🇲🇽 MEXICO
Bacalar
A calm freshwater lagoon in seven shades of blue, edged by mangroves and jungle.
Nature & hiking✈️ 11h4 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
❄️ WHEN TO GO
Where to go on holiday in December
Whether you want Christmas on a beach or a white Christmas with reindeer, December has plenty of choice. Here's where's at its best this month.
Where to go on holiday in December: 26 guides
🇹🇭 THAILAND
Bangkok
Golden temples, river boats and night markets, the classic start to a Thailand trip.
City break✈️ 13h3 to 4 nights£
BEST TIMENOV–FEB
🇧🇧 BARBADOS
Barbados
Calm Caribbean beaches, swimming with turtles and fish fries on a Friday night.
Beach✈️ 9h10 to 14 nights£££
BEST TIMEDEC–APR
🇲🇽 MEXICO
Cancún
Caribbean beaches, Maya pyramids and swimming in underground caves.
Beach✈️ 11h10 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–APR
🇿🇦 SOUTH AFRICA
Cape Town
Penguins on the beach, a mountain with a cable car and a jet-lag-free flight.
City break✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMENOV–MAR
🇨🇴 COLOMBIA
Cartagena
Colourful colonial streets, old city walls and island boat trips on Colombia's Caribbean coast.
City break✈️ 11h5 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
🇨🇷 COSTA RICA
Costa Rica
Sloths, volcanoes, zip lines through the rainforest and two coasts of beaches.
Nature & hiking✈️ 12h12 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–APR
🇦🇪 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Dubai
Winter sun, water parks and the tallest building in the world.
City break✈️ 8h5 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMENOV–MAR
🇪🇨 ECUADOR
Galápagos Islands
Swim with sea lions, walk past giant tortoises and spot blue-footed boobies.
Nature & hiking✈️ 14h7 to 10 nights£££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAY
🇮🇳 INDIA
Kerala
Houseboats on palm-lined backwaters, tea hills and spice markets in southern India.
Culture & history✈️ 11h10 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–FEB
🇹🇭 THAILAND
Koh Lanta
Long, quiet beaches, coral islands and sunsets over the Andaman Sea.
Beach✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
🇱🇦 LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
Luang Prabang
Saffron-robed monks, golden temples and turquoise waterfall pools where two rivers meet.
Culture & history✈️ 12h3 to 4 nights££
BEST TIMENOV–FEB
🇲🇻 MALDIVES
Maldives
Overwater villas, white sand and reefs full of turtles right off the beach.
Beach✈️ 12h7 to 10 nights£££
BEST TIMEDEC–APR
🇲🇺 MAURITIUS
Mauritius
Lagoon beaches, giant tortoises and rainbow-coloured sand in the Indian Ocean.
Beach✈️ 13h10 to 14 nights£££
BEST TIMEAPR–MAY, SEP–DEC
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Miami
Turquoise sea, airboats in the Everglades and Cuban food in Little Havana.
Beach✈️ 10h5 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMENOV–APR
🇲🇽 MEXICO
Oaxaca
Painted wooden animals, hot chocolate and mountain-top ruins in southern Mexico's colourful old city.
Culture & history✈️ 12h5 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMENOV–MAR
🇴🇲 OMAN
Oman
Desert dunes, turquoise wadis and turtle beaches, with forts and souks in between.
Adventure✈️ 8h7 to 10 nights£££
BEST TIMENOV–MAR
🇲🇾 MALAYSIA
Penang
Street art, clan houses and some of Asia's best street food in George Town.
Food & drink✈️ 14h5 to 7 nights££
BEST TIMEDEC–FEB
🇳🇿 NEW ZEALAND
Queenstown
Jet boats, a luge with a lake view and Milford Sound up the road.
Adventure✈️ 25h5 to 7 nights£££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
🇫🇮 FINLAND
Rovaniemi
Meet Santa on the Arctic Circle, ride with huskies and sleep under the northern lights.
Adventure✈️ 4h3 to 4 nights£££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
🇱🇰 SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka
Leopards, elephants, a famous train ride and golden beaches on one small island.
Nature & hiking✈️ 12h12 to 14 nights£
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA
Sydney
Ferries across the harbour, koalas at the zoo and beaches all along the coast.
City break✈️ 22h10 to 14 nights£££
BEST TIMESEP–MAR
🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA
Tasmania
Wombats, wild beaches and empty mountain trails on an island the size of Ireland.
Road trip✈️ 23h10 to 14 nights£££
BEST TIMEDEC–MAR
🇪🇸 SPAIN
Tenerife
Winter sun, a volcano with a cable car and some of Europe's best water parks.
Beach✈️ 5h7 nights££
BEST TIMEOCT–MAR
Showing 24 of 26 guides
Also good in December
Not quite at their best, but still a good time to go.
- Ambergris Caye
- Amsterdam
- Annecy
- Asheville
- Austin
- Banff
- Bergen
- Berlin
- Boston
- Brașov
- Cape Verde
- Chamonix
- Chicago
- Copenhagen
- Dominica
- Gdańsk
- Ghent
- Grenada
- Hallstatt
- Interlaken
- Kraków
- Ljubljana
- Los Angeles
- Maasai Mara
- Madeira
- Malta
- Marrakech
- Matera
- Maui
- Mexico City
- Montreal
- Namibia
- Nepal
- New Orleans
- New York
- Ninh Binh
- Orlando
- Paphos
- Paris
- Prague
- Quebec City
- Reykjavik
- Rome
- San Diego
- Saxon Switzerland
- Seoul
- Singapore
- Tallinn
- Tokyo
- Toronto
- Tromsø
- Vancouver
- Vienna
- Washington, D.C.
- Zanzibar
Where to go on holiday in December: common questions
Where is hot at Christmas?
The Caribbean (Barbados, Cancún), the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kerala, Thailand, Dubai and Oman are warm and mostly dry. Cape Town, Mauritius and Sydney are in summer. Tenerife is the warmest place within about four and a half hours of the UK.
Where can we have a white Christmas?
Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland is the home of Santa Claus Village, with snow, reindeer and husky rides. Whistler has its ski season under way by Christmas.
Is it worth going away at Christmas?
It's the most expensive week of the year to travel, so book as early as you can. Going in early December or just after New Year is often much cheaper for the same weather.
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🎟️ IDEAS ON STANDBY
Found somewhere you like?
Put it on standby with the rest of your family's ideas. Everyone spreads their points in secret, gets one veto, and the draw picks where you go.