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Where to go in December / Belgium in December / The Belgian Ardennes / December

Belgium · Countryside

The Belgian Ardennes
in December.

Illustration of Tombeau du Géant from the Botassart lookout above the Semois meander
The Semois valley at BotassartDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Similar overnight stays to November.

December averages 44°F afternoons, with about 17 rain days.

Afternoons
44°F
Rain days
17
Visitor demand
29%of August peak

Historical Prov. Luxembourg (BE) regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Durbuy and Bouillon; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.5/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather3.6/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
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 44°F (6°C): a warm coat; nights around 33°F (1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 17 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 08:29Sunset 16:3733°F44°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:29 and sets about 16:37 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 33°F (1°C); afternoons reach about 44°F (6°C). Expect rain on about 17 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
44°F (6°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
33°F (1°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 07m
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. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 48% to 51% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

43°F

Typical afternoon high

48% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

44°F

Typical afternoon high

49% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

43°F

Typical afternoon high

51% 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
143°243°343°442°542°642°
742°842°942°1043°1143°1243°1344°
1444°1544°1644°1744°1845°1945°2045°
2145°2245°2345°2445°2545°2645°2744°
2844°2944°3044°3143°

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

Afternoons warm from about 43°F (6°C) in the first week to 44°F (7°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 46–54%. 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?

Low season. December averages 29% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.

Overnight stays across Prov. Luxembourg (BE) do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier 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.

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 41°F (5°C) and 50°F (10°C); in 14 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 44°F (6°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 24; half the years had 11–19.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 24 rain days2420112012: 21 rain days212013: 10 rain days102014: 15 rain days152015: 11 rain days112016: 4 rain days42017: 18 rain days182018: 17 rain days172019: 19 rain days192020: 20 rain days202021: 18 rain days182022: 15 rain days152023: 18 rain days182024: 13 rain days132025: 8 rain days82025
Rain days
17
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 21 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
1 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
201143°F24
201242°F21
201344°F10
201441°F15
201550°F11
201643°F4
201742°F18
201844°F17
201945°F19
202043°F20
202144°F18
202242°F15
202344°F18
202442°F13
202546°F8

Checked against official climate averages for Saint-Hubert. 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
Afternoons48°F44°F41°F
Rain days121716
Overnight demand31%29%19%

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 31% of the busiest month.

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

Read the November guide →
December compared with another month
Typical conditionsDecemberNovember
Afternoons44°F48°F
Nights33°F37°F
Rain days1712
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 105.56.0
Month rank#11#10
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.4#1241°F30°F163.4Low season
February6.1#844°F30°F104.3Low season
March6.7#551°F34°F115.4Low season
April6.7#458°F38°F96.7Moderate season
May6.8#364°F44°F117.5Moderate season
June7.3#271°F51°F98.3Moderate season
July6.3#774°F54°F128.9Peak season
August6.0#974°F54°F108.8Peak season
September7.4#167°F48°F98.1Moderate season
October6.5#658°F44°F116.1Moderate season
November6.0#1048°F37°F124.5Low season
December5.5#1144°F33°F173.6Low 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 The Belgian Ardennes

The Belgian Ardennes' weather ranks 112 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Belgium have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with The Belgian Ardennes.

All of Belgium in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's low season, 29% of the busiest month and 38% below its average month. That means about 5,400 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 72% of them from Belgium itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 4,300 more: 80 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)53
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Saint-Hubert from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day18
Busiest month hereAugust · 62
Visitors as share of people present1.8%
Rank among Europe's regions this month85th percentile
Domestic share of nights72%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights80
Visitor share if every platform night were extra3.2%
National hotel-price seasonBelgium historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+3% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used300,000
Statistical regionBE34 · Prov. Luxembourg (BE)

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.