Early December 1 December
45°F
Typical afternoon high
34% historical wet-day frequency
Romania · Countryside
Is December a good time?
December averages 45°F afternoons, with about 8 rain days.
Historical Sud-Vest Oltenia regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Craiova; conditions vary within the region.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#9 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your December
Afternoons around 45°F (7°C): a warm coat; nights around 30°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. About 9 hours of daylight. About 8 rain days in a typical December.
The sun rises about 07:55 and sets about 16:46 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 30°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 45°F (7°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical December.
Early, middle or late?
Early and late December have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 45°F on the 1st, versus 45°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 34% to 19% between those dates.
45°F
Typical afternoon high
34% historical wet-day frequency
45°F
Typical afternoon high
24% historical wet-day frequency
45°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: 1 Dec National Day of Romania; 25 Dec First Christmas Day; 26 Dec Second Christmas Day.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 145° | 245° | 345° | 445° | 545° | 645° | |
| 745° | 845° | 945° | 1045° | 1145° | 1245° | 1345° |
| 1445° | 1545° | 1645° | 1745° | 1845° | 1945° | 2045° |
| 2145° | 2245° | 2345° | 2445° | 2545° | 2645° | 2745° |
| 2845° | 2945° | 3045° | 3145° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons hold at about 45°F (7°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 14–35%.
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: 1 Dec National Day of Romania; 25 Dec First Christmas Day; 26 Dec Second Christmas Day. 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.)
Visitor season
Moderate season. December averages 47% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than November.
Overnight stays across Sud-Vest Oltenia do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter than most of Europe this month.
Hotel price season
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.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 39°F (4°C) and 49°F (10°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 45°F (7°C). Rain days ranged from 0 to 14; half the years had 4–11.
Rain days in each December
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 47°F | 7 |
| 2012 | 39°F | 11 |
| 2013 | 43°F | 0 |
| 2014 | 43°F | 14 |
| 2015 | 49°F | 2 |
| 2016 | 42°F | 1 |
| 2017 | 47°F | 8 |
| 2018 | 40°F | 8 |
| 2019 | 48°F | 4 |
| 2020 | 45°F | 12 |
| 2021 | 44°F | 12 |
| 2022 | 45°F | 11 |
| 2023 | 49°F | 6 |
| 2024 | 46°F | 10 |
| 2025 | 46°F | 4 |
Checked against official climate averages for Craiova. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 52°F | 45°F | 42°F |
| Rain days | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| Overnight demand | 59% | 47% | 43% |
November: Warmer afternoons than December. More overnight demand. November guide →
January: Cooler afternoons than December. January guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. December stays as your reference.
March to April have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than December, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 59% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 45°F | 52°F |
| Nights | 30°F | 38°F |
| Rain days | 8 | 7 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 7.1 | 7.0 |
| Month rank | #9 | #11 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.0 | #12 | 42°F | 26°F | 7 | 5.0 | Moderate season |
| February | 7.3 | #8 | 47°F | 29°F | 6 | 5.5 | Moderate season |
| March | 8.0 | #5 | 56°F | 36°F | 9 | 6.5 | Moderate season |
| April | 8.8 | #1 | 66°F | 44°F | 7 | 8.3 | Moderate season |
| May | 8.7 | #2 | 74°F | 51°F | 10 | 9.0 | Moderate season |
| June | 7.8 | #6 | 83°F | 60°F | 9 | 8.1 | Busy season |
| July | 7.3 | #7 | 88°F | 64°F | 5 | 7.7 | Peak season |
| August | 7.0 | #10 | 87°F | 63°F | 4 | 8.1 | Peak season |
| September | 8.3 | #3 | 78°F | 56°F | 4 | 9.4 | Busy season |
| October | 8.1 | #4 | 65°F | 45°F | 6 | 8.4 | Busy season |
| November | 7.0 | #11 | 52°F | 38°F | 7 | 5.7 | Moderate season |
| December | 7.1 | #9 | 45°F | 30°F | 8 | 5.1 | Moderate season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
Northwest Bulgariaabout 80 miles
Balanced Overall 7.2 · Good weather, 46°F (8°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Southern MunteniaRomania · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 6.3 · Good weather, 44°F (7°C) · Steady all year · Cost cheap
Brașov, Sibiu & central TransylvaniaRomania · about 120 miles
Balanced Overall 6.5 · Fair weather, 41°F (5°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Sofia & the southwestBulgaria · about 160 miles
Balanced Overall 6.7 · Good weather, 46°F (8°C) · Steady all year · Cost cheap
Šumadija & western Serbiaabout 170 miles
Balanced Overall 7.1 · Good weather, 46°F (8°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Elsewhere in Europe
Oltenia's weather ranks 22 of 117 countryside regions this month. These countryside regions outside Romania have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Oltenia.
Tirana & central Albaniaabout 300 miles
Good weather (6.3): 11°F warmer afternoons, 3 more rain days, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
Castilla-La ManchaSpain · about 1400 miles
Good weather (6.7): 10°F warmer afternoons, 3 fewer rain days
ExtremaduraSpain · about 1570 miles
Very good weather (7.1): 14°F warmer afternoons, 2 fewer rain days
AlentejoPortugal · about 1680 miles
Very good weather (7.6): 16°F warmer afternoons, quieter for its season (low season)
It's moderate season, 47% of the busiest month and 23% below its average month. That means about 4,700 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 91% of them from Romania itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,500 more: 31 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 61 |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Craiova from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.8°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 3 |
| Busiest month here | August · 5 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 0.3% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 6th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 91% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 31 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 0.3% |
| National hotel-price season | Romania historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.8 million |
| Statistical region | RO41 · Sud-Vest Oltenia |
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.