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Where to go in January / Switzerland in January / Ticino / January

Switzerland · Mountains

Ticino
in January.

Illustration of Castelgrande above Piazza del Sole in Bellinzona
Castelgrande, BellinzonaDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 46°F afternoons, with about 4 rain days.

Afternoons
46°F
Rain days
4
Visitor demand
11%of July peak

Historical Ticino regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Lugano and Locarno; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.6/10 · 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%

#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.5/10Good
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostExpensivefor Europe; Switzerland-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 31°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. About 9 hours of daylight. About 4 rain days in a typical January.

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

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 08:04Sunset 17:0331°F46°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:04 and sets about 17:03 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 31°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 46°F (8°C). Expect rain on about 4 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
46°F (8°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
31°F (−1°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 59m
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 47°F on the 31st.

Early January 1 January

47°F

Typical afternoon high

18% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

45°F

Typical afternoon high

18% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

47°F

Typical afternoon high

20% 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
147°247°347°
446°546°646°746°846°946°1046°
1146°1246°1345°1445°1545°1645°1745°
1845°1946°2045°2145°2246°2346°2446°
2546°2646°2747°2847°2947°3047°3147°

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

Afternoons hold at about 46°F (8°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 15–21%. Local schools are out 1–6 January 2027.

Schools here are off 1–6 January 2027 (Christmas). Other school-holiday dates this month may be missing. 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?

Low season. January averages 11% of July's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.

Overnight stays across Ticino 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.

Switzerland as a whole
Well above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 171 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 50°F (10°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 46°F (8°C). Rain days ranged from 1 to 12; half the years had 3–9.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 4 rain days420112012: 7 rain days72013: 4 rain days42014: 12 rain days122015: 7 rain days72016: 6 rain days62017: 1 rain days12018: 12 rain days122019: 3 rain days32020: 2 rain days22021: 11 rain days112022: 1 rain days12023: 3 rain days32024: 3 rain days32025: 9 rain days92025
Rain days
4
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 12 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
10 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
12 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°F4
201246°F7
201346°F4
201445°F12
201547°F7
201647°F6
201743°F1
201847°F12
201944°F3
202050°F2
202142°F11
202249°F1
202346°F3
202447°F3
202547°F9

Checked against 8 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs July peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons47°F46°F50°F
Rain days544
Overnight demand15%11%14%

December: More overnight demand. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons 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 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 15% of the busiest month.

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

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons46°F47°F
Nights31°F33°F
Rain days45
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 105.66.3
Month rank#11#5
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.6#1146°F31°F45.5Low season
February6.4#450°F33°F45.8Low season
March6.4#357°F37°F66.6Low season
April6.1#765°F44°F77.5Moderate season
May6.4#271°F51°F98.1Moderate season
June6.2#679°F59°F88.2Busy season
July5.4#1283°F62°F88.0Peak season
August5.6#1082°F61°F88.0Peak season
September6.5#174°F55°F78.9Busy season
October6.0#964°F48°F97.3Moderate season
November6.1#853°F39°F75.5Low season
December6.3#547°F33°F55.7Low 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

Same dates, elsewhere in Europe

Ticino's weather ranks 3 of 28 mountain regions this month. We found no mountain regions outside Switzerland with a weather score at least 1.0 point higher on these dates.

All of Switzerland in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's low season, 11% of the busiest month and 77% below its average month. That means about 2,700 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 60% of them from Switzerland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 720 more: 27 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)63
How our weather was checked8 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day8
Busiest month hereJuly · 71
Visitors as share of people present0.8%
Rank among Europe's regions this month61st percentile
Domestic share of nights60%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights27
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.9%
National hotel-price seasonSwitzerland historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+3% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used359,000
Statistical regionCH07 · Ticino

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.