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Where to go in January / France in January / Lille & the north coast / January

France · Beach

Lille & the north coast
in January.

Illustration of Cobbled streets and Flemish facades in Vieux-Lille
Old Lille streets and Flemish facadesDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 46°F afternoons and 49°F seas, with about 13 rain days.

Afternoons
46°F
Sea
49°F
Visitor demand
36%of August peak

Historical Nord-Pas de Calais regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Lille; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

3.0/10 · scores & priorities

Planning to sightsee in Lille? 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
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of 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 46°F (8°C): a warm coat; nights around 35°F (1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 13 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 8 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 8 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 08:44Sunset 17:1135°F46°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:44 and sets about 17:11 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 35°F (1°C); afternoons reach about 46°F (8°C). Expect rain on about 13 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
46°F (8°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
35°F (1°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
49°F (9°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
8h 27m
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 48°F on the 1st, versus 46°F on the 31st.

Early January 1 January

48°F

Typical afternoon high

45% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

45°F

Typical afternoon high

39% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

46°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
148°248°348°
448°548°648°747°847°947°1046°
1146°1246°1345°1445°1545°1644°1744°
1844°1944°2044°2144°2244°2344°2444°
2545°2645°2746°2846°2946°3046°3146°

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

Afternoons cool from about 48°F (9°C) in the first week to 46°F (8°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 37–46%. 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?

Moderate season. January averages 36% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.

Overnight stays across Nord-Pas de Calais 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.

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 42°F (6°C) and 49°F (9°C); in 11 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 46°F (8°C). Rain days ranged from 7 to 20; half the years had 11–16.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 13 rain days1320112012: 12 rain days122013: 12 rain days122014: 20 rain days202015: 16 rain days162016: 15 rain days152017: 8 rain days82018: 15 rain days152019: 13 rain days132020: 11 rain days112021: 18 rain days182022: 7 rain days72023: 14 rain days142024: 9 rain days92025: 17 rain days172025
Rain days
13
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
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
201145°F13
201247°F12
201342°F12
201448°F20
201546°F16
201647°F15
201742°F8
201849°F15
201944°F13
202049°F11
202144°F18
202247°F7
202347°F14
202445°F9
202544°F17

Checked against 25 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°F46°F48°F
Sea52°F49°F47°F
Rain days141310
Overnight demand46%36%43%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than January. More overnight demand. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons, cooler sea 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 to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 46% 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
Afternoons46°F48°F
Nights35°F38°F
Sea49°F52°F
Rain days1314
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate 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#1046°F35°F49°F131.0Moderate season
February3.0#1148°F35°F47°F101.0Moderate season
March4.4#854°F37°F47°F102.4Moderate season
April5.6#660°F40°F49°F74.4Busy season
May5.9#566°F46°F53°F95.7Busy season
June6.4#472°F52°F58°F87.0Busy season
July6.6#175°F55°F63°F97.8Peak season
August6.4#375°F56°F65°F107.9Peak season
September6.5#270°F52°F64°F86.8Busy season
October5.4#762°F48°F61°F124.1Moderate season
November3.4#953°F41°F57°F121.4Moderate season
December3.0#1248°F38°F52°F141.0Moderate 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 Lille & the north coast

Lille & the north coast's weather ranks 55 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Lille & the north coast.

All of France 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 41% below its average month. That means about 15,000 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 82% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 6,900 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 checked25 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.8°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day4
Busiest month hereAugust · 10
Visitors as share of people present0.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month20th percentile
Domestic share of nights82%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights47
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.5%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−8% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used4.1 million
Statistical regionFRE1 · Nord-Pas de Calais

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.