Where is hot in December?
In December, the warmest well-known places within 15 hours of London are Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt (20.4 °C); Hurghada, Egypt (19.9 °C); Maspalomas, Spain (19.7 °C). The warmest in Europe is Maspalomas, Spain, averaging 19.7 °C. Without flying, the warmest you can reach from London is Reus, Spain, averaging 10.4 °C, about 14h 24m by train.
The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of London
Ranked on December temperature 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. From Manchester, Edinburgh or Dublin the list is the same or nearly so; only the journey times change.
| Place | Average | Sun a day | Rain | Sea | From London | CO₂e return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptSharm el-Sheikh is a large resort at the south tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. | 20.4 °C | 9.7 h | mostly dry | 25.2 °C | air, ≈ 8h 42m | 909 kg |
| Hurghada, EgyptHurghada is a resort town on the Red Sea Coast of Egypt. | 19.9 °C | 9.8 h | mostly dry | 24.7 °C | air, ≈ 8h 42m | 915 kg |
| Maspalomas, SpainMaspalomas is a tourist resort in the south of the island of Gran Canaria. | 19.7 °C | 9.4 h | mostly dry | 21.9 °C | air, ≈ 7h 24m | 740 kg |
| Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainLas Palmas de Gran Canaria, or just Las Palmas, is the capital of Gran Canaria, the largest city in the Canary Islands, and one of the largest cities in Spain. | 19.1 °C | 9.3 h | 2.8 mm a day | 21.9 °C | air, ≈ 7h 24m | 729 kg |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife, SpainSanta Cruz de Tenerife is the capital and largest city of Tenerife. | 18.9 °C | 9.3 h | 1.3 mm a day | 22.2 °C | air, ≈ 7h 24m | 728 kg |
| Aswan, EgyptAswan is the southernmost city of Egypt, some 870 km south of Cairo, just below the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, with a population of 275,000. | 18.7 °C | 10.1 h | mostly dry | — | air, ≈ 9h | 970 kg |
| Aqaba, JordanAqaba is Jordan's only port city. | 18.0 °C | 9.2 h | mostly dry | 23.5 °C | air, ≈ 8h 30m | 886 kg |
| Agadir, Morocco | 17.4 °C | 9.1 h | mostly dry | 19.1 °C | air, ≈ 6h 48m | 622 kg |
| Essaouira, MoroccoEssaouira is a coastal city in Morocco. | 16.4 °C | 9.0 h | mostly dry | 18.4 °C | air, ≈ 6h 36m | 593 kg |
| Ponta Delgada, PortugalPonta Delgada is the largest city in the Azores archipelago. | 15.8 °C | 7.0 h | 4.1 mm a day | 19.1 °C | air, ≈ 6h 54m | 632 kg |
Warm in December without flying, from every city
The warmest well-known place each city reaches by train (or train and ferry) within 15 hours. Milder than the places you fly to in December — but it is the answer if you would rather not fly, at a small fraction of the carbon.
From London by train, every month at 6, 10 and 15 hours →· Warmest in France, by month
From the UK and Ireland
| From | Warmest by train | Average | By train | CO₂e return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | Reus, Spain | 10.4 °C | ≈ 14h 24m | 34.1 kg |
| Manchester | Toulon, France | 10.2 °C | ≈ 13h 12m | 51.7 kg |
| Birmingham | Toulon, France | 10.2 °C | ≈ 12h 30m | 43.7 kg |
| Glasgow | Plymouth, United Kingdom | 9.3 °C | ≈ 10h 18m | 49.1 kg |
| Edinburgh | Plymouth, United Kingdom | 9.3 °C | ≈ 10h 30m | 50.1 kg |
| Leeds | Toulon, France | 10.2 °C | ≈ 13h 18m | 52.5 kg |
| Liverpool | Toulon, France | 10.2 °C | ≈ 13h 18m | 53.6 kg |
| Bristol | Toulon, France | 10.2 °C | ≈ 12h 42m | 44.4 kg |
| Newcastle | Toulon, France | 10.2 °C | ≈ 14h | 62.6 kg |
| Cardiff | Toulon, France | 10.2 °C | ≈ 13h | 47.6 kg |
| Sheffield | Toulon, France | 10.2 °C | ≈ 13h 6m | 48.9 kg |
| Nottingham | Toulon, France | 10.2 °C | ≈ 12h 48m | 44.7 kg |
| Southampton | Toulon, France | 10.2 °C | ≈ 12h 24m | 39.6 kg |
| Dublin | Nowhere on the list within 15 hours by train | |||
From mainland Europe
| From | Warmest by train | Average | By train | CO₂e return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | Benidorm, Spain | 12.8 °C | ≈ 14h 6m | 34.4 kg |
| Amsterdam | Reus, Spain | 10.4 °C | ≈ 14h 48m | 37.8 kg |
| Brussels | Reus, Spain | 10.4 °C | ≈ 12h 54m | 32.6 kg |
| Berlin | Sanremo, Italy | 9.7 °C | ≈ 14h 36m | 31.1 kg |
| Frankfurt | Civitavecchia, Italy | 10.7 °C | ≈ 15h | 27.3 kg |
| Munich | Anzio, Italy | 10.9 °C | ≈ 12h 48m | 22.1 kg |
| Zurich | Taranto, Italy | 11.4 °C | ≈ 14h 24m | 30.5 kg |
| Vienna | Brindisi, Italy | 11.7 °C | ≈ 14h 18m | 25.1 kg |
| Milan | Trapani, Italy | 13.6 °C | ≈ 11h 18m | 25.8 kg |
| Rome | Trapani, Italy | 13.6 °C | ≈ 7h 42m | 12.7 kg |
| Barcelona | Marbella, Spain | 13.6 °C | ≈ 8h 54m | 24.0 kg |
| Madrid | Marbella, Spain | 13.6 °C | ≈ 5h 18m | 13.2 kg |
| Lisbon | Marbella, Spain | 13.6 °C | ≈ 8h 24m | 13.2 kg |
| Copenhagen | Dunkirk, France | 7.5 °C | ≈ 14h 18m | 25.1 kg |
| Stockholm | Leeuwarden, The Netherlands | 6.3 °C | ≈ 14h 48m | 30.0 kg |
| Oslo | Alkmaar, The Netherlands | 7.1 °C | ≈ 14h 48m | 26.2 kg |
| Prague | Sanremo, Italy | 9.7 °C | ≈ 14h 24m | 25.4 kg |
| Warsaw | Trieste, Italy | 7.1 °C | ≈ 14h 36m | 26.6 kg |
Questions
Where is hot in December?
Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, is the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of London in December, averaging 20.4 °C with 9.7 hours of sun a day, 8h 42m each way by air.
Where is hot in Europe in December?
Maspalomas, Spain, averaging 19.7 °C with 9.4 hours of sun a day — the warmest well-known place in Europe within 15 hours of London, 7h 24m each way by air.
Where is warm in December without flying from the UK?
From London, Reus, Spain: 10.4 °C on average, 14h 24m by train, 34.1 kg CO₂e return against 909 kg to fly to Sharm el-Sheikh. Rail times are modelled.
Temperature, sunshine and rainfall are ERA5 monthly means for 2023–2024 (via Open-Meteo): a daily mean, so afternoons are warmer and nights cooler. Sea temperature is NOAA OISST v2.1 for the same years, at the nearest open sea; "—" means inland. Place descriptions are the first sentence of each place's Wikivoyage guide (CC BY-SA 4.0), linked from its page here. Carbon uses UK Government (DESNZ/DEFRA) 2026 factors with radiative forcing for flights; air times include getting to and through the airport. Full method · download the data.