For warm weather in December, go to Bangkok or Dubai; for Christmas markets, Vienna, Nuremberg or Strasbourg; for a festival, Lyon in the first week or Edinburgh at the end of the month. Bangkok averages a 90°F high in December and Dubai 82°F, both with under an inch of rain, while the market cities sit around 42°F to 45°F. The twelve places below are sorted by what the weather actually does, with each 2026 date read off the organizer's own site in October 2026.
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Plan a trip →- Warmest and driest: Bangkok (90°F, 0.7 in of rain) and Dubai (82°F, 0.2 in).
- Warm sea for swimming: San Juan (82°F water) and Nassau (78°F).
- Christmas markets: Vienna from November 13, Nuremberg and Strasbourg from November 27, 2026.
- Festivals with fixed 2026 dates: Lyon's Fête des Lumières, December 5 to 8, and Edinburgh's Hogmanay, December 29 to 31.
- Wettest of the twelve: New York, with 4.1 inches of rain in an average December.
December at a glance
| Place | December high / low | Rain in December | Best for | On in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok, Thailand | 90°F / 72°F (32°C / 22°C) | 0.7 in | Warm and dry | Wonderfruit nearby, Dec 3 to 7 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico | 87°F / 71°F (30°C / 22°C) | 2.3 in | Beach, 82°F sea | No fixed-date event found |
| Dubai, UAE | 82°F / 61°F (28°C / 16°C) | 0.2 in | Dry sun, 78°F sea | Shopping Festival from Dec 4 |
| Nassau, Bahamas | 81°F / 67°F (27°C / 20°C) | 1.7 in | Beach, 78°F sea | Junkanoo, Dec 26 and Jan 1 |
| Sydney, Australia | 79°F / 64°F (26°C / 18°C) | 2.8 in | Summer and New Year's Eve | Fireworks, Dec 31 |
| Cape Town, South Africa | 76°F / 59°F (24°C / 15°C) | 0.8 in | Dry early summer | No fixed-date event found |
| Lyon, France | 48°F / 37°F (9°C / 3°C) | 3.5 in | Festival of lights | Fête des Lumières, Dec 5 to 8 |
| New York, USA | 46°F / 33°F (8°C / 0°C) | 4.1 in | Holiday city | Tree lighting, Dec 2 |
| Edinburgh, UK | 46°F / 36°F (8°C / 2°C) | 3.6 in | New Year | Hogmanay, Dec 29 to 31 |
| Strasbourg, France | 45°F / 36°F (7°C / 2°C) | 3.3 in | Christmas market | Nov 27 to Dec 24 |
| Vienna, Austria | 42°F / 34°F (6°C / 1°C) | 1.7 in | Christmas market | Nov 13 to Dec 26 |
| Nuremberg, Germany | 42°F / 32°F (6°C / 0°C) | 2.9 in | Christmas market | Nov 27 to Dec 24 |
Highs, lows and sea temperatures are December averages for 2013 to 2022 from MonkeyEatingMango's city climate records; how they were built is at the end.
Where is warm in December?
Six of the twelve places are warm in December, with average highs from 76°F in Cape Town to 90°F in Bangkok. December is early summer in Sydney and Cape Town and the dry season in Bangkok and the Caribbean.
Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is the warmest and one of the driest choices for December: a 90°F high, 72°F nights and 0.7 inches of rain across the month. Wonderfruit, a music and arts festival, runs December 3 to 7, 2026 near Pattaya, outside the city. The 5-day Bangkok itinerary and the Thailand guide cover the city; the Thailand festivals page lists the rest of the year.
Dubai, UAE
Dubai is the driest of the twelve in December, with about 0.2 inches of rain, an 82°F high and 61°F nights. The sea averages 78°F. The Dubai Shopping Festival runs from December 4, 2026 to January 17, 2027, per Visit Dubai.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan averages 87°F by day and 71°F at night in December, with an 82°F sea, the warmest of the beach picks here. Rain comes to 2.3 inches over the month. No fixed-date December event was found for 2026. The Puerto Rico guide and the 5-day Puerto Rico itinerary have the plan.
