By Liam Isola Winter is coming. Plenty of people love winter and the activities that come along with it, but I am not one of them! I can personally tolerate the Northeast US weather up until the Christmas season is over, then it’s time to get some sun. For those like me, stay tuned to see which city has the best winter weather.
Our search won’t be limited to the US, as I’ll share great destinations to visit this December to March on six different continents! At the end, we’ll crown our winner for the best winter weather.
I’m well aware that the Southern Hemisphere’s winter is our summer, but we’ll stick with places with nice weather during the Northern Hemisphere winter (December to March).
Which City Has the Best Winter Weather in the US?
During winter, you may want to head down south in the US for better weather. Snowbirds can head down to Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, or Nevada to escape the cold and snowy weather up north.
However, don’t forget that Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands are all options for tropical getaways during the winter.
Puerto Rico and the USVI can be quite rainy, but Hawaii is not as much. Honolulu, which averages 78 degree Fahrenheit highs in January, gets about five days of rain per month during the winter.
In Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island, the highs hover around 81 degrees, on average, and there are fewer days with rainfall. That makes it the best city for winter weather in the US.
Places like Key West and San Diego are honorable mentions, but Kailua-Kona is warmer and less rainy during the winter months.
Winner: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Which City Has the Best Winter Weather in North America?
Can any city in North America match up to Kailua-Kona? The best winter weather is certainly not in Canada, but there are plenty of places south of the border with pleasant winter weather.
Mexico City, where I will be spending this winter, has almost no rain and high temperatures in the mid-70s on most days. However, it gets chilly at night, and you’ll need to pack a jacket.
The best weather in Mexico during the winter, though, is further toward and on the Pacific coast. La Paz, in Baja California Sur, has average highs in the high 70s, while Puerto Escondido, a surf town, has average highs in the mid 80s with very little rain. It can get chilly at night in these places as well.
For milder temperatures, look to Costa Rica’s capital, San Jose. San Jose isn’t known as a tourist destination, as the best things to do in Costa Rica are usually outdoors, and by extension, outside of the city.
Still, San Jose boasts average highs in the mid to high 70s during the winter and average lows in the mid 60s. With very little rain and pleasant temperatures all winter, San Jose has the best winter weather in Central America.
However, Kailua-Kona still takes the cake.
Winner: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Which City Has the Best Winter Weather in South America?
Sure enough, the best weather cities during our winter (and their summer) in South America are on the Pacific coast. Places like Buenos Aires and Montevideo, on the Atlantic coast, are hot with quite a bit of rain during this time of the year.
Meanwhile, Lima, Peru is usually cloudy, but you’ll experience great temperatures and not as much cloud cover from December to March. The same goes for Peru’s third-largest city, Trujillo, which has milder temperatures than Lima during its summer.
Still, there’s more sunshine down south in Chile during our winter. Santiago, the capital of Chile, averages 12 hours of sunshine during January, but temperatures can also go into the 90s.
If you head northwest of Santiago, to the coastal cities of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso, you’ll find even better weather. You’ll get an average of 11 hours of sunshine in January, along with high temperatures in the mid-seventies and lows in the mid-50s.
However, the weather tends to be a bit warmer and less humid in the resort city of La Serena. It certainly lives up to its name and has the best weather in South America during our winter (their summer) months.
Winner: La Serena, Chile
Africa?
During our winter, it is summer in southern Africa, which means hot temperatures in plenty of places.
Still, one of the cities with the best winter weather is Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. There’s not much rain from December to March and average highs are in the mid 70s. However, the lows can be in the mid 40s.
While some regions of South Africa are incredibly hot from December to March, that’s not necessarily the case in coastal Cape Town. There can be heat waves, but the average temperatures are in the mid to high 70s during our winter and their summer.
The average low temperature during our winter is never below 60 degrees, making it an ideal place for a getaway.
Kampala, Uganda is an honorable mention as well, but it’s simply more cloudy there. Cape Town is the easy winner here.
Winner: Cape Town, South Africa
Which City Has the Best Winter Weather in Europe?
There are few places in Europe during the winter with warm temperatures. You’ll have to look toward the islands for the best weather, namely Cyprus and the Canary Islands.
On the mainland, Spain’s Costa del Sol has decent enough temperatures, but not beach weather by any stretch of the imagination, and little rain. Malaga and Cadiz do both have average high temperatures in the winter above 60 degrees, though.
In Cyprus, Limassol and Larnaca have the best winter weather. The former is slightly warmer than the latter, but Limassol does receive a bit more rain. Average high temperatures are in the mid-60s throughout the winter in both.
Spain’s Canary Islands have the best winter weather in Europe, with a good amount of sun and little rainfall. Highs are often in the low 70s in both Tenerife and Las Palmas, but you’ll get less rain in Las Palmas. That makes it the best winter weather city in all of Europe.
Winner: Las Palmas, Spain
Asia?
North Asia is certainly a no-go here. Meanwhile, some Southeast Asian destinations are incredibly hot throughout the season, especially around the equator. Still, there are some Southeast Asian cities that have pleasant weather with not much rain from December to March.
Vientiane, Laos, and Chiang Mai, Thailand have dry weather with average highs in the mid to high 80s. Chiang Mai is less humid than Vientiane, making the heat more comfortable, but there is an agricultural burning season from February to April, which makes the air quality quite poor.
There is more rain in Northern Vietnamese cities like Hoi An and Da Nang, but the temperatures are nice. The same goes for Taiwan.
However, in Vietnam’s central highlands, you’ll find perfect temperatures in Da Lat and not much rain. The average highs throughout the winter are in the 70s, and it rarely ever goes below 50 at night. That makes Da Lat our winner in Asia.
Winner: Da Lat, Vietnam
Oceania?
Now, to Oceania, where North America’s winter is their summer. So, it’s a great time to visit cities in Australia like Sydney and Melbourne. Auckland, New Zealand also has nice temperatures, but you can definitely find yourself getting rained on.
The same goes for Hobart in Tasmania, which has nice temperatures, but comes with the risk of rainfall. For the best weather in Oceania, look to the state of Western Australia. Margaret River, the principal town in the Margaret River wine region, has beautiful temperatures and a very low risk of rain.
In Margaret River, the average highs from December to March range from the high 70s to low 80s. The lows are typically in the mid to high 50s at night.
Winner: Margaret River, Australia
Which City Has the Best Winter Weather in the World?
The question we’ve all been waiting for an answer to: which city has the best winter weather in the world? Again, this comes with the caveat that winter in the Northern Hemisphere is summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
So, there are really two winners here. Still, the best weather overall from December to March can be found in Cape Town, South Africa. The temperatures are nearly perfect, it’s milder, and there is less rain than in Kailua-Kona.
Kailua-Kona is a worthy second place, though, and if we’re being technical, it is the city with the best winter weather in the world. That’s because December to March is summertime in South Africa.
Winner: Cape Town, South Africa
Technically: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Now that we’ve answered the question of which city has the best winter weather in the world, start booking your trip! Also, here’s a list of cities with the best weather year-round.