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Manchester · December · warmth

Warmest places to go from Manchester in December

In December, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Manchester is Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, averaging 20.4 °C across day and night and 9.7 h sun a day, about 9h each way by air. Without flying, it is Toulon, France, averaging 10.2 °C across day and night, about 13h 12m each way by train, for about 19× less carbon (51.7 kg CO₂e return against 963 kg).

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

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Manchester

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 ≈ 9h · 963 kg CO₂e return
  2. Hurghada, Egypt19.9 °C · 9.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.7 °Cair ≈ 9h · 970 kg CO₂e return
  3. Maspalomas, Spain19.7 °C · 9.4 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.9 °Cair ≈ 7h 36m · 770 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 30m · 760 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 30m · 756 kg CO₂e return
  6. Aswan, Egypt18.7 °C · 10.1 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 9h 18m · 1,027 kg CO₂e return
  7. Aqaba, Jordan18.0 °C · 9.2 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.5 °Cair ≈ 8h 48m · 939 kg CO₂e return
  8. Agadir, Morocco17.4 °C · 9.1 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 19.1 °Cair ≈ 7h · 662 kg CO₂e return
  9. Essaouira, Morocco16.4 °C · 9.0 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 18.4 °Cair ≈ 6h 54m · 633 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 ≈ 6h 48m · 630 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Toulon is 10.2 °C for 51.7 kg — about 19× less carbon than flying to Sharm el-Sheikh.

  1. Toulon, France10.2 °C · 7.4 h sun a day · 1.3 mm rain a day · sea 15.2 °Crail ≈ 13h 12m · 51.7 kg CO₂e return
  2. Perpignan, France9.9 °C · 6.2 h sun a day · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 14.6 °Crail ≈ 14h 18m · 50.7 kg CO₂e return
  3. Brest, France9.8 °C · 3.4 h sun a day · 3.6 mm rain a day · sea 12.7 °Crail ≈ 12h 48m · 34.8 kg CO₂e return
  4. Plymouth, United Kingdom9.3 °C · 3.0 h sun a day · 4.5 mm rain a day · sea 12.1 °Crail ≈ 6h 48m · 29.7 kg CO₂e return
  5. Nice, France9.2 °C · 7.5 h sun a day · 1.4 mm rain a day · sea 15.8 °Crail ≈ 15h · 51.4 kg CO₂e return
  6. Truro, United Kingdom9.0 °C · 2.8 h sun a day · 3.9 mm rain a day · sea 11.8 °Crail ≈ 7h 24m · 32.7 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 Manchester in December within 15 hours is Maspalomas, 19.7 °C, costing 770 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Corby at 12.1 kg — 64× less carbon, for 12.9 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.

CorbyMaspalomas
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Manchester. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, December, departing Manchester. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.14 destinations. Lowest carbon Corby at 12.1 kilograms and 6.8 °C; best for warmth Maspalomas at 770 kilograms and 19.7 °C. Corby · 12.1 kgToulon · 51.7 kgSanta Uxia de Ribeira · 330 kgMaspalomas · 770 kg

By rail or ferry By air

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

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Valencia can only be reached by air — 393 kg CO₂e, in 5h 36m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 60.5 kg in 20h 6m — 7× less carbon for 14h 30m more travelling.

December from Manchester — 14 destinations on the frontier, 5 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Corby, United KingdomRail12.1 kg6.8 °C2.6 h2.6 mm3h 42m
Gloucester, United KingdomRail14.4 kg7.6 °C2.3 h3.3 mm4h 6m
Bridgwater, United KingdomRail21.4 kg8.4 °C2.8 h2.9 mm5h 18m
Plymouth, United KingdomRail29.7 kg9.3 °C3.0 h4.5 mm6h 48m
Toulon, FranceRail51.7 kg10.2 °C7.4 h1.3 mm13h 12m
Santa Uxia de Ribeira, SpainAir330 kg11.7 °C6.2 h5.3 mm5h 18m
Valencia, SpainAir393 kg12.1 °C7.9 h0.5 mm5h 36m
Ibiza Town, SpainAir414 kg14.0 °C8.4 h0.4 mm5h 42m
Roquetas de Mar, SpainAir468 kg14.3 °C8.9 h0.4 mm6h
Melilla, SpainAir509 kg15.2 °C8.9 h0.4 mm6h 12m
Essaouira, MoroccoAir633 kg16.4 °C9.0 h0.2 mm6h 54m
Taroudant, MoroccoAir658 kg17.9 °C8.9 h0.3 mm7h
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainAir756 kg18.9 °C9.3 h1.3 mm7h 30m
Maspalomas, SpainAir770 kg19.7 °C9.4 h0.5 mm7h 36m

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 Toulon (51.7 kg, 10.2 °C) to Santa Uxia de Ribeira (330 kg, 11.7 °C) buys 1.5 °C more warmth for an extra 279 kg — 186 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Corby, United KingdomCorbyUnited Kingdom12.1 kg CO₂e return6.8 °C · 2.6 h sun · 3h 42m by railcoolToulon, FranceToulonFrance51.7 kg CO₂e return10.2 °C · 7.4 h sun · 13h 12m by railmild and brightMaspalomas, SpainMaspalomasSpain770 kg CO₂e return19.7 °C · 9.4 h sun · 7h 36m 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 Maspalomas

Places to stay in Maspalomas, Spain, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.

Search places to stay in Maspalomas →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 Manchester

December from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Maspalomas, Spain, at 19.7 °C. Reaching it emits 770 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 36m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Toulon reaches 10.2 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 13h 12m (modelled), emitting 51.7 kg CO₂e return — though Maspalomas is warmer still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Manchester to Maspalomas produce?

770 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.