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Where to go in December / Italy in December / Tuscany / December

Italy · Countryside

Tuscany
in December.

Illustration of Val d’Orcia-style rolling hills, farmhouse and cypress lane
Val d’Orcia, TuscanyDestination view, not month-specific.

Is December a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than November.

December averages 54°F afternoons and 62°F seas, with about 10 rain days.

Afternoons
54°F
Sea
62°F
Visitor demand
17%of August peak

Historical Toscana regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Florence, Siena, Pisa, Chianti and Lucca; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

7.2/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather5.9/10Good
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
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 54°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 40°F (4°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 10 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 9 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in December?

The sea averages 62°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. 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 9 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:41Sunset 16:4040°F54°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:41 and sets about 16:40 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 40°F (4°C); afternoons reach about 54°F (12°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical December.

Typical afternoon
54°F (12°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
40°F (4°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
62°F (16°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
8h 59m
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 55°F on the 1st, versus 54°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 36% to 30% between those dates.

Early December 1 December

55°F

Typical afternoon high

36% historical wet-day frequency

Mid December 15 December

54°F

Typical afternoon high

32% historical wet-day frequency

Late December 31 December

54°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: 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
155°255°355°454°554°654°
754°854°954°1054°1154°1254°1354°
1454°1554°1654°1754°1855°1955°2055°
2155°2255°2354°2454°2554°2654°2754°
2854°2954°3054°3154°

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

Afternoons hold at about 54°F (12°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 24–38%. Local schools are out 24–31 December 2026.

Schools here are off 24–31 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 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 Toscana do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

Well 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.

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 51°F (11°C) and 56°F (14°C); in 13 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 54°F (12°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 18; half the years had 8–12.

Rain days in each December

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 11 rain days1120112012: 11 rain days112013: 5 rain days52014: 8 rain days82015: 2 rain days22016: 2 rain days22017: 12 rain days122018: 10 rain days102019: 9 rain days92020: 18 rain days182021: 12 rain days122022: 18 rain days182023: 10 rain days102024: 9 rain days92025: 9 rain days92025
Rain days
10
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 16 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
14 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
201154°F11
201251°F11
201354°F5
201454°F8
201556°F2
201655°F2
201752°F12
201854°F10
201956°F9
202053°F18
202154°F12
202256°F18
202356°F10
202453°F9
202556°F9

Checked against official climate averages for Firenze Peretola. 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
Afternoons60°F54°F52°F
Sea66°F62°F59°F
Rain days121010
Overnight demand19%17%14%

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

Your comparison

December or November?

Overnight stays are 19% 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
Afternoons54°F60°F
Nights40°F46°F
Sea62°F66°F
Rain days1012
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 107.27.4
Month rank#8#6
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January7.2#952°F38°F59°F105.6Low season
February7.3#755°F39°F58°F105.8Low season
March7.7#461°F42°F57°F97.0Low season
April8.0#367°F47°F60°F88.6Moderate season
May8.0#273°F53°F65°F79.4Moderate season
June7.1#1083°F61°F72°F58.7Busy season
July6.2#1188°F66°F78°F27.7Peak season
August5.8#1288°F66°F79°F47.4Peak season
September7.4#579°F60°F75°F69.0Busy season
October8.1#170°F53°F71°F99.0Moderate season
November7.4#660°F46°F66°F126.5Low season
December7.2#854°F40°F62°F105.9Low 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 Tuscany

Tuscany's weather ranks 6 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Italy have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Tuscany.

All of Italy 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 63% below its average month. That means about 52,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 53% of them from Italy itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 21,000 more: 41 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)65
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Firenze Peretola from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.0°C), night lows within 2°F (1.0°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day14
Busiest month hereAugust · 85
Visitors as share of people present1.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month78th percentile
Domestic share of nights53%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights41
Visitor share if every platform night were extra2.0%
Regional hotel-price seasonWell below usual (−11% 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 used3.7 million
Statistical regionITI1 · Toscana

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.