Where to go in December on a family holiday

We’ve spent hours reading the hundreds of reviews you’ve shared with us, to produce a visited & verified shortlist of where to go in December on a family holiday. We hope you find this really useful, and if you do, that you consider booking via our complimentary Tiny Travel Agency service or the affiliate links in the article (meaning we make a small commission, and can keep providing you with this kind of content!)

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A bite sized guide to: Where to go in December on a family holiday

The Canaries: temperatures between 16–22 degrees

South Africa: temperatures between 17–26 degrees

Italy: temperatures between 3–10 degrees

Germany: temperatures between -2–5 degrees

Austria: temperatures between -3–0 degrees

Finland: temperatures between -4–0 degrees

Dubai: temperatures between 17-26 degrees

Abu Dhabi: temperatures between 15-26 degrees

Denmark: temperatures between 2–4 degrees

UK: temperatures between 2–8 degrees

Situated just off the coast of Africa, the Canary Islands benefit from being that much closer to the Equator than the rest of Spain, with year-round sunshine and very few rainy days. In fact, in December the temperature sits between 16 and 22 degrees, making it decidedly T-shirt weather. There are seven main islands in the Canary archipelago, though the ones we usually think of are the most family-friendly: Lanzarote, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria. As well as soaking up some rays and splashing in the pool, you can also head to a waterpark for the day, including Siam Park in Tenerife and Aqualand Maspalomas in Gran Canaria, both of which have pretty epic slides. On a chillier day, you might want to head to a wildlife park instead to see some animals – Loro Parque is the most famous, in Tenerife, but there’s also Oasis Park in Fuerteventura and Palimitos Park in Gran Canaria, the latter of which has dolphins too. Kids who like a bit of adventure can also go sandboarding in the dunes of Corralejo in Fuerteventura, or ride the cable car up to the summit of Teide National Park to see across all of Tenerife

December weather: between 16-22 degrees

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South Africa’s capital city Cape Town is renowned for its beaches and wildlife, making it a great place to visit with slightly bigger kids. Blow their minds with a cable car ride up to the clouds of Table Mountain, introduce them to a colony of penguins on Boulders Beach, or wander through the colourful houses at Bo-Kaap. Clifton and Camps Bay are good areas to stay in if it’s beaches you’re after, and definitely book for dinner at the V&A Waterfront one night too – family favourites include Life Grand Cafe and Harbour House. Anyone looking to tire out toddlers should head to Blue Train Park for its choo-choo trains, or Green Point Park for its playground. There’s frankly an endless list of things to do, but in our opinion the best thing about South Africa is how easy it is to navigate with a family. Only one hour ahead of the UK, there’s no need to worry about settling your kids into a new routine or getting over jetlag. Phew

December weather: between 17-26 degrees

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The Italians are renowned for welcoming children with open arms, so it’s no surprise that they offer some of the most family-friendly ski resorts in Europe. Dotted across the country and on the borders with France and Switzerland, there is an abundance to choose from, all offering great snow and epic views, including of the Dolomites and Southern Alps. On the Swiss border in the north, you’ll find two of the most famous resorts, Cervina and Champoluc. While the former has a great combination of gentle nursery slopes and more challenging higher runs, plus ski schools for children that are new to the sport, the latter is less busy and more expansive, covering 200-square-kilometres, so that you can relax without the crowds. Further inland, near Lake Garda, there’s Paganella, which is predominantly nursery slopes (there are more adventurous runs a short bus ride away), with other winter activities like ice karting and snow tubing on offer too. Another bonus of a ski holiday to Italy? Even the fussiest of eaters love Italian food

December weather: between 3-10 degrees

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Germany’s Christmas markets – known locally as Weihnachtsmarkt or Christkindlesmarkt – are a magical experience for all ages, but especially children. Traditionally open between November and December, they are famous for selling not only gifts like Christmas tree decorations, nutcrackers and wooden toys, but also a whole range of food and drink, including marzipan, gingerbread, candied nuts, sausages, stollen and mulled wine. Shopping-aside, many markets also offer free carol concerts as well as the opportunity to meet Father Christmas, with live nativity scenes, ice rinks and fairground rides for kids to enjoy too. There are great markets in most of the major German cities, including Berlin, Cologne and Frankfurt, but two that stand out to us for families are the ones in Hamburg and Munich. The former has a weekly parade of angels, elves and reindeer every Saturday, while the latter has a slightly spookier alternative – the annual ‘Krampus run’, which sees horned creatures let loose (they are supposedly the companions of Saint Nicholas)

December weather: between -2-5 degrees

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Torn between Christmas markets and skiing? Get the best of both in Austria. The capital city of Vienna is very child-friendly, with most restaurants offering kids menus, highchairs and the like, and a plethora of playgrounds to tire out toddlers in. There’s also a lot going on at this time of year too, from the aforementioned festive markets, to fairgrounds and horse and carriage rides. Be sure to book a performance at the Spanish Riding School, whose world-famous white horses, dubbed the Lipizzaner, do daily shows, and make a trip to Prater for the Wiener Riesenrad big wheel. Those who want to ski or toboggan will be charmed by family-friendly ski resorts in areas like Tirol and SalzburgerLand, while anyone with a penchant for ice skating should make a pilgrimage for Lake Weissensee in Carinthia. Europe’s largest natural ice surface, it has a 25m circular skating track, 400-metre speed skating oval and an ice hockey pitch

