Madeira · Portugal
December
The world's greatest New Year fireworks — December exists for December 31 in Funchal.
Best match
#6 of 12 months
There are better months for Madeira — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
20°C
Low
14.5°C
Rain
88mm
Sun
5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How December scores in Madeira
Weather
Good
Value
Above average
Crowds
Good
Events
Perfect
Atmosphere
Perfect
What you gain in December
- ↑The Funchal New Year fireworks display (December 31) is the singular reason December belongs on this list despite its rainfall and moderate temperatures. Certified by Guinness World Records as the world's largest fireworks display (by land coverage — over 8km of simultaneous launches), it is filmed for broadcast by CNN, the BBC, and dozens of European networks. The entire city becomes a viewing platform — hillside houses illuminate their terraces, boats crowd the bay, and viewpoints from the Eira do Serrado above the Nuns' Valley deliver panoramic views of the display exploding from every hillside simultaneously. Hotels for December 31 sell out by August; many visitors book annually and return every year specifically for this event.
- ↑The Christmas season in Funchal is genuinely beautiful — the city's steep topography means the illuminations climb the hillsides, and the central Funchal Christmas market (Avenida Arriaga) is well-organised and stocked with Madeiran craft and food products. The island's 200+ years of British tourism influence means Christmas traditions are enthusiastically adopted and well-executed.
- ↑December temperatures (20°C average) mean the island is still dramatically warmer than most of Europe in winter — visitors arriving from Northern Europe or North America experience the subtropical garden setting and warm air as genuinely transformative after a cold Christmas at home.
What you sacrifice
- ↓New Year accommodation in Funchal is extraordinarily expensive and requires booking months in advance. Properties with direct bay views for the fireworks command €800–1,500 per night for December 31, and even properties without views charge multiples of their normal rate. Early January is the budget alternative if the fireworks themselves are not the priority.
- ↓December rainfall (88mm) is significant, though the rainy days are not uniformly distributed — week-long clear spells are common in December, punctuated by Atlantic frontal passages. The island's winter rain is mostly overnight and morning, with afternoons often clearing.
How December compares to September (best month)
| Factor | December | September ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 6 | 9 |
| Value | 5 | 6 |
| Crowds | 6 | 6 |
December in other destinations
Lisbon (14.4°C)Barcelona (13.8°C)Tokyo (12°C)Bali (30.3°C)Santorini (14.5°C)Paris (6.9°C)New York (5.1°C)Marrakech (18.1°C)Amsterdam (6.4°C)Maldives (30°C)Rome (11.7°C)Bangkok (30.4°C)Istanbul (9.4°C)Vienna (3°C)Seoul (3.7°C)Dubrovnik (11.6°C)Rio de Janeiro (29.5°C)Kyoto (11.3°C)Phuket (31.8°C)Cape Town (25.6°C)Prague (3°C)Amalfi Coast (13°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (30°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (25°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (27.5°C)Miami (25.6°C)Florence (9.8°C)Queenstown (21°C)Madrid (9.5°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (5°C)Budapest (5°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (7°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (20°C)Osaka (11°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (29°C)Mykonos (14°C)Zanzibar (31°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (14°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (28°C)Havana (26°C)Split (11°C)Taipei (20°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (16°C)Ho Chi Minh City (31°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (6°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (27°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (17°C)Jordan (14°C)Azores (18°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (20.4°C)Cairo (20.8°C)Kenya (26°C)Jaipur (22.8°C)Las Vegas (14.7°C)San Francisco (13.8°C)Vancouver (7.1°C)Muscat (27.8°C)Lima (24.2°C)Cinque Terre (12°C)Kotor (11°C)Tel Aviv (19°C)Santiago (29°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (6.8°C)Penang (30.9°C)Lombok (30.9°C)Cape Verde (26.8°C)Fez (15.2°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (19°C)Oslo (2°C)Auckland (22°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Madeira, not across destinations. Methodology →