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Where to go in December / Greece in December / Western Greece / December

Greece · Beach

Western Greece
in December.

Illustration of Messolonghi salt pans and lagoon at twilight
Messolonghi lagoon and salt pansDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than November.

December averages 59°F afternoons and 65°F seas, with about 11 rain days. Later December is typically cooler.

Afternoons
59°F
Sea
65°F
Visitor demand
17%of August peak

Historical Dytiki Elláda regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Patras and Olympia; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.6/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather3.6/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of 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 59°F (15°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 45°F (7°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 11 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 07:43Sunset 17:1545°F59°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:43 and sets about 17:15 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 45°F (7°C); afternoons reach about 59°F (15°C). Expect rain on about 11 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
59°F (15°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
45°F (7°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
65°F (18°C)
fresh; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 31m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late December?

Early December is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 61°F on the 1st, versus 57°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 45% to 30% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

61°F

Typical afternoon high

45% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

59°F

Typical afternoon high

34% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

57°F

Typical afternoon high

30% 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
161°261°361°461°561°660°
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 26–48%. 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 17% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than November.

Overnight stays across Dytiki Elláda do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter than most of 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 55°F (13°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 2 to 17; half the years had 8–15.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 15 rain days1520112012: 17 rain days172013: 5 rain days52014: 14 rain days142015: 2 rain days22016: 4 rain days42017: 16 rain days162018: 11 rain days112019: 10 rain days102020: 14 rain days142021: 14 rain days142022: 9 rain days92023: 9 rain days92024: 15 rain days152025: 8 rain days82025
Rain days
11
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 16 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
6 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
6 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°F15
201256°F17
201358°F5
201460°F14
201560°F2
201655°F4
201757°F16
201857°F11
201960°F10
202061°F14
202157°F14
202263°F9
202362°F9
202459°F15
202561°F8

Checked against official climate averages for Araxos. 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 days111111
Overnight demand26%17%13%

November: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than December. More overnight demand. 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 November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

December or November?

Overnight stays are 26% 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
Afternoons59°F66°F
Nights45°F52°F
Sea65°F70°F
Rain days1111
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 105.67.0
Month rank#11#8
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January4.6#1256°F42°F62°F112.6Low season
February5.6#1059°F43°F60°F93.6Low season
March6.9#964°F46°F60°F105.3Low season
April7.9#571°F50°F62°F57.9Low season
May8.6#178°F57°F66°F59.5Moderate season
June8.3#287°F65°F73°F310.0Busy season
July7.6#694°F69°F78°F19.5Busy season
August7.4#794°F70°F80°F29.5Peak season
September8.3#385°F65°F78°F410.0Busy season
October8.3#475°F57°F74°F58.8Moderate season
November7.0#866°F52°F70°F115.7Low season
December5.6#1159°F45°F65°F113.6Low 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 Western Greece

Western Greece's weather ranks 27 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Greece have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Western Greece.

All of Greece in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's low season, 17% of the busiest month and 62% below its average month. That means about 2,500 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 88% of them from Greece itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 840 more: 33 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)53
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Araxos from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.0°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day4
Busiest month hereAugust · 24
Visitors as share of people present0.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month19th percentile
Domestic share of nights88%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights33
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.5%
National hotel-price seasonGreece historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−9% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used636,000
Statistical regionEL63 · Dytiki Elláda

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.