Where to go
The best places to travel in December, from Hogmanay to desert sun
December asks one question: do you want winter done properly, or do you want to escape it? These eight places answer both, each with the hotel we would book.
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On the last night of the year, Reykjavik smells of bonfire smoke and gunpowder. Far to the south, off the coast of West Africa, the trade wind is still blowing across the beach at Santa Maria, and in Miami the art crowd has just left town. December pulls in two directions at once.
So we have split the month. Some places on this list make winter worth having: markets, music, long dark evenings with something warm in your hand. Others are simply at their best when the northern hemisphere is at its gloomiest. Every one of them is better in December than in most other months, and for each we name the hotel we would choose.
Short answer: where should you go in December?
For Christmas atmosphere, Munich and Naples are the strongest choices before the 25th. For New Year, go to Edinburgh. For reliable sunshine within a long-haul flight of Europe, Abu Dhabi and Cape Verde are hard to beat, and Miami pairs warm evenings with Art Basel.
Best for Christmas markets: Munich
Best for New Year: Edinburgh
Best for northern lights: Reykjavik
Best for winter sun: Abu Dhabi
Best for art and city life: Miami
The Balmoral
The clock tower of The Balmoral above Princes Street.
Edinburgh: Hogmanay, Scotland's real holiday
Scotland has long celebrated New Year with more energy than Christmas, and Edinburgh does it on a grand scale. Hogmanay runs for four days, 29 December to 1 January, opening with a torchlight procession through the Old Town and closing with a street party on Princes Street and fireworks above the castle at midnight.
The street party is ticketed and sells out, but much of the rest is free. The Christmas market fills East Princes Street Gardens from late November, and a whisky by a pub fire in the Old Town is a fair reward for a day on the Royal Mile.
The catch: it is dark before four in the afternoon and the wind off the Firth of Forth is sharp. Pack a proper hat.
The Balmoral: New Year on the doorstep
The Balmoral is the hotel with the clock tower at the east end of Princes Street, directly above Waverley station. By tradition its clock runs a little ahead to hurry passengers onto their trains. On Hogmanay alone it is set to the correct time. Book it if you want to be at the heart of the celebrations.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at The Balmoral
Bayerischer Hof
Bayerischer Hof on Promenadeplatz in Munich.
Munich: the market under the town hall
Munich treats its Christmas markets as a civic duty. The largest fills Marienplatz beneath the neo-Gothic town hall, with stalls of mulled wine, wood carving and gingerbread spilling into the side streets. There is a smaller market at the Residenz and another around the Chinese Tower in the Englischer Garten.
Go on a weekday early in the month, because the weekends before Christmas are a crush and the stalls close on Christmas Eve. Between mugs of Glühwein, browse the Viktualienmarkt or take the tram out to Nymphenburg Palace.
The catch: Munich is expensive in December and hotels fill early. Book before November is out.
Bayerischer Hof: a pool above the rooftops
Bayerischer Hof sits on Promenadeplatz, a five-minute walk from the Marienplatz market. The spa and pool are on the top floor, looking out over the towers of the old town. A good choice if you want grand comfort with everything on foot.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Bayerischer Hof
The Setai
The three pools at The Setai, Miami Beach.
Miami: Art Basel and warm nights
For one weekend each December, Miami Beach becomes the centre of the art world. Art Basel Miami Beach opens to the public from 4 to 6 December 2026 at the Convention Center, and satellite fairs, pop-up shows and parties spread across the city in what is known as Miami Art Week.
The rest of the month is mild, sunny and calmer. Walk the Art Deco district along Ocean Drive, eat Cuban food in Little Havana and look at the murals in Wynwood.
The catch: hotel prices jump during Art Week. If art is not the reason you are going, arrive the week after.
The Setai: three pools, three temperatures
The Setai occupies an Art Deco building on Collins Avenue with a tall tower rising behind it. Down by the beach it has three pools, each kept at a different temperature. The Convention Center is a short taxi ride away.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at The Setai
Hotel Borg
Hotel Borg on Austurvöllur, Reykjavik.
Reykjavik: bonfires, fireworks and a few hours of daylight
Reykjavik gets only a handful of daylight hours in December, and Icelanders respond by lighting everything they can. Candles fill the windows, and in the run-up to Christmas the thirteen Yule Lads (jólasveinar) of Icelandic folklore come down from the mountains one by one, leaving small gifts in children's shoes.
New Year's Eve is the night to be here. Neighbourhood bonfires burn in the evening, and at midnight residents launch so many fireworks that the sky over Hallgrímskirkja turns white with smoke. On other nights, drive out of the city to look for the northern lights.
The catch: the weather changes quickly and the aurora keeps its own schedule. Leave a spare day for trips out of town.
Hotel Borg: Art Deco on the square
Hotel Borg stands on Austurvöllur, the small square in front of the parliament, in a white Art Deco building from the 1930s. Laugavegur's restaurants are minutes away on foot, and you can watch the midnight fireworks from the square outside. Classic, central and easy.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Borg
Qasr Al Sarab
Qasr Al Sarab among the dunes of Liwa.
