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Where to go in December / Bulgaria in December / Northwest Bulgaria / December

Bulgaria · Countryside

Northwest Bulgaria
in December.

Illustration of Baba Vida fortress entrance across its dry moat in Vidin
Baba Vida fortress, VidinDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Similar overnight stays to November.

December averages 46°F afternoons, with about 7 rain days.

Afternoons
46°F
Rain days
7
Visitor demand
58%of August peak

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

Overall match

7.2/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.4/10Good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of Europe this month
CostCheapfor Europe; Bulgaria-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 46°F (8°C): a warm coat; nights around 31°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. About 9 hours of daylight. About 7 rain days in a typical December.

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

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:50Sunset 16:4931°F46°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:50 and sets about 16:49 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 31°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 46°F (8°C). Expect rain on about 7 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
46°F (8°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
31°F (−1°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 59m
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 46°F on the 1st, versus 46°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 31% to 21% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

46°F

Typical afternoon high

31% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

46°F

Typical afternoon high

24% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

46°F

Typical afternoon high

21% 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: 24 Dec Christmas Eve; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec Christmas Day; 28 Dec Christmas Day (Observed).

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
146°246°346°446°546°646°
746°846°946°1046°1146°1246°1346°
1446°1546°1646°1746°1846°1946°2046°
2146°2246°2346°2446°2546°2646°2746°
2846°2946°3046°3146°

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

Afternoons hold at about 46°F (8°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 16–34%.

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: 24 Dec Christmas Eve; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec Christmas Day; 28 Dec Christmas Day (Observed). 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 58% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.

Overnight stays across Severozapaden 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?

A little above 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.

Bulgaria as a whole
Well below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 53 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 38°F (3°C) and 51°F (11°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 46°F (8°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 13; half the years had 4–12.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 7 rain days720112012: 12 rain days122013: 2 rain days22014: 12 rain days122015: 2 rain days22016: 3 rain days32017: 7 rain days72018: 7 rain days72019: 6 rain days62020: 9 rain days92021: 12 rain days122022: 7 rain days72023: 7 rain days72024: 13 rain days132025: 4 rain days42025
Rain days
7
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 12 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
7 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
9 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°F7
201238°F12
201344°F2
201444°F12
201551°F2
201642°F3
201749°F7
201842°F7
201948°F6
202047°F9
202146°F12
202248°F7
202351°F7
202447°F13
202546°F4

Checked against official climate averages for Lovech and Vidin. 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
Afternoons54°F46°F43°F
Rain days678
Overnight demand61%58%47%

November: Warmer afternoons 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 61% 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
Afternoons46°F54°F
Nights31°F39°F
Rain days76
Visitor seasonModerate seasonBusy season
Overall / 107.27.6
Month rank#11#7
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January7.2#1243°F27°F85.2Moderate season
February7.4#948°F30°F65.7Moderate season
March7.8#657°F37°F96.7Moderate season
April8.3#467°F45°F78.3Busy season
May8.5#274°F52°F99.0Busy season
June7.9#583°F60°F88.2Busy season
July7.4#888°F64°F47.7Peak season
August7.3#1088°F64°F48.2Peak season
September8.6#179°F57°F49.3Busy season
October8.5#366°F46°F68.6Busy season
November7.6#754°F39°F66.3Busy season
December7.2#1146°F31°F75.4Moderate 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 Northwest Bulgaria

Northwest Bulgaria's weather ranks 15 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Bulgaria have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Northwest Bulgaria.

All of Bulgaria in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's moderate season, 58% of the busiest month and 17% below its average month. That means about 1,700 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 92% of them from Bulgaria itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 140 more: 8 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)62
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Lovech and Vidin from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 2°F (1.2°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day3
Busiest month hereAugust · 4
Visitors as share of people present0.3%
Rank among Europe's regions this month7th percentile
Domestic share of nights92%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights8
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.3%
National hotel-price seasonBulgaria historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used655,000
Statistical regionBG31 · Severozapaden

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.