December marks the beginning of festivals and celebrations. With commercials and non-commercial establishments and organizations including schools observing holidays and remaining shut, it becomes an ideal time for everyone to fulfill their vacation dreams.
We have categorized the top places to visit in December by geographical regions. Popular places with countries (in bracket) are mentioned.
Popular Places to Visit in Southern Asia
Southern Asia refers to the southern part of central Asia. The region is bounded by the Indian Ocean in the south and includes the Himalaya in the north.
Dhaka (Bangladesh), Bhutan, New Delhi (India), Maldives, Kathmandu (Nepal), Islamabad (Pakistan), and, Colombo (Sri Lanka) are the top destination countries that are worth visiting in December. The winter is dry (rainfall between .2 and 1.0), humidity average (50 to 60) and sunshine 7 hours a day. All contributes towards a great travel experience.
Popular Places to Visit in Western Asia and Middle East
The term Western Asia refers to the western part of Asia, which includes the Arabian Peninsula and most countries of the Middle East. There are 19 countries in Western Asia.
Best places to visit include Yerevan (Armenia), Baku (Azerbaijan), Manama (Bahrain), Nicosia (Cyprus), Tehran (Iran), Baghdad (Iraq), Jerusalem (Israel), Amman (Jordan), Kuwait City (Kuwait), Beirut (Lebanon), Muscat (Oman), Doha (Qatar), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Jerusalem (State of Palestine), Ankara (Turkey), and Abu Dhabi, and Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Popular Places to Visit in Southern Europe
Southern Europe or Mediterranean Europe refers to the mainly subtropical southern portion of the continent. The region is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the south.
Tirana (Albania), Athens (Greece), Rome (Italy), Milan (Italy), Lisbon (Portugal), Madrid (Spain), and Vatican City (Vatican City State) are the popular places attracting most of the travelers visiting Europe.
Compared to other region of Europe, Southern Europe faces less extreme cold due to the hydro thermal balancing effect of the Mediterranean Sea.
Popular Places to Visit in Western Europe
Western Europe is the western part of Europe; it is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the English Channel and the North Sea to the north, and by the Alps in the south.
Almost all countries or cities in Western Europe, including Vienna (Austria), Brussels (Belgium), Paris (France), Berlin (Germany), Luxembourg, The Hague (Netherlands), Amsterdam (Netherlands), and Zürich (Switzerland), and Geneva (Switzerland) are ideal for spending your December Holiday times.
December is the beginning of winter. It could be wet in some parts. The average rainfall stays around 1 to 3 inches. The temperature stays between 40s- and 30s-degree Fahrenheit. The places in western Europe also witness snowfall, and hence, ideal for the fans of winter sports.
Popular Places to Visit in Northern Europe
Northern Europe refers to the portion of Europe to the north of Western Europe, the English Channel, and the Baltic Sea; it also includes the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Copenhagen (Denmark), London (United Kingdom), Oslo (Norway), Stockholm (Sweden), Gothenburg (Sweden), Dublin (Ireland), and Reykjavík (Iceland) are a few of the most popular destinations in Northern Europe.
December is the beginning of the winter season in Northern Europe. However, the winter is wet in many parts with rainfall in the range 2 to 3 inches.
Popular Places to Visit in North America
North America or Northern America is the northern landmass of the Americas. It is the third largest continent (spread over 24.7 million km² (9.5 million sq mi)) and is situated in Earth’s North-western hemisphere.
Popular places to visit in North America in December includes Miami, Chicago, Washington, D.C, San Antonio, Honolulu, and New Orleans in the United States of America; and Mexico City in Mexico.
What Makes December One of the Best Times to Visit
The round-up of the best places to visit in December on the planet is over. If you are interested in knowing what makes regions in Asia, Europe and North America favorites for tourists in December, a bit of geographical knowledge will be helpful.
The earth revolves around the sun in an anticlockwise direction on a nearby elliptical orbit, and also rotates on its axis in the same direction. Though in December earth’s Northern Hemisphere is not at the farthest distance (147 million km) from the sun, it doesn’t receive much of the sunlight. The reason lies in the tilted position of earth, which always remains so. Hence, in December, the Northern Hemisphere has winter season while the Southern Hemisphere has summer. Unarguably, winter is more desirable for travel than summer.
