159 destinations scored for December.
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.
Our December picks, ranked
Each one opens its own month page: weather, crowds, prices and what is on.
The full December board
All 159 destinations we cover, scored for December.
At their best in December
19 places. One of their best months of the year.
Prague
Cold, highs near 37F (3C), festive lights everywhere
Dubai
Ideal, highs near 79F (26C)
Egypt
Cool and clear, Cairo highs near 68F (20C), Luxor near 75F (24C)
Thailand
Dry, sunny, the year's most comfortable air, highs near 88F (31C)
Maldives
Dry season returns, highs near 86F (30C)
Patagonia
Early summer, highs near 59F (15C), near-maximum daylight and wind
Finnish Lapland
Very cold, highs near 14F (-10C), polar night in the far north
Hong Kong
Cool and dry, highs near 70F (21C)
Angkor Wat
Dry and pleasant, highs near 87F (31C)
Luang Prabang
Dry and cool, highs near 79F (26C), mornings near 57F (14C)
Rajasthan
Cool and clear, highs near 75F (24C), nights near 50F (10C)
Kerala
Dry and warm, highs near 88F (31C)
Goa
Dry and warm, highs near 90F (32C)
Oman
Warm and sunny, Muscat highs near 79F (26C)
Abu Dhabi
Warm and sunny, highs near 79F (26C)
Puerto Vallarta
Dry, highs near 83F (28C), comfortable nights
Guatemala
Dry and clear, highs near 72F (22C), cold nights
Medellin
Drying out, highs near 80F (27C)
Key West
Pleasant, highs near 77F (25C), dry
Also good
71 places. Solid conditions, no major caveats.
Paris
Cold, highs near 46F (8C), festive lights everywhere
London
Cold, highs near 48F (9C), festive everywhere
Rome
Cool and often crisp, highs near 55F (13C)
Florence
Chilly, highs near 52F (11C), festive lights
Barcelona
Mild winter, highs near 58F (14C)
Lisbon
Mild winter, highs near 59F (15C)
Amsterdam
Cold, highs near 43F (6C), festive
Swiss Alps
Cold, highs near 36F (2C), snow arriving
East Africa Safari
Warm, highs near 82F (28C), showers easing
Tokyo
Cold and dry, highs near 54F (12C)
Kyoto
Cold, highs near 53F (12C)
Vietnam
South entering its sunny prime near 88F (31C); north cool, highs near 70F (21C)
New Zealand
Early summer, highs near 71F (22C)
Sydney
Summer, highs near 78F (26C)
Washington, DC
Cold, highs near 48F (9C), festive downtown
Mexico City
Dry, highs near 70F (21C), cold nights near 42F (6C)
Riviera Maya
Dry season begins, highs near 82F (28C)
Costa Rica
Dry season arrives, highs near 87F (31C), breezy
The Dolomites
Cold, valley highs near 34F (1C), snow building
Seville
Mild, highs near 62F (17C), some rain
Madrid
Cold and sunny, highs near 50F (10C)
Vienna
Cold, highs near 39F (4C), short days
Budapest
Cold, highs near 39F (4C)
Berlin
Cold, highs near 39F (4C), short days
Munich
Cold, highs near 39F (4C)
Copenhagen
Cold, highs near 39F (4C), dark by 4pm
Stockholm
Cold, highs near 34F (1C), about 6 hours of daylight
Edinburgh
Cold, highs near 44F (7C), dark by 4pm
Bruges
Cold, highs near 45F (7C), short days
Salzburg
Cold, highs near 39F (4C), snow possible
Krakow
Cold, highs near 36F (2C), short days
Canary Islands
Mild, highs near 72F (22C), some rain
Lake Bled
Cold, highs near 39F (4C), snow possible
Taiwan
Cool, highs near 70F (21C), drizzle returns to the north
Osaka
Cold and dry, highs near 54F (12C)
Hokkaido
Snowy, highs near 34F (1C)
Palawan
Mostly dry, highs near 87F (31C), breezy
Sri Lanka
Drying in the south and west, highs near 86F (30C); wet in the east
Nepal
Kathmandu highs near 66F (19C), dry, bitterly cold at high camps
Bhutan
Paro highs near 54F (12C), dry, frosty nights
Kuala Lumpur
Highs near 89F (32C), rain gradually easing
Delhi and Agra
Cool, highs near 73F (23C), fog and smog common
Puerto Rico
Drying out, highs near 84F (29C)
Jamaica
Drying out, highs near 86F (30C)
The Bahamas
Mild, highs near 79F (26C), first cold fronts
Turks and Caicos
Dry and warm, highs near 83F (28C)
US Virgin Islands
Drying out, highs near 85F (29C)
St. Lucia
Drying out, highs near 85F (29C)
Barbados
Drying out, highs near 85F (29C)
Punta Cana
Dry season returns, highs near 84F (29C)
Los Cabos
Dry, highs near 80F (27C), cool nights
Oaxaca
Dry, highs near 77F (25C), cold nights near 45F (7C)
Belize
Mostly dry, highs near 82F (28C), some showers
Panama