Abu Dhabi: desert and beach in the right season
In summer Abu Dhabi is too hot to walk anywhere. December reverses that: long, bright days suited to the beach on Saadiyat Island and to the museums in its cultural district. Louvre Abu Dhabi sits beneath a latticed dome that filters the sunlight into a moving pattern on the floor.
Then head for the desert. The dunes around Liwa, on the edge of the Empty Quarter (Rub' al Khali), are among the highest in the region, and the night sky out there is something city dwellers rarely see.
The catch: prices peak over Christmas and New Year. The week after New Year is often cheaper and just as good.
Qasr Al Sarab: a fortress among the dunes
Qasr Al Sarab is built like a desert fort in Liwa, a couple of hours' drive from the city, with sand dunes on every side. Days are for camel rides and sunset walks along the ridges. Spend two nights here and the rest in town.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Qasr Al Sarab
Palace Hotel Tokyo
Palace Hotel Tokyo beside the Imperial Palace gardens.
Tokyo: winter illuminations and clear skies
December is Tokyo's most underrated month. The air is dry and clear, Mount Fuji appears on the horizon far more often than in summer, and districts such as Marunouchi and Roppongi string their streets with illuminations that locals travel across the city to see.
The city slows down towards the end of the month. Many people take time off, and in the first days of January families visit shrines for the year's first prayer (hatsumode). Meiji Jingu draws the largest crowds.
The catch: around 1 January many shops, restaurants and museums close for a few days. Travel in the first half of December or plan around the holiday.
Palace Hotel Tokyo: the Imperial gardens next door
Palace Hotel Tokyo is in Marunouchi, across the moat from the gardens of the Imperial Palace. Many rooms have balconies facing the greenery, which is rare in Tokyo, and Tokyo Station is close by for getting around.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Palace Hotel Tokyo
Grand Hotel Parker's
The view over the Bay of Naples from Grand Hotel Parker's.
Naples: the Christmas street of San Gregorio Armeno
In Naples, Christmas means nativity scenes. On the narrow Via San Gregorio Armeno in the historic centre, craftsmen make presepi all year, with shepherds and camels alongside small figures of footballers and politicians. In December the street is so packed you simply shuffle along with the crowd.
Otherwise the city is itself: loud, untidy and obsessed with food. Eat pizza on Via dei Tribunali, drink espresso in the Galleria Umberto and look across to Vesuvius from the seafront at Chiaia. It is low season, so Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast are quieter too.
The catch: December can be wet. Keep a museum day up your sleeve, and make it the National Archaeological Museum.
Grand Hotel Parker's: the view across the bay
Grand Hotel Parker's sits on the hillside above Chiaia, on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, looking across the Bay of Naples to Vesuvius. You take a taxi or the funicular down to the centre, and the quiet when you return is the reward. Suited to couples who want a view rather than street noise.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Grand Hotel Parker's
Hilton Cabo Verde Sal
The beach in front of Hilton Cabo Verde Sal in Santa Maria.
Cape Verde: sun and wind on Sal
Sal is where you land when you want sunshine without flying halfway round the world. December is dry, and the trade wind blows steadily, which makes Santa Maria one of the Atlantic's best kitesurfing spots and keeps the heat comfortable.
The island is flat and barren, and that is part of its appeal. You come for the long sandy beach, for floating in the salt pans at Pedra de Lume, and for grilled fish at the restaurants along the pier in Santa Maria.
The catch: the wind can be strong on the beach. Choose a hotel with a sheltered pool if you plan to lie down a lot.
Hilton Cabo Verde Sal: on the sand in Santa Maria
Hilton Cabo Verde Sal is right on the beach in Santa Maria, within walking distance of the pier and the town's restaurants. It suits travellers who want big-hotel comfort without being cut off from life in town.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hilton Cabo Verde Sal
Good to know before you book
Book early for Christmas and New Year: hotels in Edinburgh, Munich and Abu Dhabi fill first, often by October.
The first half is cheapest: until mid-December most places on this list are in low season. Prices climb towards Christmas.
Holidays differ: Japan goes quiet around 1 January, while the Gulf is at its busiest. Check public holidays before fixing dates.
Daylight matters: in Reykjavik and Edinburgh it is dark by mid-afternoon. Plan the important things for the morning.
December travel: your questions answered
Where is the best place to travel in December?
For festive atmosphere, Munich, Naples and Edinburgh. For warm weather, Abu Dhabi, Cape Verde and Miami are among the most reliable choices in December.
Where can I see the northern lights in December?
Iceland and northern Norway have long, dark nights in December, which gives you many hours to look. Sightings still depend on clear skies and solar activity, so allow several nights.
Is it cheaper to travel in early or late December?
Early December is usually cheaper. From around 20 December until New Year, most destinations charge peak-season prices.
Where is the best place to spend New Year abroad?
Edinburgh's Hogmanay is one of Europe's biggest New Year celebrations, and Reykjavik's bonfires and fireworks are hard to match. Edinburgh's street party needs a ticket.
Where is warm in Europe in December?
The Canary Islands are Europe's warmest option in December. Just beyond Europe, Cape Verde offers dependable sunshine a few hours further south.