# Where to go in December

> Road trips that our season estimate rates as best in December: 83 routes in Europe, North America and Oceania.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/when-to-go/december/

Road trips that our season estimate rates as best in December: 83 routes in Europe, North America and Oceania.

Where to go in December by RV or camper? December brings short days, festive lights and the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Alps, winter campgrounds open for the ski season, and Christmas markets make for cozy stops in central Europe. If you’d rather have sunshine, head to southern Spain, Portugal or the US desert Southwest. In Australia and New Zealand, summer begins, with long days and beach weather.

The routes below are the ones our season estimate rates as good in December, based on long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass opening seasons. Our tip: over Christmas and New Year, ski resorts and winter campgrounds book up early, and in Australia the long summer school holidays begin. Book ahead for the holidays, carry snow chains in the mountains and check whether passes on your route are closed.

## USA

- [Florida Gulf Coast and the Everglades](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/florida-gulf/): 3 d
- [Florida’s Forgotten Coast](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/forgotten-coast/): 3 d
- [Pacific Coast Highway south: Malibu to San Diego](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-socal-coast/): 4 d
- [Oʻahu circle: Diamond Head to the North Shore](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-oahu-circle/): 2 d
- [Kohala and the Hāmākua Coast: Kona to Hilo the northern way](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-kohala-hamakua/): 3 d
- [Superstition Mountains, the Apache Trail and Tonto Basin](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b18-superstitions-tonto-basin/): 3 d
- [Tucson and Mount Lemmon: from saguaros to pine forest](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b18-tucson-mount-lemmon/): 3 d
- [Manatees, cypress swamps and shell beaches – by camper along Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Everglades](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-295-florida-gulf-everglades/): 8 d
- [Lava fields, black beaches and cloud forest – a campervan loop around Hawaiʻi Island](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-336-hawaii-big-island/): 7 d
- [Single-lane bridges, bamboo forest and sunrise above the clouds – by campervan along the Road to Hāna and up Haleakalā](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-353-hawaii-maui-road-to-hana/): 5 d
- [Coquina forts, sand tracks and launch pads – by camper along Florida's Atlantic coast from Amelia Island to Vero Beach](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-367-florida-atlantic-coast-st-augustine/): 8 d
- [Texas Hill Country on US-290: LBJ country, Luckenbach and wildflowers](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b19-hill-country-290/): 3 d
- [Spanish missions and the Frio River canyonlands](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b19-frio-canyon/): 3 d
- [Blackwater, cypresses and crystal-clear springs – by camper from the Okefenokee Swamp down the Suwannee River to the springs of North Florida](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-447-okefenokee-suwannee-springs/): 8 d
- [Spring pools, manatees and sand pines – by camper from Orlando through the Ocala National Forest to the springs of Central Florida](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-528-florida-springs-ocala-forest/): 7 d
- [Florida’s Space Coast: Kennedy Space Center to Daytona](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-space-coast/): 3 d
- [A1A from Jacksonville to Daytona: forts, lighthouses and coquina](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-a1a-first-coast/): 3 d
- [Central Florida springs: Wekiwa to the Ichetucknee](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-central-florida-springs/): 4 d
- [Turquoise to the Horizon – Along the Overseas Highway to Key West](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-005-florida-keys/): 4 d
- [The Overseas Highway to Key West](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/overseas/): 2 d
- [Joshua trees, salt lake and palm oases: by camper through the deserts of Southern California](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-069-joshua-tree-anza-borrego/): 5 d
- [Orange groves, the Pink Moment and island hopping – by camper through Ventura, Ojai and to the Channel Islands](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-079-channel-islands-ventura-ojai/): 6 d
- [Islands in a sea of desert: by camper through Arizona’s Sky Islands: Chiricahua, Bisbee, Tombstone, Saguaro and Organ Pipe](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-103-arizona-sky-islands/): 6 d
- [Dust, lakes and saguaros: by camper along the Apache Trail through the Superstition Mountains to Roosevelt Lake](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-104-apache-trail-tonto/): 4 d

## Europe

- [Laurel forest, lava fields and trade-wind clouds – by camper across Tenerife and La Gomera](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-341-tenerife-la-gomera/): 8 d
- [Lava fields, wine hollows and shifting dunes – by camper across Lanzarote and Fuerteventura](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-361-lanzarote-fuerteventura/): 8 d
- [Rock needles, pine forest and shifting dunes – by camper around Gran Canaria](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-650-gran-canaria/): 7 d

