Best Countries to Visit in December

December is the driest and coolest month across most of Thailand, with clear skies over both the Andaman and Gulf coasts and underwater visibility at its best for the year. Chiang Mai and Pai are cold at night while the islands stay in the high twenties by day. Flights are short and direct from most Indian metros. Packages average around Rs 35,000 per person, and the Christmas to New Year fortnight prices well above that.

Known For : Gardens by the Bay Universal Studios Singapore Marina Bay Sands

December is Singapore's wettest month, though it comes as short heavy afternoon showers rather than all-day rain, and the indoor attractions absorb it well. Orchard Road and Gardens by the Bay run their Christmas light displays. It is a short flight, easy to do with children, and needs no long haul leg or Schengen paperwork. Expect peak school holiday rates. Packages average around Rs 57,000 per person.

Best Time: January to November

271 Singapore Attractions

Vietnam splits in two in December, which surprises most Indian travellers. Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc and Nha Trang in the south are dry and warm, while Hanoi, Halong Bay and Sapa are cold and misty, with Sapa dropping close to freezing. Pack for both if you are doing the full north to south route. Packages average around Rs 60,000 per person.

December opens the dry season on Sri Lanka's west and south coasts, so Colombo, Bentota, Galle and Mirissa get clear skies and calm sea. The east coast around Trincomalee is the wet side this month, so plan the route westward. Whale watching off Mirissa starts up again. Packages average around Rs 32,000 per person.

Known For : Stay in an Overwater Bungalow Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Scuba Diving in Maldives

December sits at the start of the Maldives dry season, with calm lagoons and the best underwater visibility of the year for diving and snorkelling. It is also the costliest fortnight of the year here, since most resorts add compulsory Christmas and New Year gala supplements. Book early December for the same weather at a lower rate. Packages average around Rs 89,000 per person.

Best Time: December to April

102 Maldives Attractions

Known For : Burj Khalifa Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo At the Top Burj Khalifa

December is Dubai's best month, with daytime warmth in the mid twenties and cool evenings that make a desert safari and the beach comfortable on the same day. The Dubai Shopping Festival opens in December and Global Village is in full swing. New Year's Eve at Burj Khalifa fills hotels months ahead. Packages average around Rs 41,000 per person.

Best Time: November to April

129 Dubai Attractions

December in Bhutan is dry, cold and very clear, which gives the best Himalayan views of the year on the Tiger's Nest hike and at the Dochula pass. Thimphu and Paro are near freezing at night while Punakha stays milder, so build the itinerary around Punakha. Low season means the year's lowest rates, and Indian nationals pay a concessional Sustainable Development Fee, charged per night on top of any package. Packages average around Rs 36,000 per person.

December gives Nepal its clearest skies of the year, so the Annapurna and Everest ranges show properly from Sarangkot, Nagarkot and the Kathmandu valley rim. Low altitude treks like Poon Hill still work, but nights are cold and the high passes are shut. It is low season, so it is the cheapest month to go, and Indians travel on an ID rather than a visa. Packages average around Rs 22,000 per person.

December is peak dry season in Cambodia, with cool mornings at Angkor Wat and close to no rain, which is the difference between a comfortable temple day and a draining one. Siem Reap and Phnom Penh work best as an add on to a Vietnam or Thailand trip rather than a standalone two week holiday.

December in Japan is cold, dry and clear, and the autumn leaves are gone by the start of the month. The ski season opens across Hokkaido and Nagano from mid to late December, and Tokyo and Kyoto run their winter illuminations. This is the cheaper half of the Japanese winter until New Year, when domestic travel peaks. Packages average around Rs 141,000 per person.

Finland is the one December trip that cannot be moved to another month. Rovaniemi in Lapland runs the Santa Claus Village, reindeer and husky sledding, and the aurora season is on across the north. Days are very short and it sits well below freezing, so real winter gear is not optional. It is also the most expensive trip on this list.

Oman is at its most comfortable in December, in the mid twenties by day, which is when wadi swimming, camping in Wahiba Sands and the Musandam fjords all work. It is quieter and cheaper than Dubai for the same Gulf weather, and Muscat is a short flight from western India.

December is the weaker half of Malaysia's year. The northeast monsoon closes most east coast island resorts, including the Perhentians and Redang, from roughly November to February. Langkawi, Penang and Kuala Lumpur on the west side stay workable with passing showers. Packages average around Rs 48,000 per person.

Indonesia is in its wet season in December, so this is not Bali at its best. Rain usually arrives as heavy afternoon bursts rather than washouts, and Ubud and the temples hold up better than the beach clubs. Christmas and New Year are peak pricing here too. Go in April to October if the dates are flexible. Packages average around Rs 42,000 per person.

December is the comfortable month for Egypt, with Luxor and Aswan in the mid twenties by day and Cairo cooler, especially after dark. The Pyramids and a Nile cruise are far easier to walk in December than in summer. Red Sea water is cooler now, so bring a wetsuit for diving.

December in Jordan is cool and clear, with daytime highs in the teens at Petra and near freezing nights in Wadi Rum, so a desert camp needs proper layers. It is a quiet month at Petra, which makes the Siq and the Treasury much easier to walk. Occasional rain closes some trails.

