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8 places at their best for families this month, and 7 to think twice about. Daytime highs are long-term averages.
Europa-Park and Rulantica in Rust, with forest villages and waterfalls nearby
December: Christmas in Europa-Park and the forest villages is a draw, but New Year's Eve is booked well ahead and priced up.
Check it for your kids' ages →Volcano hot springs, zip-lines and monkey-filled beaches within a day's drive
Check it for your kids' ages →Two big theme parks, a cable car and a harbour ferry in one compact city
December: Cool and dry; Christmas events at the parks and busy holiday weekends.
Check it for your kids' ages →Meet Santa on the Arctic Circle, ride behind huskies, sled under winter skies
December: Peak season: Christmas trips sell out months ahead and prices are at their highest; the sun barely rises, and further north in Saariselkä it does not rise for several weeks.
Check it for your kids' ages →Waikiki beach days, Ko Olina lagoons and a snorkel bay, all within an hour's drive
December: Christmas and New Year week are the most expensive and crowded of the year; north shore swell is high.
Check it for your kids' ages →Big all-inclusives with kids' clubs and water parks on a long Atlantic beach
Check it for your kids' ages →All-inclusive resorts, jungle-and-cenote parks and Maya ruins on one coast
Check it for your kids' ages →Winter-sun family resorts with Siam Park and a volcano an hour away
December: Warm and sunny but Christmas and New Year prices are the highest of the year.
Check it for your kids' ages →LEGOLAND, LEGO House and an indoor water park in Billund, plus Tivoli in Copenhagen
December: Christmas at LEGOLAND (28 Nov–31 Dec 2026, with ice rink and toboggan runs) and Tivoli (to 3 January); cold, dark from mid-afternoon, some rides close in bad weather.
Check it for your kids' ages →Five theme parks, a wildlife sanctuary and surf beaches within half an hour
December: Hot, storm risk and rising prices from mid-December.
Check it for your kids' ages →One island, one lagoon, one kids' club: a beach holiday with almost nothing else to plan
December: Christmas to New Year is the most expensive and busiest period; book many months ahead.
Check it for your kids' ages →Free kids' clubs, lagoon beaches and a safari park, all on an island you can drive round
December: Christmas pricing and school holidays; warm, humid and showery, with cyclone risk building.
Check it for your kids' ages →Efteling's fairytale park, a safari drive, Duinrell's slides and hands-on Amsterdam
December: Winter Efteling brings lights and an evening ticket (21 December–3 January in 2026–27, except 31 December); it is cold and dark by late afternoon, and Christmas week is busy.
Check it for your kids' ages →Seven big theme parks within 30 minutes, plus a real rocket launch site an hour east
December: Christmas decorations and events across the parks; mid-December is fine, but the week from Christmas to New Year is the busiest of the year.
Check it for your kids' ages →Super Nintendo World, whale sharks and Nara's deer on one easy rail network
Check it for your kids' ages →Two Disney parks, a Gaulish theme park and city museums built for small hands
December: Disney and Paris at Christmas look good, but 31 December is the most expensive ticket day of the year and the holidays are packed.
Check it for your kids' ages →Big-pool resorts, warm sea and island boat days, best from November to April
December: Excellent weather, but Christmas and New Year bring the year's highest prices and minimum-stay rules at the big resorts.
Check it for your kids' ages →Penguins and an aquarium in Cape Town, then Big Five game drives with no malaria tablets
December: December and early January are the busiest and most expensive weeks, in Cape Town and at lodges.
Check it for your kids' ages →Disneyland, Universal and LEGOLAND within one coastal drive, plus San Diego's zoo
December: Holiday events run at Disneyland, LEGOLAND (Christmas Bricktacular from 21 Nov 2026), SeaWorld and Knott's; Christmas to New Year's week is among the busiest of the year.
Check it for your kids' ages →Two Disney parks, Ghibli and teamLab, with trains that handle pushchairs
December: Late December and early January: Christmas lights are good, but Japan shuts down around New Year and Disney prices peak.
Check it for your kids' ages →Kinderhotels with childcare built in, ski and summer lifts, valley rides and thermal water
Check it for your kids' ages →