Early December 1 December
43°F
Typical afternoon high
36% historical wet-day frequency
Germany · City
Is December a good time?
December averages 44°F afternoons, with about 14 rain days.
Historical Leipzig regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your December
Afternoons around 44°F (7°C): a warm coat; nights around 34°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.
The sun rises about 08:07 and sets about 16:01 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 34°F (1°C); afternoons reach about 44°F (7°C). Expect rain on about 14 days in a typical December.
Early, middle or late?
Early and late December have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 43°F on the 1st, versus 44°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 36% to 45% between those dates.
43°F
Typical afternoon high
36% historical wet-day frequency
44°F
Typical afternoon high
43% historical wet-day frequency
44°F
Typical afternoon high
45% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 143° | 243° | 342° | 442° | 542° | 642° | |
| 742° | 842° | 943° | 1043° | 1143° | 1244° | 1344° |
| 1444° | 1544° | 1644° | 1745° | 1845° | 1945° | 2045° |
| 2145° | 2245° | 2345° | 2445° | 2546° | 2645° | 2745° |
| 2845° | 2945° | 3044° | 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 36–47%. 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
Busy season. December averages 71% of May's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.
Overnight stays across Leipzig do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
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 (10°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 44°F (7°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 18; half the years had 10–16.
Rain days in each December
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 45°F | 15 |
| 2012 | 41°F | 14 |
| 2013 | 46°F | 11 |
| 2014 | 42°F | 17 |
| 2015 | 51°F | 10 |
| 2016 | 42°F | 12 |
| 2017 | 43°F | 16 |
| 2018 | 44°F | 15 |
| 2019 | 46°F | 13 |
| 2020 | 45°F | 8 |
| 2021 | 42°F | 15 |
| 2022 | 42°F | 16 |
| 2023 | 45°F | 18 |
| 2024 | 43°F | 9 |
| 2025 | 44°F | 5 |
Checked against 4 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 49°F | 44°F | 41°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 14 | 14 |
| Overnight demand | 78% | 71% | 49% |
November: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than December. More overnight demand. November guide →
January: Cooler afternoons 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.
January has fewer overnight stays than December, with a similar or higher Weather score.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 78% 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 | 44°F | 49°F |
| Nights | 34°F | 37°F |
| Rain days | 14 | 10 |
| Visitor season | Busy season | Busy season |
| Overall / 10 | 5.4 | 5.7 |
| Month rank | #11 | #10 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.2 | #12 | 41°F | 30°F | 14 | 4.2 | Moderate season |
| February | 5.9 | #9 | 44°F | 30°F | 10 | 4.9 | Busy season |
| March | 6.0 | #8 | 52°F | 33°F | 9 | 5.9 | Busy season |
| April | 6.5 | #5 | 60°F | 39°F | 6 | 7.4 | Busy season |
| May | 6.4 | #6 | 68°F | 47°F | 7 | 8.4 | Peak season |
| June | 6.8 | #3 | 76°F | 54°F | 9 | 9.0 | Peak season |
| July | 7.1 | #1 | 78°F | 57°F | 9 | 8.7 | Peak season |
| August | 6.8 | #4 | 79°F | 57°F | 8 | 8.8 | Peak season |
| September | 7.0 | #2 | 71°F | 50°F | 7 | 8.9 | Peak season |
| October | 6.1 | #7 | 60°F | 44°F | 9 | 7.0 | Peak season |
| November | 5.7 | #10 | 49°F | 37°F | 10 | 5.3 | Busy season |
| December | 5.4 | #11 | 44°F | 34°F | 14 | 4.4 | Busy season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
Chemnitz & the Ore MountainsSaxony · Germany · about 40 miles
Balanced Overall 5.1 · Fair weather, 41°F (5°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Saxony-AnhaltGermany · about 60 miles
Balanced Overall 5.8 · Fair weather, 44°F (7°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
BerlinGermany · about 80 miles
Balanced Overall 5.3 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
PragueCzechia · about 120 miles
Balanced Overall 5.6 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Steady all year · Cost moderate
Mecklenburg-VorpommernBaltic coast · Germany · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 3.0 · Poor weather, 43°F (6°C) · Low season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Leipzig's weather ranks 22 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Leipzig.
Milan, Lake Como & LombardyItaly · about 420 miles
Good weather (5.8): 5°F warmer afternoons, 9 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (moderate season), cheaper
Bologna & Emilia-RomagnaItaly · about 480 miles
Good weather (6.0): 7°F warmer afternoons, 7 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
Rome & LazioItaly · about 650 miles
Good weather (6.6): 13°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
Barcelona & CataloniaSpain · about 850 miles
Very good weather (7.6): 15°F warmer afternoons, 11 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
Basque CountrySpain · about 920 miles
Good weather (5.6): 13°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, quieter for its season (moderate season), cheaper
It's busy season, 71% of the busiest month and 14% below its average month.The figures cover the whole Leipzig region, suburbs included. That means about 11,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 87% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 2,200 more: 19 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 57 |
| How our weather was checked | 4 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.2°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 10 |
| Busiest month here | May · 15 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.0% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 67th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 87% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 19 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.2% |
| National hotel-price season | Germany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.1 million |
| Statistical region | DED5 · Leipzig |
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.