Early December 1 December
50°F
Typical afternoon high
30% historical wet-day frequency
Bulgaria · Countryside
Plovdiv & south-central Bulgaria
in December.
Is December a good time?
Cool days.
A steady visitor season.
December averages 49°F afternoons, with about 7 rain days.
- Afternoons
- 49°F
- Rain days
- 7
- Visitor demand
- 70%of August peak
Historical Yuzhen tsentralen regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Plovdiv and Pamporovo; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
6.8/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather5.7/10Good
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for 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 49°F (9°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 32°F (0°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.
The sun rises about 07:40 and sets about 16:50 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 32°F (0°C); afternoons reach about 49°F (9°C). Expect rain on about 7 days in a typical December.
Typical afternoon
49°F (9°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
32°F (0°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
9h 09m
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 50°F on the 1st, versus 48°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 30% to 18% between those dates.
Mid December 15 December
49°F
Typical afternoon high
24% historical wet-day frequency
Late December 31 December
48°F
Typical afternoon high
18% 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.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150° | 250° | 350° | 450° | 550° | 650° | |
| 750° | 850° | 950° | 1050° | 1150° | 1249° | 1349° |
| 1449° | 1549° | 1649° | 1749° | 1849° | 1949° | 2049° |
| 2149° | 2249° | 2349° | 2448° | 2548° | 2648° | 2748° |
| 2848° | 2948° | 3048° | 3148° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons cool from about 50°F (10°C) in the first week to 48°F (9°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 15–33%.
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?
Steady all year. December averages 70% of August's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.
Overnight stays across Yuzhen tsentralen 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?
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 44°F (7°C) and 53°F (12°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 49°F (9°C). Rain days ranged from 1 to 13; half the years had 4–11.
Rain days in each December
Rain days
7
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 12 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
8 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
12 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded DecemberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 48°F | 7 |
| 2012 | 44°F | 11 |
| 2013 | 48°F | 4 |
| 2014 | 49°F | 13 |
| 2015 | 51°F | 1 |
| 2016 | 45°F | 4 |
| 2017 | 51°F | 9 |
| 2018 | 46°F | 5 |
| 2019 | 50°F | 7 |
| 2020 | 51°F | 9 |
| 2021 | 49°F | 12 |
| 2022 | 52°F | 7 |
| 2023 | 53°F | 7 |
| 2024 | 49°F | 11 |
| 2025 | 51°F | 4 |
Checked against official climate averages for Kardzhali. How we check
Compare dates
November, December
or January?
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 57°F | 49°F | 46°F |
| Rain days | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Overnight demand | 66% | 70% | 74% |
November: Warmer afternoons than December. November guide →
January: Cooler afternoons than December. 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.
Hotel stays vary little through the year. March to November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December.
Your comparison
December or November?
Overnight stays vary little through the year.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 49°F | 57°F |
| Nights | 32°F | 40°F |
| Rain days | 7 | 6 |
| Visitor season | Steady all year | Steady all year |
| Overall / 10 | 6.8 | 7.4 |
| Month rank | #11 | #9 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.8 | #12 | 46°F | 28°F | 6 | 5.5 | Steady all year |
| February | 7.0 | #10 | 50°F | 32°F | 6 | 6.0 | Steady all year |
| March | 7.4 | #8 | 57°F | 37°F | 8 | 6.8 | Steady all year |
| April | 8.3 | #6 | 66°F | 44°F | 7 | 8.5 | Steady all year |
| May | 8.6 | #2 | 74°F | 51°F | 9 | 9.2 | Steady all year |
| June | 8.4 | #4 | 83°F | 60°F | 8 | 8.6 | Steady all year |
| July | 8.2 | #7 | 88°F | 64°F | 3 | 8.2 | Steady all year |
| August | 8.4 | #5 | 88°F | 64°F | 3 | 8.5 | Steady all year |
| September | 8.8 | #1 | 79°F | 57°F | 3 | 9.5 | Steady all year |
| October | 8.4 | #3 | 67°F | 47°F | 5 | 8.9 | Steady all year |
| November | 7.4 | #9 | 57°F | 40°F | 6 | 6.8 | Steady all year |
| December | 6.8 | #11 | 49°F | 32°F | 7 | 5.7 | Steady all year |
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.
Eastern Macedonia & ThraceGreece · about 50 miles
Balanced Overall 4.3 · Poor weather, 53°F (12°C) · Off season · Cost cheap
Burgas & the southern Black Sea coastBulgaria · about 90 miles
Balanced Overall 6.3 · Good weather, 49°F (9°C) · Off season · Cost cheap
Sofia & the southwestBulgaria · about 90 miles
Balanced Overall 6.7 · Good weather, 46°F (8°C) · Steady all year · Cost cheap
Thessaloniki & HalkidikiGreece · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 4.8 · Poor weather, 54°F (12°C) · Off season · Cost cheap
Varna & the northern Black Sea coastBulgaria · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 3.5 · Poor weather, 47°F (9°C) · Off season · Cost cheap
Elsewhere in Europe
Better December weather than Plovdiv & south-central Bulgaria
Plovdiv & south-central Bulgaria's weather ranks 10 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Bulgaria have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Plovdiv & south-central Bulgaria.
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 70% of the busiest and about average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are. That means about 10,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 86% of them from Bulgaria itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,400 more: 14 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 63 |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Kardzhali from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.6°C), night lows within 2°F (1.0°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 8 |
| Busiest month here | August · 11 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 0.8% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 48th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 86% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 14 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 0.9% |
| National hotel-price season | Bulgaria historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.3 million |
| Statistical region | BG42 · Yuzhen tsentralen |
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.