Best holiday destinations for December

If the UK winter is beginning to bite, we’ve rounded up some great sunsoaked escapes for a pre-Christmas break or New Year’s break.

Thailand is balmy at this time of year and it’s also very affordable - a bottle of beer typically costs just £2.20 on the island of Phuket, while a cocktail is less than £6.

The Atlantic archipelago of Cape Verde is just a six-hour flight away yet you’ll enjoy highs in the mid twenties, making it the perfect fly and flop destination. It’s also a great month to explore Florida’s theme parks, white-sand beaches and wildlife-rich waters.

Even in the depths of December, you can find sunshine in Europe: Lanzarote is the warmest of the Canary Islands – and it also came out on top as visitor's favourite in our latest survey.

Or get into the festive spirit with Christmas markets aplenty and perhaps the chance of snow in Vienna.

Get more of the latest deals and recommendations you can trust from the experts with our Travel newsletter – it's free

Best places to visit in December

• Vienna 3°C
• Lanzarote 21°C
• Cape Verde 26°C
• Thailand 31°C
• Florida 24°C

Best short-haul holiday destinations for December: Vienna

December high 3°C

The Austrian capital is enchanting at any time of year, but December is the perfect time to soak up its art, café culture and historic grandeur. You’ll find its cinematic streets crammed with opulent statues, marble fountains and imperial palaces - don’t miss the sprawling decadence of the Hofburg. 

No wonder Vienna’s cultural sights clinched the full five stars in our survey of Europe's best city breaks. Climb the 343 steps to the watchmen’s chamber at the top of St Stephen’s Cathedral to take it all in. 

At this time of year, you’ll also find lamp-lit Christmas markets spread in front of the city’s grandest buildings. The Christmas tree-dominated offering at Rathaus city hall is its most famous: where artisans sell handcrafted gifts, candied nuts and steaming mugs of festive punch to take the edge off the crisp winter chill.

Find holidays to Vienna with Which? Recommended Providers Jet2holidays, Hays Travel or Inghams. 

Lanzarote

December high 21°C

With the mercury hovering just above 20°C, Lanzarote is typically a little balmier than Gran Canaria and Tenerife this time of year. Fringed with sandy beaches, its volcanic landscape provides the backdrop to sugar cube houses and otherworldly national parks such as the red lava fields of the Montañas del Fuego (mountains of fire). 

When we asked 1,900 holidaymakers about their Canarian holidays, Playa Blanca - named for its talcum-powder main beach - was crowned the top resort in Lanzarote. Situated in the south, it’s famed for its yacht-lined marina and upmarket seafood restaurants. 

Package tourism also centres around older Puerto del Carmen, with visitors awarding its beach and eateries four stars in our survey of the best Canary Islands resorts. Both Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen have festive markets in December.

Find package deals  to Lanzarote with Which? Recommended Providers Jet2holidays or Hays Travel.

Best long-haul holiday destinations for December: Cape Verde

December high 26°C

Marooned off the west coast of Africa, this archipelago of volcanic islands enjoys year-round sunshine and is less than six hours from the UK. What’s more, it’s only an hour behind GMT at this time of year, so your holiday will be jet-lag free.

Most visitors flock to the isle of Sal or Boa Vista to flop on white-sand beaches. Sal’s lively resort town, Santa Maria, has plenty of beach bars and restaurants, plus watersports galore. Boa Vista also has miles of unspoilt beaches where you can learn to surf, windsurf, kiteboard or wreck dive. Inland, there are dramatic lunar landscapes to explore. 

From next March, easyJet launches a new route from London Gatwick to Sal - so if you don’t make it this year, put it on your travel wishlist for 2025.

Find holidays to Cape Verde with Which? Recommended Providers Hays Travel and Trailfinders.

Thailand

December high 31°C

Winter is the best time of year to visit Thailand, when the weather is cooler and a lot less sticky than during the monsoon months. The starting point for most trips is Bangkok, which offers a heady mix of temples, street markets and air-conditioned shopping malls. 

Thailand’s tropical islands are in the south: palm-fringed Koh Samui, Ko Phangan and Koh Tao off the east coast, and more upmarket Phuket and Krabi to the west. In the north, Chiang Mai's Buddhist temples, jungle-covered national parks and traditional hill villages await.

Once you’re there, you can easily live on a shoestring budget. Just £5 will typically buy you a Pad Thai and a couple of Chang beers at simple restaurants and street food carts. And you can expect even more bang for your baht when you veer away from  tourist hotspots. 

Find package holidays to Thailand with Which? Recommended Providers Kuoni, Trailfinders and Audley Travel.

Florida

December high 24°C

Hurricane season is over by December, which is typically one of the sunshine state’s driest and coolest months - but you can still expect highs in the mid-20s. You'll avoid the sultry summer heat in family favourite Orlando, where theme parks are in full festive mode in the run-up to Christmas - a surefire antidote for the winter blues. 

You’ll also find a number of holiday parades taking place across the state - featuring festive floats, marching bands and Santa himself, of course.

Soak up the sunshine while zipping around the Everglades wetlands in an airboat, spot manatees off Daytona Beach, or see how the other half live along Fort Lauderdale’s canals. In Miami, swim on the Venetian Islands or enjoy white-sand beaches and a taste of Cuba in Little Havana. 

Find package deals in Florida with Which? Recommended Providers Kuoni, Trailfinders and Audley Travel.

Weather data taken from weather2travel.com