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Where to go in December / Belgium in December / Ghent & East Flanders / December

Belgium · City

Ghent & East Flanders
in December.

Illustration of Graslei waterfront viewed across the Leie from Korenlei
Graslei waterfront, GhentDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Similar overnight stays to November.

December averages 48°F afternoons, with about 15 rain days.

Afternoons
48°F
Rain days
15
Visitor demand
55%of July peak

Historical Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Ghent; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.6/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.6/10Fair
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostPriceyfor Europe; Belgium-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 48°F (9°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 15 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 08:41Sunset 16:3838°F48°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:41 and sets about 16:38 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 38°F (3°C); afternoons reach about 48°F (9°C). Expect rain on about 15 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
48°F (9°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
38°F (3°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
7h 57m
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 47°F on the 1st, versus 48°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 42% to 46% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

47°F

Typical afternoon high

42% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

48°F

Typical afternoon high

46% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

48°F

Typical afternoon high

46% 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: 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
147°247°347°447°547°647°
747°847°947°1047°1147°1248°1348°
1448°1548°1649°1749°1849°1949°2049°
2149°2249°2349°2449°2549°2649°2749°
2849°2948°3048°3148°

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

Afternoons warm from about 47°F (8°C) in the first week to 49°F (9°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 42–50%. Local schools are out 21–31 December 2026.

Schools here are off 21–31 December 2026 (winter holidays). Public holidays: 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?

Moderate season. December averages 55% of July's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.

Overnight stays across Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.

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.

Belgium as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 124 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 45°F (7°C) and 54°F (12°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 48°F (9°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 22; half the years had 11–17.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 22 rain days2220112012: 20 rain days202013: 12 rain days122014: 12 rain days122015: 11 rain days112016: 5 rain days52017: 14 rain days142018: 16 rain days162019: 16 rain days162020: 15 rain days152021: 17 rain days172022: 15 rain days152023: 18 rain days182024: 11 rain days112025: 5 rain days52025
Rain days
15
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 19 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
1 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
2 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
201148°F22
201247°F20
201348°F12
201446°F12
201554°F11
201647°F5
201746°F14
201849°F16
201948°F16
202048°F15
202148°F17
202245°F15
202349°F18
202447°F11
202549°F5

Checked against official climate averages for Semmerzake. How we check

Compare dates

November, December
or January?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs July peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsNovDecJan
Afternoons52°F48°F45°F
Rain days111514
Overnight demand57%55%39%

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 to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

December or November?

Overnight stays are 57% 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
Afternoons48°F52°F
Nights38°F41°F
Rain days1511
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 105.66.1
Month rank#11#9
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.3#1245°F34°F144.3Moderate season
February5.9#1048°F34°F104.9Moderate season
March6.4#854°F37°F106.0Busy season
April6.7#561°F41°F77.4Busy season
May6.9#367°F46°F98.2Busy season
June7.4#173°F53°F88.8Busy season
July6.4#775°F55°F119.1Peak season
August6.8#476°F56°F109.1Peak season
September7.4#270°F51°F88.8Busy season
October6.6#662°F47°F126.9Busy season
November6.1#952°F41°F115.4Moderate season
December5.6#1148°F38°F154.6Moderate 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 Ghent & East Flanders

Ghent & East Flanders' weather ranks 19 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Belgium have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Ghent & East Flanders.

All of Belgium in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's moderate season, 55% of the busiest month and 19% below its average month.The figures cover the whole Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen region, suburbs included. That means about 6,700 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 37% of them from Belgium itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 2,300 more: 34 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)58
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Semmerzake from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.4°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day4
Busiest month hereJuly · 8
Visitors as share of people present0.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month19th percentile
Domestic share of nights37%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights34
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.6%
National hotel-price seasonBelgium historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+3% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.6 million
Statistical regionBE23 · Prov. Oost-Vlaanderen

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.