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Berlin · December · warmth

Warmest places to go from Berlin in December

In December, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Berlin is Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, averaging 20.4 °C across day and night and 9.7 h sun a day, about 7h 48m each way by air. Without flying, it is Sanremo, Italy, averaging 9.7 °C across day and night, about 14h 36m each way by train, for about 26× less carbon (31.1 kg CO₂e return against 814 kg).

Every city at once, with and without flying: where is hot in December.

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Berlin

Ranked on warmth in December alone, among well-known places (a Wikivoyage travel guide and at least 40,000 Wikipedia readers a year), one per area and at most three per country. The carbon is shown, not used to choose: the list further down is the other question, how much warmth each extra kilogram buys.

  1. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt20.4 °C · 9.7 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 25.2 °Cair ≈ 7h 48m · 814 kg CO₂e return
  2. Hurghada, Egypt19.9 °C · 9.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.7 °Cair ≈ 7h 54m · 825 kg CO₂e return
  3. Maspalomas, Spain19.7 °C · 9.4 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.9 °Cair ≈ 8h 24m · 917 kg CO₂e return
  4. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain19.1 °C · 9.3 h sun a day · 2.8 mm rain a day · sea 21.9 °Cair ≈ 8h 18m · 907 kg CO₂e return
  5. Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain18.9 °C · 9.3 h sun a day · 1.3 mm rain a day · sea 22.2 °Cair ≈ 8h 18m · 910 kg CO₂e return
  6. Aswan, Egypt18.7 °C · 10.1 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 8h 18m · 897 kg CO₂e return
  7. Aqaba, Jordan18.0 °C · 9.2 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.5 °Cair ≈ 7h 36m · 782 kg CO₂e return
  8. Agadir, Morocco17.4 °C · 9.1 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 19.1 °Cair ≈ 7h 36m · 777 kg CO₂e return
  9. Essaouira, Morocco16.4 °C · 9.0 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 18.4 °Cair ≈ 7h 30m · 753 kg CO₂e return
  10. Ponta Delgada, Portugal15.8 °C · 7.0 h sun a day · 4.1 mm rain a day · sea 19.1 °Cair ≈ 8h 6m · 861 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Sanremo is 9.7 °C for 31.1 kg — about 26× less carbon than flying to Sharm el-Sheikh.

  1. Sanremo, Italy9.7 °C · 7.2 h sun a day · 1.4 mm rain a day · sea 16.1 °Crail ≈ 14h 36m · 31.1 kg CO₂e return
  2. Nice, France9.2 °C · 7.5 h sun a day · 1.4 mm rain a day · sea 15.8 °Crail ≈ 15h · 31.9 kg CO₂e return
  3. Vannes, France9.0 °C · 4.4 h sun a day · 2.7 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 15h · 37.5 kg CO₂e return
  4. Saint-Nazaire, France9.0 °C · 4.5 h sun a day · 2.5 mm rain a day · sea 11.1 °Crail ≈ 14h 54m · 37.1 kg CO₂e return
  5. Marseille, France9.0 °C · 7.5 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 14.5 °Crail ≈ 14h 42m · 35.0 kg CO₂e return
  6. Genoa, Italy9.0 °C · 5.9 h sun a day · 3.1 mm rain a day · sea 16.2 °Crail ≈ 13h 6m · 28.3 kg CO₂e return

≈ is the model's estimate (air times include getting to and through the airport); ✓ is a rail journey checked against a real timetable, with the date it was checked. Temperatures are historical daily means for 2023–2024, averaged across day and night, so afternoons run warmer.

The low-carbon trade-off

The warmest place you can reach from Berlin in December within 15 hours is Sharm el-Sheikh, 20.4 °C, costing 814 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Zary at 4.5 kg — 181× less carbon, for 17.3 degrees less warmth.

Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else this site covers is both warmer in December and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.

ZarySharm el-Sheikh
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Berlin. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, December, departing Berlin. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.16 destinations. Lowest carbon Zary at 4.5 kilograms and 3.1 °C; best for warmth Sharm el-Sheikh at 814 kilograms and 20.4 °C. Zary · 4.5 kgImperia · 30.7 kgCivitavecchia · 293 kgSharm el-Sheikh · 814 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against warmth, December, departing Berlin. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Milazzo can only be reached by air — 402 kg CO₂e, in 5h 36m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 47.1 kg in 22h 54m — 9× less carbon for 17h 18m more travelling.

December from Berlin — 16 destinations on the frontier, 7 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Zary, PolandRail4.5 kg3.1 °C3.1 h1.9 mm4h 12m
Hanover, GermanyRail7.4 kg4.8 °C1.7 h3.5 mm3h 12m
Groningen, The NetherlandsRail13.7 kg5.9 °C1.9 h3.2 mm7h 42m
Den Helder, The NetherlandsRail17.2 kg7.3 °C2.6 h3.5 mm8h 48m
Dunkirk, FranceRail22.9 kg7.5 °C2.7 h3.0 mm11h 30m
Genoa, ItalyRail28.3 kg9.0 °C5.9 h3.1 mm13h 6m
Imperia, ItalyRail30.7 kg9.8 °C7.2 h1.2 mm14h 18m
Civitavecchia, ItalyAir293 kg10.7 °C7.2 h2.0 mm5h 6m
Brindisi, ItalyAir344 kg11.7 °C6.8 h1.9 mm5h 18m
Corfu, GreeceAir382 kg12.8 °C7.0 h5.8 mm5h 30m
Milazzo, ItalyAir402 kg14.7 °C7.1 h8.2 mm5h 36m
San Pawl il-Bahar, MaltaAir464 kg16.0 °C7.9 h1.3 mm6h
Alexandria, EgyptAir685 kg16.8 °C9.2 h0.9 mm7h 6m
Port Said, EgyptAir708 kg17.7 °C9.1 h0.1 mm7h 18m
Ras Gharib, EgyptAir789 kg18.6 °C9.7 h0.0 mm7h 42m
Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptAir814 kg20.4 °C9.7 h0.1 mm7h 48m

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 Imperia (30.7 kg, 9.8 °C) to Civitavecchia (293 kg, 10.7 °C) buys 0.9 °C more warmth for an extra 263 kg — 292 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Zary, PolandZaryPoland4.5 kg CO₂e return3.1 °C · 3.1 h sun · 4h 12m by railcoolImperiaItaly30.7 kg CO₂e return9.8 °C · 7.2 h sun · 14h 18m by railcold but brightSharm el-Sheikh, EgyptSharm el-SheikhEgypt814 kg CO₂e return20.4 °C · 9.7 h sun · 7h 48m by airwarm, bright and dry

The same month, asked differently

December answers differently depending on what you are after, and the lists genuinely diverge: the brightest places are not the hottest, and in summer the useful question stops being where is warm at all.

Where to stay in Sharm el-Sheikh

Places to stay in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.

Search places to stay in Sharm el-Sheikh →Opens the booking search in a new tab. Same partners as the map below.

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 Berlin

December from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

Where is the warmest place to go from Berlin in December?

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, at 20.4 °C. Reaching it emits 814 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 48m each way by air (modelled).

Can I get somewhere warm from Berlin in December without flying?

Yes. Imperia reaches 9.8 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 18m (modelled), emitting 30.7 kg CO₂e return — though Sharm el-Sheikh is warmer still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Berlin to Sharm el-Sheikh produce?

814 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.