Where to go in December: summer in the south and snow in the north

December rewards travellers who go early. In the first two weeks, Kerala, Siem Reap and Cancún are already in their dry seasons, Vienna's Christmas markets are open, and the festive surge in prices has not yet started.

From around the middle of the month, the calendar takes over. Lapland and the markets fill up, families head for warm Christmas escapes in Cape Town or New Zealand, and the month ends with some of the world's biggest New Year's Eve parties. This guide follows December in that order, with the places that are better avoided and the planning detail at the end.

The first two weeks: in season, before the rush

The gap between the end of November and the start of school holidays in many countries is short, but it is the best value of the month. Hotels in places that will be full at Christmas still have rooms, and several big events cluster in these weeks.

Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor

Exploring Angkor means long days outside, and December, the coolest and driest stretch of the year around Siem Reap, makes them least tiring. Afternoons reach about 31°C and mornings are fresh, at around 21°C.

The rice fields are still green after the rains and the moats and ponds are full, which is what gives Angkor Wat its famous sunrise reflection.

Three or four days covers the main temples without rushing:

• Angkor Wat at dawn
• the stone faces of the Bayon
• the tree roots wrapped around Ta Prohm
• the fine carving at Banteay Srei further out

Hire the same tuk-tuk driver for each day, start with the big temples early and leave the outlying ones for the afternoon. After sunrise many groups go back for breakfast, so the main temple is often quieter mid-morning.

Shoulders and knees must be covered, and this is checked at the steep upper level of Angkor Wat. Siem Reap's new international airport, opened in 2023, is around an hour's drive from town, much further than the old one, so allow for that when you book transfers. Visitors who only have one day will find the site too big to do justice.

Kerala, after both monsoons

Both of India's monsoons have finished with Kerala by December. Kochi averages about 33°C by day and only two rainy days in the month, and the sea along the southern beaches is around 28°C.

Houseboat prices climb sharply around Christmas, so the first half of the month is the time for a slow loop from the port city of Kochi to the backwaters, the tea hills of Munnar and the cliffs of Varkala.

Fort Kochi is the place to stay: Chinese fishing nets on the waterfront, spice warehouses in Mattancherry and evening Kathakali performances. Munnar, at around 1,500 metres, is noticeably cooler than the coast.

On the backwaters, houseboats vary a lot, and the better trips keep to quieter canals rather than joining the convoy on the main lake. Kerala is calmer than Goa, which suits couples, slow travellers and Ayurveda retreats more than anyone looking for nightlife.

Cancún, as the dry season starts

The Atlantic hurricane season officially ends on 30 November, and December brings the start of the drier months on the Yucatán Peninsula. Cancún sits at about 29°C by day with the sea around 27°C and much less humidity than in summer, though short showers still fall on about eight days of the month.

Prices rise through December and peak between Christmas and New Year, so the first fortnight is when the resort strip is easiest on the budget.

A ferry to Isla Mujeres, a swim in a cenote, and the reef off Puerto Morelos fill a beach week. Chichén Itzá is around two and a half hours by road, so leave early to arrive before the midday coach groups; the clifftop ruins of Tulum are closer.

Sargassum seaweed, the main nuisance on this coast, usually peaks in spring and summer, and December beaches are normally clearer. Quintana Roo charges a tourist fee, the Visitax, paid online. Our guide to all-inclusive resorts in Cancún compares the main areas.

On 12 December, the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe brings processions and church celebrations across Mexico.

Big events in early December

Several major events fall in the first ten days of the month:

• The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the last race of the Formula 1 season, runs from 4 to 6 December 2026 at Yas Marina.
• The Dubai Shopping Festival starts on 4 December and runs to 17 January 2027.
• Art Basel Miami Beach is on the same weekend, 4 to 6 December.
• In Lyon, the Fête des Lumières fills the city with free light installations from 5 to 8 December.
• Hanukkah begins on the evening of 4 December and ends on 12 December.

The Hornbill Festival in Nagaland

In northeast India, the Hornbill Festival at Kisama, near Kohima in Nagaland, runs from 1 to 10 December, with music, food and crafts from the Naga tribes.

