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Where to go in December / Italy in December / Milan, Lake Como & Lombardy / December

Italy · City

Milan, Lake Como & Lombardy
in December.

Illustration of Lake Como from the Bellagio shore
Lake Como from BellagioDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Similar overnight stays to November.

December averages 49°F afternoons, with about 6 rain days.

Afternoons
49°F
Rain days
6
Visitor demand
47%of August peak

Historical Lombardia regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Milan, Lake Como and Bergamo; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.8/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.8/10Good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostModeratefor Europe; Italy-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 49°F (9°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 34°F (1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. About 9 hours of daylight. About 6 rain days in a typical December.

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

About 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:54Sunset 16:3834°F49°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:54 and sets about 16:38 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 34°F (1°C); afternoons reach about 49°F (9°C). Expect rain on about 6 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
49°F (9°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
34°F (1°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 43m
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 50°F on the 1st, versus 48°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 23% to 19% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

50°F

Typical afternoon high

23% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

48°F

Typical afternoon high

18% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

48°F

Typical afternoon high

19% 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: 8 Dec Immaculate Conception; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec St. Stephen's Day.

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
150°250°349°449°549°649°
749°848°948°1048°1148°1248°1348°
1448°1548°1648°1748°1849°1949°2049°
2149°2249°2349°2449°2549°2649°2749°
2849°2949°3049°3148°

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

Afternoons hold at about 49°F (9°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 14–23%. Local schools are out 23–31 December 2026.

Schools here are off 23–31 December 2026 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 8 Dec Immaculate Conception; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec St. Stephen's Day. Elsewhere in December 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 39%, Germany 29%, Spain 32%, Netherlands 42%. (School holidays: official calendar, compiled by Bigfoot Wanders; other countries from OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds, cost and getting there

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. December averages 47% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.

Overnight stays across Lombardia do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

A little below usual. The regional index has no room-rate baseline in euros.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Italy as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 107 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from New York JFK, Newark, Atlanta and Chicago; 2024 schedule, Eurostat

The hotel-season index is regional (ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region); the country price level is national. Neither is a room quote.

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 45°F (7°C) and 51°F (11°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 49°F (9°C). Rain days ranged from 0 to 12; half the years had 3–7.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 3 rain days320112012: 6 rain days62013: 7 rain days72014: 9 rain days92015: 0 rain days02016: 1 rain days12017: 6 rain days62018: 2 rain days22019: 9 rain days92020: 12 rain days122021: 3 rain days32022: 7 rain days72023: 6 rain days62024: 4 rain days42025: 6 rain days62025
Rain days
6
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 9 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
13 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
201148°F3
201245°F6
201349°F7
201450°F9
201551°F0
201650°F1
201746°F6
201849°F2
201950°F9
202046°F12
202148°F3
202248°F7
202351°F6
202449°F4
202551°F6

Checked against official climate averages for Milano Linate. 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
Afternoons55°F49°F48°F
Rain days866
Overnight demand46%47%42%

November: Warmer afternoons and more rain days than December. November guide →

January: 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 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 46% of the busiest month.

Historical regional hotel-price season: a little below usual. There is no room-rate baseline in euros.

Read the November guide →
December compared with another month
Typical conditionsDecemberNovember
Afternoons49°F55°F
Nights34°F42°F
Rain days68
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 106.86.9
Month rank#8#6
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.7#1048°F32°F65.7Moderate season
February6.8#751°F35°F65.8Moderate season
March7.5#359°F40°F77.0Moderate season
April7.4#467°F47°F88.2Busy season
May7.5#173°F54°F108.6Busy season
June6.7#983°F63°F97.8Busy season
July5.8#1286°F66°F97.1Peak season
August5.9#1186°F66°F87.1Peak season
September7.2#576°F59°F89.0Busy season
October7.5#266°F51°F98.1Busy season
November6.9#655°F42°F85.9Moderate season
December6.8#849°F34°F65.8Moderate 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 Milan, Lake Como & Lombardy

Milan, Lake Como & Lombardy's weather ranks 8 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside Italy have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Milan, Lake Como & Lombardy.

All of Italy in December · Everywhere in December

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

It's moderate season, 47% of the busiest month and 29% below its average month.The figures cover the whole Lombardia region, suburbs included. That means about 99,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 45% of them from Italy itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 35,000 more: 35 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)64
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Milano Linate from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.7°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day10
Busiest month hereAugust · 21
Visitors as share of people present1.0%
Rank among Europe's regions this month62nd percentile
Domestic share of nights45%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights35
Visitor share if every platform night were extra1.3%
Regional hotel-price seasonA little below usual (−9% vs this region's average month). Historical index from ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region; no euro room-rate baseline.
Population used10.0 million
Statistical regionITC4 · Lombardia

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 (ISTAT, NIC consumer price index for accommodation services (ECOICOP 112), by region). Full method · this region's data.