Weather can make or break a trip: These are Europe’s sunniest, snowiest and rainiest cities

As northern Europe plunges into a cold snap, you might be dreaming of brighter days ahead.

Devout sun worshippers may even be planning an Easter escape to warmer climes.

Weather can be unpredictable but some parts of the continent are more consistent than others.

To help you plan a fair weather holiday, we’ve sought out the sunniest cities in Europe.

Based on data from World Weather Online, holiday rental search engine Holidu analysed the weather of the 300 most populated cities in Europe from 2009 to 2021. These were the results.

No surprise here: Europe’s sunniest cities are in Spain and Italy. These two countries dominate the top 30, with 12 cities from Spain and 11 from Italy making the list.

This ranking reflects the average number of sunny hours per month in each city, rather than comparing temperatures. 

Taking a closer look at the top 10 sunniest cities, four of them are located in the south and southeast of Spain, and three are on Italy’s island of Sicily.

If you’re a fan of sunny weather, these are the regions for you. They are year-round travel destinations thanks to their mild climates.

Located on Spain’s southeast coast, Alicante has the highest number of sunny hours in Europe.

With an average of 349 hours of sunshine per month (an average month has 730 hours in total, including nighttimes), it’s a dream destination for sun lovers. Roughly half of the day, every day, is sunny in Alicante.

The Costa Blanca coastline has wonderful beaches for water sports. When the sun goes down, the colourful old town of Barrio Santa Cruz will keep you entertained with narrow streets, museums, restaurants and lively nightlife.

Catania, on the eastern coast of Sicily, enjoys an average of 347 hours of sun per month.

The baroque ‘old town’