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

Too cold Too cold here in January: afternoon highs average only 16.7°C, which is too chilly for sunbathing in light clothing. Try another month or a warmer destination.

2.4 hsun window (UV 2.5+)

2.9peak UV Index

18 minto a full dose

17°Cafternoon high

6/30rainy days

23/30sunny days

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

Open Spain for January on the map Find stays in Spain

How long in the sun in January?

If you travel anyway, plan your sun session around midday (roughly 11:00 to 15:00), when the UV Index peaks at about 2.9. With about a quarter of your skin bare, a full dose takes around 18 minutes for skin type III at age 30, and about 34 minutes at age 65.
Stop well before your skin turns pink. At this UV level skin type III can start to burn after about 69 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	12 min	23 min	46 min
Type II	15 min	29 min	57 min
Type III	18 min	34 min	69 min
Type IV	28 min	52 min	1.7 h
Type V	37 min	69 min	2.3 h
Type VI	61 min	1.9 h	3.8 h

Minutes at midday for about 1,000 IU of vitamin D with a quarter of the body bare, at Marbella, 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 January

Place	Rating	Sun window	Full dose	Afternoon high	Rainy days
Gran Canaria	Good	5.7 h	11 min	24°C	1/30
Fuerteventura	Good	5.7 h	11 min	24°C	1/30
Tenerife	Good	5.5 h	11 min	24°C	0/30
Lanzarote	Good	5.6 h	11 min	23°C	1/30
Cádiz	Too cold	3.2 h	17 min	17°C	7/30
Málaga	Too cold	3.0 h	17 min	18°C	3/30
Seville	Too cold	2.8 h	18 min	18°C	6/30
Costa del Sol	Too cold	2.7 h	17 min	19°C	5/30
Alicante	Too cold	2.5 h	18 min	18°C	2/30
Benidorm	Too cold	2.4 h	18 min	18°C	2/30
Marbella	Too cold	2.4 h	18 min	17°C	6/30
Formentera	Too cold	2.3 h	18 min	16°C	6/30
Ibiza	Too cold	2.2 h	18 min	17°C	5/30
Mallorca	Too cold	1.9 h	20 min	16°C	6/30
Menorca	Too cold	1.8 h	20 min	16°C	6/30
Valencia	Too cold	1.6 h	21 min	18°C	3/30
Barcelona	Too cold	1.1 h	–	15°C	5/30
Costa Brava	Too cold	0.8 h	–	14°C	4/30
Costa Dorada	Too cold	1.1 h	–	15°C	6/30
San Sebastián	Too cold	0.4 h	–	15°C	7/30

Other months in Spain

Best months: May to October. Full Spain guide

Other sunny places in January

All best places for vitamin D in January