Our Best Winter Sun Family Holidays: Where to Go When the UK Gets Too Dark

By November, the UK gives you roughly eight hours of grey daylight and not much to show for it. For a lot of families, that's the point where a winter sun holiday stops being a nice idea and starts being a plan.

The good news is that winter getaways don't have to mean a long-haul flight and a jet-lagged toddler. For UK families, the best family winter sun holidays split into two clear groups: a roughly four-hour flight to the Canaries, Madeira or Malta, or a longer haul to Dubai and Abu Dhabi for guaranteed heat and a bigger change of scenery.

This guide compares five destinations you can take your family to, focusing on the details that really matter for a family holiday. These include flight time, real December and January weather, and which resorts cater properly for both a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old.

The Best Winter Sun Family Destinations at a Glance

These five sit among the best destinations for winter sun holidays with young children, each suited to a different flight tolerance and budget:

• Tenerife and Lanzarote are the easiest short-haul pick for younger families: around 4 to 4.5 hours' flying and reliably mild, sunny weather in the low 20s°C.
• Madeira suits families with slightly older, walking-tolerant kids who want a quieter, greener alternative to the bigger resort towns, at a similarly short flight time.
• Malta is the quickest flight of the five (as little as 3 hours from London), but its winter climate is mild rather than hot, so treat it as a sunshine-and-culture break, not a beach-heat one.
• Dubai and Abu Dhabi deliver the most reliable warmth and the biggest "wow factor," at the cost of a roughly 7-hour flight.

Book by early autumn where you can: family rooms and resort kids' clubs fill up fastest around school holiday dates.

Globally, 84% of travellers say they'll go abroad as much, or more, in 2026 than they did in 2025, according to Skyscanner's Travel Trends research. For a growing number of UK families, that appetite is splitting winter into two separate trips rather than one: a February half-term ski week, and a shorter, warmer escape earlier or later in the season.

Cost is shaping how families spread that spending, not whether they travel at all. YouGov's 2026 research found that 42% of UK adults cite cost of living as the single biggest factor affecting their travel plans this year, which is why a shorter winter sun trip alongside a bigger ski holiday appeals: two smaller outlays instead of one big one.

For a family with a toddler or a child who doesn't travel well, a Tenerife family holiday or a Lanzarote family holiday is the shortest route to reliable winter warmth from the UK.

Both islands sit at around 4 to 4.5 hours' flying time, with December and January daytime temperatures typically in the low 20s°C, mild enough for the beach without the intense heat of summer.

Tenerife: The Widest Choice of Family Resorts

Tenerife has the largest concentration of purpose-built family resorts of any destination on this list.

Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora, at Alcalá on the west coast, runs an age-split kids' club (4 to 8, plus a separate teens' offering) alongside a pirate-ship-themed kids' pool and a dedicated baby pool.

Further along the coast at Costa Adeje, Iberostar Waves Bouganville Playa runs a daily kids' club for ages 4 to 12 and offers family suites with an adjoining kids' room. It also sits close to Siam Park, rated the world's number one water park by TripAdvisor for ten years running. The park has dedicated toddler and younger children's areas alongside bigger slides for older kids and teenagers, so it works across a wide age range on one visit.

Away from the resorts, Canarian staples like papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes served with mojo sauce) turn up on most family-friendly menus, and the sheer volume of resorts across the island generally keeps prices competitive.

Lanzarote: Quieter, Volcanic, and Built Around Rancho Texas Park

Lanzarote suits families wanting somewhere quieter than Tenerife's bigger resort towns, but the island's real family draw is Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park in Puerto del Carmen. It’s a zoo and water park combined, with dolphin and sea lion shows and children's areas built for a wide age range.

For a base nearby, Seaside Los Jameos runs a kids' club for ages 4 to 12, plus a dedicated babies' splash pool and baby monitors, highchairs and baby food available on request.

Older children tend to enjoy Timanfaya National Park, where a coach tour winds through the island's volcanic craters and rangers demonstrate the ground's natural heat by grilling food over it - a striking half-day out that's a world away from a morning on the beach.

Madeira works well for families with slightly older, walking-tolerant kids. It suits them better than families with toddlers in a buggy because the island's terrain is hillier than the flat resort strips of the Canaries.

The flight from major UK airports takes just under 4 hours, and December daytime temperatures typically sit between 15°C and 20°C, cooling to around 17°C in January. That's noticeably milder than Tenerife or Dubai, so pack layers alongside the sun cream.

Enotel Lido, on the seafront in Funchal, is a proper all-inclusive option with kids' and teen clubs, two pools with water slides, and family suites with two bedrooms.

Beyond the resort, Madeira's levada walks (trails that follow the island's centuries-old irrigation channels) range from short, flat routes to longer waterfall hikes, so there's usually one that suits your children's legs. Also there’s the option of the Funchal cable car up to Monte which is a genuine highlight in its own right rather than just a way to get somewhere.