Drying out by mid month, highs near 87F (31C)
Cartagena
Drying out, highs near 87F (31C), breezes return
Galapagos Islands
Warming, highs near 81F (27C), water near 73F (23C)
Buenos Aires
Hot, highs near 82F (28C), humid
Atacama Desert
Warm days near 81F (27C), nights near 45F (7C)
New Orleans
Cool, highs near 64F (18C)
Savannah
Cool, highs near 62F (17C)
Nashville
Cold, highs near 51F (11C)
San Diego
Mild, highs near 65F (18C)
Austin
Mild, highs near 63F (17C), cool nights
Los Angeles
Mild, highs near 68F (20C)
Banff
Cold, highs near 25F (-4C), short days
Quebec City
Snowy, highs near 25F (-4C)
Sedona
Cool, highs near 57F (14C), cold nights
Zanzibar
Hot, highs near 88F (31C), short rains ending
Mauritius
Hot, highs near 86F (30C), showers increasing
Seychelles
Hot and humid, highs near 86F (30C), rains returning
Melbourne
Warm, highs near 75F (24C), heat waves possible
Quiet value
32 places. Fewer crowds and lower prices, with honest tradeoffs.
IrelandChristmas lights and lively pubs; the week around Christmas sees family travel spike and many closures on the holidays themselves.
CroatiaZagreb's Advent season is genuinely excellent; the coast is quiet with pockets of holiday cheer in Split and Dubrovnik.
IstanbulLow-season prices with festive lights in Beyoglu and along Istiklal. New Year's Eve is celebrated big; the holiday itself is secular here.
JordanQuiet and atmospheric, with real cold at night. Heavy rain occasionally closes Petra's siq for flash-flood safety.
MoroccoSunny days and chilly evenings, with a holiday-week price spike in Marrakech. Desert camps need serious bedding now.
SeoulHoliday lights, skating rinks, and steaming pojangmacha tents. Cold-weather gear turns December Seoul from an ordeal into a pleasure.
The Amalfi CoastNativity scenes and Christmas lights in Amalfi town are charming, but most of the coast is closed.
Cinque TerreThe Manarola hillside nativity lights up, and the villages are peaceful. Many places still closed.
SicilyNativity scenes and holiday life in the cities. Etna frequently snow-capped.
ProvenceChristmas markets, santon figurine fairs, and Provencal holiday traditions in the towns.
The French RivieraChristmas markets and lights in Nice and Monaco, and sunny winter walks along the sea.
The AlgarveQuiet, with the holidays adding a bump. Good for golf and town stays, not beach life.
Scottish HighlandsDark and quiet, with snow on the hills. Christmas and Hogmanay weeks bring a small spike.
AthensLow-key and inexpensive, with Syntagma Square's Christmas tree and lights. The week around Christmas and New Year sees a domestic bump.
MaltaQuiet and cheap, with Christmas cribs (presepji) and lights in Valletta. The holiday week sees a small bump.
MallorcaPalma's Christmas lights and markets, low hotel rates, and mountain walks. Not a beach month.
OkinawaQuiet and cheap. The first humpbacks arrive late in the month. Christmas to New Year brings a short spike.
BeijingFreezing but sunny, with nearly empty sights. Bundle up for the Great Wall; the views are clear.
ShanghaiCool and gray but cheap, with festive lights along Nanjing Road and in the malls.
UzbekistanVery quiet and cheap. Some rural guesthouses close for winter; cities remain open.
BermudaQuiet and festive, with Christmas decorations in Hamilton and St. George's. Not a beach month.
San FranciscoRainy but festive: Union Square holiday displays and Ghirardelli lights. Prices rise over the holidays.
Las VegasThe National Finals Rodeo fills town in early December. Mid December is quiet; New Year's Eve is among the priciest nights of the year.
CharlestonHoliday decorations on historic homes and quiet streets. Good value outside the holiday weekend.
MontrealHoliday markets and the first real snow. Quiet and cheap outside Christmas and New Year.
Grand CanyonA snow-dusted canyon and near-empty viewpoints, except the week between Christmas and New Year.
YosemiteSnow on the granite walls and a quiet Valley, except the holiday week. Badger Pass typically opens when snow allows.
ZionQuiet and cold. Shuttles often run briefly over the holidays, then stop until spring.
Glacier National ParkWinter wonderland at the lower elevations, with few people and almost no services in the park.
