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Where to go in December / Italy in December / South Tyrol & the Dolomites / December

Italy · Mountains

South Tyrol & the Dolomites
in December.

Illustration of Val Gardena Dolomite meadow landscape
Val Gardena and the DolomitesDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cold days.
More overnight stays than November.

December averages 43°F afternoons, with about 6 rain days.

Afternoons
43°F
Rain days
6
Visitor demand
47%of August peak

Historical Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Bolzano, Val Gardena and Merano; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.1/10 · scores & priorities

This weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#10 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.3/10Good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, one of Europe's busiest this month
CostPriceyfor 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 43°F (6°C): a warm coat; nights around 27°F (−3°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 07:52Sunset 16:2727°F43°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:52 and sets about 16:27 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 27°F (−3°C); afternoons reach about 43°F (6°C). Expect rain on about 6 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
43°F (6°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
27°F (−3°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 35m
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 45°F on the 1st, versus 43°F on the 31st.

Early December 1 December

45°F

Typical afternoon high

20% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

43°F

Typical afternoon high

17% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

43°F

Typical afternoon high

20% 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
145°244°344°444°544°643°
743°843°943°1043°1143°1243°1343°
1443°1543°1643°1744°1844°1944°2044°
2144°2244°2344°2444°2544°2644°2744°
2844°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 15–21%. Local schools are out 5–31 December 2026.

Schools here are off 5–31 December 2026 (bridge day (immacolata) and 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 and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

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

Overnight stays across Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, one of Europe's busiest 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.

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.

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 (3°C) and 52°F (11°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 43°F (6°C). Rain days ranged from 0 to 11; half the years had 4–8.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 7 rain days720112012: 6 rain days62013: 6 rain days62014: 8 rain days82015: 0 rain days02016: 0 rain days02017: 8 rain days82018: 4 rain days42019: 8 rain days82020: 11 rain days112021: 5 rain days52022: 7 rain days72023: 7 rain days72024: 4 rain days42025: 2 rain days22025
Rain days
6
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 8 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
9 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
201142°F7
201238°F6
201345°F6
201444°F8
201552°F0
201649°F0
201739°F8
201843°F4
201942°F8
202039°F11
202141°F5
202243°F7
202344°F7
202445°F4
202546°F2

Checked against official climate averages for Bolzano. 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
Afternoons51°F43°F42°F
Rain days867
Overnight demand13%47%54%

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

January: Cooler afternoons than December. More 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 to May and October 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 13% 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
Afternoons43°F51°F
Nights27°F34°F
Rain days68
Visitor seasonModerate seasonLow season
Overall / 106.17.0
Month rank#10#5
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.8#1242°F24°F75.0Moderate season
February5.9#1147°F27°F55.4Busy season
March6.8#855°F33°F56.3Moderate season
April7.5#262°F39°F77.2Low season
May7.5#169°F45°F97.6Low season
June7.4#378°F53°F88.3Moderate season
July6.8#781°F55°F98.3Peak season
August6.5#980°F55°F98.3Peak season
September7.3#472°F49°F78.7Busy season
October6.9#662°F43°F87.0Moderate season
November7.0#551°F34°F85.5Low season
December6.1#1043°F27°F65.3Moderate 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

Same dates, elsewhere in Europe

South Tyrol & the Dolomites' weather ranks 7 of 28 mountain regions this month. We found no mountain regions outside Italy with a weather score at least 1.0 point higher on these dates.

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 11% below its average month. That means about 92,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 43% of them from Italy itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 6,600 more: 7 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)61
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Bolzano from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 2°F (1.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day171
Busiest month hereAugust · 365
Visitors as share of people present14.6%
Rank among Europe's regions this month100th percentile
Domestic share of nights43%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights7
Visitor share if every platform night were extra15.5%
National hotel-price seasonItaly historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−9% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used540,000
Statistical regionITH1 · Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen

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.