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Where to go in December / France in December / Burgundy / December

France · Countryside

Burgundy
in December.

Illustration of Autumn vineyards in the Côte de Beaune
Côte de Beaune vineyards, BurgundyDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Similar overnight stays to November.

December averages 48°F afternoons, with about 14 rain days.

Afternoons
48°F
Rain days
14
Visitor demand
28%of August peak

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

Overall match

6.3/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.4/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostPriceyfor Europe; France-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 48°F (9°C): a warm coat; nights around 36°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 14 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 08:23Sunset 16:5436°F48°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:23 and sets about 16:54 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 36°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 48°F (9°C). Expect rain on about 14 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
48°F (9°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
36°F (2°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 31m
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 47°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 45% to 39% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

47°F

Typical afternoon high

45% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

48°F

Typical afternoon high

48% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

47°F

Typical afternoon high

39% 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
147°247°347°447°546°646°
746°846°947°1047°1147°1247°1348°
1448°1548°1648°1749°1849°1949°2049°
2149°2249°2349°2449°2549°2648°2748°
2848°2948°3047°3147°

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

Afternoons warm from about 47°F (8°C) in the first week to 48°F (9°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 39–48%. Local schools are out 20–31 December 2026.

Schools here are off 20–31 December 2026 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 25 Dec Christmas Day. Elsewhere in December 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 29%, Italy 35%, Spain 32%, Netherlands 42%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Low season. December averages 28% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.

Overnight stays across Bourgogne 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?

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.

France as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 110 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 45°F (7°C) and 53°F (12°C); in 14 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 48°F (9°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 22; half the years had 10–17.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 22 rain days2220112012: 18 rain days182013: 8 rain days82014: 12 rain days122015: 6 rain days62016: 3 rain days32017: 17 rain days172018: 17 rain days172019: 17 rain days172020: 20 rain days202021: 14 rain days142022: 13 rain days132023: 16 rain days162024: 10 rain days102025: 11 rain days112025
Rain days
14
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 19 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
3 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
4 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°F22
201247°F18
201347°F8
201445°F12
201553°F6
201646°F3
201745°F17
201848°F17
201950°F17
202047°F20
202147°F14
202247°F13
202349°F16
202446°F10
202549°F11

Checked against 103 local weather stations. 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
Afternoons53°F48°F45°F
Rain days131414
Overnight demand30%28%24%

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 and November 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 30% 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
Afternoons48°F53°F
Nights36°F39°F
Rain days1413
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 106.36.7
Month rank#11#8
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.3#1245°F33°F144.3Low season
February6.7#949°F34°F115.1Low season
March7.2#556°F38°F106.3Low season
April7.4#263°F42°F87.5Moderate season
May7.3#368°F49°F108.1Moderate season
June7.1#677°F56°F88.5Busy season
July6.9#781°F59°F88.7Peak season
August6.6#1081°F58°F78.6Peak season
September7.5#173°F52°F88.8Busy season
October7.3#464°F47°F107.5Moderate season
November6.7#853°F39°F135.4Low season
December6.3#1148°F36°F144.4Low 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 Burgundy

Burgundy's weather ranks 47 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Burgundy.

All of France in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's low season, 28% of the busiest month and 45% below its average month. That means about 11,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 77% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 7,500 more: 70 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)57
How our weather was checked103 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.2°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day7
Busiest month hereAugust · 24
Visitors as share of people present0.7%
Rank among Europe's regions this month39th percentile
Domestic share of nights77%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights70
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.1%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−3% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.6 million
Statistical regionFRC1 · Bourgogne

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.