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Where to go in January / France in January / Eastern Normandy / January

France · Beach

Eastern Normandy
in January.

Illustration of Porte d’Aval arch and needle at Étretat
Porte d’Aval arch and needle at ÉtretatDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Similar overnight stays to December.

January averages 47°F afternoons and 49°F seas, with about 15 rain days.

Afternoons
47°F
Sea
49°F
Visitor demand
28%of August peak

Historical Haute-Normandie regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Rouen, Étretat and Giverny; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

3.0/10 · scores & priorities

Planning to sightsee in Giverny and Rouen? The weather score rates beach conditions. Sightseeing rates fair (4.4/10).

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#10 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather1.0/10Poor
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 47°F (8°C): a warm coat; nights around 36°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 15 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 9 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in January?

The sea averages 49°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 08:46Sunset 17:2336°F47°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:46 and sets about 17:23 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 36°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 47°F (8°C). Expect rain on about 15 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
47°F (8°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
36°F (2°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
49°F (9°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
8h 36m
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 49°F on the 1st, versus 47°F on the 31st.

Early January 1 January

49°F

Typical afternoon high

43% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

46°F

Typical afternoon high

40% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

47°F

Typical afternoon high

44% 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
149°249°349°
449°549°648°748°848°948°1047°
1147°1247°1346°1446°1546°1646°1745°
1845°1945°2045°2146°2246°2346°2446°
2546°2646°2747°2847°2947°3047°3147°

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

Afternoons cool from about 49°F (9°C) in the first week to 47°F (8°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 38–45%. 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 28% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to December.

Overnight stays across Haute-Normandie 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?

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.

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 44°F (7°C) and 50°F (10°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 47°F (8°C). Rain days ranged from 8 to 20; half the years had 10–17.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 10 rain days1020112012: 10 rain days102013: 15 rain days152014: 20 rain days202015: 15 rain days152016: 16 rain days162017: 10 rain days102018: 19 rain days192019: 11 rain days112020: 10 rain days102021: 17 rain days172022: 8 rain days82023: 16 rain days162024: 10 rain days102025: 17 rain days172025
Rain days
15
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 18 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
1 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
0 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
201146°F10
201249°F10
201344°F15
201449°F20
201547°F15
201648°F16
201744°F10
201850°F19
201945°F11
202050°F10
202145°F17
202247°F8
202348°F16
202446°F10
202544°F17

Checked against 36 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
Afternoons49°F47°F49°F
Sea52°F49°F47°F
Rain days141511
Overnight demand30%28%34.9%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea 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. 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.

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 30% 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
Afternoons47°F49°F
Nights36°F39°F
Sea49°F52°F
Rain days1514
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 103.03.0
Month rank#10#12
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January3.0#1047°F36°F49°F151.0Low season
February3.0#1149°F36°F47°F111.0Low season
March4.3#855°F38°F47°F102.3Low season
April5.8#660°F41°F50°F74.4Moderate season
May5.8#566°F46°F54°F95.4Busy season
June6.4#372°F52°F59°F96.9Busy season
July6.7#175°F56°F63°F98.0Busy season
August6.2#475°F56°F66°F87.8Peak season
September6.7#270°F52°F65°F96.8Moderate season
October5.6#763°F48°F61°F124.2Moderate season
November3.4#954°F42°F57°F131.4Low season
December3.0#1249°F39°F52°F141.0Low 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 Eastern Normandy

Eastern Normandy's weather ranks 57 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Eastern Normandy.

All of France in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's low season, 28% of the busiest month and 46% below its average month. That means about 8,200 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 90% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 3,900 more: 47 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)35
How our weather was checked36 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.6°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day4
Busiest month hereAugust · 16
Visitors as share of people present0.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month29th percentile
Domestic share of nights90%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights47
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.6%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−8% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.9 million
Statistical regionFRD2 · Haute-Normandie

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.