December travel
Where to go on holiday in December?
Cancun scores 7.1 out of 10 in December: 28C days, a 27C sea you can swim in without flinching, and 105mm of rain that mostly falls in short afternoon bursts. Here is how the rest of the world stacks up this month.
Crowds. Peak season. Book flights and restaurants well ahead.
Prices. Highest rates of the year, so lock in early.
Seaweed. Sargassum seaweed risk is low, so the sand is at its cleanest.
Storms. Outside hurricane season entirely.
What is on in Cancun in December
- Guadalupe Day pilgrimages on 12 December
- Christmas and New Year fireworks over the lagoon and beach
- Cool, dry, sunny days in the high 20s
Book Cancun for December
- Check Cancun hotel ratesLive all-inclusive and boutique pricesOpen
- Browse Cancun toursChichen Itza, cenotes, Isla Mujeres and moreOpen
- Get an airport transfer quoteFixed price, 20 minutes to the Hotel ZoneOpen
Prefer a plan first? Build a free day-by-day Cancun itinerary.
December rivals, ranked and compared
- Cancun or Phuket in December31C, 60mm rain7.1 v 8.7
- Cancun or Varadero and Havana in December26C, 50mm rain7.1 v 8.7
- Cancun or Punta Cana in December29C, 80mm rain7.1 v 8.6
- Cancun or Cape Verde in December25C, 3mm rain7.1 v 8.6
- Cancun or Hurghada and the Red Sea in December23C, 3mm rain7.1 v 8.6
- Cancun or Goa in December33C, 10mm rain7.1 v 8.4
- Cancun or Cartagena in December31C, 35mm rain7.1 v 8.3
- Cancun or Jamaica in December30C, 50mm rain7.1 v 8.2
- Cancun or Costa Rica in December28C, 40mm rain7.1 v 8.2
- Cancun or Puerto Vallarta in December30C, 20mm rain7.1 v 8.2
- Cancun or Da Nang in December25C, 200mm rain7.1 v 8.2
- Cancun or Montego Bay in December30C, 55mm rain7.1 v 8.2
- Cancun or Nassau and the Bahamas in December26C, 50mm rain7.1 v 8.1
- Cancun or Aruba in December30C, 80mm rain7.1 v 8.1
- Cancun or Zanzibar in December32C, 150mm rain7.1 v 8.1
- Cancun or Panama in December30C, 110mm rain7.1 v 7.8
- Cancun or Playa del Carmen in December28C, 102mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Cozumel in December28C, 105mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Los Cabos in December25C, 12mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Miami in December25C, 55mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Puerto Rico in December29C, 120mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Curacao in December30C, 95mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Rio de Janeiro in December29C, 145mm rain7.1 v 7.7
- Cancun or Hawaii in December27C, 90mm rain7.1 v 7.6
- Cancun or The Florida Keys in December25C, 50mm rain7.1 v 7.3
- Cancun or Dubai in December26C, 15mm rain7.1 v 7.2
- Cancun or Barbados in December29C, 105mm rain7.1 v 7.2
- Cancun or Tulum in December28C, 100mm rain7.1 v 7.2
- Cancun or Belize in December28C, 190mm rain7.1 v 7.2
- Cancun or Tenerife and the Canaries in December22C, 45mm rain7.1 v 7.2
- Cancun or Bali in December31C, 290mm rain7.1 v 6.8
- Cancun or Maldives in December30C, 215mm rain7.1 v 6.6
- Cancun or Mallorca in December16C, 55mm rain7.1 v 6.4
- Cancun or Mexico City in December21C, 8mm rain7.1 v 6.1
- Cancun or Crete in December17C, 105mm rain7.1 v 6.1
- Cancun or The Algarve in December17C, 95mm rain7.1 v 6.1
- Cancun or Marrakech in December19C, 35mm rain7.1 v 6.1
- Cancun or Antalya in December17C, 255mm rain7.1 v 5.5
- Cancun or Orlando in December23C, 65mm rain7.1 v 5.5
- Cancun or Las Vegas in December14C, 12mm rain7.1 v 5