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 in December by flight time
4 to 6 hours
- The Gambia 31°C · 6h
- Cape Verde (Sal) 26°C · 5½h
- Sharm el-Sheikh 24°C · 5h
Comparing places for December? Our winter guides:
- Christmas sun holidays from the UK
- which Canary Island is warmest
- the warmest place in Spain
- the warmest place in Greece
- the warmest place in Portugal
- the warmest place in Morocco
- the warmest place in Egypt
- the warmest place in Florida
- which Caribbean island is warmest
- where the weather is best in Thailand
- Cape Verde's weather by island
- Dubai and Abu Dhabi's winter weather
- where the weather is best in Sri Lanka
- Madeira's winter weather
- Tenerife's winter weather
- Gran Canaria's winter weather
- Lanzarote's winter weather
Saving December sun spots from TikTok?
Share the beach bars, restaurants and views you find on TikTok and Instagram to Dream Trip. It pins them on a map and turns them into a day-by-day plan.
Short haul: under 5½ hours from the UK
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 150 mm of rain or more in December.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharm el-SheikhEgypt | 24°C | 15°C | 25°C | 2 mm | 5h |
| HurghadaEgypt | 23°C | 16°C | 24°C | 0 mm | 5h |
| AqabaJordan | 23°C | 13°C | 24°C | 6 mm | 5h |
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 16°C | 22°C | 16 mm | 4h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 17°C | 22°C | 16 mm | 4h |
| AgadirMorocco | 22°C | 12°C | 18°C | 30 mm | 3½h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 16°C | 21°C | 9 mm | 3½h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 21°C | 17°C | 20°C | 10 mm | 4h |
| MarrakechMorocco | 20°C | 7°C | – | 42 mm | 3h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 20°C | 15°C | 21°C | 91 mm | 3½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cyprus | 18°C | 11°C | 21°C | 121 mm | 4½h |
| MalagaSpain | 18°C | 11°C | 17°C | 51 mm | 2½h |
| HammametTunisia | 18°C | 11°C | 19°C | 41 mm | 2½h |
| MaltaMalta | 17°C | 14°C | 19°C | 43 mm | 3h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 17°C | 10°C | 17°C | 69 mm | 2½h |
| RhodesGreece | 17°C | 12°C | 21°C | 91 mm | 4h |
| CreteGreece | 17°C | 12°C | 19°C | 111 mm | 3½h |
| SevilleSpain | 17°C | 8°C | – | 68 mm | 2½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 16°C | 10°C | 17°C | 34 mm | 2h |
| SicilyItaly | 16°C | 11°C | 18°C | 88 mm | 2½h |
| LisbonPortugal | 16°C | 10°C | 16°C | 84 mm | 2½h |
| AthensGreece | 14°C | 8°C | 18°C | 96 mm | 3½h |
| AntalyaTurkeywet season | 16°C | 8°C | 21°C | 203 mm | 4h |
Medium haul: 5½ to 8 hours
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 150 mm of rain or more in December.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The GambiaThe Gambia | 31°C | 22°C | 25°C | 1 mm | 6h |
| AntiguaAntigua and Barbuda | 28°C | 25°C | 28°C | 48 mm | 8h |
| DubaiUAE | 26°C | 17°C | 24°C | 9 mm | 7h |
| Cape Verde (Sal)Cape Verde | 26°C | 22°C | 25°C | 4 mm | 5½h |
| Abu DhabiUAE | 26°C | 20°C | 25°C | 5 mm | 7h |
| MuscatOman | 26°C | 19°C | 26°C | 14 mm | 7½h |
Long haul: over 8 hours
Sorted hottest first. Rows marked wet season average 150 mm of rain or more in December.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoaIndia | 32°C | 22°C | 28°C | 13 mm | 9½h |
| BangkokThailand | 31°C | 22°C | – | 19 mm | 11½h |
| GuanacasteCosta Rica | 31°C | 24°C | 29°C | 37 mm | 11h |
