Where is hot in December 2026?
The hottest places within 5½ hours of the UK in December are Sharm el-Sheikh (24°C), Hurghada (23°C) and Aqaba (23°C), going by average daytime highs over the last ten years. Fly further and Goa (32°C), The Gambia (31°C) and Bangkok (31°C) are reliably hot.
Hottest short haul
Sharm el-Sheikh
24°C · 5h flight
Hottest in Europe
Gran Canaria
22°C · 4h flight
Warmest sea, short haul
Sharm el-Sheikh
25°C sea · 5h flight
Hot and driest
The Gambia
0 wet days · 6h flight
Hottest long haul
Goa
32°C · 9½h flight
Short haul: under 5½ hours from the UK
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 12 or more rainy days in December.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Wet days | Sun/day | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharm el-SheikhEgypt | 24°C | 15°C | 25°C | 1 | 10h | 5h |
| HurghadaEgypt | 23°C | 16°C | 24°C | 0 | 10h | 5h |
| AqabaJordan | 23°C | 13°C | 24°C | 1 | 9h | 5h |
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 16°C | 22°C | 3 | 10h | 4h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 17°C | 22°C | 3 | 10h | 4h |
| AgadirMorocco | 22°C | 12°C | 18°C | 3 | 9h | 3½h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 16°C | 21°C | 3 | 9h | 3½h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 21°C | 17°C | 20°C | 3 | 10h | 4h |
| MarrakechMorocco | 20°C | 7°C | – | 6 | 9h | 3h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 20°C | 15°C | 21°C | 11 | 8h | 3½h |
| MalagaSpain | 18°C | 11°C | 17°C | 6 | 8h | 2½h |
| HammametTunisia | 18°C | 11°C | 19°C | 7 | 8h | 2½h |
| MaltaMalta | 17°C | 14°C | 19°C | 9 | 8h | 3h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 17°C | 10°C | 17°C | 7 | 8h | 2½h |
| RhodesGreece | 17°C | 12°C | 21°C | 10 | 8h | 4h |
| SevilleSpain | 17°C | 8°C | – | 6 | 8h | 2½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 16°C | 10°C | 17°C | 7 | 8h | 2h |
| SicilyItaly | 16°C | 11°C | 18°C | 11 | 8h | 2½h |
| LisbonPortugal | 16°C | 10°C | 16°C | 9 | 7h | 2½h |
| AthensGreece | 14°C | 8°C | 18°C | 9 | 7h | 3½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cypruswet season | 18°C | 11°C | 21°C | 12 | 8h | 4½h |
| CreteGreecewet season | 17°C | 12°C | 19°C | 12 | 8h | 3½h |
| AntalyaTurkeywet season | 16°C | 8°C | 21°C | 12 | 7h | 4h |
Medium haul: 5½ to 8 hours
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 12 or more rainy days in December.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Wet days | Sun/day | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The GambiaThe Gambia | 31°C | 22°C | 25°C | 0 | 10h | 6h |
| DubaiUAE | 26°C | 17°C | 24°C | 1 | 10h | 7h |
| Cape Verde (Sal)Cape Verde | 26°C | 22°C | 25°C | 1 | 10h | 5½h |
| Abu DhabiUAE | 26°C | 20°C | 25°C | 1 | 10h | 7h |
| MuscatOman | 26°C | 19°C | 26°C | 1 | 10h | 7½h |
| AntiguaAntigua and Barbudawet season | 28°C | 25°C | 28°C | 17 | 10h | 8h |
Long haul: over 8 hours
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 12 or more rainy days in December.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Wet days | Sun/day | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoaIndia | 32°C | 22°C | 28°C | 2 | 10h | 9½h |
| BangkokThailand | 31°C | 22°C | – | 4 | 10h | 11½h |
| Kerala (Kochi)India | 30°C | 24°C | 30°C | 10 | 10h | 10h |
| SydneyAustralia | 26°C | 18°C | 21°C | 10 | 12h | 20½h |
| Cape TownSouth Africa | 24°C | 16°C | 14°C | 5 | 13h | 12h |
| ZanzibarTanzaniawet season | 31°C | 25°C | 30°C | 21 | 12h | 9h |
| Diani BeachKenyawet season | 30°C | 25°C | 29°C | 20 | 12h | 9h |
| MauritiusMauritiuswet season | 30°C | 24°C | 28°C | 19 | 12h | 12h |
| SingaporeSingaporewet season | 29°C | 24°C | 29°C | 28 | 9h | 13½h |
| BaliIndonesiawet season | 29°C | 24°C | 30°C | 27 | 10h | 15h |
| PhuketThailandwet season | 29°C | 24°C | 29°C | 17 | 10h | 12h |
| Sri Lanka (south coast)Sri Lankawet season | 29°C | 23°C | 29°C | 22 | 9h | 11h |
| BarbadosBarbadoswet season | 29°C | 24°C | 28°C | 14 | 11h | 8½h |
| Jamaica (Montego Bay)Jamaicawet season | 29°C | 23°C | 29°C | 14 | 10h | 9½h |
| MaldivesMaldiveswet season | 28°C | 26°C | 29°C | 18 | 10h | 10½h |
| St LuciaSt Luciawet season | 28°C | 24°C | 28°C | 19 | 11h | 8½h |
| Punta CanaDominican Republicwet season | 27°C | 24°C | 28°C | 20 | 11h | 8½h |
| SeychellesSeychelleswet season | 27°C | 25°C | 29°C | 25 | 10h | 10h |
| Hoi AnVietnamwet season | 25°C | 21°C | 25°C | 27 | 5h | 12h |
Where is hot in Europe in December?
