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Best destinations to visit in December in Asia

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Singapore
Tropical city-state of hawker food and gardens
9.5
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.
Highlights:
  • 🏮 Wander through Chinatown’s temples and traditional shophouses
  • 🌳 Visit Gardens by the Bay and its iconic Supertree Grove
  • 🌆 Admire the futuristic skyline from Marina Bay Sands SkyPark
Kyoto
Temples, geisha districts and kaiseki dining
9.2
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.
Highlights:
  • ⛩️ Climb the vermillion torii gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine
  • 🍱 Experience Japan’s beautifully presented Kaiseki dining at a traditional restaurant
  • 🎋 Stroll through the magical Arashiyama bamboo forest early in the morning
Hokkaido
Volcanoes, powder snow and fresh seafood
9.3
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.
Highlights:
  • 🚤 Explore historic Otaru Canal and its shops
  • 🏂 Ski or snowboard in world-famous Niseko resorts
  • 💧 Visit the spectacular Shirogane Blue Pond
Maldives
Coral atolls, lagoons and overwater villas
9.2
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.
Highlights:
  • 🌌 Watch a glowing beach at night on Vaadhoo Island
  • 🦈 Snorkel with reef sharks and manta rays at Hanifaru Bay
  • 🏝️ Stay in an overwater villa surrounded by turquoise lagoon
India
Palaces, temples, backwaters and Himalayan peaks
7.5
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.
Highlights:
  • 🛶 Sail on the serene backwaters of Kerala
  • 🛺 Take a colorful rickshaw ride through Old Delhi’s lanes
  • 🌅 Watch sunrise over the majestic Taj Mahal
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