Europe’s sunniest winter hotspot is ‘an amazing town’

Britons dreaming of a sunny holiday this winter might want to visit a gorgeous destination in Portugal (Image: Getty) Summer might be over but that doesn’t mean the holiday season is. New research from Club Med has unveiled the sunniest spots for a winter holiday in Europe. According to the team, searches for “winter sun holidays” have soared by 125 percent with sun-seeking Britons not ready to wave goodbye to summer. The team looked at average sunlight hours, average rainfall and sea temperature to find the best winter sun options. From Spain to Portugal and Greece , luckily there’s plenty of European spots where Britons can catch some winter rays. But where was the sunniest winter destination? Europe’s sunniest winter destination is in southern Portugal. Faro enjoys six hours of daylight per day and has an average sea temperature of 17 degrees.  The capital of the Algarve region, Portugal has plenty of tourist attractions away from the beach. Its pretty Old Town is a great area to while away the odd rainy day.  A tourist ‘Hilal A’ wrote on Tripadvisor: “Faro is an amazing town with its sun, old town, Mediterranean cuisine and night life. But what makes it a top experience is its people.”  (Image: Getty) Marbella was Spain’s sunniest winter hotspot, with residents enjoying six hours of sunlight a day during the cold season.  The city has easy access to 27km of sandy beaches, golf clubs and the resort’s famed Golden Mile of nightclubs.  (Image: Getty) Athens has just nine rainy days a month on average. With a sea temperature of 16 degrees, it’s a balmy destination to spend the winter.  Winter is also the ideal time to explore Athens’ archaeological highlights away from summer’s searing temperatures and crowds.  (Image: Getty) Sicily’s culinary capital, Palermo is the ideal destination to explore during the winter months.  With just 11 rainy days on average over winter, the city is usually sunny even as the temperature drops. It might be colder outside but don’t miss sampling one of Palermo’s famous gelato brioche. (Image: Getty)