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Trying to figure out the best places to travel in December? You’re in the right place. Here are 19 places to visit in December that we can’t stop thinking about right now: warm ones, snowy ones, and a handful of European cities that turn genuinely magical for exactly one month a year.
There’s something about traveling in December that hits different, especially if you’re coming from somewhere cold. Getting away, whether solo or with your whole family, and starting your holiday celebrations somewhere completely different is one of the best parts of the season. I’ve spent Christmas in the UK, in Rome, and in Thailand, and honestly, all three were beautiful in completely different ways. The UK does Christmas markets like nowhere else, genuinely storybook stuff, and a lot of Europe follows that same formula. Thailand is the opposite kind of magic entirely, and we’ll get into why below.
Quick note before we get into it: this list skips the obvious US domestic picks like Florida and Arizona, since you already know about those, and focuses entirely on international spots. December has a strange kind of magic to it that most “best places to travel” lists don’t actually capture. It’s dry season across a huge chunk of the world, it’s peak Christmas market season across Europe, it’s the start of summer in the entire Southern Hemisphere, and somehow almost nobody puts all three of those in the same list.
This post is all about the best places to travel in December.
If you’re searching for warm places to visit in December, this is the section you actually came for. December is dry season across a huge amount of the world, which most people don’t realize until they’ve already booked somewhere rainy.
1. Riviera Maya, Mexico December is the start of Mexico’s dry season on the Yucatán side, with daytime temps sitting comfortably in the low 80s and almost no rain. It’s also a short, cheap, direct flight from most US hubs, which makes it one of the easiest warm-weather trips on this entire list to actually book.
2. Costa Rica December marks the start of Costa Rica’s dry season too, right after the country goes properly green from the rainy months. You get the lush, jungle-covered version of the country with none of the daily downpours. Budget for a rental car if you’re doing more than one region, since public transport between the coasts is slow.
3. Bali, Indonesia December is technically the start of Bali’s wetter season, but that mostly means a short afternoon shower rather than a washed-out trip, not a ruined one. It’s warm, it’s lush, and it’s noticeably less crowded than the July and August peak, which also means better prices on villas. If you’re building a longer Southeast Asia trip around it, my full Bali itinerary has the actual route.
4. Chiang Mai, Thailand December is dry season in Thailand, and Chiang Mai in particular gets genuinely perfect weather for it: days sitting around 75°F with clear skies, then a real cool-down in the evenings that’s actual sweater weather. I’ve lived here for almost a decade and this is hands down the best stretch of the year. If you’d rather do beach than mountains, the Andaman coast (Phuket, Krabi, Koh Lanta) hits the same dry season and swaps the sweaters for actual heat. Either way, my Chiang Mai guide and Thailand packing list cover what you need for either version of the trip.
5. The Maldives December is the start of the Maldives’ dry season, with temperatures sitting around 82 to 86 degrees and noticeably less humidity than the months before it. It’s also the priciest entry on this list, so book the flights and the overwater bungalow early if this is the splurge trip.
6. Dubai, UAE Dubai in December is the version of the city most people actually want: daytime temps in the high 70s and low 80s instead of the brutal summer heat that makes outdoor anything unbearable. It’s an easy direct flight from London specifically, which is part of why it’s such a popular UK winter-sun pick, plus beach time, desert safaris, and enough shopping to fill a week on its own.
7. Marrakech, Morocco Days sit around 65 to 70 degrees, which is mild rather than hot, but it’s a completely different kind of trip than the beach entries on this list: souks, riads, mountain day trips, and genuinely good exchange rates for both dollars and pounds. It’s also a short flight from most of Europe, which makes it an easy add-on to a longer trip.
8. Cape Town, South Africa December is the start of peak summer in Cape Town, with temps in the high 70s and beach days that rival anywhere in the Mediterranean. One honest note: this is also when South Africans themselves go on holiday, so prices and crowds both spike around Christmas and New Year rather than dipping the way you’d expect from an “off season” pick elsewhere.
9. Buenos Aires, Argentina Summer starts in December across the entire Southern Hemisphere, and Buenos Aires is one of the most underrated ways to take advantage of that. Expect temps in the high 70s to mid 80s, good steak, better tango, and a genuinely different feel than anywhere else on this list. Pair it with a side trip to Iguazu Falls if you have the extra days.
10. Sydney, Australia December means the start of summer here too, and Sydney specifically leans all the way into it: a Christmas Day at Bondi Beach is practically a national tradition at this point. Expect temps in the mid to high 70s, harbor fireworks on New Year’s Eve that are genuinely some of the best in the world, and a completely upside-down version of the holidays if you’re used to a cold one.
