Early December 1 December
43°F
Typical afternoon high
29% historical wet-day frequency
Hungary · City
Budapest
in December.
Is December a good time?
Cold days.
A steady visitor season.
December averages 43°F afternoons, with about 9 rain days.
- Afternoons
- 43°F
- Rain days
- 9
- Visitor demand
- 96%of August peak
Historical Budapest regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day.
Overall match
5.7/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather4.7/10Fair
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostModeratefor Europe
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 9 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.
The sun rises about 07:24 and sets about 15:53 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 30°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 43°F (6°C). Expect rain on about 9 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 29m
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 43°F on the 1st, versus 43°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 29% to 22% between those dates.
Mid December 15 December
42°F
Typical afternoon high
24% historical wet-day frequency
Late December 31 December
43°F
Typical afternoon high
22% 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 Second 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.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 143° | 243° | 343° | 442° | 542° | 642° | |
| 742° | 842° | 942° | 1042° | 1142° | 1242° | 1342° |
| 1442° | 1542° | 1642° | 1742° | 1843° | 1943° | 2043° |
| 2143° | 2243° | 2343° | 2443° | 2543° | 2643° | 2743° |
| 2843° | 2943° | 3043° | 3143° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons hold at about 43°F (6°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 19–30%. Christmas market (Vörösmarty tér): typically 13 November – 31 December 2026.
School-holiday dates for December 2026 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec Second Day of Christmas. 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: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Crowds and cost
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Steady all year. December averages 96% of August's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.
Overnight stays across Budapest do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
About usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024 annual level, adjusted by the 2024–2025 national hotel index): €52 per guest-night. A seasonal estimate, not a booking quote.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
What's on Christmas market (Vörösmarty tér), typically 13 November – 31 December 2026: Budapest's squares are crowded in the evenings. Official site.
Historical hotel average
€52
2024 annual level, adjusted by the 2024–2025 national hotel index; hotel revenue per guest-night; not a current booking quote. 0% vs this region's usual month.
Hungary as a whole
Well below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 72 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
The historical regional amount comes from KSH/Hungarian Tourism Agency: accommodation-fee revenue per tourism night, 2024 (yearly, moved by the national hotel price swing); the country price level is national. Hotel averages are not live booking quotes.
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 38°F (4°C) and 45°F (7°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 43°F (6°C). Rain days ranged from 0 to 12; half the years had 4–10.
Rain days in each December
Rain days
9
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 11 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
4 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
3 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded DecemberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 43°F | 10 |
| 2012 | 38°F | 10 |
| 2013 | 43°F | 0 |
| 2014 | 44°F | 7 |
| 2015 | 44°F | 2 |
| 2016 | 39°F | 1 |
| 2017 | 44°F | 11 |
| 2018 | 41°F | 12 |
| 2019 | 45°F | 10 |
| 2020 | 44°F | 8 |
| 2021 | 41°F | 10 |
| 2022 | 43°F | 8 |
| 2023 | 43°F | 12 |
| 2024 | 43°F | 9 |
| 2025 | 44°F | 4 |
Checked against official climate averages for Budapest Pestszentlorinc. How we check
Compare dates
November, December
or January?
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 50°F | 43°F | 41°F |
| Rain days | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Overnight demand | 85% | 96% | 57% |
November: Warmer afternoons than December. November guide →
January: Similar monthly conditions to December. 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.
Hotel stays vary little through the year. March to October have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December.
Your comparison
December or November?
Overnight stays vary little through the year.
Historical regional hotel revenue (2024 annual level, adjusted by the 2024–2025 national hotel index): €51 per guest-night. A seasonal estimate, not a booking quote.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 43°F | 50°F |
| Nights | 30°F | 36°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 8 |
| Visitor season | Steady all year | Steady all year |
| Overall / 10 | 5.7 | 6.3 |
| Month rank | #12 | #9 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.8 | #11 | 41°F | 27°F | 9 | 4.8 | Steady all year |
| February | 6.2 | #10 | 46°F | 29°F | 6 | 5.2 | Steady all year |
| March | 6.8 | #8 | 55°F | 35°F | 6 | 6.6 | Steady all year |
| April | 7.7 | #4 | 65°F | 43°F | 6 | 8.4 | Steady all year |
| May | 8.0 | #2 | 72°F | 50°F | 9 | 9.0 | Steady all year |
| June | 7.8 | #3 | 82°F | 59°F | 8 | 8.6 | Steady all year |
| July | 7.4 | #7 | 85°F | 62°F | 7 | 8.0 | Steady all year |
| August | 7.5 | #5 | 84°F | 61°F | 6 | 8.3 | Steady all year |
| September | 8.0 | #1 | 75°F | 53°F | 6 | 9.1 | Steady all year |
| October | 7.5 | #6 | 63°F | 44°F | 6 | 7.9 | Steady all year |
| November | 6.3 | #9 | 50°F | 36°F | 8 | 5.6 | Steady all year |
| December | 5.7 | #12 | 43°F | 30°F | 9 | 4.7 | Steady all year |
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.
Around BudapestPest county · Hungary · about 10 miles
Balanced Overall 6.6 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Central TransdanubiaHungary · about 50 miles
Balanced Overall 6.7 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Low season · Cost cheap
ViennaAustria · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 5.4 · Fair weather, 44°F (6°C) · Steady all year · Cost pricey
Lower Austriaabout 160 miles
Balanced Overall 6.3 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Kraków & Lesser Polandabout 170 miles
Balanced Overall 5.6 · Fair weather, 40°F (4°C) · Steady all year · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Better December weather than Budapest
Budapest's weather ranks 14 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Hungary have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Budapest.
Bologna & Emilia-RomagnaItaly · about 440 miles
Good weather (6.0): 9°F warmer afternoons, pricier
Milan, Lake Como & LombardyItaly · about 460 miles
Good weather (5.8): 6°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days
Rome & LazioItaly · about 490 miles
Good weather (6.6): 15°F warmer afternoons
Athens & AtticaGreece · about 700 miles
Very good weather (7.4): 17°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days
Barcelona & CataloniaSpain · about 950 miles
Very good weather (7.6): 16°F warmer afternoons, 5 fewer rain days
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 96% of the busiest and 15% above average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are.The figures cover the whole Budapest region, suburbs included. That means about 35,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 14% of them from Hungary itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 30,000 more: 84 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 58 |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Budapest Pestszentlorinc from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 21 |
| Busiest month here | August · 22 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 2.1% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 90th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 14% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 84 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 3.7% |
| Population used | 1.7 million |
| Statistical region | HU11 · Budapest |
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; the first figure is regional (KSH/Hungarian Tourism Agency: accommodation-fee revenue per tourism night, 2024 (yearly, moved by the national hotel price swing)). Full method · this region's data.