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Where to go in December / Germany in December / Freiburg & the southern Black Forest / December

Germany · Mountains

Freiburg & the southern Black Forest
in December.

Illustration of Traditional Black Forest farmhouse in a meadow near Schauinsland
A farmhouse in the southern Black ForestDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
More overnight stays than November.

December averages 45°F afternoons, with about 16 rain days.

Afternoons
45°F
Rain days
16
Visitor demand
47%of August peak

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.

Overall match

5.8/10 · scores & priorities

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

Weather4.2/10Fair
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of 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 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.

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

About 8 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 08:10Sunset 16:3432°F45°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

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.

Typical afternoon
45°F (7°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
32°F (0°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 24m
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 44°F on the 1st, versus 44°F on the 31st.

Early December 1 December

44°F

Typical afternoon high

45% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

45°F

Typical afternoon high

48% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

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.

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
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.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

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

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 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

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 22 rain days2220112012: 23 rain days232013: 8 rain days82014: 19 rain days192015: 5 rain days52016: 1 rain days12017: 18 rain days182018: 16 rain days162019: 16 rain days162020: 19 rain days192021: 15 rain days152022: 12 rain days122023: 19 rain days192024: 13 rain days132025: 4 rain days42025
Rain days
16
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 21 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
201144°F22
201241°F23
201345°F8
201442°F19
201551°F5
201644°F1
201741°F18
201844°F16
201946°F16
202044°F19
202145°F15
202244°F12
202346°F19
202444°F13
202547°F4

Checked against 19 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
Afternoons50°F45°F42°F
Rain days101613
Overnight demand41%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.

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 has 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 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 →
December compared with another month
Typical conditionsDecemberNovember
Afternoons45°F50°F
Nights32°F36°F
Rain days1610
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 105.86.4
Month rank#12#10
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.9#1142°F29°F133.9Low season
February6.5#846°F30°F94.8Low season
March6.9#354°F34°F106.1Moderate season
April6.8#561°F40°F107.1Busy season
May6.7#667°F47°F127.6Busy season
June7.0#276°F55°F108.3Busy season
July6.8#479°F57°F118.5Peak season
August6.4#979°F57°F108.3Peak season
September7.1#170°F50°F98.5Busy season
October6.5#761°F44°F107.0Busy season
November6.4#1050°F36°F105.1Moderate season
December5.8#1245°F32°F164.2Moderate 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 Freiburg & the southern Black Forest

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.

All of Germany in December · Everywhere in December

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

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 checked19 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 day15
Busiest month hereAugust · 33
Visitors as share of people present1.5%
Rank among Europe's regions this month81st percentile
Domestic share of nights69%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights26
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.9%
National hotel-price seasonGermany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used2.3 million
Statistical regionDE13 · 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.