Not everyone wants warm in December, and if you’re one of the people who actually wants snow, these are the three worth booking a flight for.
11. Niseko, Japan Niseko has a reputation among skiers for having some of the driest, lightest powder snow anywhere in the world, and December is early enough in the season to catch it before the crowds peak in January and February. It’s become a huge draw for Australian travelers over the years, and it’s steadily picking up more American and British visitors too.
12. Zermatt, Switzerland A car-free alpine village with Matterhorn views from basically every angle, and glacier skiing means parts of the resort run nearly year-round. December here looks exactly like the postcard version of a Christmas in the Alps, mulled wine included. Switzerland in general is stunning in winter even if skiing isn’t the main event for you, the whole country just does snow well.
13. Whistler, Canada North America’s largest ski resort, and an easy trip if you’re flying from most US cities into Vancouver and driving up. December is early season, so conditions can vary week to week, but the terrain and the village itself are worth it regardless of snow depth.
If you’re looking for the best countries to visit in December for something more festive than a beach or a ski slope, this is the category. Europe in December is a genuinely different experience than Europe any other month.
14. Vienna, Austria The Christkindlmarkt at Rathausplatz is the market most people picture when they picture a European Christmas market: mulled wine, classical music spilling out of nearby concert halls, and lights everywhere. Vienna manages to feel grand without feeling like it’s performing for tourists.
15. Prague, Czech Republic The Old Town Square market is genuinely fairy-tale looking, and Prague is one of the better value picks on this entire list. Flights, food, and accommodation all run noticeably cheaper here than in Western Europe, which matters if you’re trying to do a festive Europe trip on a budget.
16. Rome, Italy I spent a Christmas in Rome once, and it’s one of those cities that somehow gets even more beautiful with lights strung across every piazza and a Nativity scene set up in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s less about one single market and more about the whole city leaning into the season at once. Rome in December is also noticeably quieter than Rome in summer, which if you’ve ever fought a July crowd at the Trevi Fountain is a selling point on its own.
17. London, England I’ve spent a Christmas in the UK myself, and London genuinely does the season like nowhere else: Winter Wonderland taking over Hyde Park, the Oxford Street lights, ice skating at Somerset House, and enough mulled wine stalls to get you through the whole month. It’s properly cold, but it’s the kind of cold that makes the lights and the pubs feel like the point rather than something to push through.
18. Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh’s Christmas market in Princes Street Gardens runs alongside a genuinely massive ferris wheel, and the city’s Hogmanay New Year celebration is one of the most famous in the world if you can time a trip around it. It pairs naturally with a London trip too, since the two cities are an easy train ride apart.
19. Copenhagen, Denmark Tivoli Gardens is the oldest amusement park in the world still operating, and it goes all in on Christmas lighting every December. Copenhagen leans hard into hygge this time of year, think candlelit cafes and canal boat tours, which makes it one of the coziest entries on this whole list even though it’s genuinely cold.
What’s the cheapest place to travel internationally in December? Prague and Marrakech are the two best value picks on this list. Both run noticeably cheaper than Western Europe or the Caribbean for flights, food, and accommodation.
Where is warm in December besides the Caribbean? Southeast Asia’s dry season (Chiang Mai, Bali, Phuket, Krabi), the Maldives, Dubai, and the entire Southern Hemisphere (Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Sydney) are all warm in December and get a fraction of the attention the Caribbean does.
Is December a good time to visit Southeast Asia? Yes, for most of it. December falls in the dry season for both northern Thailand (Chiang Mai’s own backyard) and the Andaman coast beaches, plus much of Bali, which means less rain and better conditions than the months right before it.
What’s the best European country to visit in December for Christmas markets? Austria and Czech Republic consistently have the most highly rated markets, with Vienna and Prague as the two standout cities, though Rome and the UK both do the season beautifully in their own way too.
Where should I go in December for New Year’s Eve? Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is one of the most famous New Year celebrations in the world, and Sydney’s harbor fireworks are considered some of the best on the planet if you’d rather ring in the new year somewhere warm.
Wherever you land on this list, sort your travel insurance before anything else. I wrote a full, honest breakdown of the one I actually use after years of international travel: SafetyWing Nomad Insurance review. And if you haven’t packed for an international trip in a while, my full packing gear guide covers what’s actually worth bringing regardless of which one of these 18 you pick.
This post was all about the best places to travel in December.
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Hey there, I'm Angelique!
I'm a Filipina-American, Chicago native living abroad and running my online design agency from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Over a decade of traveling in, and yes, I still pinch myself. With family split between the US, UK, and SE Asia, travel has always been part of my story. This blog is where I share the honest side of living and traveling abroad, the places I explore, and the little hacks that make this life actually work. Glad you're here, friend!
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