Where to go in December

In December, 27 of the 43 areas we cover score 75 or more for at least one holiday type.

Beach in December

For a beach holiday, Goa (north), India leads at 93/100, followed by Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 91; and Jamaica (Negril) on about 91 (an estimate). In December, 9 of the 33 areas with a beach score reach 75 or more. Among the top 5 for beach, daytime highs run from 28°C to 33°C. Sea temperatures for the top 5 beach areas run from 25°C to 28°C; the coolest is Dubai at 25°C. In December, the beach list is ranked by the beach score, which is based on daytime high, rainy days, humidity (dew point), cloud and wind (tropical areas use daytime rain, total rain, humid heat and sunshine instead), and does not include sea temperature.

  1. 1
    Goa (north)India
    33°Cdaytime high
    9 mmrain a month
    28°Csea
    Medium confidence
    93/100Excellent
  2. 2
    DubaiUnited Arab Emirates
    28°Cdaytime high
    2rainy days
    25°Csea
    High confidence
    91/100Excellent
  3. 3
    Jamaica (Negril)
    31°Cdaytime high
    21 mmrain a month
    28°Csea
    Low confidence
    ~91estimateExcellent
  4. 4
    Costa Rica Pacific coast (Tamarindo)
    32°Cdaytime high
    3 mmrain a month
    28°Csea
    Medium confidence
    89/100Good
  5. 5
    Barbados (west coast)
    29°Cdaytime high
    51 mmrain a month
    28°Csea
    Low confidence
    ~89estimateGood

All 33 areas for beach in December

City break in December

For a city break, Marrakech, Morocco leads at 94/100, followed by Bangkok, Thailand on 93; and Fuerteventura, Spain (Canary Islands) on 93. In December, 19 of the 26 areas with a city break score reach 75 or more. Among the top 5 for city break, daytime highs run from 21°C to 33°C.

  1. 1
    MarrakechMorocco
    21°Cdaytime high
    2rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    94/100Excellent
  2. 2
    BangkokThailand
    33°Cdaytime high
    3 mmrain a month
    8 hsunshine a day
    Medium confidence
    93/100Excellent
  3. 3
    FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands)
    22°Cdaytime high
    1rainy day
    8 hsunshine a day
    Medium confidence
    93/100Excellent
  4. 4
    Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands)
    23°Cdaytime high
    3rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    Medium confidence
    92/100Excellent
  5. 5
    LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands)
    22°Cdaytime high
    2rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    Medium confidence
    92/100Excellent

Hiking in December

For hiking, Marrakech, Morocco leads at 92/100, followed by Algarve (Faro), Portugal on 91; and Málaga, Spain on 91. In December, 9 of the 16 areas with a hiking score reach 75 or more. Among the top 5 for hiking, daytime highs run from 12°C to 21°C and rainy days from 2 to 6.

  1. 1
    MarrakechMorocco
    21°Cdaytime high
    2rainy days
    8 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    92/100Excellent
  2. 2
    Algarve (Faro)Portugal
    18°Cdaytime high
    5rainy days
    7 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    91/100Excellent
  3. 3
    MálagaSpain
    18°Cdaytime high
    5rainy days
    7 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    91/100Excellent
  4. 4
    MajorcaSpain (Balearic Islands)
    17°Cdaytime high
    5rainy days
    7 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    91/100Excellent
  5. 5
    TokyoJapan
    12°Cdaytime high
    6rainy days
    6 hsunshine a day
    High confidence
    88/100Good

All 16 areas for hiking in December

December at a glance

Of the areas in these lists, 2 have low confidence, so their scores are estimates: Jamaica (Negril) and Barbados (west coast). Scores are estimates from modelled climate averages (2004–2023), not forecasts. Daytime highs come from ERA5-Land, rainy days are estimated from ERA5-Land (a few areas use CHIRPS satellite rainfall), tropical areas show monthly rain in millimetres from CHIRPS, and sunshine and sea temperature come from ERA5. See How we score.