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Where to go in December / Greece in December / Meteora, Pelion & the Sporades / December

Greece · Beach

Meteora, Pelion & the Sporades
in December.

Illustration of Geology-dominant Meteora panorama above Kastraki
Meteora above KastrakiDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
More overnight stays than November.

December averages 55°F afternoons and 61°F seas, with about 8 rain days. Later December is typically cooler.

Afternoons
55°F
Sea
61°F
Visitor demand
18%of August peak

Historical Thessalia regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Meteora, Pelion, Skiathos and Skopelos; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.0/10 · scores & priorities

Planning to sightsee in Meteora? The weather score rates beach conditions. Sightseeing rates good (6.3/10).

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather3.0/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostModeratefor Europe; Greece-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 55°F (13°C): a sweater and a light jacket. About 9 hours of daylight. About 8 rain days in a typical December.

Can I swim in December?

The sea averages 61°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

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

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:44Sunset 17:0855°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:44 and sets about 17:08 (local time, mid-month). Afternoons reach about 55°F (13°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
55°F (13°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
—
not shown here: our correction of the model data isn't accurate enough for night lows in this region
Sea
61°F (16°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 24m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late December?

Early December is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 58°F on the 1st, versus 54°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 38% to 25% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

58°F

Typical afternoon high

38% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

55°F

Typical afternoon high

28% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

54°F

Typical afternoon high

25% 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 Glorifying Mother of God.

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
158°258°358°457°557°657°
757°857°957°1056°1156°1256°1356°
1456°1555°1655°1755°1855°1955°2055°
2155°2255°2354°2454°2554°2654°2754°
2854°2954°3054°3154°

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

Afternoons cool from about 57°F (14°C) in the first week to 54°F (12°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 23–40%. Local schools are out 24–31 December 2026.

Schools here are off 24–31 December 2026 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec Glorifying Mother of God. Elsewhere in December 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 39%, Germany 29%, Italy 35%, Spain 32%. (School holidays: official calendar, compiled by Bigfoot Wanders; other countries from OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Low season. December averages 18% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than November.

Overnight stays across Thessalia do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for 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.

Greece as a whole
Below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 86 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 51°F (10°C) and 60°F (15°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 55°F (13°C). Rain days ranged from 5 to 14; half the years had 7–12.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 10 rain days1020112012: 11 rain days112013: 8 rain days82014: 13 rain days132015: 5 rain days52016: 7 rain days72017: 8 rain days82018: 6 rain days62019: 8 rain days82020: 14 rain days142021: 9 rain days92022: 7 rain days72023: 7 rain days72024: 14 rain days142025: 12 rain days122025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 13 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
8 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
5 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
201155°F10
201253°F11
201353°F8
201456°F13
201556°F5
201651°F7
201756°F8
201853°F6
201956°F8
202058°F14
202155°F9
202260°F7
202359°F7
202455°F14
202557°F12

Checked against official climate averages for Larissa. 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
Afternoons63°F55°F53°F
Sea66°F61°F59°F
Rain days988
Overnight demand9.9%18%11%

November: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than December. Less overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. November guide →

January: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than December. Less overnight demand. January guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

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 and October to November 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 9.9% of the busiest month; check seasonal openings.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the November guide →
December compared with another month
Typical conditionsDecemberNovember
Afternoons55°F63°F
Nights——
Sea61°F66°F
Rain days89
Visitor seasonLow seasonOff season
Overall / 105.06.3
Month rank#11#9
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January4.7#1253°F—59°F82.7Low season
February5.0#1056°F—58°F93.0Low season
March6.8#862°F—58°F94.9Low season
April8.0#570°F—60°F57.6Low season
May8.7#179°F—66°F59.3Low season
June8.4#388°F—74°F410.0Moderate season
July7.6#693°F—79°F29.8Peak season
August7.5#792°F—80°F210.0Peak season
September8.5#283°F—77°F49.8Moderate season
October8.4#472°F—71°F48.0Low season
November6.3#963°F—66°F95.0Off season
December5.0#1155°F—61°F83.0Low 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 Meteora, Pelion & the Sporades

Meteora, Pelion & the Sporades' weather ranks 35 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Greece have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Meteora, Pelion & the Sporades.

All of Greece in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's low season, 18% of the busiest month and 48% below its average month. That means about 6,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 91% of them from Greece itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 2,800 more: 47 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)50
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Larissa from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.7°C), night lows off by more than 4°F (2°C), so not shown.
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day9
Busiest month hereAugust · 48
Visitors as share of people present0.9%
Rank among Europe's regions this month57th percentile
Domestic share of nights91%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights47
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.3%
National hotel-price seasonGreece historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−9% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used676,000
Statistical regionEL61 · Thessalia

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.