Climate study · 10 years of data · 2026-2027

Where to go in December

Tuesday, December 1, 2026 to Thursday, December 31, 2026, 31 days.

Ranked day by day over 2016-2025 where daily records exist, otherwise on monthly averages.

Your dates
31 days
Shortcuts:
Type of trip
Afternoon temperature
Budget on the ground

Cost of living, by country (Numbeo 2026 index). Flights are not included.

Safety

Country level (the stricter of the French and German foreign ministries). Some regions may be rated more severely: check before booking.

Safest bet
Dakar
Less than one rainy day out of 31, 82 °F, ≈ 8h00 flight.
Closest dry option
Trinidad
≈ 3h20 flight from New York, 84 °F, ≈ 2.2 rainy days out of 31.
Cheapest dry option
Jodhpur
Cost of living: 💚 budget, 78 °F, nearly dry 10 years out of 10.
Great place, wrong dates
Darwin
Excellent in July (9.5/10), but 14.9 rainy days out of 31 on these dates.

Top 25 · General weather · December

636 of 686 destinations analyzed match your criteria.
1
PerthAustralia · 11,620 mi
🟢 Normal🟠 Expensive
82 °FSea 74 °F · ≈ 22h45 flight
≈ 1.9 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.7/10Guide
2
SantiagoChile · 5,128 mi
🟢 Normal💛 Affordable
84 °F≈ 10h30 flight
Less than one rainy day out of 31 (monthly average)
9.7/10Guide
3
DakarSenegal · 3,820 mi
🟢 Normal🟡 Moderate
82 °FSea 78 °F · ≈ 8h00 flight
Less than one rainy day out of 31 (monthly average)
9.3/10Guide
4
JodhpurIndia · 7,347 mi
🟡 High vigilance💚 Budget
78 °F≈ 14h40 flight
Nearly dry 10 years out of 10 · 0.3 rainy days out of 31
9.3/10Guide
5
Chiang MaiThailand · 8,301 mi
🟡 High vigilance💛 Affordable
82 °F≈ 16h30 flight
≈ 1.2 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.2/10Guide
6
DjiboutiDjibouti · 7,048 mi
🟢 Normal💛 Affordable
82 °F≈ 14h05 flight
≈ 0.9 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.2/10Guide
7
KarachiPakistan · 7,262 mi
🟡 High vigilance💚 Budget
79 °F≈ 14h30 flight
≈ 0.6 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.2/10Guide
8
MendozaArgentina · 5,096 mi
🟢 Normal💛 Affordable
86 °F≈ 10h25 flight
Nearly dry 7 years out of 10 · 2.8 rainy days out of 31
9.2/10Guide
9
AswanEgypt · 5,961 mi
🟡 High vigilance💚 Budget
75 °F≈ 12h00 flight
Less than one rainy day out of 31 (monthly average)
9.1/10Guide
10
Cabo San LucasMexico · 2,417 mi
🟢 Normal💛 Affordable
81 °FSea 79 °F · ≈ 5h20 flight
≈ 0.9 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.1/10Guide
11
Koh ChangThailand · 8,783 mi
🟡 High vigilance💛 Affordable
82 °FSea 85 °F · ≈ 17h25 flight
≈ 2.5 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.1/10Guide
12
Marsa AlamEgypt · 6,005 mi
🟡 High vigilance💚 Budget
76 °FSea 76 °F · ≈ 12h05 flight
Nearly dry 10 years out of 10 · 0.3 rainy days out of 31
9.1/10Guide
13
MysoreIndia · 8,322 mi
🟡 High vigilance💚 Budget
82 °F≈ 16h30 flight
≈ 2.5 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.1/10Guide
14
OaxacaMexico · 2,122 mi
🟢 Normal💛 Affordable
79 °F≈ 4h45 flight
≈ 0.6 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.1/10Guide
15
VientianeLaos · 8,377 mi
🟢 Normal💚 Budget
82 °F≈ 16h35 flight
≈ 0.9 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.1/10Guide
16
LuxorEgypt · 5,873 mi
🟡 High vigilance💚 Budget
75 °F≈ 11h50 flight
≈ 0.9 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.0/10Guide
17
NouakchottMauritania · 3,750 mi
🟡 High vigilance💛 Affordable
86 °F≈ 7h50 flight
Less than one rainy day out of 31 (monthly average)
9.0/10Guide
18
Puerto VallartaMexico · 2,295 mi
🟢 Normal💛 Affordable
81 °FSea 80 °F · ≈ 5h05 flight
≈ 1.6 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
9.0/10Guide
19
Chiang RaiThailand · 8,230 mi
🟡 High vigilance💛 Affordable
79 °F≈ 16h20 flight
≈ 1.9 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
8.9/10Guide
20
GondarEthiopia · 6,729 mi
🟡 High vigilance💛 Affordable
75 °F≈ 13h30 flight
≈ 0.6 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
8.9/10Guide
21
HampiIndia · 8,127 mi
🟡 High vigilance💚 Budget
86 °F≈ 16h10 flight
Nearly dry 10 years out of 10 · 1.6 rainy days out of 31
8.9/10Guide
22
Hua HinThailand · 8,735 mi
🟡 High vigilance💛 Affordable
84 °FSea 83 °F · ≈ 17h15 flight
≈ 1.2 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
8.9/10Guide
23
Cape TownSouth Africa · 7,807 mi
🟢 Normal💛 Affordable
75 °FSea 58 °F · ≈ 15h30 flight
≈ 3.4 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
8.9/10Guide
24
AdelaideAustralia · 10,624 mi
🟢 Normal🟠 Expensive
77 °FSea 73 °F · ≈ 20h50 flight
≈ 4.3 rainy days out of 31 (monthly average)
8.8/10Guide
25
Antigua GuatemalaGuatemala · 2,068 mi
🟢 Normal💛 Affordable
75 °F≈ 4h40 flight
Nearly dry 9 years out of 10 · 1.9 rainy days out of 31
8.8/10Guide
Nearly dry (at most 4 rainy days)5 to 8 daysMore than 8 daysOne square per year (2016 to 2025)No squares: monthly average (daily records still being collected)

