Best destinations to visit in December in Asia
Best destinations to visit in December in Asia
December counts among the best months of the year across much of Asia, even as it becomes one of the busiest.
Southeast Asia holds onto its dry season through December, with clear skies and comfortable humidity drawing large crowds around the Christmas and New Year holidays. South Asia stays in its popular travel season too, with cool, comfortable weather that continues from the months before. East Asia turns properly cold, with ski season getting underway in Japan and South Korea and cities lighting up with winter illuminations after dark. Mountain regions across the continent stay clear and dry, a reliable option throughout the month. Booking well ahead matters here too, given how many travelers plan trips around the same holiday window each year.
The destinations on our list for Asia reflect that same range, from dry season beaches to the start of a proper mountain winter.
Lists by region
Country
Singapore
Tropical city-state of hawker food and gardens
From mid November through early January, Orchard Road has Christmas lights, themed displays and street performers, so evening strolls feel like a festival. December is also the wet season, with warm humid air and short afternoon showers, so locals duck into open air food courts called hawker centers for satay and chicken rice.
Country
India
Palaces, temples, backwaters and Himalayan peaks
Mughal emperors built the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Red Fort in Delhi during the 1600s. December is a good time for that northern loop because days are dry and sunny and mornings are cool and misty. The south has warm beaches and backwaters at the same time.
City in Japan
Kyoto
Temples, geisha districts and kaiseki dining
In early December the last maple leaves are still red at temples such as Tofukuji and Eikando, where some of them open after dark for special evening illuminations. Crowds are thinner than in November, so walkers stroll the stone paths of Higashiyama in cool crisp air under bare branches.
State/Prefecture in Japan
Hokkaido
Volcanoes, powder snow and fresh seafood
Niseko's slopes below the cone shaped volcano Mount Yotei have light dry powder that skiers call Japow. In December snow falls on most days in the mountains, so skiers ride lifts by day and soak in outdoor hot spring baths at night while flakes drift over the water.
Country
Maldives
Coral atolls, lagoons and overwater villas
Unlike the stormy summer months, December is part of the dry season, with sunny skies, calm seas and clear water for diving. Divers see reef sharks, turtles and colorful fish on reefs around the atolls, which are rings of coral islands, while others sleep in overwater villas above shallow lagoons.
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