Sunniest places to go from Edinburgh in December
The sunniest place you can reach from Edinburgh in December within 15 hours is Luxor at 10.0 h, costing 1,036 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Sunderland at 13.1 kg — 79× less carbon for 7.5 h less.
Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else in Europe is both sunnier in December and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.
By rail or ferry By air
What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Marseille can only be reached by air — 386 kg CO₂e, in 5h 30m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 72.5 kg in 23h — 5× less carbon for 17h 30m more travelling.
| Destination | How | CO₂e return | Temp | Sun/day | Rain/day | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland, United Kingdom | Rail | 13.1 kg | 6.7 °C | 2.5 h | 3.3 mm | 4h 12m |
| Bournemouth, United Kingdom | Rail | 47.3 kg | 8.7 °C | 3.1 h | 3.1 mm | 10h |
| Rennes, France | Rail | 54.5 kg | 7.8 °C | 4.0 h | 1.9 mm | 14h 42m |
| Saint-Nazaire, France | Air | 243 kg | 9.0 °C | 4.5 h | 2.5 mm | 4h 48m |
| Geneva, Switzerland | Air | 318 kg | 3.3 °C | 5.0 h | 4.9 mm | 5h 12m |
| Romans-sur-Isère, France | Air | 338 kg | 4.7 °C | 5.5 h | 3.0 mm | 5h 18m |
| Aosta, Italy | Air | 340 kg | 5.3 °C | 6.0 h | 4.4 mm | 5h 18m |
| Lugano, Switzerland | Air | 350 kg | 5.9 °C | 6.5 h | 1.1 mm | 5h 24m |
| Marseille, France | Air | 386 kg | 9.0 °C | 7.5 h | 1.1 mm | 5h 30m |
| Tortosa, Spain | Air | 429 kg | 11.0 °C | 7.9 h | 0.4 mm | 5h 48m |
| Alicante, Spain | Air | 495 kg | 13.3 °C | 8.5 h | 0.2 mm | 6h 6m |
| Melilla, Spain | Air | 578 kg | 15.2 °C | 8.9 h | 0.4 mm | 6h 36m |
| Bouarfa, Morocco | Air | 655 kg | 8.7 °C | 9.6 h | 0.0 mm | 7h |
| Luxor, Egypt | Air | 1,036 kg | 18.0 °C | 10.0 h | 0.0 mm | 9h 24m |
Warm is not the same as pleasant, which is why sunshine and rainfall are shown alongside temperature. All three are ERA5 monthly means for 2023–2024.
Where the curve breaks
The frontier is gentle until it isn't. Going from Bouarfa (655 kg, 9.6 h) to Luxor (1,036 kg, 10.0 h) buys 0.4 hours more sunshine for an extra 381 kg — 951 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.
The pick of them
If you'd rather have heat than sunshine
December answers differently depending on what you're after. The warmest destinations from Edinburgh in December are a different list — hours of sunshine and degrees of warmth come apart, especially early and late in the year.
Where to stay in Luxor
Places to stay in Luxor, Egypt, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.
Affiliate disclosure. A booking made through this map may earn 0xCarbon a commission, at no extra cost to you. It changes nothing above it: the emissions figures come from UK Government conversion factors and are computed before anyone is paid anything.See the method.
Other months from Edinburgh
December from elsewhere
- Amsterdam
- Barcelona
- Berlin
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Brussels
- Cardiff
- Copenhagen
- Dublin
- Edinburgh
- Frankfurt
- Glasgow
- Leeds
- Lisbon
- Liverpool
- London
- Madrid
- Manchester
- Milan
- Munich
- Newcastle
- Nottingham
- Oslo
- Paris
- Prague
- Rome
- Sheffield
- Southampton
- Stockholm
- Vienna
- Warsaw
- Zurich
Questions
Where is the sunniest place to go from Edinburgh in December?
Luxor, Egypt, at 10.0 h. Reaching it emits 1,036 kg CO₂e return, travelling 9h 24m each way by air.
Can I get somewhere sunny from Edinburgh in December without flying?
Yes. Rennes reaches 4.0 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 42m, emitting 54.5 kg CO₂e return — though Luxor is sunnier still, if you fly.
How much carbon does a return trip from Edinburgh to Luxor produce?
1,036 kg CO₂e for one person, return, by air. That uses the UK Government's 2026 conversion factors, including radiative forcing for flights.
Carbon uses UK Government (DESNZ/DEFRA) 2026 conversion factors applied to great-circle distance, with radiative forcing included for flights. Rail journey times are modelled estimates, not timetabled services. Full method · download the data.