Sunniest countries in Europe: all 27 EU states ranked in 2026
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Short answer
Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Croatia are the sunniest EU countries, the seven in MoveMap EU’s 2026 warm-climate band. Ranked by coastline, Greece and Malta lead at 98/100, with Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal and Spain at 95.
For a lot of people, weather is the whole reason to move. Trading grey winters for long, warm summers and a coastline on your doorstep is reason enough. The EU has plenty of sun to go round, mostly in the south, but the warmest spot is not always the easiest place to build a life. This guide ranks all 27 EU countries by climate and coast.
Warm and coastal, ranked
Here are all 27 EU countries grouped by climate, with the longest, most accessible coastlines first (illustrative ratings only):
*MoveMap EU's rough ratings, illustrative only. Climate is a simple warm / mild / cold band; the coastline score (0-100) reflects how much of a draw the coast is. Microclimates vary a lot within a country.
This ranking is for an average person. Rank all 27 for your passport, budget and family.
The sunniest countries are often also the most popular, which can mean higher housing pressure in the nicest spots and a bigger gap between summer buzz and quiet winters. Warm coastal regions can also pay lower local wages, so the climate dream works best when your income comes with you or you do not depend on a local salary.
Match it to your idea of good weather
Some people want heat and a beach, others want mild winters or four real seasons. The MoveMap check takes your climate preference along with cost, work and lifestyle and ranks all 27 EU countries to fit it.
Frequently asked questions
Which EU country has the best weather?
Seven EU countries sit in our warm band: Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Croatia. Ranked by coastline within that band, Greece and Malta score 98/100, with Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal and Spain at 95. Which of them suits you usually comes down to whether you want islands, a long mainland coast, or mountains within reach of the sea.
Where is the sunniest place in Europe?
The southern Mediterranean and the Atlantic islands. Cyprus and Malta record the most sunshine hours in the EU, and on the mainland southern Spain and the Portuguese Algarve lead. Madeira and the Canaries are the mildest year-round, because they sit far enough south to have no real winter at all, which is why they draw people escaping northern cold rather than chasing summer heat.
Is southern Europe too hot in summer now?
It is a fair question and increasingly a practical one. Inland Spain, southern Italy, Greece and Cyprus regularly pass 40C in July and August, and cities hold that heat overnight far more than the coast does. Two things follow: air conditioning is a running cost rather than a luxury, and a growing number of movers now optimise for mild winters and simply leave for August, which inverts how the seasons used to be judged.
How these numbers are made
Updated November 2026
The 0-100 figures in this ranking are MoveMap EU's own comparative estimates, not official statistics or a third-party index. They are built to rank the 27 countries against each other from public cost, wage, language and institutional data, and they are calibrated to be directionally right rather than precise to the point. Where a figure comes from a dated external dataset, such as the tax pages, the source and check date are named on that page.
The full weighting is written up on our methodology page. Published by Dobreon sp. z o.o., Krakow, Poland (VAT PL6772528744). Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
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