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Where to go in December / Greece in December / Peloponnese / December

Greece · Beach

Peloponnese
in December.

Illustration of Dense Vathia tower settlement in the Inner Mani
Vathia, ManiDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Similar overnight stays to November.

December averages 59°F afternoons and 65°F seas, with about 9 rain days. Later December is typically cooler.

Afternoons
59°F
Sea
65°F
Visitor demand
10%of August peak

Historical Peloponnisos regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Nafplio, Mani and Monemvasia; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.0/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#10 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.3/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostCheapfor 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 59°F (15°C): a sweater and a light jacket. Bring rain gear: about 9 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 10 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in December?

The sea averages 65°F. Our swimming guide: fresh: fine once you are in. 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 10 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:37Sunset 17:1459°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:37 and sets about 17:14 (local time, mid-month). Afternoons reach about 59°F (15°C). Expect rain on about 9 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
59°F (15°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
65°F (19°C)
fresh; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 37m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late December?

Early December is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 62°F on the 1st, versus 57°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 36% to 27% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

62°F

Typical afternoon high

36% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

59°F

Typical afternoon high

27% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

57°F

Typical afternoon high

27% 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
162°261°361°461°561°661°
760°860°960°1060°1160°1260°1359°
1459°1559°1659°1759°1859°1959°2058°
2158°2258°2358°2457°2557°2657°2757°
2857°2957°3057°3157°

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

Afternoons cool from about 61°F (16°C) in the first week to 57°F (14°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 22–38%. 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 10% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.

Overnight stays across Peloponnisos 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?

A little below 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 54°F (12°C) and 63°F (17°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 59°F (15°C). Rain days ranged from 3 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: 7 rain days72014: 13 rain days132015: 3 rain days32016: 4 rain days42017: 9 rain days92018: 9 rain days92019: 8 rain days82020: 13 rain days132021: 12 rain days122022: 5 rain days52023: 8 rain days82024: 14 rain days142025: 7 rain days72025
Rain days
9
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
9 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
201158°F10
201258°F11
201356°F7
201460°F13
201559°F3
201654°F4
201758°F9
201857°F9
201960°F8
202061°F13
202158°F12
202263°F5
202362°F8
202459°F14
202561°F7

Checked against official climate averages for Kalamata. 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
Afternoons66°F59°F56°F
Sea70°F65°F62°F
Rain days899
Overnight demand11%10%8%

November: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than December. November guide →

January: Cooler afternoons and cooler sea than December. Less overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. 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.

November 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 11% of the busiest month.

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
Afternoons59°F66°F
Nights——
Sea65°F70°F
Rain days98
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 106.07.1
Month rank#10#9
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.2#1256°F—62°F93.5Off season
February5.7#1159°F—60°F84.1Off season
March7.2#863°F—60°F75.8Low season
April8.0#571°F—62°F38.3Low season
May8.9#179°F—66°F310.0Moderate season
June8.4#387°F—73°F210.0Moderate season
July7.8#693°F—78°F19.7Busy season
August7.5#793°F—80°F19.9Peak season
September8.4#485°F—78°F210.0Moderate season
October8.7#275°F—74°F39.3Low season
November7.1#966°F—70°F86.3Low season
December6.0#1059°F—65°F94.3Low 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 Peloponnese

Peloponnese's weather ranks 22 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Greece have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Peloponnese.

All of Greece in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's low season, 10% of the busiest month and 73% below its average month. That means about 4,500 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 76% of them from Greece itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 2,000 more: 45 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)56
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Kalamata from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.2°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 · 85
Visitors as share of people present0.8%
Rank among Europe's regions this month55th percentile
Domestic share of nights76%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights45
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.2%
National hotel-price seasonGreece historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−9% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used529,000
Statistical regionEL65 · Peloponnisos

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.