Where to go in December

The best destinations to visit in December, ranked by weather, crowds, prices and events — with the data behind every pick.

December rewards travellers who match the destination to the season. Below, every place is scored on real climate normals, typical crowd levels and price trends for December — so you can trade heat for value, or crowds for perfect weather, with your eyes open.

Best destinations for December

1 Ideal Maldives Maldives · 30° · $$$ 2 Ideal Cape Town South Africa · 25° · $$$ 3 Ideal Sydney Australia · 26° · $$$ 4 Ideal Cancún Mexico · 28° · $$$ 5 Ideal Queenstown New Zealand · 20° · $$$ 6 Ideal Dubai United Arab Emirates · 25° · $$$ 7 Ideal Bangkok Thailand · 32° · $$$ 8 Ideal Cairo Egypt · 21° · $$ 9 Great Bali Indonesia · 30° · $$$

Best value in December

Cairo Egypt · $$ Save 0% Hanoi Vietnam · $$ Save 8% Serengeti Tanzania · $$ Save 31% Banff Canada · $$ Save 29%

Maybe skip these in December

Santorini Greece · 15° Avoid Dubrovnik Croatia · 13° Avoid