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Where to go in December / Croatia in December / Northern Croatia / December

Croatia · Countryside

Northern Croatia
in December.

Illustration of Old Town castle in Varaždin
Stari Grad castle in VaraždinDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Similar overnight stays to November.

December averages 45°F afternoons, with about 8 rain days.

Afternoons
45°F
Rain days
8
Visitor demand
43%of August peak

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

Overall match

6.4/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.9/10Fair
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of Europe this month
CostModeratefor Europe; Croatia-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 45°F (7°C): a warm coat; nights around 31°F (−1°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 07:30Sunset 16:1031°F45°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:30 and sets about 16:10 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 31°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 45°F (7°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
45°F (7°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
31°F (−1°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 40m
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 45°F on the 1st, versus 46°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 30% to 26% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

45°F

Typical afternoon high

30% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

45°F

Typical afternoon high

25% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

46°F

Typical afternoon high

26% 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; 26 Dec Christmas.

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
145°245°345°445°544°644°
744°844°944°1045°1145°1245°1345°
1444°1545°1645°1745°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 warm from about 45°F (7°C) in the first week to 46°F (8°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 18–33%.

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: 25 Dec Christmas; 26 Dec Christmas. 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 43% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.

Overnight stays across Sjeverna Hrvatska 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?

Well 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.

Croatia as a whole
Near EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 95 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 48°F (9°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 45°F (7°C). Rain days ranged from 1 to 13; half the years had 7–10.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 9 rain days920112012: 10 rain days102013: 4 rain days42014: 11 rain days112015: 1 rain days12016: 2 rain days22017: 10 rain days102018: 7 rain days72019: 8 rain days82020: 10 rain days102021: 8 rain days82022: 13 rain days132023: 9 rain days92024: 7 rain days72025: 7 rain days72025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 11 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
4 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
6 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
201242°F10
201345°F4
201445°F11
201546°F1
201641°F2
201746°F10
201844°F7
201948°F8
202045°F10
202144°F8
202246°F13
202347°F9
202444°F7
202544°F7

Checked against official climate averages for Varazdin. 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
Afternoons52°F45°F44°F
Rain days988
Overnight demand43%43%36%

November: Warmer afternoons than December. November guide →

January: 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 April have 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 43% 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
Afternoons45°F52°F
Nights31°F38°F
Rain days89
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 106.46.8
Month rank#12#9
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.8#1044°F29°F84.9Moderate season
February6.9#848°F31°F65.2Moderate season
March7.7#656°F37°F76.7Moderate season
April8.0#265°F44°F78.1Moderate season
May7.9#372°F51°F138.5Moderate season
June7.8#481°F59°F98.3Busy season
July7.0#785°F61°F97.5Busy season
August6.6#1185°F61°F87.8Peak season
September8.0#174°F54°F98.6Moderate season
October7.8#564°F46°F87.9Moderate season
November6.8#952°F38°F95.4Moderate season
December6.4#1245°F31°F84.9Moderate 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 Northern Croatia

Northern Croatia's weather ranks 28 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Croatia have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Northern Croatia.

All of Croatia in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's moderate season, 43% of the busiest month and 20% below its average month. That means about 2,800 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 59% of them from Croatia itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 780 more: 28 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)60
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Varazdin from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.0°C), night lows within 2°F (1.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day4
Busiest month hereAugust · 8
Visitors as share of people present0.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month13th percentile
Domestic share of nights59%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights28
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.4%
National hotel-price seasonCroatia historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used792,000
Statistical regionHR06 · Sjeverna Hrvatska

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.