For Indian travellers December is also the best month at home, which is worth pricing against a long haul trip. Goa, Kerala, the Andamans and Rajasthan are all in their dry season, the Rann Utsav runs in Kutch, and Himachal and Kashmir get their early snow. No flights, no visas and no currency loss.

Northern Norway is in the polar night in December, which is exactly what makes Tromso one of the strongest aurora bases of the year. Oslo and Bergen run Christmas markets and the coastal ferry sails all winter. Expect very few daylight hours and high winter prices.

December gives Iceland about four to five hours of usable daylight, so a self drive itinerary has to be short and focused on the south coast. The trade off is long aurora nights, ice caves that only open in winter, and the Blue Lagoon in the cold. Roads and tours cancel at short notice.

December is early summer in New Zealand, with long daylight and the Great Walks season open in Abel Tasman and Fiordland. Queenstown and the Bay of Islands fill from mid month as local school holidays start, which is also when rates peak. It is a long flight and the priciest month of the year to go.

Australia is in early summer in December, and Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks over the harbour are the single biggest draw. Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast are the reliable picks. The tropical north is in its wet and cyclone season, so leave Cairns for mid year. Local school holidays and New Year push rates to their yearly peak.

December is high summer in South Africa, with long days in Cape Town and along the Garden Route and warm water in Durban. Kruger is in green season, so the bush is thick and game is harder to spot than in the dry winter months. Local school holidays put the coast at peak rates.

December is cold and wet across most of Turkey, and worth planning honestly. Istanbul sits near single digits with rain, and Cappadocia is often below freezing, which cancels a lot of balloon flights. Pamukkale and the Aegean coast are quiet and damp. Come for snow and low prices, not for sightseeing weather.

December is low season in Italy outside the Christmas week, so Rome, Florence and Venice are far easier to walk than in summer. The Dolomites and the Aosta valley open the ski season. Expect cold, damp days and shorter opening hours, and note that Venice can flood in early winter.

Portugal is the mildest option in western Europe in December, in the mid teens in Lisbon and a little warmer in the Algarve, though the sea is too cold to swim. Days are short but sunny spells are common, and prices sit at their yearly low outside New Year.

December suits Marrakech and Fes, in the high teens by day and cold at night, and the Sahara camps near Merzouga get very cold after dark. The Atlas passes can close after snow, and Oukaimeden's ski season usually starts in January rather than December. The coast at Essaouira is windy.

Germany's Christmas markets are the reason to come in December, from Nuremberg and Dresden to Cologne, and most of them run through Advent and close on or just before 24 December. Anyone arriving after that date will find the squares packed away. Days are grey, short and cold, around freezing in the south.

Prague's Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square markets run through December and close on or just after Christmas, and the city is at its coldest and darkest at the same time. Cesky Krumlov and the Krkonose hills add snow if you want more than the capital. Book early, Prague sells out over the market weeks.

December in France is cold and often wet, in single digits in Paris, so this is a city break and ski trip month rather than a sightseeing one. Strasbourg and Colmar in Alsace run the best known Christmas markets, closing around Christmas, and the French Alps open the season at Chamonix and Val d'Isere.

Switzerland in December is a ski destination, and Zermatt, Verbier and the Jungfrau resorts are reliable on snow by mid month. The winter season here is aimed at the European ski market rather than at Indian families, so come in December only if skiing or snowboarding is the point of the trip. If it is not, the Glacier Express and the Bernina line run all winter and are the one strong reason to visit in the cold, though daylight is short and Alpine costs are at their yearly high.

December in Austria is about the ski season, and St. Anton, Ischgl and Kitzbuhel open from early in the month once the snow allows. That season is aimed at the European snow market rather than at Indian holidaymakers, so it is worth the long trip only if snow is the specific reason you are going. Vienna and Salzburg are the easier choice, with concert halls and Christmas markets that mostly close on or just before 24 December, and days short enough that indoor time needs planning.

December in the USA is really two trips. New York, Chicago and the Rockies are cold, with the ski season open at Vail, Park City and Aspen, while Florida, Southern California and Hawaii stay warm. The visa interview wait is the real constraint, so this is a plan ahead country.

December in Canada is deep winter, with Whistler, Banff and Mont Tremblant open for skiing and Yellowknife and Whitehorse among the most reliable aurora bases in the world. Quebec City is the strongest city choice. Temperatures sit far below freezing, so this needs real winter gear and a long enough trip to justify the fares.

December is dry season on both Mexican coasts, and Cancun, Tulum and Puerto Vallarta are warm and calm. It is peak season rather than a quiet one, so Chichen Itza and Tulum are crowded and rates are high through the holidays. Las Posadas runs from 16 to 24 December in towns across the country.

December starts summer in Argentina, and it is when the Patagonia season opens at El Calafate, El Chalten and Ushuaia. Buenos Aires is hot and busy, Mendoza's vineyards are green well before the March harvest, and Iguazu is full and humid. Flights take well over a day each way from India.

December is summer in Brazil and the run up to Reveillon, the New Year's Eve celebration on Copacabana beach that draws millions to Rio dressed in white. Salvador and the northeast coast are warm and lively. This is peak domestic season, so Rio hotels over New Year are the most expensive of the year.