Where is hot in Europe in December?
The warmest places in Europe in December are Gran Canaria (22°C), Tenerife (22°C), Lanzarote (22°C), by average daytime high over the last ten years. Nowhere in Europe averages 24°C in December, so expect warm rather than hot.
Europe in December, warmest first
Tap a destination for its full December weather.
| Destination | Day | Night | Sea | Wet days | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gran CanariaSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 16°C | 22°C | 3 | 4h |
| TenerifeSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 17°C | 22°C | 3 | 4h |
| LanzaroteSpain (Canary Islands) | 22°C | 16°C | 21°C | 3 | 3½h |
| FuerteventuraSpain (Canary Islands) | 21°C | 17°C | 20°C | 3 | 4h |
| MadeiraPortugal | 20°C | 15°C | 21°C | 11 | 3½h |
| MalagaSpain | 18°C | 11°C | 17°C | 6 | 2½h |
| MaltaMalta | 17°C | 14°C | 19°C | 9 | 3h |
| AlgarvePortugal | 17°C | 10°C | 17°C | 7 | 2½h |
| RhodesGreece | 17°C | 12°C | 21°C | 10 | 4h |
| SevilleSpain | 17°C | 8°C | – | 6 | 2½h |
| MajorcaSpain | 16°C | 10°C | 17°C | 7 | 2h |
| SicilyItaly | 16°C | 11°C | 18°C | 11 | 2½h |
| LisbonPortugal | 16°C | 10°C | 16°C | 9 | 2½h |
| AthensGreece | 14°C | 8°C | 18°C | 9 | 3½h |
| Cyprus (Paphos)Cypruswet season | 18°C | 11°C | 21°C | 12 | 4½h |
| CreteGreecewet season | 17°C | 12°C | 19°C | 12 | 3½h |
| AntalyaTurkeywet season | 16°C | 8°C | 21°C | 12 | 4h |
Quick answers
Where is the hottest place in Europe in December?
The warmest places in Europe in December are Gran Canaria (22°C), Tenerife (22°C), Lanzarote (22°C), by average daytime high over the last ten years. Nowhere in Europe averages 24°C in December, so expect warm rather than hot.
Where in Europe can you swim in the sea in December?
Tenerife (22°C), Gran Canaria (22°C), Madeira (21°C) have the warmest sea. We count 21°C and above as comfortable without a wetsuit.
Where is hotter than Europe in December but still short haul?
Sharm el-Sheikh (24°C, 5h), Hurghada (23°C, 5h), Aqaba (23°C, 5h) are within 5½ hours of the UK.
How we measured this
Averages of every day in December from 2016 to 2025 from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive (ECMWF ERA5); sea temperatures 2023 to 2025 from the Open-Meteo marine archive. Europe here includes the Canary Islands, Madeira, Cyprus and Antalya, as UK holiday searches do.
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