Coolcation destinations for December
A 'coolcation' is travel to escape extreme heat. December's hot cities are roasting (avg high 13°C / 55°F across NYC, Paris, Rome, London, Madrid, Tokyo, LA, Atlanta, Miami) — here are 24 destinations significantly cooler, ranked by data.
December — hot benchmarks
🇺🇸 Miami 26°🇺🇸 Los Angeles 20°🇮🇹 Rome 13°🇯🇵 Tokyo 12°🇪🇸 Madrid 11°
Cold — proper jacket weather (4–9°C)
Genuine cold. Wool coat + scarf. Cozy pub weather. Ideal if you're escaping a 35°C heat dome.
🇬🇧
London
United Kingdom
8°
C avg high
−5°C vs hot cities
Low 3°C
11 rain days
🇮🇪
Dublin
Ireland
8°
C avg high
−5°C vs hot cities
Low 4°C
14 rain days
🇮🇹
Venice
Italy
8°
C avg high
−5°C vs hot cities
Low 2°C
8 rain days
🇬🇪
Tbilisi
Georgia
8°
C avg high
−5°C vs hot cities
Low 1°C
7 rain days
🇺🇸
New York
United States
7°
C avg high
−6°C vs hot cities
Low 0°C
11 rain days
🇫🇷
Paris
France
7°
C avg high
−6°C vs hot cities
Low 3°C
11 rain days
🇳🇱
Amsterdam
Netherlands
7°
C avg high
−6°C vs hot cities
Low 2°C
14 rain days
🇬🇧
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
7°
C avg high
−6°C vs hot cities
Low 2°C
13 rain days
🇧🇪
Brussels
Belgium
7°
C avg high
−6°C vs hot cities
Low 2°C
14 rain days
🇮🇹
Milan
Italy
7°
C avg high
−6°C vs hot cities
Low 1°C
8 rain days
🇧🇪
Bruges
Belgium
7°
C avg high
−6°C vs hot cities
Low 2°C
14 rain days
🇬🇧
Glasgow
United Kingdom
7°
C avg high
−6°C vs hot cities
Low 1°C
17 rain days
🇬🇧
Inverness
United Kingdom
7°
C avg high
−6°C vs hot cities
Low 1°C
17 rain days
🇬🇧
Aberdeen
United Kingdom
7°
C avg high
−6°C vs hot cities
Low 1°C
17 rain days
🇨🇭
Geneva
Switzerland
5°
C avg high
−8°C vs hot cities
Low 0°C
11 rain days
🇳🇴
Bergen
Norway
5°
C avg high
−8°C vs hot cities
Low 0°C
21 rain days
🇩🇪
Munich
Germany
4°
C avg high
−9°C vs hot cities
Low -3°C
13 rain days
🇦🇹
Vienna
Austria
4°
C avg high
−9°C vs hot cities
Low 0°C
10 rain days
🇩🇰
Copenhagen
Denmark
4°
C avg high
−9°C vs hot cities
Low 0°C
12 rain days
🇨🇭
Zurich
Switzerland
4°
C avg high
−9°C vs hot cities
Low -1°C
14 rain days
🇭🇺
Budapest
Hungary
4°
C avg high
−9°C vs hot cities
Low -1°C
9 rain days
🇰🇷
Seoul
South Korea
4°
C avg high
−9°C vs hot cities
Low -3°C
7 rain days
🇨🇳
Beijing
China
4°
C avg high
−9°C vs hot cities
Low -7°C
2 rain days
🇧🇬
Sofia
Bulgaria
4°
C avg high
−9°C vs hot cities
Low -2°C
9 rain days
How we ranked these
We benchmark each month against a basket of heat-prone cities (NYC, Paris, Rome, London, Madrid, Tokyo, LA, Atlanta, Miami) and only include destinations at least 4°C cooler than that average. Then we tier by comfort:
- Pleasant cool (16–23°C) — the sweet spot, no jacket needed daytime
- Cool (10–15°C) — bring layers, fleece + light jacket
- Cold (4–9°C) — proper jacket weather, ideal for escaping a 35°C heat dome
- Mild relief (24–26°C) — still warm but meaningfully less so
Cities in peak hurricane / monsoon season are deprioritized — being cool isn't worth it if you're stuck indoors.
The Smart Trip Finder lets you pick your own temperature window and rain tolerance.