Where to go in Asia in December: six trips that suit the month

December at a glance

The six trips below are the ones where December's weather works for the plan most people make: city sightseeing, temples and, on the coasts, swimming. The table sums them up, with the mid-range cost of a day.

Every daily cost on this page comes from the country's trip-cost guide: its all-in total divided by its days, per person, for two people sharing a room. That covers rooms, every meal, local transport, sights, a SIM and a 10% buffer; only the international flight is extra. Each guide prices its own route in the month it names, so the figures show the level of a country, not a quote for your dates. Euro amounts use the rate each guide states; where two figures are given, they are the two places in that order.

Northern Thailand and the Andaman coast

This is the classic December trip, and for good reason. The Tourism Authority of Thailand calls November to February the cool season, and it puts the best time for the Andaman coast, Phuket, Krabi and the Phi Phi islands, from November to April. Chiang Mai's old city temples, Doi Suthep and the night markets are at their most comfortable, with cool mornings that can turn properly cold on the northern summits.

Fly into Bangkok, take two nights by the river, go north to Chiang Mai, then fly to Phuket or Krabi for the beaches. Our Andaman coast itinerary covers Krabi, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta in seven nights, and Northern Thailand in 7 days adds Chiang Rai.

Thailand costs about EUR 115 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 65 on a budget, 220 in comfort), from our Thailand trip-cost guide.

King Bhumibol's Birthday, which is also National Day and Father's Day, falls on 5 December, with a substitute day when it falls on a weekend; Constitution Day is 10 December and New Year's Eve, 31 December, is also on the holiday list. The weeks around Christmas and New Year are the busiest of the season: Lala Mukha in Khao Yai, for example, prices 23 December to 7 January as its own peak season above its November-to-February high season. Our Thailand festivals calendar has the rest of the year.

Southern Vietnam and Cambodia

December is when the far south of Vietnam dries out while the centre is still wet, so start in Ho Chi Minh City and stay south. The Mekong Delta, the island of Phu Quoc and the cool hill town of Da Lat all have good weather; Da Lat's old station series gives December a mean low of 12.8°C and a high of 21.4°C, so pack a jacket for the evenings.

Cambodia is a short hop away and at its best. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normal for Phnom Penh gives December only 33.5 mm of rain and a mean of 26.9°C, and Siem Reap is in the same cool, dry season, which makes long mornings at Angkor comfortable. Our Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap route links the two in seven days via Phnom Penh.

Vietnam costs about EUR 90 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 50 on a budget, 155 in comfort), from our Vietnam trip-cost guide. Cambodia costs about EUR 105 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 70 on a budget, 195 in comfort), from our Cambodia trip-cost guide.

The Vietnam figure comes from a northern route (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Ninh Binh), so use it as the national level rather than a southern quote. Cambodia closes the year with Peace Day, 29 December; our best time to visit Cambodia guide covers the islands and the rivers too.

India: Rajasthan, Delhi and Kerala

December is one of India's most comfortable months in the north-west and the south-west. The India Meteorological Department's 1991-2020 means for Jaipur give December a low of 9.9°C, a high of 25.1°C and 3.8 mm of rain: sunny days for the forts and cold nights in the desert. Delhi is a little cooler, with a mean low of 8.4°C, and averages 19.2 foggy days in December, so keep the first morning's plans loose.

Our Rajasthan itinerary covers Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur in nine days. In the south, Incredible India describes October to March as Kochi's pleasant season, which makes December good for the Kerala route through Kochi, Munnar and the Alappuzha backwaters.

India costs about EUR 100 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 65 on a budget, 215 in comfort), from our India trip-cost guide.

In the north-east, the Nagaland government holds the Hornbill Festival from 1 to 10 December every year near Kohima. In the south, Tamil Nadu's coast is in its north-east monsoon, the state's main rain season from October to December. Christmas Day, 25 December, is a central government holiday; our India festivals calendar lists the rest.

Sri Lanka's south and west coast

Sri Lanka has two monsoons, and in December the good side is the south and west. Mirissa and the beaches around Galle enter their calmer November-to-April season, and Colombo and the Cultural Triangle are workable. The east coast, from Trincomalee to Arugam Bay, is the other way round: the German Foreign Office describes the north-east as rainy from December to March.

The hill country is the catch. The Hakgala botanic garden near Nuwara Eliya lists October to December among its rainy months, and the tourism board says the highlands are cool and relatively dry only from January to April. A coast-first route works best: our Sri Lanka 10-day itinerary runs Colombo, Kandy, Ella and Galle, and in December you can give the coast an extra night and the hills one less.

Sri Lanka costs about EUR 100 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 70 on a budget, 215 in comfort), from our Sri Lanka trip-cost guide.

Unduwap Full Moon Poya falls at the December full moon, and Christmas Day, 25 December, is also a public holiday. On full-moon Poya days the sale of alcohol, meat and fish is prohibited and some shops and businesses close. Our Sri Lanka festivals calendar gives each year's Poya dates, and the best time to visit Sri Lanka guide explains the two monsoons coast by coast.

