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Where to go in December / Bulgaria in December / Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgaria / December

Bulgaria · Countryside

Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgaria
in December.

Illustration of Tsarevets Hill across the Yantra valley from the western overlook
Tsarevets Hill, Veliko TarnovoDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than November.

December averages 46°F afternoons, with about 8 rain days.

Afternoons
46°F
Rain days
8
Visitor demand
55%of August peak

Historical Severen tsentralen regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Veliko Tarnovo and Ruse; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

7.1/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.3/10Good
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 (0°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 8 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 9 hours of daylight.

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

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:41Sunset 16:4031°F46°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:41 and sets about 16:40 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 31°F (0°C); afternoons reach about 46°F (8°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
46°F (8°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
31°F (0°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 47°F on the 1st, versus 46°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 31% to 24% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

47°F

Typical afternoon high

31% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

46°F

Typical afternoon high

26% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

46°F

Typical afternoon high

24% 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
147°247°347°447°547°647°
747°847°947°1047°1147°1247°1346°
1446°1546°1646°1746°1846°1946°2046°
2146°2246°2346°2446°2545°2645°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 20–34%.

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 55% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than November.

Overnight stays across Severen tsentralen 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 39°F (4°C) and 51°F (10°C); in 7 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 5–12.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 9 rain days920112012: 13 rain days132013: 2 rain days22014: 13 rain days132015: 3 rain days32016: 5 rain days52017: 8 rain days82018: 10 rain days102019: 8 rain days82020: 10 rain days102021: 13 rain days132022: 6 rain days62023: 7 rain days72024: 12 rain days122025: 4 rain days42025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 13 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
6 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
201147°F9
201239°F13
201344°F2
201445°F13
201550°F3
201641°F5
201749°F8
201841°F10
201949°F8
202048°F10
202146°F13
202250°F6
202351°F7
202446°F12
202547°F4

Checked against official climate averages for Razgrad. 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
Afternoons55°F46°F43°F
Rain days788
Overnight demand67%55%41%

November: Warmer afternoons than December. More overnight demand. 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 November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

December or November?

Overnight stays are 67% of the busiest month.

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

Read the November guide →
December compared with another month
Typical conditionsDecemberNovember
Afternoons46°F55°F
Nights31°F39°F
Rain days87
Visitor seasonModerate seasonBusy season
Overall / 107.17.3
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
January7.1#1243°F27°F85.1Moderate season
February7.5#748°F30°F65.6Moderate season
March7.5#656°F36°F76.6Busy season
April7.9#466°F44°F88.2Busy season
May8.1#274°F51°F99.1Busy season
June7.6#582°F60°F98.3Peak season
July7.4#887°F64°F57.9Peak season
August7.3#987°F64°F48.2Peak season
September8.2#179°F57°F49.4Peak season
October8.1#366°F47°F68.5Busy season
November7.3#1055°F39°F76.4Busy season
December7.1#1146°F31°F85.3Moderate 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 Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgaria

Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgaria's weather ranks 17 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Bulgaria have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgaria.

All of Bulgaria 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 25% below its average month. That means about 1,700 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 88% of them from Bulgaria itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 370 more: 22 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)61
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Razgrad from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.4°C), night lows within 1°F (0.4°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day3
Busiest month hereAugust · 5
Visitors as share of people present0.3%
Rank among Europe's regions this month6th percentile
Domestic share of nights88%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights22
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 used673,000
Statistical regionBG32 · Severen 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.