Foreign visitors need a Protected Area Permit for Nagaland. In 2025 the requirement was lifted for the festival period only, and there is no sign yet of the same arrangement for 2026, so check before booking.

The festive weeks

Christmas markets in Vienna

Few cities take Advent as seriously as Vienna. The Christmas market in front of the City Hall runs from 13 November to 26 December 2026, and the one at Schönbrunn Palace from 6 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, with smaller markets in squares across the old town.

The weather is cold and grey: about 5°C by day, close to freezing at night, under two hours of sunshine a day and occasional snow. That is part of the appeal, as an evening with mulled wine at the stalls ends in a warm coffee house or at a concert.

Mulled wine and punch at the markets come in a mug with a deposit, which you either keep as a souvenir or hand back for a refund. Weekend evenings at the City Hall market are the busiest; weekday afternoons are calmer.

The opera and concert season is in full swing, and the Musikverein and the State Opera are both worth booking. Three or four days is the usual length for a Vienna break, and it is easy to reach by train from much of central Europe.

Germany has its own long tradition of Christmas markets, and many travellers combine Vienna with Salzburg or a German city.

Snow and Santa in Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi, almost on the Arctic Circle in Finland, is the most popular Christmas destination in Europe for families with young children. It is properly cold, about −5°C by day and −11°C at night, and snow cover is usually reliable.

Daylight lasts about two hours around the winter solstice. Rovaniemi does not get true polar night, as the sun still rises briefly, and snow reflects the low light so the blue midday twilight feels longer than the clock suggests.

Santa Claus Village sits on the Arctic Circle line, is open every day of the year, and visiting Santa there is free. Husky and reindeer safaris, the Arktikum museum and night-time aurora trips away from the town lights make up most itineraries of three to five days.

Northern lights need dark and clear skies, so allow several nights rather than pinning hopes on one; our guide to the best places to see the northern lights explains the odds.

The weeks just before Christmas are the busiest and most expensive of the year here, and travellers who find cold or darkness hard should think twice.

Why Iceland is a harder sell

Iceland is often considered as an alternative, but December is a poor month for a self-drive trip there. Reykjavík gets roughly four hours of daylight around the solstice, storms and ice close mountain roads, and the highland routes are shut for the winter.

Those who still go do better staying near Reykjavík and using guided tours for the Golden Circle and the south coast.

Warm Christmas: Cape Town

December is high summer in Cape Town. The airport averages about 26°C by day and 16°C at night, with rain on only about three days and around 11 hours of sunshine a day.

The catch is the southeaster, the strong summer wind known locally as the Cape Doctor. It clears the air but makes Atlantic beaches such as Clifton and Camps Bay feel cold on some afternoons, and the water there averages only about 16°C. The False Bay side, around Muizenberg and St James, is warmer at about 18°C and more sheltered.

Table Mountain can be climbed on foot or by cableway, but the cableway closes when the wind is strong, so take the first calm, clear morning. The ferry to Robben Island is cancelled in rough seas, which is another reason to plan it early in the stay.

Boulders Beach and its penguins, Cape Point and the wine estates of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek round out a week. South African school holidays begin in mid-December, when domestic travellers fill the coast, so the city is at its busiest over Christmas and New Year.

Warm Christmas: Queenstown

Queenstown, on Lake Wakatipu in the south of New Zealand, is mild rather than hot in December, at about 20°C by day and 8 to 9°C at night, with around seven hours of sunshine a day and some rain on about nine days.

Sunset comes after 9pm in late December, and those long evenings are one of the pleasures of a southern Christmas. New Zealanders take their main summer holiday from Christmas, so the town is busy.

Within easy reach of town:

• the Kawarau Bridge, where commercial bungy jumping began in 1988, just outside town
• the Skyline gondola
• the old gold-mining town of Arrowtown
• the Routeburn Track, one of the Great Walks

Milford Sound is a long day by road, roughly four hours each way, so many visitors stay a night in Te Anau and take an early cruise. Rain makes the fiord's waterfalls more dramatic, so a wet forecast is no reason to cancel. The lakes are glacier-fed and cold, so this is not a swimming holiday.

