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Where to go in January / France in January / Bordeaux & the Atlantic coast / January

France · Beach

Bordeaux & the Atlantic coast
in January.

Illustration of Dune du Pilat near Arcachon
Dune du Pilat, Atlantic coastDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 52°F afternoons and 54°F seas, with about 11 rain days. Check seasonal openings.

Afternoons
52°F
Sea
54°F
Visitor demand
7%of August peak

Historical Aquitaine regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Bordeaux, Biarritz and Arcachon; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

3.3/10 · scores & priorities

Planning to sightsee in Bordeaux? The weather score rates beach conditions. Sightseeing rates good (5.2/10).

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather1.3/10Poor
CrowdsOff seasoncheck seasonal openings; 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 52°F (11°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 38°F (4°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 11 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 9 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in January?

The sea averages 54°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

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

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 08:34Sunset 17:4538°F52°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:34 and sets about 17:45 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 38°F (4°C); afternoons reach about 52°F (11°C). Expect rain on about 11 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
52°F (11°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
38°F (4°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
54°F (12°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 12m
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 54°F on the 1st, versus 53°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 34% to 40% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

54°F

Typical afternoon high

34% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

51°F

Typical afternoon high

41% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

53°F

Typical afternoon high

40% 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
154°254°353°
453°553°653°753°853°952°1052°
1152°1252°1351°1451°1551°1651°1751°
1851°1951°2051°2151°2251°2351°2452°
2552°2652°2752°2852°2953°3053°3153°

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

Afternoons hold at about 52°F (11°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 34–43%. 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?

Off season. January averages 7% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings.

Overnight stays across Aquitaine 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 48°F (9°C) and 55°F (13°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 52°F (11°C). Rain days ranged from 6 to 21; half the years had 8–17.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 6 rain days620112012: 8 rain days82013: 17 rain days172014: 21 rain days212015: 12 rain days122016: 20 rain days202017: 7 rain days72018: 19 rain days192019: 11 rain days112020: 11 rain days112021: 13 rain days132022: 6 rain days62023: 11 rain days112024: 9 rain days92025: 16 rain days162025
Rain days
11
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 19 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
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
201151°F6
201252°F8
201351°F17
201455°F21
201551°F12
201655°F20
201748°F7
201855°F19
201949°F11
202055°F11
202149°F13
202251°F6
202351°F11
202454°F9
202553°F16

Checked against 127 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
Afternoons55°F52°F55°F
Sea57°F54°F53°F
Rain days121110
Overnight demand9%7%8%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than January. More overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons than January. More overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. February guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

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.

February to March and November have 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 9% of the busiest month; check seasonal openings.

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
Afternoons52°F55°F
Nights38°F41°F
Sea54°F57°F
Rain days1112
Visitor seasonOff seasonOff season
Overall / 103.34.2
Month rank#12#11
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January3.3#1252°F38°F54°F111.3Off season
February4.5#1055°F39°F53°F102.6Off season
March5.8#861°F42°F54°F124.1Low season
April6.7#666°F46°F57°F105.6Low season
May7.1#472°F51°F61°F106.7Low season
June7.3#279°F57°F67°F97.7Moderate season
July6.9#583°F60°F70°F59.0Busy season
August6.3#784°F60°F71°F68.9Peak season
September7.7#178°F56°F69°F88.4Low season
October7.2#370°F51°F65°F86.7Low season
November5.1#959°F45°F61°F123.4Off season
December4.2#1155°F41°F57°F122.2Off 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 Bordeaux & the Atlantic coast

Bordeaux & the Atlantic coast's weather ranks 46 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Bordeaux & the Atlantic coast.

All of France in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's off season, 7% of the busiest month and 77% below its average month. That means about 23,000 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 87% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 9,500 more: 41 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)42
How our weather was checked127 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day6
Busiest month hereAugust · 93
Visitors as share of people present0.6%
Rank among Europe's regions this month52nd percentile
Domestic share of nights87%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights41
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.9%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−8% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used3.6 million
Statistical regionFRI1 · Aquitaine

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.