December asks one question: warm, white, or festive. Europe’s only dependable heat comes from the Canaries, where Gran Canaria still reaches 23°C and the sea stays swimmable at 21°C. Snow lands in the Alps around the second week, and Kitzbühel and Val Thorens usually open their full lift networks by the 10th.
Between the two sit the Christmas markets, which run from late November to the 24th in most German and Czech cities, and on into early January in Vienna and Budapest. Rates jump on the 18th almost everywhere, so the first two weeks carry the value.
This block lists only stays whose travel dates fall inside the month. December rates jump on the 18th, so the first two weeks carry the value.
The top 10 beach destinations for December, ranked by sea temperature. The Indian Ocean and the Andaman Sea are at their peak, while Europe holds on through the Canaries alone.
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Climate figures are long-term monthly averages, not a forecast. Flight times are direct, from London.
December cities divide in two: the markets that close on the 24th, and the handful that run into January. If your trip falls between Christmas and New Year, the second list is the one that matters.
Markets in all four, and every one of them is far cheaper before the 18th than it is in Christmas week.
German and Czech markets run from late November to the 24th, and a handful keep going into January. Rates jump around the 18th almost everywhere, so the first fortnight buys you the same market for a good deal less. These four sit outside the city breaks above, so it is four more places rather than the same four twice.
Thailand at 31°C, Goa at 32°C and the Maldives at 30°C, all with a 28–29°C sea. Dubai is the shortest flight in the high twenties, at seven hours and 26°C.
Gran Canaria at 23°C is the warmest place in Europe in December, with Tenerife and Lanzarote a degree or two behind and the sea at 20–21°C. Nowhere on the European mainland stays reliably above 18°C.
Glacier resorts such as Val Thorens and Hintertux run from late November. Most Austrian and French resorts, Kitzbühel included, open their full lift network in the second week of December, with reliable cover from around the 10th.
Most German markets close on 23 or 24 December. Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Tallinn keep theirs running into January, which makes them the options for a trip between Christmas and New Year.
Around 18 December almost everywhere. The first two weeks typically cost 30–50% less than the same room in Christmas week, for the same markets, the same snow and the same weather.
It depends on the brief. Winter sun means the Canaries in Europe or the Indian Ocean long-haul, snow means the Alps from the second week, and Christmas markets mean Munich, Dresden, Prague or Tallinn.
