Where to go in December?
In December, average highs range from 0 °C in Kars to 29 °C in Salalah. Warmest: Salalah (29 °C), Bidiyah (edge of the Wahiba Sands) (29 °C), Nizwa (28 °C). The sea is warmest in Salalah and the western coast (26 °C) and coolest in The Princes' Islands (12 °C).
Dubai
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| The desert: Al Marmoom and the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (Al Ain) | 27 °C | — |
| Hatta and the Hajar Mountains (Al Ain) | 27 °C | — |
| Downtown Dubai, Burj Khalifa and Business Bay | 26 °C | 25 °C |
| Dubai Marina, JBR and Bluewaters | 26 °C | 25 °C |
| Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim (Dubai) | 26 °C | 25 °C |
| Palm Jumeirah (Dubai) | 26 °C | 25 °C |
| Old Dubai: Deira, Al Fahidi and the Creek | 26 °C | 25 °C |
Egypt
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Marsa Alam | 26 °C | 25 °C |
| Aswan and Abu Simbel | 24 °C | — |
| Nile cruise (Luxor) | 24 °C | — |
| Luxor | 24 °C | — |
| Sharm el-Sheikh | 24 °C | 25 °C |
| Dahab (Sharm el-Sheikh) | 24 °C | 24 °C |
| El Gouna (Hurghada) | 24 °C | 24 °C |
| Hurghada, Makadi and Sahl Hasheesh | 24 °C | 25 °C |
| Soma Bay (Hurghada) | 24 °C | 25 °C |
| Middle Egypt (Amarna, Beni Hasan) (Minya) | 21 °C | — |
| Siwa Oasis | 21 °C | — |
| Bahariya and the White Desert | 21 °C | — |
| Fayoum (Cairo) | 20 °C | — |
| Cairo and Giza | 20 °C | — |
| Alexandria and the North Coast | 20 °C | 21 °C |
| Nile Delta (Alexandria) | 20 °C | — |
| St Catherine and Mount Sinai (Saint Catherine) | 16 °C | — |
Morocco
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Dakhla | 23 °C | 19 °C |
| Agadir | 22 °C | 18 °C |
| Taghazout (Agadir) | 22 °C | 18 °C |
| Taroudant (Agadir) | 22 °C | — |
| Marrakesh | 20 °C | — |
| Essaouira | 19 °C | 17 °C |
| Azilal and Ouzoud waterfalls (Beni Mellal) | 19 °C | — |
| Casablanca | 19 °C | 18 °C |
| El Jadida and Oualidia (Casablanca) | 19 °C | 18 °C |
| Rabat | 19 °C | 18 °C |
| Chefchaouen (Tetouan) | 18 °C | — |
| Tetouan and Tamuda Bay | 18 °C | 17 °C |
| Dades and Todgha valleys (Ouarzazate) | 18 °C | — |
| Ouarzazate, Ait Ben Haddou and the Draa Valley | 18 °C | — |
| Tangier | 18 °C | 18 °C |
| Oujda and Saidia | 18 °C | 17 °C |
| Fez | 17 °C | — |
| Meknes and Volubilis | 17 °C | — |
| Merzouga and Erg Chebbi (Errachidia) | 17 °C | — |
| High Atlas (Midelt) | 14 °C | — |
| Ifrane and the Middle Atlas | 11 °C | — |
Oman
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Dhofar: Taqah, Wadi Darbat, Mirbat (Salalah) | 29 °C | 26 °C |
| Salalah and the western coast | 29 °C | 26 °C |
| Wahiba Sands (Sharqiya Sands) and Wadi Bani Khalid (Bidiyah (edge of the Wahiba Sands)) | 29 °C | — |
| Nizwa, Bahla and Jabreen | 28 °C | — |
| Duqm and the Al Wusta coast (Masirah Island) | 28 °C | 25 °C |
| Sur, Ras al Jinz and the coastal wadis | 27 °C | 26 °C |
| Al Batinah: Nakhal, Rustaq and the Al Sawadi coast (Muscat) | 26 °C | 25 °C |
| Muscat: old town, Muttrah Souq and beaches | 26 °C | 25 °C |
| Musandam: Khasab and the fjords | 26 °C | 25 °C |
| Jebel Akhdar (the Green Mountain) (Saiq (Jebel Akhdar)) | 16 °C | — |
| Jebel Shams, Al Hamra and Misfat (Saiq (Jebel Akhdar)) | 16 °C | — |
