Early December 1 December
44°F
Typical afternoon high
45% historical wet-day frequency
Germany · Mountains
Is December a good time?
December averages 45°F afternoons, with about 16 rain days.
Historical Freiburg regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Freiburg and Konstanz; conditions vary within the region.
This weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your December
Afternoons around 45°F (7°C): a warm coat; nights around 32°F (0°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.
The sun rises about 08:10 and sets about 16:34 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 32°F (0°C); afternoons reach about 45°F (7°C). Expect rain on about 16 days in a typical December.
Early, middle or late?
Early and late December have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 44°F on the 1st, versus 44°F on the 31st.
44°F
Typical afternoon high
45% historical wet-day frequency
45°F
Typical afternoon high
48% historical wet-day frequency
44°F
Typical afternoon high
47% 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.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 144° | 244° | 343° | 443° | 543° | 643° | |
| 743° | 843° | 944° | 1044° | 1144° | 1244° | 1344° |
| 1444° | 1545° | 1645° | 1745° | 1846° | 1946° | 2046° |
| 2146° | 2246° | 2346° | 2446° | 2546° | 2646° | 2745° |
| 2845° | 2945° | 3045° | 3144° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 43°F (6°C) in the first week to 45°F (7°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 44–48%. 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.)
Visitor season
Moderate season. December averages 47% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than November.
Overnight stays across Freiburg do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.
Hotel price season
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.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 41°F (5°C) and 51°F (11°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 23; half the years had 8–19.
Rain days in each December
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 44°F | 22 |
| 2012 | 41°F | 23 |
| 2013 | 45°F | 8 |
| 2014 | 42°F | 19 |
| 2015 | 51°F | 5 |
| 2016 | 44°F | 1 |
| 2017 | 41°F | 18 |
| 2018 | 44°F | 16 |
| 2019 | 46°F | 16 |
| 2020 | 44°F | 19 |
| 2021 | 45°F | 15 |
| 2022 | 44°F | 12 |
| 2023 | 46°F | 19 |
| 2024 | 44°F | 13 |
| 2025 | 47°F | 4 |
Checked against 19 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 50°F | 45°F | 42°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 16 | 13 |
| Overnight demand | 41% | 47% | 31% |
November: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than December. Less overnight demand. November guide →
January: Cooler afternoons and fewer rain days than December. Less overnight demand. January guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. December stays as your reference.
March has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 41% 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 →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 45°F | 50°F |
| Nights | 32°F | 36°F |
| Rain days | 16 | 10 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 5.8 | 6.4 |
| Month rank | #12 | #10 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.9 | #11 | 42°F | 29°F | 13 | 3.9 | Low season |
| February | 6.5 | #8 | 46°F | 30°F | 9 | 4.8 | Low season |
| March | 6.9 | #3 | 54°F | 34°F | 10 | 6.1 | Moderate season |
| April | 6.8 | #5 | 61°F | 40°F | 10 | 7.1 | Busy season |
| May | 6.7 | #6 | 67°F | 47°F | 12 | 7.6 | Busy season |
| June | 7.0 | #2 | 76°F | 55°F | 10 | 8.3 | Busy season |
| July | 6.8 | #4 | 79°F | 57°F | 11 | 8.5 | Peak season |
| August | 6.4 | #9 | 79°F | 57°F | 10 | 8.3 | Peak season |
| September | 7.1 | #1 | 70°F | 50°F | 9 | 8.5 | Busy season |
| October | 6.5 | #7 | 61°F | 44°F | 10 | 7.0 | Busy season |
| November | 6.4 | #10 | 50°F | 36°F | 10 | 5.1 | Moderate season |
| December | 5.8 | #12 | 45°F | 32°F | 16 | 4.2 | Moderate season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
AlsaceFrance · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 4.9 · Fair weather, 46°F (8°C) · Busy season · Cost pricey
Basel & northwest Switzerlandabout 40 miles
Balanced Overall 4.4 · Fair weather, 45°F (7°C) · Steady all year · Cost expensive
TyrolInnsbruck · Austria · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 5.1 · Fair weather, 40°F (5°C) · Busy season · Cost pricey
Munich & Upper BavariaGermany · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 5.8 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Milan, Lake Como & LombardyItaly · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 6.8 · Good weather, 49°F (9°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Freiburg & the southern Black Forest's weather ranks 18 of 28 mountain regions this month. These mountain regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Freiburg & the southern Black Forest.
TicinoSwitzerland · about 120 miles
Good weather (5.7): 3°F warmer afternoons, 11 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), pricier
South Tyrol & the DolomitesItaly · about 180 miles
Good weather (5.3): about as warm, 9 fewer rain days
TrentinoItaly · about 190 miles
Good weather (5.8): 2°F warmer afternoons, 12 fewer rain days
La RiojaSpain · about 660 miles
Good weather (6.2): 10°F warmer afternoons, 7 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
Sofia & the southwestBulgaria · about 830 miles
Good weather (5.4): about as warm, 8 fewer rain days, cheaper
It's moderate season, 47% of the busiest month and 24% below its average month. That means about 36,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 69% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 9,400 more: 26 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 56 |
| How our weather was checked | 19 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 15 |
| Busiest month here | August · 33 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.5% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 81st percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 69% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 26 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.9% |
| National hotel-price season | Germany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 2.3 million |
| Statistical region | DE13 · Freiburg |
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.