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Where to go in January / France in January / Auvergne / January

France · Mountains

Auvergne
in January.

Illustration of Volcanic hills of the Chaîne des Puys near Clermont-Ferrand
Chaîne des Puys, AuvergneDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Similar overnight stays to December.

January averages 45°F afternoons, with about 13 rain days.

Afternoons
45°F
Rain days
13
Visitor demand
15%of August peak

Historical Auvergne regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Clermont-Ferrand; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.5/10 · scores & priorities

This weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.5/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostModeratefor Europe; France-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 32°F (0°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 13 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 08:24Sunset 17:2832°F45°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:24 and sets about 17:28 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 32°F (0°C); afternoons reach about 45°F (7°C). Expect rain on about 13 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
45°F (7°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
32°F (0°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
9h 03m
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 47°F on the 1st, versus 46°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 33% to 42% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

47°F

Typical afternoon high

33% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

45°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
147°247°347°
447°546°646°746°846°946°1046°
1145°1245°1345°1445°1545°1644°1744°
1844°1944°2045°2145°2245°2345°2445°
2545°2645°2746°2846°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 46°F (8°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 33–43%. Local schools are out 1–3 January 2027.

Schools here are off 1–3 January 2027 (Christmas 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 15% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to December.

Overnight stays across Auvergne do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for 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.

France as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 110 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 49°F (10°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 45°F (7°C). Rain days ranged from 7 to 20; half the years had 10–16.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 7 rain days720112012: 13 rain days132013: 11 rain days112014: 16 rain days162015: 13 rain days132016: 17 rain days172017: 10 rain days102018: 20 rain days202019: 16 rain days162020: 8 rain days82021: 17 rain days172022: 8 rain days82023: 12 rain days122024: 10 rain days102025: 14 rain days142025
Rain days
13
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 17 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
3 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
4 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
201144°F7
201245°F13
201344°F11
201449°F16
201545°F13
201648°F17
201741°F10
201849°F20
201941°F16
202049°F8
202142°F17
202245°F8
202345°F12
202448°F10
202547°F14

Checked against 126 local weather stations. 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
Afternoons48°F45°F49°F
Rain days121310
Overnight demand15%15%21%

December: Warmer afternoons than January. 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 15% of the busiest month.

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

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons45°F48°F
Nights32°F35°F
Rain days1312
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 106.56.6
Month rank#12#10
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.5#1245°F32°F134.5Low season
February6.7#949°F32°F105.3Low season
March7.2#656°F36°F106.1Low season
April7.6#461°F40°F97.2Low season
May7.5#567°F47°F117.8Moderate season
June7.6#376°F54°F98.5Moderate season
July7.0#780°F57°F78.9Busy season
August6.5#1180°F56°F88.8Peak season
September7.9#172°F50°F88.7Moderate season
October7.7#264°F46°F87.6Low season
November6.9#853°F39°F125.4Low season
December6.6#1048°F35°F124.8Low 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 Auvergne

Auvergne's weather ranks 12 of 28 mountain regions this month. These mountain regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Auvergne.

All of France in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's low season, 15% of the busiest month and 59% below its average month. That means about 8,000 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 91% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 5,200 more: 65 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)58
How our weather was checked126 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.2°C), night lows within 1°F (0.1°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day6
Busiest month hereAugust · 40
Visitors as share of people present0.6%
Rank among Europe's regions this month44th percentile
Domestic share of nights91%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights65
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.0%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−8% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.4 million
Statistical regionFRK1 · Auvergne

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.