| ZanzibarTanzania | 31°C | 25°C | 30°C | 105 mm | 9h |
| Diani BeachKenya | 30°C | 25°C | 29°C | 102 mm | 9h |
| MauritiusMauritius | 30°C | 24°C | 28°C | 110 mm | 12h |
| Kerala (Kochi)India | 30°C | 24°C | 30°C | 56 mm | 10h |
| PhuketThailand | 29°C | 24°C | 29°C | 139 mm | 12h |
| ArubaAruba | 29°C | 26°C | 28°C | 58 mm | 9½h |
| Rio de JaneiroBrazil | 29°C | 23°C | 25°C | 132 mm | 11½h |
| BarbadosBarbados | 29°C | 24°C | 28°C | 54 mm | 8½h |
| Jamaica (Montego Bay)Jamaica | 29°C | 23°C | 29°C | 58 mm | 9½h |
| St LuciaSt Lucia | 28°C | 24°C | 28°C | 71 mm | 8½h |
| Punta CanaDominican Republic | 27°C | 24°C | 28°C | 78 mm | 8½h |
| CancunMexico | 27°C | 22°C | 28°C | 82 mm | 10h |
| VaraderoCuba | 27°C | 22°C | 25°C | 48 mm | 9h |
| SydneyAustralia | 26°C | 18°C | 21°C | 65 mm | 20½h |
| NassauBahamas | 26°C | 22°C | 25°C | 47 mm | 8½h |
| MiamiUSA | 25°C | 19°C | 24°C | 87 mm | 9h |
| Cape TownSouth Africa | 24°C | 16°C | 14°C | 28 mm | 12h |
| OrlandoUSA | 23°C | 14°C | – | 68 mm | 8½h |
| SingaporeSingaporewet season | 29°C | 24°C | 29°C | 318 mm | 13½h |
| BaliIndonesiawet season | 29°C | 24°C | 30°C | 282 mm | 15h |
| Sri Lanka (south coast)Sri Lankawet season | 29°C | 23°C | 29°C | 189 mm | 11h |
| MaldivesMaldiveswet season | 28°C | 26°C | 29°C | 225 mm | 10½h |
| SeychellesSeychelleswet season | 27°C | 25°C | 29°C | 327 mm | 10h |
| Hoi AnVietnamwet season | 25°C | 21°C | 25°C | 376 mm | 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 | Rain | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 16°C | 22°C | 16 mm | 4h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 17°C | 22°C | 16 mm | 4h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 16°C | 21°C | 9 mm | 3½h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 21°C | 17°C | 20°C | 10 mm | 4h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 20°C | 15°C | 21°C | 91 mm | 3½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cyprus | 18°C | 11°C | 21°C | 121 mm | 4½h |
| MalagaSpain | 18°C | 11°C | 17°C | 51 mm | 2½h |
| MaltaMalta | 17°C | 14°C | 19°C | 43 mm | 3h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 17°C | 10°C | 17°C | 69 mm | 2½h |
| RhodesGreece | 17°C | 12°C | 21°C | 91 mm | 4h |
| CreteGreece | 17°C | 12°C | 19°C | 111 mm | 3½h |
| SevilleSpain | 17°C | 8°C | – | 68 mm | 2½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 16°C | 10°C | 17°C | 34 mm | 2h |
| SicilyItaly | 16°C | 11°C | 18°C | 88 mm | 2½h |
| LisbonPortugal | 16°C | 10°C | 16°C | 84 mm | 2½h |
| AthensGreece | 14°C | 8°C | 18°C | 96 mm | 3½h |
| AntalyaTurkeywet season | 16°C | 8°C | 21°C | 203 mm | 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?
Singapore (318 mm), Bali (282 mm), Sri Lanka (south coast) (189 mm), Maldives (225 mm) are hot but in their rainy season in December, averaging 150 mm of rain or more.
Where is hot in December within 6 hours of the UK?
The Gambia averages 31°C by day in December, about 6h from London, against 22°C in Gran Canaria, the hottest place within 4 hours.
What is the hottest destination in December?
Of the 56 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 and rain 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. Rain is the average monthly total. 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 2026-09-25.
Found your December sun spot?
Save the beach bars, restaurants and views you find on TikTok and Instagram straight to a map, then let Dream Trip turn them into a day-by-day plan.
