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Frankfurt · December · warmth

Warmest places to go from Frankfurt in December

In December, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Frankfurt is Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, averaging 20.4 °C across day and night and 9.7 h sun a day, about 7h 54m each way by air. Without flying, it is Civitavecchia, Italy, averaging 10.7 °C across day and night, about 15h each way by train, for about 30× less carbon (27.3 kg CO₂e return against 826 kg).

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

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Frankfurt

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 54m · 826 kg CO₂e return
  2. Hurghada, Egypt19.9 °C · 9.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.7 °Cair ≈ 7h 54m · 834 kg CO₂e return
  3. Maspalomas, Spain19.7 °C · 9.4 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.9 °Cair ≈ 7h 48m · 811 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 ≈ 7h 42m · 801 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 ≈ 7h 48m · 804 kg CO₂e return
  6. Aswan, Egypt18.7 °C · 10.1 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 8h 18m · 898 kg CO₂e return
  7. Aqaba, Jordan18.0 °C · 9.2 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.5 °Cair ≈ 7h 42m · 799 kg CO₂e return
  8. Agadir, Morocco17.4 °C · 9.1 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 19.1 °Cair ≈ 7h 6m · 671 kg CO₂e return
  9. Essaouira, Morocco16.4 °C · 9.0 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 18.4 °Cair ≈ 6h 54m · 647 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 ≈ 7h 36m · 765 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Civitavecchia is 10.7 °C for 27.3 kg — about 30× less carbon than flying to Sharm el-Sheikh.

  1. Civitavecchia, Italy10.7 °C · 7.2 h sun a day · 2.0 mm rain a day · sea 17.0 °Crail ≈ 15h · 27.3 kg CO₂e return
  2. Toulon, France10.2 °C · 7.4 h sun a day · 1.3 mm rain a day · sea 15.2 °Crail ≈ 10h 24m · 23.8 kg CO₂e return
  3. Bilbao, Spain10.1 °C · 5.0 h sun a day · 4.1 mm rain a day · sea 14.9 °Crail ≈ 13h 24m · 34.4 kg CO₂e return
  4. Perpignan, France9.9 °C · 6.2 h sun a day · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 14.6 °Crail ≈ 11h 30m · 27.6 kg CO₂e return
  5. Barcelona, Spain9.7 °C · 7.7 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 15.8 °Crail ≈ 13h 12m · 32.3 kg CO₂e return
  6. Nice, France9.2 °C · 7.5 h sun a day · 1.4 mm rain a day · sea 15.8 °Crail ≈ 11h 42m · 21.3 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 Frankfurt in December within 15 hours is Sharm el-Sheikh, 20.4 °C, costing 826 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Eisenach at 4.4 kg — 188× less carbon, for 17.0 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.

EisenachSharm el-Sheikh
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Frankfurt. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, December, departing Frankfurt. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.15 destinations. Lowest carbon Eisenach at 4.4 kilograms and 3.4 °C; best for warmth Sharm el-Sheikh at 826 kilograms and 20.4 °C. Eisenach · 4.4 kgCivitavecchia · 27.3 kgAlghero · 267 kgSharm el-Sheikh · 826 kg

By rail or ferry By air

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

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Milazzo can only be reached by air — 357 kg CO₂e, in 5h 24m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 41.9 kg in 21h 6m — 9× less carbon for 15h 42m more travelling.

December from Frankfurt — 15 destinations on the frontier, 8 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Eisenach, GermanyRail4.4 kg3.4 °C2.5 h2.4 mm3h 42m
Cologne, GermanyRail4.5 kg5.4 °C2.6 h2.9 mm2h 36m
Antwerp, BelgiumRail9.6 kg6.3 °C2.2 h2.6 mm5h 48m
Middelburg, The NetherlandsRail11.5 kg7.1 °C2.4 h3.2 mm6h 54m
Boulogne-sur-Mer, FranceRail14.9 kg8.1 °C2.8 h3.8 mm8h 18m
Genoa, ItalyRail18.7 kg9.0 °C5.9 h3.1 mm10h 48m
Imperia, ItalyRail20.5 kg9.8 °C7.2 h1.2 mm11h 24m
Civitavecchia, ItalyRail27.3 kg10.7 °C7.2 h2.0 mm15h
Alghero, ItalyAir267 kg12.2 °C7.8 h1.5 mm4h 54m
Ciutadella, SpainAir299 kg13.5 °C7.8 h0.5 mm5h 6m
Milazzo, ItalyAir357 kg14.7 °C7.1 h8.2 mm5h 24m
San Pawl il-Bahar, MaltaAir413 kg16.0 °C7.9 h1.3 mm5h 42m
Taroudant, MoroccoAir661 kg17.9 °C8.9 h0.3 mm7h
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainAir801 kg19.1 °C9.3 h2.8 mm7h 42m
Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptAir826 kg20.4 °C9.7 h0.1 mm7h 54m

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 Civitavecchia (27.3 kg, 10.7 °C) to Alghero (267 kg, 12.2 °C) buys 1.5 °C more warmth for an extra 240 kg — 160 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

EisenachGermany4.4 kg CO₂e return3.4 °C · 2.5 h sun · 3h 42m by railcoolCivitavecchiaItaly27.3 kg CO₂e return10.7 °C · 7.2 h sun · 15h by railmild and brightSharm el-Sheikh, EgyptSharm el-SheikhEgypt826 kg CO₂e return20.4 °C · 9.7 h sun · 7h 54m 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 Frankfurt

December from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, at 20.4 °C. Reaching it emits 826 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 54m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Civitavecchia reaches 10.7 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 15h (modelled), emitting 27.3 kg CO₂e return — though Sharm el-Sheikh is warmer still, if you fly.

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

826 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.