Where to go alone in December: mild Europe, festive cities and real summer

December is an odd month to travel alone. Everything around you turns towards family and couples, prices climb around Christmas and New Year, and northern daylight shrinks to a few hours. That's exactly why it pays to pick a destination for a reason, rather than whatever is cheap that week.

There are three ways to play it. Stay in Europe but go south, where evenings are still walkable. Go north into the cold, but to a city whose festive calendar solves the hardest question of solo travel: what am I doing tonight? Or take a long flight and swap winter for summer.

A word on the numbers. Temperatures below are monthly averages from each country's national weather service, published through the World Meteorological Organization. Reference periods differ from city to city and are listed in the sources. Treat them as a guide to the season, not a forecast.

Europe, mild: short flights from London

Valencia. December averages a high of 17°C (63°F) and a low of 8.1°C (47°F), with 7.5 rain days (AEMET, 1981-2010).¹ The driest of the Mediterranean options here, and flat enough to cycle everywhere.

Malta. Highs of 16.7°C (62°F) and lows of 11°C (52°F), the mildest nights in this group, but more than 14 rain days on average (Malta Meteorological Office, 1961-1990).² The island is small, and on a wet day Valletta's churches and museums fill the hours.

Lisbon. Highs of 14.8°C (59°F), lows of 8.9°C (48°F), 14 rain days (IPMA, 1961-1990).³ Wetter and cooler than the others, yet still one of the easiest cities in Europe to do alone. Bring shoes with grip: wet cobbles are slippery.

Europe, cold: go for the evenings

The north is properly cold. Edinburgh averages 7°C (45°F) highs and 1.3°C (34°F) lows in December (Met Office, 1981-2010),⁴ Reykjavík 2.2°C and -2.8°C.⁵ What you get in return is a calendar that fills your nights.

Edinburgh for Hogmanay. The 2026 programme opens on 29 December with the 18:30 torchlight procession, continues on the 30th with a concert, and closes on the 31st with the ticketed Street Party from 20:00. New Year's Day brings a free, unticketed live music trail.⁶ As a solo traveller, a street party of thousands is about the easiest New Year's Eve there is: nobody asks who you came with. Book your bed early.

Copenhagen and Christmas at Tivoli. The city-centre pleasure garden runs its Christmas season from 13 November to 3 January.⁷ It's an easy solo evening: wander, eat, leave when you like. Budget accordingly, Copenhagen is not a cheap city.

Berlin's markets. The city's official portal lists 77 Christmas markets for 2026, with many of the best known opening on 23 November. One of them is queer: the LGBTQIA Winterdays and Christmas Avenue, open 4 November to 23 December 2026.⁸ A Christmas market is the winter version of a bar counter. You stand, you hold something hot, and talking to the person beside you is normal.

Long haul: into the dry season or the summer

These flights are long and December fares rise around the holidays. With two weeks or more, the change of season is worth it.

Chiang Mai. Highs of 28.3°C (83°F), lows of 15.3°C (60°F), 1.6 rain days in the month (Thai Meteorological Department).⁹ Northern Thailand's cool, dry season: warm days, evenings that need a jumper. Thailand is the top country for solo bookings on Hostelworld, with 7.6% of solo trips between July 2025 and June 2026,¹⁰ so you won't be the only one travelling alone.

Bangkok. Highs of 31.3°C (88°F), lows of 20.8°C (69°F), one rain day on average (1961-1990).¹¹ The least punishing month to explore the city, and a natural first stop before heading north.

Mexico City. Highs of 20.8°C (69°F), lows of 6.6°C (44°F), 2.6 rain days (1951-1980).¹² Dry season, with clear days and cold nights at altitude. From the US it's a short flight; from the UK it's a long one.

Cape Town. Highs of 24.9°C (77°F), lows of 14.9°C (59°F), 6.2 rain days (South African Weather Service, 1961-1990).¹³ Early summer with long evenings. Read the safety section of our city page before booking: getting around after dark takes more planning than in Europe.

Buenos Aires. Highs of 28.5°C (83°F), lows of 18.4°C (65°F), 9.2 rain days (1981-2010).¹⁴ High summer and warm nights, for people who like being out late.

A note on the holidays themselves. Whatever you pick, plan 24, 25 and 31 December in advance. Book a dinner, a tour or an event for each, so you're never deciding at 7pm on Christmas Eve where to eat.

Think twice

Tokyo is cold but dry: 12°C (54°F) highs, 3.8°C (39°F) lows and 5.2 rain days (1991-2020).¹⁵ Fine if Tokyo was already on your list, less so if what you want from December is sun.

Reykjavík offers short days and highs around freezing. It works for northern lights and geothermal pools, much less for a first solo trip built on walking a city.

At a glance

December monthly averages from national weather services via the WMO. Monthly rankings with the Solo Score for each traveller profile are in Where to go.