What is the best place to visit in December?

It depends what you want from the month. Vienna for Christmas atmosphere (go before 23 December, when many markets wind down), Cape Town or Marrakech for warmth, Egypt for ancient sites in comfortable temperatures, Tromso for the northern lights, Oaxaca for festivals on fixed dates, and Kyoto for culture without the crowds.

Where is warm in December for USA travelers?

Cape Town is the warmest of this guide's picks, at 24-27°C in its early southern summer. Marrakech gives sunny days around 20°C with cold nights, Luxor in Egypt reaches 23-24°C, and Oaxaca sits in the low-to-mid 20s°C in its dry season.

Can you see the northern lights in December?

December is one of the best months for it in Tromso, Norway: the Polar Night (about 27 November to 15 January) means the sun never rises, giving the longest possible darkness window, and the town sits beneath the auroral oval. Displays still depend on solar activity and clear skies, so no trip can guarantee them.

Do I need ETIAS to visit Europe in December 2026?

No. ETIAS is not in operation - the European Union's own site states that no applications for travel authorisations are being collected, and no start date has been announced. US travellers enter visa-free as before; the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is live, so expect biometric registration at the border, with nothing to file in advance.

When should I book a December trip?

Early. Advice ranges from six weeks to several months ahead, but the consensus is to book by around Halloween for the best choice of flights and rooms, rather than waiting for last-minute drops. If your dates flex, flying on Christmas Day or New Year's Day themselves is usually quieter than the days around them.

Is Egypt a good place to visit in December?

December is Egypt's peak season for good reason: Cairo is a comfortable 19-22°C, Luxor 23-24°C with almost no rain, and the Grand Egyptian Museum is now fully open. The trade-off is peak crowds and prices, and US citizens need a visa - the eVisa in advance or a 30-day visa on arrival.

Best Places to Visit in December: 7 Trips for USA Travelers

December splits into seven very different trips for USA travelers: Egypt in its comfortable peak season with the Grand Egyptian Museum fully open, Vienna inside Christmas market season, Oaxaca during Las Posadas and the Night of the Radishes, Cape Town at the start of southern summer, Tromso in polar night under the auroral oval, Kyoto in its quietest, cheapest-feeling month, and Marrakech in mild winter sun. All seven are verified below with December weather normals, 2026 dates and US entry rules. Traveling earlier instead? Our best places to visit in November guide covers the month before.

The 7 trips at a glance

Destination	Best for	December weather	The December-only reason
Egypt (Cairo and Luxor)	Culture in comfort	Cairo 19-22°C days; Luxor 23-24°C, almost no rain	Peak sightseeing season and the GEM's first full December
Vienna, Austria	Christmas atmosphere	3-5°C days, around freezing at night	Market season peaks, then winds down around Dec 23-26
Oaxaca, Mexico	Festivals on fixed dates	Dry; low-to-mid 20s°C days, cool nights	Las Posadas (Dec 16-24) and the Night of the Radishes (Dec 23)
Cape Town, South Africa	Warmth	24-27°C days, early summer, little rain	Summer concerts and long evenings before peak crowds
Tromso, Norway	Winter light	Around -1 to -6°C, frequent snow, no sunrise	Polar night puts the aurora window at its longest
Kyoto, Japan	Quiet-season culture	9-11°C days, 2-3°C nights	Last maples early on, temple bells on Dec 31, fewest crowds
Marrakech, Morocco	Winter-sun value	About 20°C sunny days, cold nights near 7°C	All-day medina weather and snow-capped Atlas views

1. Egypt: the pyramids in perfect weather

December is when Egypt makes sense. Cairo runs 19-22°C by day and 10-12°C at night, Luxor reaches 23-24°C with essentially no rain, and the fierce heat that defines the rest of the year is gone - which is why December to February is peak season, with peak crowds and prices to match. The headline act is new: the Grand Egyptian Museum, inaugurated on 1 November 2025 and open to the public since 4 November, gets its first full December, drawing around 19,000 visitors a day in its opening week, so book entry ahead (weekend tickets are sold through the museum's own site). US citizens need a visa: apply for the eVisa in advance or take the renewable 30-day visa on arrival - published fees conflict between sources, so check the current figure before you fly rather than trusting any guide's number, ours included. EgyptAir runs the only nonstop from the New York area (about ten and a half hours out), and our places to visit in Egypt guide plans the Cairo, Luxor and Aswan legs in full.

2. Vienna: Christmas markets at full glow

No city does December like Vienna, but timing inside the month matters more than people expect. The big markets run on verified 2026 dates: the Rathausplatz Christkindlmarkt from 13 November to 26 December (closing early, at 18:30, on Christmas Eve), Schönbrunn from 6 November to 6 January, and Belvedere from 20 November to 31 December - while many smaller markets end around 23 December. In other words, go in the first three weeks for the full scene; arrive on 27 December and you are in the quieter, concert-and-coffee-house Vienna instead, which has its own charms. Expect highs of 3-5°C and nights around freezing. For entry: US passport holders are visa-free in the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180, and the EU's Entry/Exit System is fully live, so expect biometric registration at the border and nothing to file in advance. One scam to ignore: ETIAS is NOT in operation - the EU's own site says no applications are being collected - so any website selling you one for December 2026 is selling nothing.