Christmas and New Year: where to go for sunshine?

Saturday, December 19, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027. The best scores at 68 °F and above, with at most 15% rainy days on these dates (safety: up to high vigilance).

  1. 1Santiago ChileLess than one rainy day out of 16 · 85 °F · 9.7/10
  2. 2Perth Australia≈ 0.9 rainy days out of 16 · 83 °F · 9.7/10
  3. 3Dakar SenegalLess than one rainy day out of 16 · 82 °F · 9.3/10
  4. 4Jodhpur IndiaNearly dry 9 years out of 9 · 76 °F · 9.3/10
  5. 5Chiang Mai Thailand≈ 0.6 rainy days out of 16 · 82 °F · 9.2/10
  6. 6Djibouti Djibouti≈ 0.5 rainy days out of 16 · 82 °F · 9.2/10
  7. 7Mendoza ArgentinaNearly dry 8 years out of 9 · 88 °F · 9.1/10
  8. 8Karachi PakistanLess than one rainy day out of 16 · 78 °F · 9.1/10

See the full ranking for these dates →

Depending on your plans

The best destinations for these dates, by type of trip (departure city, flight, budget and safety taken into account).

🏖️ Beach

⛷️ Skiing

🥾 Hiking

By region · December

The best destinations in each region for these dates (budget and safety taken into account, no flight limit).

Europe

North Africa

Africa and Indian Ocean

Atlantic islands

North America

Caribbean

South America

Asia

Middle East

Oceania

Best avoided · December

The least favorable destinations for these dates, out of 686 analyzed (mountain resorts excluded: see the skiing ranking).

Other rankings

← Where to go in NovemberWhere to go in January →📅 All year🌍 World ranking 2026🗺️ Climate map

How this ranking is calculated

  • BestDateWeather score (general, beach, skiing or hiking): the score of the months concerned, weighted by the number of days of your trip in each month.
  • Rain: where daily records exist, your exact dates are replayed on each year from 2016 to 2025 (ERA5 reanalysis, threshold adjusted to 318 weather stations). Otherwise, the calculation uses the share of rainy days in the month.
  • "Nearly dry": at most one rainy day per week of travel, on average.
  • Date shortcuts: US federal holidays; school breaks vary by district.

Good to know

  • Ten seasons is a short record: "8 years out of 10" means "most of the time", not "guaranteed".
  • Flight time estimated from distance (45 min + distance at about 530 mph) for a direct flight. With a stopover, allow longer.
  • Temperatures come from the ERA5 reanalysis: on small islands they can be 2 to 4 °F below coastal station readings.