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After just under four hours of flight under the palm trees: Egypt is a dream destination for the winter with warm temperatures of around 23 to 26 degrees.
The Algarve coast in southern Portugal promises pleasant temperatures even in winter. In the eastern Algarve, around the city of Faro, it is warmer than on the western coast. The average temperature is around 18 degrees in winter. On sunny days it can get warmer than 20 degrees – you can even bathe in the sun when there is no wind. The coast is characterized by long sandy beaches, rocky cliffs and secluded bays.
Tip: If you are not a beach person, you can go hiking in the hilly hinterland of the Algarve. The long-distance hiking trail Via Algarviana, which leads over 300 kilometers from the Spanish border to Cabo de São Vicente, the south-western point of Europe, is great.
After just under four hours of flight under the palm trees: Egypt is a dream destination for the winter with summer temperatures of around 23 to 26 degrees. At night it cools down to 12 degrees due to the desert climate. However, around 8 hours of sun a day and an average of only one rainy day a month make up for this. All year round, visitors can swim in the Red Sea, which at 24 degrees is still pleasantly mild even in winter. Egypt with its colorful and species-rich underwater world is particularly popular with divers.
Tip: If you don’t just want to relax on the beach, but also want to experience some adventure, you can book many excursions in the desert at the beach resorts, such as a jeep safari or camel rides.
The Maldives is the perfect destination for a warm break from winter in Europe. The many small atolls in the Indian Ocean offer well-deserved rest and new energy for the new year. The water is warm and crystal clear, ideal for swimming, snorkeling and diving. The beaches and palm trees create the perfect picture-postcard backdrop in this tropical paradise. The temperatures range between 29 and 32 degrees all year round. It is also pleasantly dry until March.
Tip: The Maldives is considered a luxury travel destination. However, there are also many resorts in the middle price segment. The residents are now even offering homestays.
For Thailand (as for the whole of Southeast Asia), our winter is the best travel time: Then it is dry and a bit cooler in the land of smiles. The temperatures are currently between a pleasant 25 and occasionally 30 degrees. In summer, when the rain hits Thailand, the damp heat is bad for health and mind. The good thing: Since Chinese tourism hasn’t started up again yet, Thailand’s beaches are emptier than they’ve been in a long time.
Tip: Many Swiss tourists spend their holidays on the island of Phuket because of a direct flight from Zurich. Quieter and particularly suitable for families, the beach town of Khao Lak is a little more northern.
Dubai and the surrounding Emirates are always a popular travel destination – also because of direct flights from Switzerland, which only take about six hours. However, while it can get very hot in summer and you should mainly stay in cooled interior rooms, it is pleasant in winter with an average of around 26 degrees. This means that you can not only go shopping, have fun in amusement parks or visit the Burj Khalifa, now is also the time for outdoor activities in the desert: camel riding, climbing and zipling (in the Emirate of Ras al Khaima there is the longest rope bridge in the world ).
When you think of sun, sand and sea, the Caribbean immediately comes to mind. The island of Guadeloupe is located in the southeast of the island chain and, as a French overseas territory, has many European influences. These can be seen on both islands, which are connected by a promontory like the wings of a butterfly. To the north lies Grande-Terre with its sugar cane fields and long beaches. To the south is Basse-Terre, home to the Guadeloupe National Park with its waterfalls and volcano.
Tip: The offshore islands of Guadeloupe are also worth a visit. The smaller of them is La Désirade, the larger Marie-Galante.
The Cape Verde Islands are off the west coast of Africa. In addition to the beautiful beaches, the lively culture is also attractive. She is a mixture of Creole, Portuguese and West African influences. At around 27 degrees, the temperatures are perfect for swimming and rarely fall below a minimum of 18 degrees, even in winter. That’s why the months of November to May are ideal for exploring the nine inhabited islands while hiking, biking or windsurfing.
Tip: Cape Verde is also known for the traditional Morna music. It combines violins and 10-string guitars, among other things, and is similar to the traditional Portuguese music fado.