Gran Canaria is the warmest place in Europe in December at 22°C on an average day, with the sea at 22°C. Nowhere in Europe averages 24°C in December, so treat these as warm, not hot.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Wet days | Sun/day | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 16°C | 22°C | 3 | 10h | 4h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 17°C | 22°C | 3 | 10h | 4h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 16°C | 21°C | 3 | 9h | 3½h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 21°C | 17°C | 20°C | 3 | 10h | 4h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 20°C | 15°C | 21°C | 11 | 8h | 3½h |
| MalagaSpain | 18°C | 11°C | 17°C | 6 | 8h | 2½h |
| MaltaMalta | 17°C | 14°C | 19°C | 9 | 8h | 3h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 17°C | 10°C | 17°C | 7 | 8h | 2½h |
| RhodesGreece | 17°C | 12°C | 21°C | 10 | 8h | 4h |
| SevilleSpain | 17°C | 8°C | – | 6 | 8h | 2½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 16°C | 10°C | 17°C | 7 | 8h | 2h |
| SicilyItaly | 16°C | 11°C | 18°C | 11 | 8h | 2½h |
| LisbonPortugal | 16°C | 10°C | 16°C | 9 | 7h | 2½h |
| AthensGreece | 14°C | 8°C | 18°C | 9 | 7h | 3½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cypruswet season | 18°C | 11°C | 21°C | 12 | 8h | 4½h |
| CreteGreecewet season | 17°C | 12°C | 19°C | 12 | 8h | 3½h |
| AntalyaTurkeywet season | 16°C | 8°C | 21°C | 12 | 7h | 4h |
December sun: quick answers
Where is hot in Europe in December?
Gran Canaria (22°C), Tenerife (22°C), Lanzarote (22°C), Fuerteventura (21°C) have the highest average daytime temperatures in Europe in December. That is warm rather than hot: for 24°C and above you need to leave Europe.
What is the hottest place within 4 hours of the UK in December?
Gran Canaria averages 22°C by day and 16°C at night in December, about 4h from London.
Where is the sea warm enough to swim in December?
Within 5½ hours of the UK the sea is warmest in Sharm el-Sheikh (25°C), Hurghada (24°C), Aqaba (24°C). We count 21°C and above as comfortable without a wetsuit.
Where should I avoid in December because of rain?
Zanzibar (21 wet days), Diani Beach (20 wet days), Mauritius (19 wet days), Singapore (28 wet days) are hot but in their rainy season in December, averaging 12 or more days with at least 1 mm of rain.
What is the hottest destination in December?
Of the 48 places we track, Goa is the hottest outside its rainy season in December, averaging 32°C by day.
Picked a spot? Our guide to December holidays from the UK covers what to do there, school-holiday timing and booking checks. For city breaks rather than sun, see the best places to travel in December.
How we measured this
Temperatures, rain and sunshine are averages of every day in December from 2016 to 2025, taken from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive (ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis). Sea temperatures are 2023 to 2025 averages from the Open-Meteo marine archive. A wet day has at least 1 mm of rain. Flight times are estimates for a direct flight from London Heathrow, based on distance, and rounded to the half hour; check your airline for exact times. Reanalysis data describes an area about 25 km across, so a sheltered beach can run a degree or two warmer than the figure here. Data last refreshed 2026-09-24.
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