Early December 1 December
40°F
Typical afternoon high
32% historical wet-day frequency
Poland · Countryside
Kraków & Lesser Poland
in December.
Is December a good time?
Cold days.
A steady visitor season.
December averages 40°F afternoons, with about 10 rain days.
- Afternoons
- 40°F
- Rain days
- 10
- Visitor demand
- 67%of August peak
Historical Małopolskie regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Kraków, Zakopane and Wieliczka; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
5.6/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather4.3/10Fair
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
CostModeratefor Europe; Poland-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 40°F (4°C): a warm coat; nights around 29°F (−2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 10 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 07:30 and sets about 15:38 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 29°F (−2°C); afternoons reach about 40°F (4°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical December.
Typical afternoon
40°F (4°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
29°F (−2°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 08m
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 40°F on the 1st, versus 40°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 32% to 39% between those dates.
Mid December 15 December
40°F
Typical afternoon high
31% historical wet-day frequency
Late December 31 December
40°F
Typical afternoon high
39% 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: 24 Dec Christmas Eve; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 140° | 240° | 339° | 439° | 539° | 639° | |
| 739° | 839° | 940° | 1040° | 1140° | 1240° | 1340° |
| 1440° | 1540° | 1640° | 1740° | 1840° | 1940° | 2041° |
| 2141° | 2241° | 2341° | 2441° | 2541° | 2641° | 2741° |
| 2841° | 2940° | 3040° | 3140° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons hold at about 40°F (4°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 30–41%. Christmas market: typically 27 November 2026 – 6 January 2027.
No school holidays here in December 2026. Public holidays: 24 Dec Christmas Eve; 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec 2nd 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 67% of August's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.
Overnight stays across Małopolskie 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?
A little above 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.
What's on Christmas market, typically 27 November 2026 – 6 January 2027: Kraków's Main Square is crowded in the evenings. Official site.
Poland as a whole
Below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 92 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 34°F (1°C) and 46°F (8°C); in 11 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 40°F (4°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 20; half the years had 8–14.
Rain days in each December
Rain days
10
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 14 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
2 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
2 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 | 42°F | 11 |
| 2012 | 34°F | 10 |
| 2013 | 42°F | 3 |
| 2014 | 39°F | 10 |
| 2015 | 46°F | 7 |
| 2016 | 38°F | 13 |
| 2017 | 40°F | 14 |
| 2018 | 39°F | 20 |
| 2019 | 43°F | 10 |
| 2020 | 42°F | 8 |
| 2021 | 36°F | 14 |
| 2022 | 38°F | 14 |
| 2023 | 40°F | 13 |
| 2024 | 41°F | 9 |
| 2025 | 41°F | 4 |
Checked against official climate averages for Krakow-Balice. How we check
Compare dates
November, December
or January?
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 47°F | 40°F | 37°F |
| Rain days | 9 | 10 | 12 |
| Overnight demand | 57% | 67% | 59% |
November: Warmer afternoons than December. November guide →
January: Cooler afternoons and more rain days than 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.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 40°F | 47°F |
| Nights | 29°F | 34°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 9 |
| Visitor season | Steady all year | Steady all year |
| Overall / 10 | 5.6 | 6.0 |
| Month rank | #11 | #9 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.5 | #12 | 37°F | 25°F | 12 | 4.0 | Steady all year |
| February | 5.7 | #10 | 41°F | 26°F | 10 | 4.4 | Steady all year |
| March | 6.4 | #8 | 50°F | 31°F | 9 | 5.7 | Steady all year |
| April | 7.0 | #6 | 59°F | 39°F | 10 | 6.9 | Steady all year |
| May | 7.4 | #5 | 67°F | 46°F | 12 | 7.9 | Steady all year |
| June | 7.8 | #1 | 75°F | 55°F | 9 | 8.7 | Steady all year |
| July | 7.7 | #3 | 77°F | 57°F | 12 | 8.3 | Steady all year |
| August | 7.8 | #2 | 78°F | 56°F | 9 | 8.6 | Steady all year |
| September | 7.6 | #4 | 69°F | 50°F | 9 | 8.3 | Steady all year |
| October | 6.8 | #7 | 58°F | 42°F | 8 | 6.7 | Steady all year |
| November | 6.0 | #9 | 47°F | 34°F | 9 | 5.1 | Steady all year |
| December | 5.6 | #11 | 40°F | 29°F | 10 | 4.3 | 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.
SilesiaPoland · about 70 miles
Balanced Overall 5.5 · Fair weather, 40°F (5°C) · Steady all year · Cost moderate
Holy CrossŚwiętokrzyskie · Poland · about 70 miles
Balanced Overall 5.5 · Fair weather, 39°F (4°C) · Steady all year · Cost moderate
Central Slovakiaabout 80 miles
Balanced Overall 6.1 · Fair weather, 39°F (4°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
WarsawPoland · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 5.0 · Fair weather, 39°F (4°C) · Steady all year · Cost moderate
BudapestHungary · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 5.7 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Steady all year · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Better December weather than Kraków & Lesser Poland
Kraków & Lesser Poland's weather ranks 55 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Poland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Kraków & Lesser Poland.
Northwest Bulgariaabout 480 miles
Good weather (5.4): 6°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, cheaper
Veliko Tarnovo & north-central Bulgariaabout 520 miles
Good weather (5.3): 6°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days, cheaper
North Macedoniaabout 570 miles
Good weather (5.5): 8°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, cheaper
Plovdiv & south-central Bulgariaabout 590 miles
Good weather (5.7): 9°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days, cheaper
UmbriaItaly · about 600 miles
Good weather (6.0): 13°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 67% of the busiest and about average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are. That means about 43,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 61% of them from Poland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 33,000 more: 76 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 57 |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Krakow-Balice from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 2°F (0.8°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 13 |
| Busiest month here | August · 19 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.3% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 76th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 61% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 76 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 2.2% |
| National hotel-price season | Poland historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+1% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 3.3 million |
| Statistical region | PL21 · Małopolskie |
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.