Where to Travel in December
Dry-season prime across the tropics, high summer down south, and the great Christmas-week price divide.
The straight answer
The best places to travel in December are the Riviera Maya and Thailand in dry-season prime, Patagonia and New Zealand at the height of southern summer, and Prague and the European Christmas markets, ideally all before the mid-December price surge.
December splits cleanly in two, and the split is everything. The first half of the month is one of travel's best-kept secrets: dry-season weather has arrived across the Caribbean, Mexico, Thailand, and the Maldives, Europe's Christmas markets are in full glow, and prices sit at shoulder-season levels. Then, around mid-December, the holiday switch flips and the same destinations jump to their highest rates of the year through New Year's.
For warmth, the map is wide open. The Caribbean and Riviera Maya are safely past hurricane season, Thailand is in its cool-dry prime, the Maldives enters its calm season, and Costa Rica's Pacific coast dries out. The southern hemisphere is in high summer: Patagonia and New Zealand at peak, Cape Town on the beach, and Sydney building toward its famous harbor fireworks on New Year's Eve.
For atmosphere, Europe's Christmas markets run from late November until just before Christmas in most cities, with Prague, Vienna, and the German towns setting the standard. The honest fine print: the week between Christmas and New Year is the single most expensive, most crowded travel week on the global calendar, everywhere warm and everywhere festive alike. Go early in the month or budget accordingly.
The world in December
Our December picks, ranked
- 01
Riviera Maya, MexicoNorth America
Dry season locked in, hurricane season over, and 82F (28C) days. Early December is the value play; Christmas week is the year's priciest.
- 02
ThailandAsia
The cool-dry season's heart: the year's most comfortable temperatures, calm seas on both coasts, and every island running. Book ahead for the holiday fortnight.
- 03
Patagonia, Chile & ArgentinaSouth America
High season begins: the southern solstice brings the longest days of the year to Torres del Paine and Fitz Roy. Expect wind; that is Patagonia working as designed.
- 04
MaldivesAsia
The dry northeast monsoon season typically settles in during December: calm, clear water and postcard weather, with holiday-week rates to match.
- 05
Costa RicaCentral America & Caribbean
The Pacific-side dry season arrives: green landscapes left over from the rains, sunny beach days, and prime wildlife viewing before the January crowds.
- 06
Prague, Czech RepublicEurope
The Old Town Square Christmas market under snow-dusted spires is the storybook version of European winter. Markets typically run from late November through the holidays.
- 07
Cape Town, South AfricaAfrica
High summer: beach weather, long evenings, and the festive season on the waterfront. Book early; South African school holidays make December the local peak too.
- 08
Sydney, AustraliaOceania & Pacific
Summer in full swing, beach culture at its peak, and the harbor's New Year's Eve fireworks as the global finale. Plan the NYE logistics months ahead.
- 09
New ZealandOceania & Pacific
Peak summer begins: long days, warm valleys, and full trail access. Kiwi holidays start just before Christmas, so early December is the quiet window.
- 10
Dubai, United Arab EmiratesMiddle East
Peak-perfect winter weather near 79F (26C) and the city in full festive-season production. One of the most reliable warm city breaks of the month.
Closer to home
The US in December
New York City
The tree, the windows, the rinks: December New York is the American holiday postcard. Early-month weekdays get the magic at half the density.
Colorado ski country
The season opens in earnest, and pre-Christmas weeks pair fresh terrain with the year's thinnest lift lines. Christmas week is the opposite.
Hawaii
Whale season begins, surf hits its big-wave winter peak on the north shores, and early December sits in a lull before the holiday surge.
Orlando
The parks in full holiday dress with mild 73F (23C) days. The first two weeks are among the smartest of the year; Christmas through New Year's is the single busiest stretch.
New Orleans
Mild weather, bonfire and caroling traditions, and reveillon dinners: one of America's most atmospheric and affordable December cities.
Santa Fe
Farolitos line adobe walls on Christmas Eve, ski season runs in the mountains above town, and the plaza glows all month.
Worth flying for
December events and spectacles
Late November through Christmas Eve for most markets, with some running into early January · Germany, Austria & France, multi-city
Christmas Markets in Europe
Mulled wine, wooden stalls, and medieval squares in lights: Europe's best-loved season, done city by city.
December 31, with a family fireworks show at 9pm and the main midnight display over the Harbour Bridge · Sydney, Australia
Sydney New Year's Eve
The world's first great midnight: fireworks off the Harbour Bridge in the middle of summer.
September through March, whenever nights are dark; the equinox months and deep winter each have their own case · Iceland, Norway & Finnish and Swedish Lapland
Northern Lights Season
The aurora borealis runs on dark skies, not luck alone: stack the odds and the sky performs.
November through March, with the butterflies arriving around early November and the liveliest viewing in the warming weeks of late January and February · Michoacan, Mexico
Monarch Butterfly Migration in Mexico
A hundred million butterflies wintering in the mountain firs: one of the last great wildlife spectacles on Earth.
The honesty section
Where December works against you
- ✕Bali and Indonesia. The heart of the rainy season: daily downpours, high humidity, and reduced water visibility, plus peak holiday pricing anyway. Wait for the dry season around May through September.
- ✕The Greek islands. Deep off-season: most island hotels, restaurants, and ferry routes are closed until spring. Athens makes a fine winter city break; the islands do not.
- ✕Christmas-to-New-Year week, anywhere famous. The most expensive, most crowded week on the travel calendar, from ski towns to beach resorts to Orlando. If your dates are flexible at all, the first half of December buys the same trip for dramatically less.
- ✕Yellowstone by car. Regular vehicle access is closed for winter across most of the park. Winter visits are magical but require guided snowcoach or snowmobile logistics booked well ahead.
Quick answers
December travel FAQ
Where is hot in December?
The Caribbean, Riviera Maya, Thailand, the Maldives, and Costa Rica are all in dry-season prime, and the southern hemisphere offers true summer in Cape Town, Sydney, Fiji, and New Zealand. Dubai runs warm and reliably sunny.
Where should I avoid in December?
Bali in peak rainy season, the shuttered Greek islands, and, on value grounds, anywhere famous during the Christmas-to-New-Year week, when global travel prices peak. Yellowstone's roads are closed to regular cars.
Is early December really that much cheaper?
Yes. The first two weeks of December are a genuine global lull: post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas, with dry-season weather already in place across the tropics. The same room often doubles in price, or more, for the holiday fortnight.
When do Europe's Christmas markets run?
Most open in late November and run until just before Christmas, with some continuing through New Year's. Prague, Vienna, and the German market towns are the classics; weekday evenings beat weekend afternoons for elbow room.