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau runs an 81°F high and 67°F nights in December, with a 78°F sea and 1.7 inches of rain. Junkanoo, the Bahamas' street parade, takes place on Boxing Day, December 26, and on New Year's morning, per the Bahamas tourism site, which had not posted a 2026 schedule in October 2026.
Sydney, Australia
Sydney is in early summer in December: 79°F highs, 64°F nights and a 70°F sea, with 2.8 inches of rain. The Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks go off over the harbor at 9 pm and midnight on December 31. The Sydney day trips guide covers what is within reach of the city.
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town averages 76°F highs, 59°F nights and 0.8 inches of rain in December, the start of its dry summer, though the Atlantic stays cool at 62°F. Cape Town's tourism events calendar listed no December 2026 event in October 2026. The 5-day Cape Town itinerary lays out the peninsula.
Christmas markets and holiday cities
Vienna, Nuremberg and Strasbourg hold Christmas markets through most of December, and New York lights the Rockefeller Center tree on December 2. All four average highs of 42°F to 46°F in December.
Vienna, Austria
Vienna's Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz runs November 13 to December 26, 2026, per the market's site, in front of the city hall. Vienna is also the driest of the European cities here, with 1.7 inches of rain in December, at 42°F by day and 34°F at night. The 3-day Vienna itinerary fits a market weekend, and the 7-day Vienna itinerary a longer stay.
Nuremberg, Germany
Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt opens on November 27, 2026 and closes on December 24. Nuremberg is the coldest place on this list, with 42°F highs and nights at freezing. It sits on the route of the 10-day Germany, Austria and Czech Republic itinerary.
Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg's Christmas market runs November 27 to December 24, 2026, spread across the old town. Expect 45°F highs and 3.3 inches of rain in December. The France guide and the France festivals page cover the rest of the country.
New York, USA
New York has the most December rain of the twelve, 4.1 inches, with 46°F highs and nights near freezing. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrives on November 7, 2026 and is lit on Wednesday, December 2, per Rockefeller Center. The 3-day New York itinerary covers the city.
December festivals
Two European festivals have fixed 2026 dates worth planning a trip around: Lyon's lights in the first week and Edinburgh's New Year at the end.
Lyon, France
The Fête des Lumières lights Lyon's buildings and squares from Saturday, December 5 to Tuesday, December 8, 2026. December in Lyon averages 48°F by day and 37°F at night, with 3.5 inches of rain.
Edinburgh, UK
Edinburgh's Hogmanay opens with the torchlight procession on December 29, 2026 and ends with the street party on December 31. Edinburgh averages 46°F highs, 36°F nights and 3.6 inches of rain in December. The 3-day Edinburgh itinerary and the Scotland guide cover the city and beyond.
Where should you go in December with kids?
For a beach week with kids in December, San Juan and Nassau have warm sea, at 82°F and 78°F. For a cold-weather trip, the Christmas markets in Vienna, Nuremberg and Strasbourg run through December, and Vienna is the driest of the three, with 1.7 inches of rain.
How the places were chosen
Each December figure is a monthly average for 2013 to 2022 from the city climate records MonkeyEatingMango keeps for its trip plans: highs and lows from TerraClimate, a 4-kilometer grid, rain from the ERA5 reanalysis, and sea surface temperatures alongside. Grid averages can differ from a single weather station. Each event date was read off the organizer's or tourism board's own site in October 2026, and two places, San Juan and Cape Town, are listed without an event because none could be confirmed.
The same climate records feed the weather section of every MonkeyEatingMango trip plan. The free packing list generator uses them too, building the weather gear for a destination from its measured climate that month.
Pick a place and a week, and the planner writes the days, with a time and a cost on every stop: plan a December trip.
Last updated October 2026.
Written by Shobhit Shrivastava · Founder
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