Great Smoky MountainsQuiet in the park and busy in the gateway towns during the holidays. Kuwohi Road closes for winter.
AcadiaLoop roads closed to cars. Quiet walks on the coast for those who want solitude; very limited lodging and dining.
Napa ValleyHoliday lights and quiet tasting rooms, with rain likely. Prices are low outside holiday weekends.Tradeoffs
31 places. Real upsides and real downsides. Read the month page before booking.
VeniceQuiet and festive, with acqua alta still in play. Christmas-to-New-Year week spikes back to peak pricing.
IcelandFestive Reykjavik, New Year fireworks, and aurora potential, wrapped around the year's shortest days. Plan tiny touring radii.
Cape TownThe holiday crush: South African school break plus international peak. Book months ahead and expect wind-shuffled plans.
BaliRain plus a paradox: the Christmas to New Year weeks are among the busiest and priciest of the year despite the weather.
SingaporePeak rain meets peak festivity: Orchard Road's Christmas lights, holiday crowds, and higher rates. Pack for downpours and enjoy the indoors, which Singapore does better than anyone.
FijiWet-season weather meets the Christmas holiday surge from Australia and New Zealand: busy resorts, holiday pricing, and storm-watch season.
New York CityThe tree, the windows, the lights: pure magic at maximum density and maximum price. Go knowing exactly what you signed up for.
YellowstoneOversnow season opens roughly mid month, weather permitting. Before that, access is the northern road only; after it, the interior becomes a guided winter wonderland.
PeruHoliday travel bumps crowds despite the rain. Fine for a Cusco-plus-train trip with flexible days; less fine for multi-day treks.
Lake ComoComo town is festive with lights and markets, but the central lake villages are sleepy and many hotels are shut.
PortoChristmas lights on the Avenida dos Aliados and New Year's fireworks on the river. One of the wettest months.
MadeiraChristmas lights are spectacular, but New Year's Eve week is the island's most expensive and crowded time.
Norway's FjordsBergen's Christmas lights and the gingerbread town are charming, but the fjord days are short and dim.
CreteCities are open and festive; the coast is quiet. Good for Chania's old town and museums, not for beaches.
AzoresLow season, with a festive feel in Ponta Delgada. Pack for rain and treat clear days as a bonus.
SardiniaWinter. Cagliari's historic center and food scene are the draw; beaches are empty and services limited.
KotorQuiet, rainy, and local, with some festive decorations in the old town. Good value if you accept the weather.
CappadociaCold and quiet except for a domestic and international bump around New Year. Flights are frequently weathered off.
BorneoWet, especially in Kuching and eastern Sabah, with flooding in some years. Regional holiday travel adds demand at month's end.
ArubaThe first half is good value. Christmas through New Year is the most expensive stretch of the year, with fireworks and pagara firecracker traditions.
Rio de JaneiroSummer holidays and Reveillon on Copacabana Beach push prices to their peak in the last week.
ChicagoFestive and cold: Christkindlmarket, ZooLights, and store windows. Dress for real winter.
BostonHoliday lights on the Common and skating on the Frog Pond. Cold but festive.
SeattleHoliday lights and cozy indoor life. Dark and wet, but festive.
VancouverRainy, but festive: the Vancouver Christmas Market and holiday lights help, and Whistler's season is usually running by mid month.
NamibiaSouthern African holidaymakers flood the coast at Swakopmund and popular camps from mid December. Rains start greening the north.
Okavango DeltaLush, full of newborns and migrant birds, and good value outside the Christmas week.
Victoria FallsRains return and the flow starts rising. Holiday week brings regional visitors; Devil's Pool generally still open early in the month.
MadagascarThe rains arrive; western parks begin closing. The north and highlands remain workable early in the month.
Great Barrier ReefThe wet season and cyclone season begin, stingers are present, and the Christmas holidays drive up prices.
TahitiRain and cyclone season, but the Christmas and New Year weeks still bring peak prices.Think twice
6 places. Heat, storms, closures, or the year's worst crowds.
SantoriniWinter proper. A skeleton of Fira stays open for locals; the visitor island is largely dark until spring.
OrlandoThe first two weeks are decorated, festive, and manageable. Christmas week through New Year's is the most crowded stretch of the entire year.
HawaiiFirst two weeks are lovely and reasonable; Christmas through New Year's is the most expensive stretch of the Hawaiian year by a wide margin.
AlaskaOnly for the winter-niche traveler: northern lights, dog sledding, and hot springs, wrapped in serious cold and near-solstice darkness.
MykonosWinter. Quiet, local, and mostly shut for visitors.
UluruHot, fly-heavy, and trails regularly close by midmorning. Christmas brings a small spike in visitors despite the heat.The US in December
1 states are in their best window.
