Warm Places to Visit in December: 12 Ranked by Real Highs

The warm places to visit in December start with Bangkok at 87.6°F (30.9°C) and Mumbai at 87.3°F (30.7°C), but the hottest are not always the most pleasant. Bangkok logs 3 rainy days and Mumbai none. Singapore at 83.1°F (28.4°C), Kuala Lumpur and Cebu are almost as warm and have 28, 27 and 26 rainy days. In other words, ranking by temperature is easy. Picking a place you will enjoy takes a second look at rain and humidity.

This article does both. We ranked twelve destinations by their average December daytime high, using WeatherApex 20-year averages for 2006 to 2025, and then sorted them again by how dry and comfortable they are. If you only want a quick list of where heat exists in the month, our where is it warm in December article covers the broader picture.

Warm places to visit in December, ranked by average high

Highs and lows are daily averages for December. Sun is hours per day. Humidity is the monthly average.

Two things stand out. Temperature spreads are small: the twelve places range from 87.6°F (30.9°C) down to 81.9°F (27.7°C), only about six degrees F apart. The rain and humidity columns, by contrast, vary enormously. Perth and Mumbai feel dry, and Singapore and Kuala Lumpur feel like a warm bath. That is where your choice really lies.

Hot and dry: the best of the list

These three are the answer if you want heat without the weather getting in the way. Between them they log 3, 0 and 2 rainy days, which is close to a guarantee of outdoor days. Each is warm in a different way, though, so the right pick depends on whether you want a city, a coast or a culture trip.

Bangkok, ranked first and rightly so

Bangkok is the warmest city we track in December, at 87.6°F (30.9°C) by day and 71.8°F (22.1°C) at night, with 0.5 in (13 mm) of rain on 3 days, 10.2 hours of sun and 64% humidity. That is the cool, dry season in Thai terms, which is why this is also peak tourist time. Compare September, when the city logs 26 rainy days. It suits first-time visitors, city and food trips, and anyone who wants to be outside all day. It is not a beach place, so add an island if you want one. Our 80 degree packing guide will help with clothes.

Mumbai

Mumbai's December is 87.3°F (30.7°C) by day, 69.1°F (20.6°C) at night, and it has 0.3 in (8 mm) of rain across the month, 10.0 hours of sun and 63% humidity. This is the post-monsoon dry season, and a world away from July, when Mumbai logs 31 rainy days. Evenings are comfortable and street life is at its best. The downsides are crowds and traffic. A good choice for culture and food.

Perth

Perth is our favourite on this list for pure outdoor weather. Seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere, so this is early summer: 84.0°F (28.9°C) highs, 63.7°F (17.6°C) lows, 0.5 in (13 mm) of rain, 2 rainy days, 13.4 hours of sun and just 53% humidity. Dry heat is much easier to enjoy than humid heat. Beaches are the draw. Perth is also a long way from everything else, so the trip tends to be a full commitment, and school holidays push up prices from late December.

Warm with showers: still worth it

Phuket

Phuket is 83.8°F (28.8°C) by day and 77.2°F (25.1°C) at night, with 4.2 in (107 mm) of rain over 14 days and 9.7 hours of sun. The rain tends to come in short spells, so many days still deliver beach weather. December usually sits in the island's dry season, though it is not as dry as Bangkok. Humidity is 80%. Good for beaches, diving and groups, and the holiday weeks are busy.

San Juan

San Juan averages 82.6°F (28.1°C) with a 72.7°F (22.6°C) low and 10.6 hours of sun a day. Rainy days run high at 15, but the total is only 2.2 in (56 mm), which means brief downpours and a lot of sun between them. The Atlantic hurricane season ended on November 30. It suits a short trip from the eastern United States, and our Puerto Rico guide has more.

Manila

Manila is 84.4°F (29.1°C) by day and 75.0°F (23.9°C) at night, with 5.0 in (127 mm) of rain over 12 days. That is the start of the drier season, though typhoons can still reach the Philippines in December and are less common than in autumn. The city has a famously long Christmas season, which adds colour but also traffic. A solid choice for food and culture, less so for beaches.

Brisbane

Brisbane is 83.5°F (28.6°C) and 67.6°F (19.8°C), with 4.7 in (119 mm) of rain on 13 days, 11.3 hours of sun and 74% humidity. It is early summer there. Afternoon storms are common in the warmer months, but they usually pass quickly. A good base for coast and family trips.