Local menus lean on bolo do caco, a garlic flatbread served plain or filled. It’s an easy, low-risk order for fussier eaters.

Malta is the quickest flight of the five destinations here - as little as 3 hours from London Gatwick - but its winter climate is mild rather than hot: December daytime temperatures average around 18°C, dropping to about 11°C after dark. It's a sunshine-and-culture break, not a guaranteed-beach-heat one.

Family resorts cluster around Mellieha and St Julian's. db Seabank Resort & Spa in Mellieha runs an active kids' programme, with families reporting organised daily activities, an evening kids' disco and circus shows, alongside easy access to the resort's own sandy beach.

Malta's compact size makes day trips easy: Mdina, the fortified former capital, is a UNESCO-listed hilltop old town with a 3D history experience built for kids. There’s also Valletta's sights and Blue Lagoon boat trips, which are both realistic trips even on a short break.

Street food here runs on pastizzi, flaky pastries filled with ricotta or peas and sold everywhere, an easy, cheap way to feed hungry kids between sights.

If your family wants guaranteed warmth and a bigger sense of occasion, a Dubai family holiday or one to Abu Dhabi is a great option. It’s around 7 hours' flying time in exchange for winter daytime temperatures from the mid-20s up to the low 30s°C, genuinely warm without the punishing heat of a UAE summer.

Dubai: Theme Parks, Beach Resorts and a Different Kind of Holiday

Atlantis, The Palm splits its facilities cleanly by age: a kids' club for children up to 12, and a separate teens' hangout zone for 13 to 18 year olds, with free guest access to the on-site Aquaventure Waterpark, including its Tower of Neptune slide through a shark lagoon. It suits a family where the teenager wants genuine independence and the younger sibling wants a proper kids' club.

Beyond the resort, you have activities such as a desert safari, a camel ride or a barbecue dinner as options. All of these are a proper change of pace from pool time and works for most ages, while the older Deira and Al Fahidi souks give a sense of Dubai before the skyline.

Abu Dhabi: A Calmer Alternative With the Same Winter Warmth

Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island resorts offer a quieter, more culture-led version of the same warmth. Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island runs its Rixy Kids Club for ages 4 to 14, alongside a wave pool, which is a wide enough age band to cover most siblings on one booking.

Louvre Abu Dhabi, a short drive away on the same island, runs free family weekend workshops and has its own children's museum space - a good half-day option when everyone needs a break from the beach.

Winter Sun Destinations for Families Compared

At a glance, here's how the five compare:

Rather than picking by destination alone, work backwards from three questions:

• How old is your youngest? A toddler needs a short flight and a shallow, shaded pool close to your room, which points towards Tenerife, Lanzarote or Madeira over a longer Gulf flight.
• What's your flight tolerance? Around 4 hours suits most families without complaint. Once you're past 6 hours, it's worth having a few shorter trips behind you first, which is exactly the reasoning behind saving Dubai or Abu Dhabi for later in a family's travel pattern rather than a first winter sun trip.
• Do you want beach heat or mild sunshine plus culture? If it's genuine warmth you're after, the Canaries or the Gulf deliver it reliably. If a milder climate with history and a shorter flight sounds more like your family, Malta is the better fit, not a lesser version of the others.

If the real sticking point is a bigger age gap between siblings rather than any single destination, our guide to family holidays when your kids are different ages goes into that specifically.

Flight distance is the single biggest driver of cost here.

A week to the Canaries or Madeira on an all-inclusive basis typically costs less than the same length trip to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, simply because the flights are shorter and family resort capacity across Tenerife and Lanzarote is high enough to keep prices competitive. Malta tends to sit close to the Canaries on price, sometimes lower, given its own short flight time and smaller resort premium.

Whichever destination you choose, booking earlier in the year rather than closer to your travel dates makes the biggest difference of all: family room configurations and kids' club places are both limited in number, and go first around school holiday dates.

Given how much winter weather and travel advice can shift closer to departure, check current conditions and the latest FCDO travel advice for your destination before you fly, particularly for the UAE, where entry requirements and advisories have been updated in recent years.

The same goes for any day trip away from your resort, into Madeira's hillier interior or on a desert excursion from Dubai or Abu Dhabi: check local weather and guidance first, and let someone at your accommodation know your plans.

Once you have picked where you're going, it's worth checking that your travel insurance cover matches the trip you have planned, especially if you’re a family travelling with children of different ages.

Travel Insurance for Your Family

Family Travel Insurance is designed to cover your family under one policy if something unexpected happens during your trip. Below are some features of family travel insurance that can give you reassurance when travelling as a family:

• Emergency medical expenses if you or a member of your family becomes ill or is injured while This can also include repatriation if you or a family member needs to return to the UK for medical reasons.
• Holiday cancellation or curtailment if you need to cancel your trip or cut short your holiday for insured reasons
• Lost or damaged baggage while you're travelling abroad
• GP on Demand, a 24/7 service giving you unlimited virtual appointments with a UK-based, NHS-qualified GP by phone or video call. This can be useful if your children become unwell while overseas.
• Cover for your children up to age 20 if they're in full-time education, with Voyager Plus family travel insurance.