Hong Kong and Macau

December is Hong Kong's clearest month for walking: the Observatory's 1991-2020 normals give a mean high of 20.4°C, a low of 16.2°C and 28.8 mm of rain. That is the weather for the Dragon's Back, Lantau and the outlying islands, though a cold front can make the exposed ridges raw. Macau is a little cooler, with a December mean of 17.0°C and 32.6 mm at Taipa Grande in the 1991-2020 normals.

Our Hong Kong and Macau in 7 days gives four nights to Hong Kong and two to Macau, with the ferry or the bridge between them.

Hong Kong costs about EUR 175 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 100 on a budget, 365 in comfort), from our Hong Kong trip-cost guide. Macau costs about EUR 110 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 70 on a budget, 210 in comfort), from our Macau trip-cost guide, which prices a short stay on the Macau Peninsula.

Christmas is a holiday in both: Hong Kong's general holidays are Christmas Day and the first weekday after it. Macau also stops for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December, Macao SAR Establishment Day on 20 December, the Winter Solstice, around 22 December, and Christmas Eve and Day on 24 and 25 December. The Macau festivals calendar has the year in full.

Japan: winter cities and the first snow

On Japan's Pacific side, December is cold, bright and dry. The Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991-2020 normals for Tokyo give a high of 12.0°C, a low of 3.8°C and 57.9 mm of rain, so Tokyo and Kyoto are pleasant in a warm coat. Sapporo is a different world, with a mean of -0.9°C and 113 cm of snowfall in December: a ski and snow trip, not general touring. The Sea of Japan coast is grey and snowy, with 301.1 mm of rain and snow in Kanazawa, and Okinawa stays mild at about 19°C.

For a first visit, Japan in 7 days fits December well; for snow, our Niseko guide covers the lift pass and getting there.

Japan costs about EUR 150 a day all-in at mid-range (EUR 100 on a budget, 290 in comfort), from our Japan trip-cost guide. That guide prices a cherry-blossom trip in April, one of the dearest seasons of the year.

The Chichibu Night Festival of Chichibu Shrine, in Saitama Prefecture, is held every year on 2 and 3 December. Around New Year, the Japan National Tourism Organization warns that hotels, flights and trains cost more and options are more limited, and it names the Christmas and New Year holidays among the busiest weeks on the ski slopes. Book those nights first.

Also good in December

Four more places suit the month, with conditions.

• Laos. Vientiane averages 5.0 mm of rain in December and Luang Prabang 22.6 mm, in the JMA's 1991-2020 normals, with a cooler 20.5°C mean in Luang Prabang. Our Laos in 7 days adds Vang Vieng. Lao National Day is 2 December.
• Palawan and Manila. PAGASA's 1991-2020 normals give Coron 90.3 mm and Manila 98.5 mm in December, the start of PAGASA's cool dry season; Puerto Princesa and Cebu's Mactan are wetter at about 170 mm. Our Palawan in 10 days covers El Nido and Coron.
• Bhutan. Paro is dry and sunny, with a December mean high of 14.5°C and nights around freezing. Druk Wangyel Tshechu is held at the Dochula pass in mid-December; see our Bhutan festivals guide for the Department of Tourism's tentative dates and the best time to visit Bhutan guide for the winter weather.
• Southern Taiwan. Kaohsiung averages 19.2 mm of rain in December against 356.6 mm in Keelung, in the Central Weather Administration's 1991-2020 normals, so base yourself in Tainan and Kaohsiung rather than Taipei.

Where not to go in December, and why

These are the places where December works against an ordinary trip. Each has a better month, which its best-time guide names.

• Thailand's Gulf islands (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao): the Tourism Authority of Thailand puts the Gulf's rains in October to December. Choose the Andaman side instead.
• Central Vietnam (Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang): Vietnam's tourism board describes Hoi An's September to January as rainy, cool and cloudy. Sa Pa and the northern mountains are in their cold winter months.
• Malaysia's east coast (the Perhentian islands, Redang, Tioman): the Malaysian Meteorological Department names November, December and January as the months of maximum rainfall on the east of the peninsula. Our best time to visit Malaysia guide gives the west coast alternatives.
• Singapore, if you want sun: its 1991-2020 normals make December the wettest month of the year, with 331.9 mm and 19 rain days. It still works as a city stopover, with an umbrella.
• Bali and Java: Indonesia's tourism ministry puts the wet season from November to March. See our best time to visit Indonesia guide for the drier months.
• Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Ulaanbaatar's December averages a high of -13.5°C and a low of -23.1°C, and Astana's a high of -9.7°C. Heavy snow can block roads and trekking routes in Kyrgyzstan.
• Brunei: Brunei airport's 1991-2020 December normal is 398.1 mm of rain, and Brunei's tourism office counts October to January among the wettest months.
• The Maldives is in its transition month: the Maldives Meteorological Service names December and April as the changeover between the wet south-west monsoon and the dry season of January to March.