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Warsaw · December · warmth

Warmest places to go from Warsaw in December

In December, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Warsaw is Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, averaging 20.4 °C across day and night and 9.7 h sun a day, about 7h 24m each way by air. Without flying, it is Trieste, Italy, averaging 7.1 °C across day and night, about 14h 36m each way by train, for about 28× less carbon (26.6 kg CO₂e return against 735 kg).

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

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Warsaw

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 24m · 735 kg CO₂e return
  2. Hurghada, Egypt19.9 °C · 9.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.7 °Cair ≈ 7h 30m · 748 kg CO₂e return
  3. Maspalomas, Spain19.7 °C · 9.4 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.9 °Cair ≈ 8h 54m · 951 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 54m · 942 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 54m · 946 kg CO₂e return
  6. Aswan, Egypt18.7 °C · 10.1 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 54m · 827 kg CO₂e return
  7. Aqaba, Jordan18.0 °C · 9.2 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.5 °Cair ≈ 7h 12m · 698 kg CO₂e return
  8. Agadir, Morocco17.4 °C · 9.1 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 19.1 °Cair ≈ 8h 6m · 874 kg CO₂e return
  9. Essaouira, Morocco16.4 °C · 9.0 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 18.4 °Cair ≈ 8h · 853 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 · 919 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Trieste is 7.1 °C for 26.6 kg — about 28× less carbon than flying to Sharm el-Sheikh.

  1. Trieste, Italy7.1 °C · 5.2 h sun a day · 3.6 mm rain a day · sea 13.9 °Crail ≈ 14h 36m · 26.6 kg CO₂e return
  2. Amsterdam, The Netherlands6.6 °C · 2.2 h sun a day · 3.4 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 42m · 32.3 kg CO₂e return
  3. Emden, Germany5.8 °C · 1.9 h sun a day · 3.2 mm rain a day · sea 5.1 °Crail ≈ 14h · 27.6 kg CO₂e return
  4. Düsseldorf, Germany5.4 °C · 2.2 h sun a day · 3.5 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 18m · 29.1 kg CO₂e return
  5. Enschede, The Netherlands5.3 °C · 1.8 h sun a day · 3.5 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 36m · 28.3 kg CO₂e return
  6. Bremerhaven, Germany5.1 °C · 1.7 h sun a day · 3.6 mm rain a day · sea 5.6 °Crail ≈ 12h 42m · 25.0 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 Warsaw in December within 15 hours is Sharm el-Sheikh, 20.4 °C, costing 735 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Lublin at 4.5 kg — 163× less carbon, for 19.1 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.

LublinSharm el-Sheikh
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Warsaw. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, December, departing Warsaw. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.17 destinations. Lowest carbon Lublin at 4.5 kilograms and 1.3 °C; best for warmth Sharm el-Sheikh at 735 kilograms and 20.4 °C. Lublin · 4.5 kgSan Pawl il-Bahar · 474 kgSidi Barani · 585 kgSharm el-Sheikh · 735 kg

By rail or ferry By air

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

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Termoli can only be reached by air — 308 kg CO₂e, in 5h 6m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 36.1 kg in 19h — 9× less carbon for 13h 54m more travelling.

December from Warsaw — 17 destinations on the frontier, 7 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Lublin, PolandRail4.5 kg1.3 °C2.0 h2.0 mm3h 42m
Zdunska Wola, PolandRail4.7 kg2.1 °C2.2 h1.6 mm3h 48m
Gdansk, PolandRail8.4 kg3.3 °C2.1 h1.9 mm4h 30m
Cottbus, GermanyRail13.6 kg3.8 °C2.9 h1.9 mm7h 54m
Hamburg, GermanyRail22.2 kg4.6 °C1.5 h2.9 mm10h 48m
Wilhelmshaven, GermanyRail25.9 kg5.4 °C1.9 h3.4 mm13h 12m
Trieste, ItalyRail26.6 kg7.1 °C5.2 h3.6 mm14h 36m
Pula, CroatiaAir245 kg9.1 °C5.9 h3.4 mm4h 48m
Termoli, ItalyAir308 kg10.4 °C7.0 h2.1 mm5h 6m
Brindisi, ItalyAir330 kg11.7 °C6.8 h1.9 mm5h 12m
Mytilene, GreeceAir382 kg12.9 °C6.7 h5.6 mm5h 30m
Cesme, TurkeyAir402 kg14.5 °C7.4 h3.8 mm5h 36m
San Pawl il-Bahar, MaltaAir474 kg16.0 °C7.9 h1.3 mm6h
Sidi Barani, EgyptAir585 kg16.7 °C8.8 h0.7 mm6h 36m
Port Said, EgyptAir630 kg17.7 °C9.1 h0.1 mm6h 48m
Ras Gharib, EgyptAir713 kg18.6 °C9.7 h0.0 mm7h 18m
Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptAir735 kg20.4 °C9.7 h0.1 mm7h 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 San Pawl il-Bahar (474 kg, 16.0 °C) to Sidi Barani (585 kg, 16.7 °C) buys 0.7 °C more warmth for an extra 112 kg — 159 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Lublin, PolandLublinPoland4.5 kg CO₂e return1.3 °C · 2.0 h sun · 3h 42m by railcoolTriesteItaly26.6 kg CO₂e return7.1 °C · 5.2 h sun · 14h 36m by railcoolSharm el-Sheikh, EgyptSharm el-SheikhEgypt735 kg CO₂e return20.4 °C · 9.7 h sun · 7h 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 Warsaw

December from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, at 20.4 °C. Reaching it emits 735 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 24m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Trieste reaches 7.1 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 36m (modelled), emitting 26.6 kg CO₂e return — though Sharm el-Sheikh is warmer still, if you fly.

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

735 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.