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.
Think twice about: North Dakota, Oregon, Washington.
December events worth flying for
Humpback Whale Season in Maui
Maui, Hawaii
Roughly December to April, with the peak from January to March
Northern Lights Season
Iceland, Norway & Finnish and Swedish Lapland
September through March, whenever nights are dark; the equinox months and deep winter each have their own case
Monarch Butterfly Migration in Mexico
Michoacan, Mexico
November through March, with the butterflies arriving around early November and the liveliest viewing in the warming weeks of late January and February
Christmas Markets in Europe
Germany, Austria & France, multi-city
Late November through Christmas Eve for most markets, with some running into early January
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
New York City, New York
Lit on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving and on display into January, usually until about the middle of the month
Sydney New Year's Eve
Sydney, Australia
December 31, with a family fireworks show at 9pm and the main midnight display over the Harbour Bridge
New Year's Eve in Times Square
New York City, New York
December 31 every year, with the ball drop at midnight and viewing areas filling from the early afternoon
Hogmanay in Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland
December 30 to January 1 every year, with the main street party and castle fireworks at midnight on December 31
Holidays and breaks in December
A holiday week has its own crowds and prices. These guides rank the world for that exact week.
Where to go for Winter Break Ski Trips
Four holiday weeks, every family on the same lifts. Pick the resort by the snow and the calendar, not the brand name.
Where to go for Christmas Week
The most expensive, most crowded week of the travel year. Go somewhere Christmas is the whole point, or somewhere Christmas is not a thing at all.
Where to go for New Year's Eve
One night, a dozen very different ways to spend it. Choose between the giant public show, the tradition you cannot get anywhere else, or a quiet midnight somewhere warm.
Hidden gems in their December window
41 places from our lists whose best window includes December.
12 Underrated European Cities That Are Still Cool- Colmar, Colmar, France. Apr-Jun · Sep · Dec
Europe's Most Charming Small Towns- Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. Apr-Jun · Sep · Dec
- Kaysersberg, Kaysersberg, France. May-Jun · Sep-Oct · Dec
Japan Beyond Tokyo and Kyoto- Kinosaki Onsen, Kinosaki Onsen, Hyogo. Nov-Mar
Asia's Most Underrated Places- Luang Prabang, Luang Prabang, Laos. Nov-Feb
- George Town, Penang, Penang, Malaysia. Dec-Mar
- Taitung, Taitung, Taiwan. Oct-Apr
- Battambang, Battambang, Cambodia. Nov-Feb
- Kampot, Kampot, Cambodia. Nov-Mar
Beach Towns That Are Still Cool- Isla Holbox, Isla Holbox, Mexico. Nov-May
- Caye Caulker, Caye Caulker, Belize. Dec-May
- Nosara, Nosara, Costa Rica. Dec-Apr
- Paternoster, Paternoster, South Africa. Nov-Mar · Aug-Sep
- Sayulita, Sayulita, Mexico. Nov-Apr
The Best Shoulder-Season Trips- New York City in early December, New York City, USA. Early Dec
Whale Watching by Month: Where the Whales Are, All Year- Blue whales off Mirissa, Southern coast, Sri Lanka. Dec-Apr
- Orcas in the Arctic winter, Fjords north of Tromso, Norway. Nov-Jan
Winter Sun Escapes: Where It Is Actually Warm in January- Canary Islands, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote, Spain. Nov-Mar
- Madeira, Funchal, Portugal. Nov-Mar
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Nov-Mar
- Oman, Muscat, Nizwa, and the Wahiba Sands. Nov-Mar
- Upper Egypt and the Red Sea, Luxor, Aswan, and Hurghada, Egypt. Nov-Feb
The Best Scuba Diving by Season: Where to Dive, Month by Month- Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Oct-Apr
- Palau, Western Pacific, Republic of Palau. Nov-Apr
The Best Ski Destinations by Month: Where the Snow Is Best, and When- Zermatt, Valais, Switzerland. Nov-Apr
Safari Timing Guide: When to Go, Park by Park- Gorilla trekking in Bwindi, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Jun-Aug · Dec-Feb
- Volcanoes National Park, Musanze, Rwanda. Jun-Sep · Dec-Feb
- Central Kalahari green season, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana. Dec-Apr
Fall Foliage Around the World: Where and When the Leaves Turn- Kyoto temple maples, Kyoto, Japan. Nov-Dec
The Best Stargazing Destinations, and When the Skies Are Clearest- Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada. Oct-Apr
- Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve, Iveragh Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland. Oct-Mar
- Finnish Lapland, Inari and Saariselka, Finland. Sep-Mar
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.
December travel, quick answers
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.
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