Warm Christmas: Kerala and Cancún

Both of the early-December picks also work at Christmas, at a higher price. Kerala has a large Christian community, and in Kochi lit paper stars hang outside homes and churches through the season. Cancún is among the most expensive places in this guide over Christmas week, but the weather is reliable.

Two warm-looking places to skip

Bali is in the middle of its rainy season, which runs from about November to March, with heavy afternoon storms, and Christmas week is still one of its busiest; mornings are the time for the beach.

In Australia's Top End around Darwin, the wet season brings storms and humidity, and some national park roads close. The box jellyfish season, which runs from October to May, makes the sea unsafe for swimming without protection.

In central Vietnam, Hue and Hoi An are past their worst flooding but still in the rainy season, with Hue the wetter of the two; Siem Reap, a short flight away, is the drier choice.

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Where to spend New Year's Eve

Edinburgh and Sydney

Edinburgh's Hogmanay runs from 29 December 2026 to 1 January 2027, with a street party and concerts; the full programme has not yet been announced.

Sydney's harbour fireworks traditionally include a 9pm family show and the midnight display, and our guide to New Year in Sydney covers viewing spots. Official 2026 details for Sydney are not yet out.

Vienna, Fort Kochi and Nassau

In Vienna, the old town turns into the Silvesterpfad, a walking trail of stages and food stalls, on New Year's Eve.

In Fort Kochi, the Cochin Carnival ends at midnight with a giant effigy of Pappanji burned on the beach. The 2026 dates for the carnival have not been announced; it usually runs from mid or late December to 31 December.

In Nassau, Bahamas, the Junkanoo parades take place on 26 December and again on 1 January, by tradition; official 2026 timings are not yet published.

Buenos Aires

For a warm New Year in a big city, Argentina's capital is a good bet. Buenos Aires averages about 29°C by day and 18 to 19°C at night in December, with short storms on around nine days.

Many residents leave for the coast in January, so late December is the last lively stretch before the summer exodus. Dinner rarely starts before 9pm, and milongas, the tango dance halls, run late.

Recoleta Cemetery, the Sunday fair in San Telmo, a tour of the Teatro Colón and the painted Caminito street in La Boca fill the days; La Boca is best visited by day and kept to the main streets. Palermo and Recoleta are the easiest areas to stay.

A fast ferry across the Río de la Plata to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay makes a good day trip. Prices and currency rules in Argentina change often, so check current conditions shortly before you go.

December weather side by side

The table compares the climate of the main warm-weather picks with the two winter ones.

Making it work

A December week in Kerala

1. Days one and two, Fort Kochi. Stay in the old quarter rather than modern Ernakulam, so the fishing nets, St Francis Church and Mattancherry's spice lanes are a walk away. Buy Kathakali tickets earlier in the day so you can watch the make-up being applied before the show.
2. Day three, up to Munnar. Drive about four hours into the hills, leaving after breakfast, and sleep among the tea estates outside town, which are quieter than Munnar itself.
3. Day four, the estates. Walk them early, before mist and tour jeeps.
4. Day five, Alleppey. The descent takes four and a half to five hours, and most houseboats board around midday, so set off early. Book the boat ahead for December, check which meals are included, and ask whether there is air-conditioning at night.
5. Days six and seven, Varkala. It is two and a half to three hours south, and the North Cliff has cafes and sea views. Thiruvananthapuram airport is about an hour to an hour and a half away, so an evening flight leaves the morning for the beach.

The AI Trip Planner can price this route day by day or add Periyar for wildlife.

A city and coast week in Cape Town

1. Three nights in the City Bowl or Sea Point for Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront and Robben Island.
2. A day to Cape Point, about an hour to an hour and a half each way, stopping at Boulders Beach, 45 minutes to an hour from the city.
3. Two nights in Stellenbosch, 45 minutes to an hour inland. Book wine-tasting slots for weekends, when the estates are busiest.