December weather: between -3-0 degrees

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If your children are of an age where the magic of Father Christmas and the North Pole still feels very real, then a holiday to Finland is a must-do. After all, it has its own ‘Santa Claus Village’, situated in Rovaniemi just south of the Arctic Circle. While there, you can post your letter to Santa via his elf-run Post Office, ride on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, bake cookies with Mrs Claus and meet the man himself at ‘Christmas House’. More snowy fun awaits in Finnish Lapland, where you can go husky sledding or snow mobiling, or even experience a frozen palace worthy of Elsa herself at the SnowCastle Winter Park. Due to a lack of direct flights to the north, most trips to Finland will include a short stay in Helsinki too, which has a Christmas market and big wheel at Senate Square, not to mention year-round outdoor swimming at Allas Sea Pool

December weather: between-4-0 degrees

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For a less busy alternative to Dubai, there’s always Abu Dhabi, which has a similar climate and guaranteed sunshine, with temperatures between 15-26 degrees. Five-star hotels like the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, the Grand Hyatt and the Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers all have excellent kid-pleasing facilities like swimming pools, water slides, waterfalls and lazy rivers, not to mention restaurants that cater to the whole family. And despite being decidedly un-wintery in so many respects, Abu Dhabi puts on a real Christmassy display. There’s Winterfest at Ferrari World, which has an interactive snow playground, ice skating and rides, while on Yas Island there’s Yas Winter Fest, which has a snow park, fairground rides and obligatory Santa’s Grotto to meet the big man himself. Less thematic but still fun are the Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi themepark, Sea World Abu Dhabi and Emirates Park Zoo

December weather: between 15-26 degrees

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Thanks to its guaranteed sunshine and manageable temperature of between 17-26 degrees, Dubai is a no-brainer for families seeking winter sun. The ultimate fly and flop destination, a lot of thought should go into where you stay, with the majority of Dubai’s hotels offering incredible facilities to keep little ones occupied. Some of our favourites include Jumeirah Al Nassem, the Middle East’s answer to Sani, with its water park, 5 swimming pools, private beach, 40 restaurants and complimentary Kids Club. Or there’s Atlantis the Palm, which as well as a waterpark and aquarium, also has some great grown-up dining options including Nobu, Hakkasan and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, which all warrant booking a babysitter for the night. Outside of the hotel, the Dubai Mall is a perennial crowd-pleaser, with its aquarium, underwater zoo, ice rink, cinema and soft play, or there’s always the Dubai Butterfly Garden, Splash n Party waterpark or OliOli play museum

December weather: between 17-26 degrees

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The Danish capital of Copenhagen is especially pretty in December, with its buildings lit up with fairy lights and dusted with snow. Families should make a beeline for Tivoli Gardens, which has fairground rides and market stalls, with something to entertain all ages. Then there’s the Little Mermaid Statue, a year-round favourite, as well as Frilandsmuseet, an outdoor attraction that recreates historic Danish villages and has traditional farm animals. A short day trip away is the spectacular Renaissance palace, Frederiksborg Castle, which history buffs will no doubt enjoy. Denmark’s second city, Aarhus, is also worth a visit, with its Tivoli Friheden Christmas market selling traditional Danish handicrafts, decorations, food and drink, with a vintage carousel, ice rink and of course, Santa’s Grotto. The Danes invented hygge, so be sure to indulge in plenty of coffee breaks and cinnamon buns no matter where you are – it’s practically the law

December weather: between 2-4 degrees

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In our humble opinion, there’s nowhere quite like the UK in December. Our cities and countryside come alive with roaring fires, twinkly lights and an abundance of Christmas cheer. In the capital, hotels like The Langham and The Ritz pull out all the stops with Christmas trees in every suite and toys awaiting little ones, with festive afternoon teas to enjoy too. Then there’s the delights of Hamleys and Harrods, where you can stock up on countless presents, plus Winter Wonderland with its ice rink and fairground rides if you can face it. If you want to enjoy a little more fresh air and countryside, then the Four Seasons in Hampshire is always a winner, with carriage rides and special performances for kids to enjoy at this time of year, not to mention Sharkie’s Reef, the indoor family pool with water slides and sprinklers (plus swim nappies provided in the changing room). North of the border there’s Gleneagles, which never fails to disappoint: in December they put on a ‘Glorious Festive Playground’ complete with Christmas market, plus movie nights in front of roaring log fires. Bliss

December weather: between 2-7 degrees

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To see all of our visited & verified recommendations in the UK, take a look at our Tiny Travelmap 

Themes: Where to go when by month, with kids, The Family Friendly European Edit, The Family Friendly Winter Sun Edit, The Family Friendly Adventure Edit, The Family Friendly UK Edit,

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