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Month Guide

Where to Travel in December

Czech Republic, Hong Kong and Macau among 106 destinations in their best season this December.

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December

Somewhere bright, or somewhere properly cold.

December offers two honest answers: chase the sun, or commit to the winter. Both are excellent and the mistake is hedging between them. This is the month for the long-planned journey, when the year’s last weeks deserve to feel like an occasion.

The Idea

106 published destinations name December in their own best-time guidance. Each card links to that destination's page, where the season is described in full.

Best Destinations

Where to go in December

In their own words, from each destination's best-time guidance.

Asia

Asia in December

The widest range of journeys on the map, and the most seasons to plan around. 36 destinations name December in their own best-time guidance.

Hong KongAutumn into early winterHong KongThe strongest stretch by a distance — dry, clear and comfortable, with the humidity gone and the harbour views at their sharpest. It is also the best hiking weather of the year, which matters more here than most people expect.Explore Hong Kong →
MacauMacauThe strongest stretch — drier, cooler and far more comfortable for walking the Historic Centre, which is the way to see it. Humidity drops sharply after the summer and the typhoon season has passed.Explore Macau →PhilippinesPhilippinesThe most comfortable window — dry, sunny and less humid, with calm seas for island hopping. Peak season, so book Palawan flights and accommodation well ahead.Explore Philippines →TaiwanTaiwanThe strongest stretch of the year. The typhoon season has passed, humidity drops, and the light on the east coast is at its clearest. Comfortable for walking in Taipei and Tainan, and the right months for Taroko Gorge, when the road is least likely to be closed by rain damage.Explore Taiwan →
Vietnam→Cambodia→Laos→Sri Lanka→Thailand→Bahrain→Malaysia→Oman→Qatar→Saudi Arabia→United Arab Emirates→Maldives→Bhutan→Japan→Jordan→Nepal→Singapore→South Korea→Brunei→Azerbaijan→China→Cyprus→Kazakhstan→Lebanon→Timor-Leste→Turkey→Uzbekistan→Armenia→Georgia→Kyrgyzstan→Mongolia→Tajikistan→
Journeys

Journeys to inspire you

Published journeys in the destinations whose own best-time guidance names December.

Prague, Vienna & Budapest — 8 Nights8 NightsPrague, Vienna & Budapest — 8 NightsPlan this journey →Hong Kong & Macau, 5 Nights5 NightsHong Kong & Macau, 5 NightsPlan this journey →Mauritius Island Holiday: North, South and Ile aux Cerfs, 6 Nights6 NightsMauritius Island Holiday: North, South and Ile aux Cerfs, 6 NightsPlan this journey →Auckland and Rotorua — Five Nights with the Glow Worm Caves5 NightsAuckland and Rotorua — Five Nights with the Glow Worm CavesPlan this journey →Manila & Cebu, 5 Nights5 NightsManila & Cebu, 5 NightsPlan this journey →Hanoi, Ninh Binh & Ha Long Bay, 4 Nights4 NightsHanoi, Ninh Binh & Ha Long Bay, 4 NightsPlan this journey →
Travel style

What are you in the mood for?

A month tells you when. This tells you what kind of journey it should be.

Romantic escapesTwo people, one horizon.→AdventureGo where the map gets interesting.→Family journeysTrips that work for everyone travelling.→CulturePlaces that reward paying attention.→Food & flavourTravel that begins at the table.→LuxuryThe journey, considered in full.→Slow travelFewer places, longer stays.→WellnessCome home better than you left.→
Europe

Europe in December

Cities, coastlines and countryside within easy reach of one another. 20 destinations name December in their own best-time guidance.

Czech RepublicChristmas MarketsCzech RepublicA season of its own. Markets in Prague, Brno and Olomouc, cold and dark by mid-afternoon, and the one time the country looks exactly like the postcard. Book early.Explore Czech Republic →
AndorraAndorraSki season, and the reason a large share of Andorra’s visitors come at all. The capital is busy, the passes are cleared but can close in weather, and you should check road conditions before driving in rather than after setting off.Explore Andorra →AustriaAustriaAustria at its most characteristic: ski resorts running, cleared winter walking paths, thermal spas and snow on the valleys. Higher resorts hold their season longest; the Christmas and New Year weeks are the busiest and priciest of the year.Explore Austria →NorwayNorwayLong, dark nights make the aurora visible in the Arctic north, with Tromsø the usual base. Also the season for dog-sledding, whale watching off the north coast and snow-covered fjords — though many mountain roads and high trails are closed and daylight is very short at midwinter.Explore Norway →
Sweden→Denmark→Belgium→Hungary→Poland→Estonia→Finland→Germany→Latvia→Switzerland→Malta→Portugal→Serbia→Spain→Montenegro→Iceland→
Africa

Africa in December

Where the landscape is the itinerary. 19 destinations name December in their own best-time guidance.

