Vitamin D in Spain in February: sun, UV and what to expect

Too cold Too cold here in February: afternoon highs average only 18.8°C, which is too chilly for sunbathing in light clothing. Try another month or a warmer destination.

4.3 hsun window (UV 2.5+)

4.0peak UV Index

13 minto a full dose

19°Cafternoon high

1/30rainy days

27/30sunny days

The country rating is for a typical beach, but some places in Spain still work in February: Tenerife (good), Gran Canaria (good), Fuerteventura (good), Lanzarote (good).

Open Spain for February on the map Find stays in Spain

How long in the sun in February?

If you travel anyway, plan your sun session around midday (roughly 11:00 to 15:00), when the UV Index peaks at about 4.0. With about a quarter of your skin bare, a full dose takes around 13 minutes for skin type III at age 30, and about 25 minutes at age 65.
Stop well before your skin turns pink. At this UV level skin type III can start to burn after about 50 minutes of midday sun, so cover up, find shade and use SPF 30+ on skin that stays out.
Water, sand and light surfaces reflect UV, so at the beach you get a little more sun than the number suggests, for the good and the bad.

Skin type	Full dose, age 30	Full dose, age 65	Time to burn
Type I	9 min	17 min	33 min
Type II	11 min	21 min	42 min
Type III	13 min	25 min	50 min
Type IV	20 min	38 min	75 min
Type V	27 min	50 min	1.7 h
Type VI	44 min	83 min	2.8 h

Minutes at midday for about 1,000 IU of vitamin D with a quarter of the body bare, at Benidorm, the median coastal place. Time to burn is the time to reach one minimal erythemal dose and does not depend on age. A rough planning guide, not medical advice.

Places in Spain in February

Place	Rating	Sun window	Full dose	Afternoon high	Rainy days
Tenerife	Good	6.7 h	9 min	24°C	1/30
Gran Canaria	Good	6.8 h	9 min	25°C	1/30
Fuerteventura	Good	6.7 h	9 min	24°C	1/30
Lanzarote	Good	6.6 h	9 min	23°C	0/30
Cádiz	Too cold	4.9 h	12 min	18°C	6/30
Marbella	Too cold	4.6 h	13 min	18°C	4/30
Málaga	Too cold	4.5 h	13 min	18°C	2/30
Costa del Sol	Too cold	4.5 h	13 min	19°C	2/30
Alicante	Too cold	4.4 h	13 min	19°C	3/30
Benidorm	Too cold	4.3 h	13 min	19°C	1/30
Seville	Too cold	4.3 h	13 min	19°C	6/30
Ibiza	Too cold	4.3 h	14 min	17°C	4/30
Formentera	Too cold	4.2 h	14 min	16°C	4/30
Mallorca	Too cold	4.0 h	15 min	17°C	7/30
Valencia	Too cold	3.8 h	14 min	19°C	2/30
Menorca	Too cold	3.8 h	15 min	16°C	6/30
Barcelona	Too cold	3.7 h	15 min	18°C	7/30
Costa Dorada	Too cold	3.8 h	16 min	17°C	5/30
Costa Brava	Too cold	3.1 h	16 min	16°C	6/30
San Sebastián	Too cold	1.7 h	21 min	15°C	16/30

Other months in Spain

Best months: May to October. Full Spain guide

Other sunny places in February

All best places for vitamin D in February