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Where to go in December / Germany in December / Munich & Upper Bavaria / December

Germany · Countryside

Munich & Upper Bavaria
in December.

Illustration of St Bartholomä and the Watzmann from Königssee
Königssee, Upper BavariaDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
More overnight stays than November.

December averages 43°F afternoons, with about 13 rain days.

Afternoons
43°F
Rain days
13
Visitor demand
59.5%of August peak

Historical Oberbayern regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Berchtesgaden; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.8/10 · scores & priorities

This rating uses regional sightseeing weather. For an Alpine day trip, check conditions on your intended route; this rating does not assess snow or ski conditions.

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.4/10Fair
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, one of Europe's busiest 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 43°F (6°C): a warm coat; nights around 30°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 13 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 07:56Sunset 16:2030°F43°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:56 and sets about 16:20 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 30°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 43°F (6°C). Expect rain on about 13 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
43°F (6°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
30°F (−1°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 42°F on the 1st, versus 43°F on the 31st.

Early December 1 December

42°F

Typical afternoon high

40% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

43°F

Typical afternoon high

42% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

43°F

Typical afternoon high

43% 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
142°242°342°442°542°642°
742°842°942°1042°1142°1242°1343°
1443°1543°1643°1743°1844°1944°2044°
2144°2244°2344°2444°2544°2644°2744°
2844°2944°3043°3143°

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

Afternoons warm from about 42°F (5°C) in the first week to 44°F (6°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 37–45%. 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, cost and getting there

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. December averages 59.5% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than November.

Overnight stays across Oberbayern do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, one of Europe's busiest 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.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from Chicago, Newark, Charlotte and San Francisco and 9 more; 2024 schedule, Eurostat

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 40°F (4°C) and 49°F (10°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 43°F (6°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 18; half the years had 6–18.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 18 rain days1820112012: 17 rain days172013: 5 rain days52014: 18 rain days182015: 6 rain days62016: 4 rain days42017: 17 rain days172018: 18 rain days182019: 13 rain days132020: 11 rain days112021: 18 rain days182022: 12 rain days122023: 17 rain days172024: 12 rain days122025: 5 rain days52025
Rain days
13
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 18 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
201143°F18
201240°F17
201344°F5
201442°F18
201549°F6
201642°F4
201740°F17
201842°F18
201945°F13
202042°F11
202142°F18
202242°F12
202344°F17
202442°F12
202544°F5

Checked against 26 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
Afternoons49°F43°F41°F
Rain days91313
Overnight demand53%59.5%46%

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

January: Cooler afternoons 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 April have 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 53% 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
Afternoons43°F49°F
Nights30°F34°F
Rain days139
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 105.86.4
Month rank#12#9
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.0#1141°F28°F134.0Moderate season
February6.3#1045°F28°F94.9Moderate season
March6.9#453°F32°F106.0Moderate season
April7.1#160°F39°F107.1Busy season
May6.9#366°F46°F147.4Busy season
June7.0#275°F54°F128.3Busy season
July6.6#677°F56°F138.4Peak season
August6.4#877°F56°F118.2Peak season
September6.8#569°F49°F108.1Busy season
October6.5#760°F42°F106.8Busy season
November6.4#949°F34°F95.1Moderate season
December5.8#1243°F30°F134.4Moderate 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 Munich & Upper Bavaria

Munich & Upper Bavaria's weather ranks 53 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Germany have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Munich & Upper Bavaria.

All of Germany in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's moderate season, 59.5% of the busiest month and 15% below its average month. That means about 101,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 64% of them from Germany itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 10,000 more: 10 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)57
How our weather was checked26 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.1°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day21
Busiest month hereAugust · 36
Visitors as share of people present2.1%
Rank among Europe's regions this month90th percentile
Domestic share of nights64%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights10
Visitor share if every platform night were extra2.3%
National hotel-price seasonGermany historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used4.8 million
Statistical regionDE21 · Oberbayern

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.