Edinburgh · Scotland
January
The post-Hogmanay lull — Edinburgh at its cheapest, emptiest, and most authentically Scottish.
Strong option
#9 of 12 months
There are better months for Edinburgh — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
7°C
Low
2°C
Rain
57mm
Sun
2hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How January scores in Edinburgh
Weather
Below average
Value
Perfect
Crowds
Perfect
Events
Below average
Atmosphere
Average
What you gain in January
- ↑Annual price floor: hotels in the Old Town at a fraction of their August rates, restaurants bookable on the day, and the entire city accessible without queuing for anything
- ↑The National Museum of Scotland, the Scottish National Gallery, and Edinburgh Castle's interior are all at their most explorable without summer crowds; the permanent collections rarely get the attention they deserve
- ↑Edinburgh's pub culture is at its most genuinely Scottish in January: the Royal Mile pubs, the Grassmarket bars, and Leith's waterfront are all locals-only affairs with an atmospheric quality the summer tourist season erases
What you sacrifice
- ↓Cold, grey, and dark: average highs of 7°C, only 2 sunshine hours daily, and frequent rain and wind that make outdoor sightseeing on Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill genuinely uncomfortable
- ↓The event calendar is effectively empty after Hogmanay; January is the city at its quietest and for some travellers, its least exciting
- ↓Short days — dark by 4pm — severely compress the window for outdoor photography and exploration of the castle esplanade and the Royal Mile
How January compares to May (best month)
| Factor | January | May ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 3 | 7 |
| Value | 10 | 7 |
| Crowds | 10 | 7 |
January in other destinations
Lisbon (13.6°C)Barcelona (13.2°C)Tokyo (9.8°C)Bali (30.2°C)Santorini (13.4°C)Paris (7°C)New York (3.3°C)Marrakech (17.3°C)Amsterdam (5.6°C)Maldives (30.1°C)Rome (11.6°C)Bangkok (31.1°C)Istanbul (8.7°C)Vienna (3.2°C)Seoul (1.1°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (30.9°C)Kyoto (9.2°C)Phuket (31.5°C)Cape Town (26.1°C)Prague (2°C)Amalfi Coast (12°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (31°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (24°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (24.1°C)Florence (9.2°C)Queenstown (22°C)Madrid (9.4°C)Porto (14°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (4°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (6°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (18°C)Osaka (9°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (30°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (25°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Edinburgh, not across destinations. Methodology →