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is 84.7°F (29.3°C), 72.9°F (22.7°C) at night, and a very sunny 10.2 hours a day. The cost is 7.5 in (190 mm) of rain on 18 days, with 81% humidity, so expect heavy bursts and sticky air. Beaches are the point, and New Year's Eve draws very large crowds, so it is best in the first half of the month if you want space.

Chennai

Chennai is at the bottom of our ranking but still warm at 81.9°F (27.7°C), with a 72.9°F (22.7°C) low and 6.1 in (155 mm) of rain across 11 days. December can still be damp on the southeast coast, the tail of the northeast monsoon. For temples and food it works. For guaranteed dry days, Mumbai is the better Indian pick.

How the heat actually feels

An 84°F day at 53% humidity (Perth) and an 85°F day at 87% humidity (Kuala Lumpur) are very different experiences. The dry one is pleasant in shade and demands sunscreen; the humid one is tiring by mid morning, and nights offer little relief because the average low stays at 73.6°F (23.1°C). The humidity column in the table is the closest thing to a comfort score we have. As a rough rule, we would treat anything under about 70% as easy, 70 to 80% as fine with planning, and above 80% as a trip where you build the day around the weather.

Warm and wet: where we would hesitate

Kuala Lumpur is 84.9°F (29.4°C) with 12.4 in (315 mm) of rain on 27 days and 87% humidity. Singapore is 83.1°F (28.4°C) with 11.9 in (302 mm) on 28 days, and Cebu is 82.9°F (28.3°C) with 8.9 in (226 mm) on 26 days. All three are rainy most days of the month, which means a plan for indoor sights is more important than a swimsuit. We would not pick these for a December beach holiday. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are fine for city trips where rain is just a scheduling issue. For beaches, go to Phuket or Perth.

December against the months on either side

Where you are in the calendar matters as much as where you are on the map. Phuket logs 23 rainy days in November, 14 in December and 10 in January, so the island is clearly drying out through the month. Bangkok falls from 22 rainy days in October to 3 in December. Manila eases from 13 in November to 12 in December and 7 in January. Perth keeps getting hotter: its average high rises from 78.1°F (25.6°C) in November to 84.0°F (28.9°C) in December and 87.4°F (30.8°C) in January. Rio goes the opposite way and stays wet, with 18 rainy days in December and 17 in January. If your dates are flexible and you want the warm places to visit in December with the least rain, the drying trend in Southeast Asia suggests leaning towards the later weeks, or into January, although those are also the more expensive dates.

Warm, but just below the top twelve

If you want comfortable warmth rather than maximum heat, the next tier is worth a look. Buenos Aires reaches 81.0°F (27.2°C), with 8 rainy days and 12.5 hours of sun. Cancun is 79.7°F (26.5°C), Sao Paulo 79.7°F (26.5°C) (with 20 rainy days), Dubai 79.2°F (26.2°C) and Honolulu 77.7°F (25.4°C). These sit slightly below our cut but several have better rain figures than the cities above them.

How to choose among warm places to visit in December

• Beach: Perth, Phuket and San Juan. Brisbane and Rio also work, with some rain.
• Cheapest: Bangkok and Mumbai tend to be easier on daily budgets than Perth or San Juan, although December flights are rarely cheap.
• Sightseeing: Bangkok, Mumbai and Manila for city life. Perth for outdoor days.
• Families: Perth, Brisbane and San Juan, for easy logistics.
• Avoiding crowds: go in the first two weeks, and avoid Rio and Phuket in the New Year week.

Comparing several cities on your own dates is easier in the trip planner.

What to pack

Pack light cotton or linen, sunscreen, a hat and sandals. For humid cities, carry a compact umbrella, because a poncho in a downpour makes little difference. A pair of sandals that can get wet and dry quickly is worth more than a second pair of shoes. Bring a thin layer for air-conditioned rooms and for cool nights in Perth, where the low drops to 63.7°F (17.6°C).

How we ranked these warm places to visit in December

We sorted every city in the WeatherApex dataset by average December high, then removed anything that is not a typical holiday stop. Jakarta, for instance, would rank third at 85.8°F (29.9°C), but with 27 rainy days it is not somewhere we would send a December visitor. The figures are 20-year averages (2006 to 2025), so they describe a typical December, not a forecast. Storm and typhoon risks are general patterns, not predictions.

One last practical point: check your flight times against the rainy-day count. In the humid cities, rain usually falls in short bursts in the afternoon, so mornings are the safe time for outdoor sights. For official climate data, see World Weather Information Service of the WMO.