MauritiusWarm and clearMauritiusWarming up before the humidity arrives, with excellent water clarity for diving and snorkelling. A strong window for honeymoons and for families travelling in the Indian festive break.Explore Mauritius →
Cabo VerdeCabo VerdeWarm days, cooler evenings and the most consistent Atlantic wind, which is exactly what Sal and Boa Vista are for if you kitesurf or windsurf. It is also when Harmattan dust can drift out from the African mainland and haze the light for days at a time. Excellent walking weather on Santo Antão.Explore Cabo Verde →Côte d'IvoireCôte d'IvoireThe clear window. Least rain, roads at their most reliable, and forest and park access at its easiest. In the north the harmattan blows dust down from the Sahara through this period, which cools the nights and hazes the light.Explore Côte d'Ivoire →GhanaGhanaThe best months to travel, and the ones to aim for. Rain largely stops, roads firm up and the north becomes comfortable. From around December the Harmattan blows dust south off the Sahara: mornings turn hazy, the light goes flat and white, and long views soften. It also drops the night temperature in the north noticeably. Photographers should know the haze is real; everyone else will simply find it dry.Explore Ghana →
South Africa→Ethiopia→Algeria→Egypt→Madagascar→Tanzania→Morocco→Rwanda→Tunisia→Uganda→Botswana→Namibia→Seychelles→Zambia→Zimbabwe→
North America

North America in December

Big country, and the road trips that make sense of it. 19 destinations name December in their own best-time guidance.

Antigua and BarbudaThe dry seasonAntigua and BarbudaThe reliable window: low humidity, steady trade winds, minimal rain and the calmest water. It is also the peak season, with prices highest from mid-December into January. Sailing events cluster at the end of it, which fills the south of the island.Explore Antigua and Barbuda →
BahamasBahamasThe best window and the reason the islands are busiest now: low humidity, the most reliable sunshine, calm seas and the clearest water for diving. Nights can be genuinely cool in January, which surprises people. Junkanoo falls at the very start of it, on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.Explore Bahamas →BarbadosBarbadosThe best and busiest window: low humidity, steady trade winds, minimal rain and calm water on the west coast. Prices peak sharply from mid-December to early January and stay high through the winter. Book well ahead if your dates are fixed.Explore Barbados →BelizeBelizeThe reliable window and the reason it is the busiest: the clearest water and best visibility on the reef and at the atolls, drier trails to the Maya sites, and passable dirt roads into the Cayo district. Prices are highest around the turn of the year, and popular dive days book out.Explore Belize →
Costa Rica→Dominica→Dominican Republic→Grenada→Nicaragua→Panama→Saint Lucia→Saint Vincent and the Grenadines→Cuba→El Salvador→Guatemala→Jamaica→Mexico→Canada→United States→
South America

South America in December

Altitude, coastline and cities worth the long flight. 7 destinations name December in their own best-time guidance.

UruguaySouthern summerUruguayThe beach season and the only time the coast is fully awake. January is the peak — Uruguay itself is on holiday, Punta del Este and the Rocha beaches fill, and everything is open and expensive. December and February are the same weather with noticeably fewer people, which is usually the better trade.Explore Uruguay →
ArgentinaArgentinaThe only dependable window for El Calafate, El Chaltén and Ushuaia. Long daylight, open trails and running services. Outside it, weather and closures make the far south difficult.Explore Argentina →ChileChileThe dependable window for Torres del Paine — long daylight, open trails and running services. Outside it, weather and closures make the far south difficult.Explore Chile →ColombiaColombiaCartagena, Santa Marta and Tayrona are hot and humid year-round; this is the stretch with the most reliable sunshine and the calmest sea. It is also the busiest, and Christmas and Easter are busier still.Explore Colombia →
Ecuador→Brazil→Peru→
Oceania

Oceania in December

The far side of the world, keeping its own calendar. 5 destinations name December in their own best-time guidance.

New ZealandLong Days and the Great WalksNew ZealandWarm days, light until after nine, every road and walking track open and Milford at its most reliable. Also the busiest and dearest window: New Zealand's own school holidays run from mid-December to late January and campervans, lodges and the Milford cruises fill. Book early rather than cheaply.Explore New Zealand →
AustraliaAustraliaThe southern cities at their best: Sydney's beaches, New Year's Eve fireworks over the harbour, the Australian Open in Melbourne in January, and Tasmania at its warmest. The tropical north, around Cairns and Darwin, is in its wet season: hot and humid, with storms and stingers in the sea, though it rarely rains all day and the Reef is often calm — swim inside stinger nets and wear a stinger suit on the Reef. Uluru is very hot.Explore Australia →FijiFijiThe Australian and New Zealand school holidays fill the family resorts on the Coral Coast and Denarau. The islands are less affected. If you are travelling then, book the resort before the flight.Explore Fiji →Cook IslandsCook IslandsHotter, far more humid and much wetter, and this is the South Pacific cyclone season. Trips still run and prices soften, but weather disruption is a real planning risk and lagoon days are less dependable.Explore Cook Islands →
French Polynesia→
A private infinity pool overlooking the sea at a luxury resort
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Where to Travel in December · Live Traveller