Tunisia
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Kairouan | 19 °C | — |
| Djerba, Zarzis and the South-East | 18 °C | 18 °C |
| Douz and the Sahara (Kebili (Douz)) | 18 °C | — |
| Mahdia, El Jem and Sfax | 18 °C | 18 °C |
| Monastir | 18 °C | 18 °C |
| Sousse and Port El Kantaoui (Monastir (Sousse)) | 18 °C | 18 °C |
| Tozeur, Nefta and the Jerid | 18 °C | — |
| Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and Gammarth (Tunis) | 18 °C | 17 °C |
| Tunis, the medina and the Roman sites | 18 °C | 17 °C |
| Hammamet, Nabeul and Cap Bon (Nabeul (Hammamet)) | 17 °C | 18 °C |
| Tabarka and Kroumirie | 17 °C | 17 °C |
Turkey
| Region | Average high | Sea |
|---|---|---|
| Olympos and Çıralı (Finike) | 18 °C | 20 °C |
| Fethiye, Ölüdeniz and Faralya | 18 °C | 20 °C |
| Göcek and Dalyan (Dalaman) | 18 °C | 20 °C |
| Kalkan, Kaş and Kekova | 18 °C | 20 °C |
| The Bodrum peninsula | 17 °C | 19 °C |
| Antalya and Kaleiçi | 17 °C | 20 °C |
| Datça and Bozburun | 17 °C | 20 °C |
| Çeşme and Alaçatı | 15 °C | 18 °C |
| Ephesus, Selçuk and Şirince | 15 °C | 18 °C |
| İzmir and Urla | 14 °C | 17 °C |
| Ayvalık, Cunda and Pergamon | 13 °C | 17 °C |
| The Black Sea highlands (Rize (coast)) | 13 °C | — |
| Assos, Troy and the Dardanelles (Çanakkale) | 12 °C | 15 °C |
| Bursa and Uludağ | 12 °C | — |
| The Princes' Islands (Istanbul (Florya)) | 11 °C | 12 °C |
| Istanbul, the historic peninsula (Istanbul (Florya)) | 11 °C | 12 °C |
| Istanbul, Pera, Galata and the Golden Horn (Istanbul (Florya)) | 11 °C | 12 °C |
| Istanbul, the Bosphorus (Bosphorus (Sarıyer)) | 11 °C | 12 °C |
| Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa | 10 °C | — |
| Mardin and Midyat | 9 °C | — |
| Edirne | 8 °C | — |
| Ankara, Hattusa and Safranbolu | 7 °C | — |
| Konya | 6 °C | — |
| Cappadocia (Nevşehir) | 6 °C | — |
| Kars and Ani | 0 °C | — |
Average high: the mean of each day's highest temperature over the month, from the climate normals cited in the sources. Sea: average surface temperature, where known.
Events in December
- 22 October 2026 – 3 December 2026 Istanbul Theatre Festival Istanbul, several stages (Zorlu PSM, Paribu Art, Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage)
- 2 December 2026 – 3 December 2026 UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad) Citywide
- 4 December 2026 – 17 January 2027 Dubai Shopping Festival Citywide (malls, souks, beaches)
- 5 December 2026 IRONMAN Oman, the Middle East's first full-distance triathlon Muscat
- 7 December 2026 – 17 December 2026 Şeb-i Arus, the commemoration of Rumi in Konya Sema Hall, Mevlana Cultural Centre, Konya
- 11 December 2026 – 13 December 2026 Sole DXB The Square, Nad Al Sheba (new venue; Dubai Design District in previous years)
- 12 December 2026 – 19 December 2026 Carthage Film Festival Tunis
- 19 December 2026 – 22 December 2026 Douz International Sahara Festival Douz (Haniche square)
- 31 December 2026 – 1 January 2027 New Year's Eve: Burj Khalifa fireworks Burj Khalifa and Burj Park, Downtown Dubai
Other months
Our sources: ncei.noaa.gov, nodc.noaa.gov, seatemperature.info, en.wikipedia.org, web.archive.org, bulk.meteostat.net, meteostat.net, psl.noaa.gov.