Early December 1 December
46°F
Typical afternoon high
49% historical wet-day frequency
Germany · City
Cologne & Bonn
in December.
Is December a good time?
Cool days.
A steady visitor season.
December averages 46°F afternoons, with about 16 rain days.
- Afternoons
- 46°F
- Rain days
- 16
- Visitor demand
- 81%of August peak
Historical Köln regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Cologne, Bonn and Aachen; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
5.0/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather4.0/10Fair
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queues
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 46°F (8°C): a warm coat; nights around 36°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 16 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.
The sun rises about 08:28 and sets about 16:27 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 36°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 46°F (8°C). Expect rain on about 16 days in a typical December.
Typical afternoon
46°F (8°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
36°F (2°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
7h 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 46°F on the 1st, versus 46°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 49% to 56% between those dates.
Mid December 15 December
46°F
Typical afternoon high
49% historical wet-day frequency
Late December 31 December
46°F
Typical afternoon high
56% 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.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 146° | 245° | 345° | 445° | 545° | 645° | |
| 745° | 845° | 945° | 1045° | 1146° | 1246° | 1346° |
| 1446° | 1546° | 1647° | 1747° | 1847° | 1947° | 2047° |
| 2147° | 2247° | 2347° | 2447° | 2547° | 2647° | 2747° |
| 2847° | 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 47°F (8°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 48–58%. Local schools are out 23–31 December 2026. Christmas markets: typically 20 November – 23 December 2026.
Schools here are off 23–31 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?
Steady all year. December averages 81% of August's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.
Overnight stays across Köln do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
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 44°F (6°C) and 53°F (12°C); in 14 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 46°F (8°C). Rain days ranged from 7 to 23; half the years had 12–19.
Rain days in each December
Rain days
16
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 22 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
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 46°F | 23 |
| 2012 | 44°F | 21 |
| 2013 | 47°F | 11 |
| 2014 | 44°F | 18 |
| 2015 | 53°F | 12 |
| 2016 | 46°F | 7 |
| 2017 | 44°F | 22 |
| 2018 | 47°F | 19 |
| 2019 | 47°F | 16 |
| 2020 | 46°F | 18 |
| 2021 | 46°F | 15 |
| 2022 | 44°F | 15 |
| 2023 | 47°F | 19 |
| 2024 | 45°F | 13 |
| 2025 | 47°F | 8 |
Checked against 10 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
November, December
or January?
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 51°F | 46°F | 43°F |
| Rain days | 13 | 16 | 16 |
| Overnight demand | 85% | 81% | 55% |
November: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days 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 about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 46°F | 51°F |
| Nights | 36°F | 39°F |
| Rain days | 16 | 13 |
| Visitor season | Steady all year | Steady all year |
| Overall / 10 | 5.0 | 5.7 |
| Month rank | #11 | #9 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.9 | #12 | 43°F | 32°F | 16 | 3.9 | Steady all year |
| February | 5.6 | #10 | 47°F | 33°F | 11 | 4.7 | Steady all year |
| March | 6.1 | #8 | 53°F | 36°F | 11 | 5.9 | Steady all year |
| April | 6.8 | #6 | 60°F | 40°F | 8 | 7.2 | Steady all year |
| May | 7.2 | #5 | 67°F | 47°F | 10 | 8.1 | Steady all year |
| June | 7.5 | #3 | 74°F | 54°F | 9 | 8.7 | Steady all year |
| July | 7.6 | #2 | 76°F | 56°F | 11 | 8.7 | Steady all year |
| August | 7.6 | #1 | 77°F | 56°F | 9 | 8.8 | Steady all year |
| September | 7.4 | #4 | 70°F | 51°F | 7 | 8.6 | Steady all year |
| October | 6.5 | #7 | 61°F | 46°F | 12 | 6.7 | Steady all year |
| November | 5.7 | #9 | 51°F | 39°F | 13 | 5.1 | Steady all year |
| December | 5.0 | #11 | 46°F | 36°F | 16 | 4.0 | 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.
DüsseldorfGermany · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 5.0 · Fair weather, 46°F (8°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Maastricht & LimburgNetherlands · about 50 miles
Balanced Overall 6.0 · Fair weather, 47°F (8°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Frankfurt & southern HesseGermany · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 5.2 · Fair weather, 45°F (7°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Amsterdam & North HollandNetherlands · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 5.3 · Fair weather, 48°F (9°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Weser-Ems & the North Sea coastLower Saxony · Germany · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 6.1 · Fair weather, 45°F (7°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Better December weather than Cologne & Bonn
Cologne & Bonn's weather ranks 33 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Cologne & Bonn.
Milan, Lake Como & LombardyItaly · about 380 miles
Good weather (5.8): 3°F warmer afternoons, 10 fewer rain days, cheaper
Bologna & Emilia-RomagnaItaly · about 480 miles
Good weather (6.0): 5°F warmer afternoons, 8 fewer rain days, cheaper
Barcelona & CataloniaSpain · about 670 miles
Very good weather (7.6): 13°F warmer afternoons, 12 fewer rain days, cheaper
Rome & LazioItaly · about 670 miles
Good weather (6.6): 11°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
Basque CountrySpain · about 700 miles
Good weather (5.6): 11°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 81% of the busiest and about average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are.The figures cover the whole Köln region, suburbs included. That means about 38,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 60% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 6,800 more: 18 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 55 |
| How our weather was checked | 10 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.7°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 9 |
| Busiest month here | August · 11 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 0.9% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 55th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 60% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 18 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.0% |
| National hotel-price season | Germany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 4.5 million |
| Statistical region | DEA2 · Köln |
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.