## Oceania

- [Surf breaks, limestone stacks and sandstone ridges – by camper along the Great Ocean Road to the Grampians](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-301-great-ocean-road/): 8 d
- [Rainforest, granite bays and wombats at dusk – a campervan loop around Tasmania](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-302-tasmania-loop/): 8 d
- [Bays, bush and penguins – by camper along the Princes Highway from Sydney to Melbourne](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-305-sydney-melbourne-coast/): 8 d
- [From Franz Josef and Fox Glacier to Haast and Jackson Bay](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/nzw-franz-josef-haast/): 3 d
- [Karri giants, granite coves and beach kangaroos – by campervan through Western Australia’s South West to Esperance](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-313-wa-south-west-albany-esperance/): 8 d
- [Mountain ash, muscat and snow poles – by camper through Victoria’s High Country](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-316-victorian-high-country/): 8 d
- [Sandstone gorges, gold-rush villages and snow-grass plains – through the mountains of New South Wales by camper](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-317-blue-mountains-snowy/): 8 d
- [Mackenzie Country lakes and Aoraki / Mount Cook](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/nzz-mackenzie-mount-cook/): 3 d
- [The Catlins coast from Balclutha to Invercargill](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/nzz-catlins-southern-scenic/): 3 d
- [Crown Range and Lake Wānaka to Cromwell](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/nzz-wanaka-crown-range/): 2 d
- [Te Anau to Milford Sound via Homer Tunnel](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/nzz-milford-road/): 3 d
- [Bluff to Stewart Island / Rakiura and Ulva Island](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/nzz-stewart-island-rakiura/): 3 d
- [Convict road, Semillon and snow-grass highlands – by camper through the Hunter Valley into the Barrington Tops](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-397-nsw-hunter-barrington/): 8 d
- [Pelicans, crater lakes and terra rossa – by camper through the Coorong to the Limestone Coast](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-409-sa-limestone-coast-coorong/): 8 d
- [Mineral springs, steam trains and gold-rush towns – by campervan through the Macedon Ranges and the Victorian Goldfields](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-429-vic-goldfields-macedon/): 7 d
- [Misty forest, sandstone gorges and wombats by the river – by camper through the Southern Highlands to Kangaroo Valley](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-430-nsw-southern-highlands-kangaroo-valley/): 7 d
- [Grand Pacific Drive: Sydney to Kiama](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-grand-pacific-drive/): 2 d
- [Blue Mountains and the Central West](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-blue-mountains-central-west/): 5 d
- [Apple orchards, wooden boats and the end of the road – by camper through southern Tasmania to Cockle Creek](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-439-tasmania-south-huon-bruny/): 8 d
- [Red wine, volcanic spires and starry skies – through the Central West of New South Wales by camper](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-459-nsw-central-west-warrumbungles-dubbo/): 8 d
- [Tulip fields, a flat-topped mountain and the end of the world – by camper through Tasmania’s north-west and the Tarkine](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rf-470-tasmania-north-west-tarkine/): 8 d
- [Hunter Valley to Port Macquarie](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-hunter-valley-to-port-macquarie/): 4 d
- [South Coast: Kiama to Narooma](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-south-coast-kiama-to-narooma/): 4 d
- [Canberra and the Snowy Mountains](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/au-canberra-and-snowy-mountains/): 4 d

## FAQs

**Where can you go by motorhome in December?**
It depends on what you’re after. For snow, winter campgrounds in the Alps are great. For mild weather, southern Spain, Portugal and the US Southwest are good choices. For summer, travel to Australia or New Zealand, where the seasons are reversed. Wherever you go, check pass closures and winter equipment rules before you leave.

**Can you go camping in a motorhome over Christmas?**
Yes. Many winter campgrounds in the Alps and year-round sites in southern Europe are open over the holidays. Book early, because these dates are popular. You’ll need a reliable heater, enough gas or diesel and, in snowy regions, winter tires and snow chains. A carbon monoxide alarm belongs in every van or motorhome.

**How are the routes for December chosen?**
Our season estimate combines long-term temperature averages, terrain and the opening seasons of mountain passes for every stop of a route. These 83 routes are rated “good” in December. Weather varies from year to year, so check the forecast before you go.