You may be able to use a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) to access state-provided healthcare in eligible countries in the EU, but a GHIC does not cover everything. For example, if you need treatment at a private hospital because it is considered the most suitable option, this may not be covered by your GHIC.

Travel insurance can also provide cover for bringing you or a family member back to the UK if medically necessary, known as repatriation.

Annual Cover Can Make Sense for Families Taking Several Trips

If this winter sun trip is one of two or three, you're planning this year, Annual Multi-Trip cover could be a more appropriate option for you and your family. For example, you might have a winter sun holiday during the half term break, a February ski week, and another at Easter or Summer holiday.

Some benefits of annual travel insurance include:

• Simpler to manage: You can cover multiple trips under one policy, saving you the time and hassle of buying a separate single-trip policy for each holiday.
• Independent travel available: Family members can travel separately during the year. However, anyone under 18 must travel with an adult.
• Declaring pre-existing conditions: You only need to complete medical screening once for the year, with cover applying to each trip. If there is a change in health, you may need to do it again.

If you're weighing up one bigger trip a year against several shorter ones, our comparison of single-trip and annual cover sets out the difference in more detail.

Your Planned Family Activities May Need Additional Cover

Some family activities in these destinations may not be covered as standard, so it’s worth checking your policy before you travel. Depending on what you’re planning, you may want to add one of these optional covers:

• Action or Action Plus: Cover for a wider range of activities if you're feeling adventurous, including watersports such as white-water rafting, kayaking, canyoning
• Winter Sports Cover: If you're planning a ski or snowboarding holiday, you can add optional winter sports cover for a wide range of winter sports activities, including on-piste and off-piste skiing and snowboarding.

For off-piste skiing and snowboarding, activities must take place within the ski resort boundaries, and you must follow local safety guidelines If you don’t, your cover may not apply, leaving you responsible for the costs if something goes wrong.

Choosing Your Winter Sun Family Holiday

The right winter sun destination for your family comes down to three things: how long a flight your youngest can realistically manage, whether you want guaranteed beach heat or a milder sunshine-and-culture break, and whether the resorts you're considering have actually thought about a wide age range rather than treating every child the same.

Tenerife and Lanzarote remain the easiest short-haul choice for most UK families, Madeira and Malta offer quieter, milder alternatives at a similarly short flight time, and Dubai or Abu Dhabi are worth saving for once you've had a few easier trips behind you.

If you're planning more than one trip this winter, our guide on Europe's quieter, less-crowded corners is worth a look too.

Get Peace of Mind with Voyager Plus Family Cover

Voyager Plus family travel insurance is designed to cover your family under one policy, including:

• Emergency Medical Expenses – up to £10 million
• Cancellation Cover – up to £10,000
• Baggage Cover – up to £3,500
• 100s of activities covered as standard
• And so much more!

Click here to find out more about Voyager Plus Family Travel Insurance.

Or if you want to get a quote for family travel insurance from Voyager Plus to get peace of mind for your family holidays.

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Where is the best place to get winter sun with kids?

For most UK families, Tenerife or Lanzarote offer the best balance of short flight time, reliable warmth and resorts built around a range of ages. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are worth considering once you've had a few shorter winter sun trips first.

Do Tenerife and Lanzarote work for teenagers as well as younger kids?

Yes. Siam Park near Costa Adeje in Tenerife has slides built for older kids and thrill-seekers alongside its toddler areas, and Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park's dolphin and sea lion shows tend to hold teenagers' attention as well as younger siblings'. Both islands also have enough restaurants and things to do around the bigger resort towns to keep older kids entertained beyond the pool.

Is Madeira a good family holiday destination?

Yes, particularly for families with slightly older children who enjoy walking and exploring, though its hillier terrain and milder December temperatures (15°C to 20°C) make it a better fit for a family without a buggy-bound toddler.

Is Malta a good family holiday?

Yes, for a family that wants a short flight, history and culture alongside genuine sunshine. That said, its winter climate is mild rather than hot, so it suits families looking for a break from grey skies rather than guaranteed beach heat.

How much does a family winter sun holiday cost?

The biggest cost swing comes from flight distance rather than the resort itself: Dubai and Abu Dhabi typically run higher than the Canaries, Madeira or Malta for a comparable week. Booking as early as you can afford to is the single biggest lever on price, since family rooms and kids' club places both get scarcer, and pricier, closer to school holiday dates.

Does one winter sun destination work for a wide age range of children?

Yes, provided you choose a resort with properly age-banded facilities rather than one general kids' club. Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora in Tenerife, Atlantis The Palm in Dubai and Rixos Premium Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi all run separate programmes for younger children and teenagers.

This article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute advice in any way. The information provided here is correct at the time of writing however please check the latest policy wording for the latest terms, conditions, and exclusions.