December is the month India was built for. The monsoon is long gone, the north has cooled to crisp mornings, the south is dry and warm, and half the country is mid-festival. The only real problem is choosing. Here's where December is not just fine but genuinely peak.
Rajasthan — desert weather at its best
By December the killing pre-monsoon heat is a memory. Days are 22–26°C, nights are cold. This is the window for the Thar Desert around Jaisalmer — a camel evening out at the Sam dunes, the golden sandstone of Jaisalmer Fort. Pair it with Udaipur's lake palaces and Jaipur's Amber Fort. Book early: it's peak season and weddings compete for rooms.
Goa — the beach at its peak (with a price warning)
December is prime beach weather — calm sea, reopened shacks. Just know the last two weeks are the single most expensive, crowded fortnight of the Goan year. Go early-December, or aim for the quieter south around Palolem.
Kerala backwaters — houseboat season
Post-monsoon Kerala is green and dry. A night on a Alleppey (Alappuzha) houseboat drifting the Vembanad backwaters is the classic, and December's weather makes the sundecks usable all day. Add the tea country around Munnar for cool-morning contrast.
Andaman Islands — the clearest water of the year
December sits in the Andamans' dry, calm window. Radhanagar Beach on Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) is the postcard; the snorkelling and diving visibility around Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep) is at its annual best. Flights and ferries book out over the holidays — reserve ahead.
Rann of Kutch — the white desert lights up
The Rann Utsav runs across the salt flats of Gujarat from roughly November to February, and December full-moon nights over the endless white Great Rann are the reason to time it precisely. Cold nights, otherworldly days.
Hampi — ruins in perfect walking weather
The boulder-strewn Vijayanagara ruins of Hampi are brutal in summer and lovely in December — cool enough to walk the Vittala Temple and the sunset from Matanga Hill without wilting.
The short version
Beach: Goa (early Dec) or Andaman. Desert and forts: Rajasthan or the Rann of Kutch. Slow water: Kerala. History on foot: Hampi. In December, none of these are a compromise — they're all at their best at once.