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Where to go in December / Albania in December / Northern Albania / December

Albania · Countryside

Northern Albania
in December.

Illustration of Theth Church and Theth Valley beneath the Albanian Alps
Theth Church and the Albanian AlpsDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than November.

December averages 54°F afternoons and 63°F seas, with about 12 rain days. Later December is typically cooler. Check seasonal openings.

Afternoons
54°F
Sea
63°F
Visitor demand
9%of August peak

Historical Veri regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Shkodër, Theth, Valbona and Durrës; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.9/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#10 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.7/10Good
CrowdsOff seasoncheck seasonal openings; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of Europe this month
CostCheapfor Europe; Albania-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your December

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 54°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 39°F (4°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 12 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 9 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in December?

The sea averages 63°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:01Sunset 16:1039°F54°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:01 and sets about 16:10 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 39°F (4°C); afternoons reach about 54°F (12°C). Expect rain on about 12 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
54°F (12°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
39°F (4°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
63°F (17°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 09m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late December?

Early December is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 57°F on the 1st, versus 53°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 46% to 26% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

57°F

Typical afternoon high

46% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

54°F

Typical afternoon high

35% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

53°F

Typical afternoon high

26% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2026: 8 Dec Youth Day; 25 Dec Christmas Day.

Daily calendar & holiday datesDecember 2026 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

December 2026 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
157°256°356°456°556°655°
755°855°955°1055°1155°1255°1354°
1454°1554°1654°1754°1854°1954°2054°
2154°2254°2354°2453°2553°2653°2753°
2853°2953°3053°3153°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons cool from about 56°F (13°C) in the first week to 53°F (12°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 20–47%.

School-holiday dates for December 2026 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 8 Dec Youth Day; 25 Dec Christmas Day. Elsewhere in December 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 39%, Germany 29%, Italy 35%, Spain 32%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Off season. December averages 9% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than November. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings.

Overnight stays across Veri do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

About usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Albania as a whole
Well below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 52 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does December vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 50°F (10°C) and 59°F (15°C); in 11 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 54°F (12°C). Rain days ranged from 0 to 17; half the years had 4–14.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 14 rain days1420112012: 15 rain days152013: 4 rain days42014: 12 rain days122015: 0 rain days02016: 1 rain days12017: 17 rain days172018: 11 rain days112019: 12 rain days122020: 14 rain days142021: 13 rain days132022: 13 rain days132023: 9 rain days92024: 13 rain days132025: 4 rain days42025
Rain days
12
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 15 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
10 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no December in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
15 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded DecemberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201153°F14
201250°F15
201354°F4
201454°F12
201556°F0
201652°F1
201752°F17
201853°F11
201956°F12
202058°F14
202152°F13
202259°F13
202357°F9
202454°F13
202557°F4

Checked against official climate averages for Shkoder. How we check

Compare dates

November, December
or January?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsNovDecJan
Afternoons62°F54°F51°F
Sea68°F63°F59°F
Rain days111212
Overnight demand12%9%5%

November: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than December. More overnight demand. November guide →

January: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than December. Less overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. January guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with December Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. December stays as your reference.

April and November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, without a substantially busier visitor season.

Your comparison

December or November?

Overnight stays are 12% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the November guide →
December compared with another month
Typical conditionsDecemberNovember
Afternoons54°F62°F
Nights39°F48°F
Sea63°F68°F
Rain days1211
Visitor seasonOff seasonLow season
Overall / 106.97.9
Month rank#10#6
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.1#1251°F36°F59°F125.1Off season
February6.4#1155°F39°F58°F95.7Off season
March7.0#860°F43°F58°F106.6Off season
April8.9#367°F49°F61°F88.3Low season
May9.4#174°F56°F66°F109.2Low season
June8.6#483°F64°F74°F48.7Moderate season
July7.5#788°F68°F78°F37.9Busy season
August6.9#988°F68°F79°F37.7Peak season
September8.6#580°F62°F76°F68.7Moderate season
October9.2#271°F54°F71°F89.1Low season
November7.9#662°F48°F68°F116.8Low season
December6.9#1054°F39°F63°F125.7Off season

Near here

Nearby places in December

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better December weather than Northern Albania

Northern Albania's weather ranks 9 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Albania have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Northern Albania.

All of Albania in December · Everywhere in December

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's off season, 9% of the busiest month and 68% below its average month. That means about 1,900 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 39% of them from Albania itself.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)64
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Shkoder from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.7°C), night lows within 2°F (0.9°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day3
Busiest month hereAugust · 32
Visitors as share of people present0.3%
Rank among Europe's regions this month9th percentile
Domestic share of nights39%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights—
Visitor share if every platform night were extra—
National hotel-price seasonAlbania historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+2% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used634,000
Statistical regionAL01 · Veri

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: no complete matching Eurostat platform-rental year is available here. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.