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Where to go in December / Austria in December / Lower Austria / December

Austria · Countryside

Lower Austria
in December.

Illustration of Vineyard path above Dürnstein in the Wachau with the Danube bend
Dürnstein and the Wachau vineyardsDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Similar overnight stays to November.

December averages 43°F afternoons, with about 9 rain days.

Afternoons
43°F
Rain days
9
Visitor demand
51%of August peak

Historical Niederösterreich regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Wachau and Melk; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.3/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.8/10Fair
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostPriceyfor Europe; Austria-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 43°F (6°C): a warm coat; nights around 31°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 9 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 8 hours of daylight.

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

About 8 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:41Sunset 16:0331°F43°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:41 and sets about 16:03 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 31°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 43°F (6°C). Expect rain on about 9 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
43°F (6°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
31°F (−1°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 22m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late December?

Early and late December have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 43°F on the 1st, versus 43°F on the 31st.

Early December 1 December

43°F

Typical afternoon high

29% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

43°F

Typical afternoon high

26% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

43°F

Typical afternoon high

30% 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 Immaculate Conception; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec St Stephen's 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
143°242°342°442°542°642°
742°842°942°1043°1143°1243°1343°
1443°1543°1643°1743°1844°1944°2044°
2144°2244°2344°2444°2544°2644°2744°
2844°2944°3044°3143°

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

Afternoons warm from about 42°F (6°C) in the first week to 44°F (7°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 25–32%. Local schools are out 24–31 December 2026. Christmas markets: typically 13 November – 26 December 2026.

Schools here are off 24–31 December 2026 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 8 Dec Immaculate Conception; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec St Stephen's 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, cost and getting there

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. December averages 51% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.

Overnight stays across Niederösterreich do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for 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.

What's on Christmas markets, typically 13 November – 26 December 2026: evenings and weekends are crowded; city hotels fill on December weekends. Official site.

Austria as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 110 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from Newark, Washington Dulles, Chicago and New York JFK; 2024 schedule, Eurostat

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 39°F (4°C) and 49°F (9°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 43°F (6°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 15; half the years had 7–11.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 9 rain days920112012: 9 rain days92013: 4 rain days42014: 10 rain days102015: 3 rain days32016: 7 rain days72017: 8 rain days82018: 15 rain days152019: 7 rain days72020: 9 rain days92021: 13 rain days132022: 11 rain days112023: 12 rain days122024: 8 rain days82025: 6 rain days62025
Rain days
9
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 12 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
3 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
4 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
201144°F9
201239°F9
201344°F4
201443°F10
201549°F3
201641°F7
201742°F8
201842°F15
201945°F7
202043°F9
202141°F13
202242°F11
202345°F12
202443°F8
202543°F6

Checked against 52 local weather stations. 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
Afternoons50°F43°F41°F
Rain days7910
Overnight demand54%51%45%

November: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than December. November guide →

January: Cooler afternoons than December. Less overnight demand. January guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.

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.

March has 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 54% of the busiest month.

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

Read the November guide →
December compared with another month
Typical conditionsDecemberNovember
Afternoons43°F50°F
Nights31°F36°F
Rain days97
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 106.36.5
Month rank#12#9
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.5#1041°F28°F104.5Moderate season
February6.7#845°F29°F75.2Moderate season
March7.2#454°F34°F76.4Moderate season
April7.3#262°F41°F87.6Busy season
May7.0#568°F48°F108.1Busy season
June7.2#378°F56°F108.6Busy season
July6.8#781°F59°F108.2Peak season
August6.4#1180°F59°F98.3Peak season
September7.3#171°F52°F88.6Busy season
October6.9#661°F44°F87.3Busy season
November6.5#950°F36°F75.5Moderate season
December6.3#1243°F31°F94.8Moderate 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 Lower Austria

Lower Austria's weather ranks 34 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Austria have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Lower Austria.

All of Austria in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's moderate season, 51% of the busiest month and 25% below its average month. That means about 14,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 63% of them from Austria itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,800 more: 14 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)59
How our weather was checked52 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day8
Busiest month hereAugust · 16
Visitors as share of people present0.8%
Rank among Europe's regions this month50th percentile
Domestic share of nights63%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights14
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.9%
National hotel-price seasonAustria historical 2024–2025 index: A little above usual (+6% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.7 million
Statistical regionAT12 · Niederösterreich

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: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. 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.