Packing for heat, wind and frost

• Kerala and Siem Reap, at 31 to 33°C, call for loose cotton or linen and at least one outfit that covers shoulders and knees for temples; add a fleece for Munnar's cool nights.
• Cancún is a little cooler but humid, and a light long-sleeved shirt helps with both the evening breeze and mosquitoes.
• Cape Town: a windproof jacket matters more than a warm one, because the southeaster can make a 26°C afternoon feel cold on the beach.
• Queenstown's nights drop to around 8°C and mountain weather changes quickly, so hikers carry a waterproof shell and a warm layer even on clear mornings.
• Buenos Aires needs breathable clothes and a compact umbrella for the short storms.
• Vienna sits just above freezing and much of the time is spent standing at markets, so thermal base layers under ordinary clothes, a hat and boots with grip for icy cobbles make the difference.
• Rovaniemi, at around −11°C at night: a hat that covers the ears, mittens rather than gloves, and wool socks. Many safari companies lend overalls and boots, so ask before you pack your own.

Entry rules

• India issues e-Tourist visas through its official e-Visa site, valid for arrival at listed airports, which include Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
• Cambodia sells e-visas through evisa.gov.kh.
• Most visa-waiver visitors to New Zealand need an NZeTA before they fly, paid together with the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.
• Mexico and Argentina admit many nationalities without a visa.

South Africa launched an electronic travel authorisation on 12 August 2026 at its main airports, Cape Town included. It started with visa-required travellers from China, India, Indonesia and Mexico, with more countries to follow. Visitors from visa-exempt countries are not affected, and the Department of Home Affairs publishes the exemption list.

Austria and Finland are in the Schengen area, where the EU's Entry/Exit System has registered non-EU travellers' fingerprints and photos at the border since April 2026; ETIAS is not yet in operation. The site's visa pages cover more countries.

Booking lead times

Rovaniemi sells out first. Hotels and glass-roofed cabins for the weeks before Christmas are often reserved many months ahead, so anyone planning in November may do better with early December or January.

Cape Town needs early booking for the second half of the month because of the South African school holidays; reserve the Robben Island ferry as soon as your dates are fixed.

Kerala houseboats and Cancún resorts are worth booking two to three months ahead for the Christmas to New Year week. Queenstown fills over the New Zealand summer holidays, and Great Walk huts, booked through the Department of Conservation, go months in advance.

Vienna and Siem Reap are more forgiving; a few weeks is usually enough outside the Christmas weekend. Across the board, flights rise sharply from around the third week of December, when schools close in many countries.

Staying safe and well

The CDC lists dengue as a risk in India, Cambodia and Mexico, and the mosquitoes that carry it bite in daytime, so use repellent from the morning. Drink bottled or filtered water in Kerala, Cambodia and Mexico; tap water in Cape Town and Vienna is safe.

Varkala and Kovalam can have strong currents, so swim between the flags where lifeguards are posted. Cancún's Caribbean-facing beaches use a coloured flag system, and the UK's travel advice for Mexico warns about rip currents.

In Cape Town, use popular hiking routes on Table Mountain, start early, and avoid walking alone on quiet trails.

In Lapland, exposed skin can freeze in wind or at speed on a snowmobile, so cover your face, check each other for pale patches and go indoors if fingers or toes go numb. Insurance should cover winter sports and activities such as bungy, which some standard policies exclude.

Saving money

The Angkor Pass comes in one-day, three-day and seven-day versions. The multi-day passes need not be used on consecutive days, and the seven-day pass is valid over a month, so visits can be spread out with rest days between.

Published terms for the three-day pass vary between a seven-day and a ten-day window, so check the validity printed at purchase.

In Vienna, standing-room tickets at the State Opera are the cheapest way to see a performance; the opera's website explains how they are sold. Wiener Linien's 24-, 48- and 72-hour tickets cover the metro, trams and buses.

In Cape Town, a MyCiTi card works on the city's bus network, including the airport route. In Buenos Aires, buses and the Subte need a SUBE card, sold at kiosks and stations.

In Kerala, pick a houseboat from Kerala Tourism's classified list, which grades boats as Gold, Silver or Diamond; a lower grade on a quieter route often makes the better trip.

How we checked this

The climate averages come from national weather services' long-term normals, mostly for 1991 to 2020; the Siem Reap figures cover the shorter 1997 to 2010 period. Event dates come from the organisers or official announcements, and every fact here was checked in November 2026. You can read more about how we research our guides.