18 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)59
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Varazdin from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.0°C), night lows within 2°F (1.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day3
Busiest month hereAugust · 8
Visitors as share of people present0.3%
Rank among Europe's regions this month13th percentile
Domestic share of nights65%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights18
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.3%
National hotel-price seasonCroatia historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−17% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used792,000
Statistical regionHR06 · Sjeverna Hrvatska

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.