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Stockholm · December · warmth

Warmest places to go from Stockholm in December

In December, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Stockholm is Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, averaging 20.4 °C across day and night and 9.7 h sun a day, about 8h 24m each way by air. Without flying, it is Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, averaging 6.3 °C across day and night, about 14h 48m each way by train, for about 29× less carbon (30.0 kg CO₂e return against 868 kg).

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

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Stockholm

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 ≈ 8h 24m · 868 kg CO₂e return
  2. Hurghada, Egypt19.9 °C · 9.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.7 °Cair ≈ 8h 30m · 881 kg CO₂e return
  3. Maspalomas, Spain19.7 °C · 9.4 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.9 °Cair ≈ 9h 18m · 1,017 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 ≈ 9h 12m · 1,007 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 ≈ 9h 12m · 1,008 kg CO₂e return
  6. Aswan, Egypt18.7 °C · 10.1 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 8h 54m · 957 kg CO₂e return
  7. Aqaba, Jordan18.0 °C · 9.2 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.5 °Cair ≈ 8h 12m · 894 kg CO₂e return
  8. Agadir, Morocco17.4 °C · 9.1 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 19.1 °Cair ≈ 8h 36m · 895 kg CO₂e return
  9. Essaouira, Morocco16.4 °C · 9.0 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 18.4 °Cair ≈ 8h 30m · 871 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 42m · 914 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Leeuwarden is 6.3 °C for 30.0 kg — about 29× less carbon than flying to Sharm el-Sheikh.

  1. Leeuwarden, The Netherlands6.3 °C · 1.9 h sun a day · 3.8 mm rain a day · sea 7.5 °Crail ≈ 14h 48m · 30.0 kg CO₂e return
  2. Groningen, The Netherlands5.9 °C · 1.9 h sun a day · 3.2 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 12m · 28.9 kg CO₂e return
  3. Emden, Germany5.8 °C · 1.9 h sun a day · 3.2 mm rain a day · sea 5.1 °Crail ≈ 13h 30m · 27.7 kg CO₂e return
  4. Enschede, The Netherlands5.3 °C · 1.8 h sun a day · 3.5 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 15h · 31.1 kg CO₂e return
  5. Bremerhaven, Germany5.1 °C · 1.7 h sun a day · 3.6 mm rain a day · sea 5.6 °Crail ≈ 12h 18m · 25.6 kg CO₂e return
  6. Bremen, Germany5.1 °C · 1.7 h sun a day · 3.2 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 12h 42m · 26.5 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 Stockholm in December within 15 hours is Sharm el-Sheikh, 20.4 °C, costing 868 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Gävle at 4.7 kg — 185× less carbon, for 23.2 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.

GävleSharm el-Sheikh
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Stockholm. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, December, departing Stockholm. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.18 destinations. Lowest carbon Gävle at 4.7 kilograms and -2.8 °C; best for warmth Sharm el-Sheikh at 868 kilograms and 20.4 °C. Gävle · 4.7 kgLeeuwarden · 30.0 kgDen Helder · 273 kgSharm el-Sheikh · 868 kg

By rail or ferry By air

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

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Boulogne-sur-Mer can only be reached by air — 355 kg CO₂e, in 5h 24m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 41.7 kg in 20h 24m — 9× less carbon for 15h more travelling.

December from Stockholm — 18 destinations on the frontier, 8 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Gävle, SwedenRail4.7 kg-2.8 °C1.8 h1.8 mm3h 48m
Örebro, SwedenRail4.8 kg-1.0 °C1.6 h2.1 mm3h 48m
Linköping, SwedenRail5.1 kg0.2 °C1.3 h2.0 mm4h
Visby, SwedenRail5.6 kg2.2 °C1.4 h2.1 mm4h 12m
Helsingborg, SwedenRail14.3 kg3.4 °C1.7 h2.5 mm7h 18m
Copenhagen, DenmarkRail15.4 kg4.3 °C1.5 h1.9 mm6h 48m
Wilhelmshaven, GermanyRail26.2 kg5.4 °C1.9 h3.4 mm12h 42m
Leeuwarden, The NetherlandsRail30.0 kg6.3 °C1.9 h3.8 mm14h 48m
Den Helder, The NetherlandsAir273 kg7.3 °C2.6 h3.5 mm4h 54m
Boulogne-sur-Mer, FranceAir355 kg8.1 °C2.8 h3.8 mm5h 24m
Cherbourg, FranceAir416 kg9.1 °C2.9 h2.8 mm5h 42m
Saint Helier, JerseyAir432 kg10.0 °C3.8 h3.0 mm5h 48m
Brindisi, ItalyAir523 kg11.7 °C6.8 h1.9 mm6h 18m
Mytilene, GreeceAir585 kg12.9 °C6.7 h5.6 mm6h 36m
Milazzo, ItalyAir593 kg14.7 °C7.1 h8.2 mm6h 36m
San Pawl il-Bahar, MaltaAir657 kg16.0 °C7.9 h1.3 mm7h
Port Said, EgyptAir829 kg17.7 °C9.1 h0.1 mm7h 54m
Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptAir868 kg20.4 °C9.7 h0.1 mm8h 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 Leeuwarden (30.0 kg, 6.3 °C) to Den Helder (273 kg, 7.3 °C) buys 1.0 °C more warmth for an extra 243 kg — 243 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Gävle, SwedenGävleSweden4.7 kg CO₂e return-2.8 °C · 1.8 h sun · 3h 48m by railcoolLeeuwarden, The NetherlandsLeeuwardenThe Netherlands30.0 kg CO₂e return6.3 °C · 1.9 h sun · 14h 48m by railgrey and wetSharm el-Sheikh, EgyptSharm el-SheikhEgypt868 kg CO₂e return20.4 °C · 9.7 h sun · 8h 24m 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 Stockholm

December from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, at 20.4 °C. Reaching it emits 868 kg CO₂e return, travelling 8h 24m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Leeuwarden reaches 6.3 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 48m (modelled), emitting 30.0 kg CO₂e return — though Sharm el-Sheikh is warmer still, if you fly.

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

868 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.