3. Oaxaca: posadas, radishes and dry-season sun

Oaxaca's December is a festival calendar with dates fixed for centuries. Las Posadas run every night from 16 to 24 December, processions re-enacting the search for lodging through candlelit streets. On 23 December the Zócalo fills for the Noche de Rábanos, the Night of the Radishes, when carvers compete with scenes sculpted from giant radishes - a tradition running since 1897, free to watch and unlike anything else on this list. The weather cooperates: December is dry season, with days in the low-to-mid 20s°C, nights around 9-11°C and almost no rain. US visitors need no visa (you receive an entry stamp; the length of stay, up to 180 days, is set by the officer), and flights route via Mexico City. Check the current US State Department advisory before booking - Oaxaca state has sat at Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) - and plan more of Mexico with our places to visit in Mexico guide.

4. Cape Town: swap winter for early summer

Cape Town in December is the warm pick: highs of 24-27°C, lows around 15-16°C, and only 11-22 mm of rain across the month (the Atlantic stays cold, about 18.5°C, if you were wondering about swimming). The city's festive season is real but relaxed: the Festive Lights switch on along Adderley Street on 29 November, and Kirstenbosch's Summer Sunset Concerts run from late November to March, with December dates including +LIVE+ on 8 December and Jack White on 14 December 2026. Two honest frictions: the Cape Doctor, the summer southeaster, blows on many December afternoons and drapes Table Mountain in its tablecloth cloud; and the Table Mountain cableway, which runs long December hours (first car up 08:00, last down 21:00), closes at short notice in high wind. Strategy: take the cableway on your first calm morning, not your last day. US visitors enter visa-free for 90 days.

5. Tromso: the northern lights in polar night

Tromso in December is the darkness pick, and it is genuinely dark: the Polar Night runs from about 27 November to 15 January, so the sun never rises all month - you get a few hours of blue midday twilight and very long nights, which is exactly what aurora hunters want, because Tromso sits directly beneath the auroral oval. No honest source can quote you an aurora probability, and any that does is inventing it; what December guarantees is maximum darkness plus frequent snow (highs around -3 to -1°C, lows -9 to -6°C). A Christmas market is expected in the city centre from late November to about 22 December, and the Arctic Cathedral hosts Christmas concerts - check Visit Tromso for the final 2026 programme before you plan around either. US entry follows Schengen rules (visa-free 90/180, EES biometrics at the border, no ETIAS). Our northern lights in Europe guide compares Tromso with Iceland, Finland and Scotland if you are choosing your darkness.

6. Kyoto: the quiet month, with bells

December is Kyoto's exhale: the autumn crowds are gone, prices ease, and the temples are at their most contemplative in cold, clear light (highs 9-11°C, nights 2-3°C). Two honest timing notes. First, the maples: temple gardens peak in mid-to-late November, so early December catches the tail - though the Japan Meteorological Corporation's autumn forecast put Kyoto's maple peak at about 11 December 2026, unusually late, so the first half of the month may be luckier than most years. Second, ignore any guide still selling the Arashiyama Hanatouro illuminations: that event ended in 2021. The month's real finale is Joya no Kane on 31 December, when temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight - a solemn religious ceremony, not a countdown party, and all the more memorable for it. US visitors are visa-exempt for stays under 90 days. Our best places to visit in Japan guide places Kyoto among the country's nine essential stops.

7. Marrakech: winter sun, cold nights, Atlas views

Marrakech in December is a study in contrasts: WMO climate normals give sunny days at about 20°C and nights down near 7°C, so you sightsee all day without the medina's summer punishment, then need a coat after dark - pack for two seasons in one day. Clear winter air is also when the snow-capped Atlas Mountains show best from the city, and Atlas day trips see actual snow on the peaks. One date correction worth knowing: the Marrakech International Film Festival runs 20-28 November 2026, so it is a late-November draw, not a December one; December itself is about the souks, the palaces and Jemaa el-Fnaa in comfortable temperatures. US visitors enter visa-free for 90 days. When you are ready to go further, our Morocco beyond Marrakech guide covers Essaouira, the Atlas trailheads, Ait Benhaddou and the desert.

Planning a USA December trip: the honest logistics

Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, and so does New Year's Day 2027, which shapes the whole month's travel pattern. No official 2026 passenger forecast had been published when this guide was researched, but the pattern from every recent year is consistent: the heaviest outbound days run Saturday 19 to Wednesday 23 December, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day themselves are among the quietest days to fly, and the return crush lands on 26-27 December and again on 2-3 January. If your dates flex, flying on the holidays themselves is the seasoned move. On booking timing, advice ranges from six weeks to several months out; the only consensus worth printing is to book early - by Halloween for the best choice - rather than waiting for last-minute December price drops that rarely come. Finally, the Europe paperwork in one line: EES is live (biometrics at the border, nothing in advance), ETIAS is not live (no application exists to file), and anyone charging you for either in December 2026 should be avoided.