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Where to go in December / Germany in December / Bamberg & Upper Franconia / December

Germany · Countryside

Bamberg & Upper Franconia
in December.

Illustration of Michaelsberg vineyard overlook across Bamberg's UNESCO old town
Bamberg from the Michaelsberg vineyardsDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
Fewer overnight stays than November.

December averages 41°F afternoons, with about 14 rain days.

Afternoons
41°F
Rain days
14
Visitor demand
46%of August peak

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

Overall match

5.7/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather3.7/10Fair
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostPriceyfor Europe; Germany-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 41°F (5°C): a warm coat; nights around 31°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 14 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 8 hours of daylight.

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

About 8 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 08:06Sunset 16:1331°F41°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 08:06 and sets about 16:13 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 31°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 41°F (5°C). Expect rain on about 14 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
41°F (5°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
31°F (−1°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 07m
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 40°F on the 1st, versus 41°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 40% to 52% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

40°F

Typical afternoon high

40% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

41°F

Typical afternoon high

48% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

41°F

Typical afternoon high

52% 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; 26 Dec 2nd Day of 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
140°240°340°440°540°640°
740°840°940°1040°1141°1241°1341°
1441°1541°1642°1742°1842°1942°2042°
2142°2242°2342°2442°2542°2642°2742°
2842°2942°3042°3141°

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

Afternoons warm from about 40°F (4°C) in the first week to 42°F (6°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 40–54%. Local schools are out 24–31 December 2026. Christmas markets: typically 20 November – 23 December 2026.

Schools here are off 24–31 December 2026 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec 2nd Day of Christmas. Elsewhere in December 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 39%, Italy 35%, Spain 32%, Netherlands 42%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. December averages 46% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than November.

Overnight stays across Oberfranken 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.

What's on Christmas markets, typically 20 November – 23 December 2026: evenings and weekends are crowded; city hotels fill on December weekends. Official site.

Germany as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 112 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 (4°C) and 48°F (9°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 41°F (5°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 23; half the years had 11–19.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 23 rain days2320112012: 21 rain days212013: 14 rain days142014: 20 rain days202015: 9 rain days92016: 9 rain days92017: 19 rain days192018: 17 rain days172019: 14 rain days142020: 12 rain days122021: 15 rain days152022: 12 rain days122023: 19 rain days192024: 11 rain days112025: 5 rain days52025
Rain days
14
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 20 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
1 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
1 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
201142°F23
201238°F21
201342°F14
201440°F20
201548°F9
201639°F9
201739°F19
201841°F17
201943°F14
202041°F12
202140°F15
202240°F12
202342°F19
202440°F11
202542°F5

Checked against 11 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
Afternoons47°F41°F39°F
Rain days111416
Overnight demand52%46%36%

November: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than December. More overnight demand. November guide →

January: Cooler afternoons and more rain days 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 October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

December or November?

Overnight stays are 52% 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
Afternoons41°F47°F
Nights31°F34°F
Rain days1411
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 105.75.9
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
January5.5#1239°F28°F163.5Moderate season
February6.1#842°F27°F94.4Moderate season
March6.4#751°F32°F95.6Moderate season
April6.7#459°F38°F87.1Busy season
May6.5#666°F45°F87.9Peak season
June6.9#174°F53°F108.7Peak season
July6.8#277°F55°F128.8Peak season
August6.6#577°F55°F98.6Peak season
September6.7#368°F48°F88.3Peak season
October6.0#958°F42°F116.4Busy season
November5.9#1047°F34°F114.6Moderate season
December5.7#1141°F31°F143.7Moderate 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 Bamberg & Upper Franconia

Bamberg & Upper Franconia's weather ranks 111 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Bamberg & Upper Franconia.

All of Germany in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's moderate season, 46% of the busiest month and 35% below its average month. That means about 8,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 90% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,600 more: 20 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)53
How our weather was checked11 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day8
Busiest month hereAugust · 17
Visitors as share of people present0.8%
Rank among Europe's regions this month48th percentile
Domestic share of nights90%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights20
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.9%
National hotel-price seasonGermany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.1 million
Statistical regionDE24 · Oberfranken

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.