Early December 1 December
59°F
Typical afternoon high
17% historical wet-day frequency
Spain · City
Barcelona & Catalonia
in December.
Is December a good time?
Cool days.
Similar overnight stays to November.
December averages 59°F afternoons and 60°F seas, with about 4 rain days.
- Afternoons
- 59°F
- Sea
- 60°F
- Visitor demand
- 19%of August peak
Historical Cataluña regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Barcelona, Costa Brava and Girona; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
8.1/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#5 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather7.6/10Very good
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostModeratefor Europe
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 59°F (15°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 43°F (6°C): a warm coat. About 9 hours of daylight. About 4 rain days in a typical December.
Can I swim in December?
The sea averages 60°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.
The sun rises about 08:14 and sets about 17:24 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 43°F (6°C); afternoons reach about 59°F (15°C). Expect rain on about 4 days in a typical December.
Typical afternoon
59°F (15°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
43°F (6°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
60°F (16°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 10m
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 59°F on the 1st, versus 58°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 17% to 8% between those dates.
Mid December 15 December
59°F
Typical afternoon high
15% historical wet-day frequency
Late December 31 December
58°F
Typical afternoon high
8% 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: 6 Dec Constitution Day; 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.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 159° | 259° | 359° | 459° | 559° | 658° | |
| 758° | 859° | 959° | 1059° | 1159° | 1259° | 1359° |
| 1459° | 1559° | 1659° | 1759° | 1859° | 1959° | 2059° |
| 2159° | 2259° | 2359° | 2459° | 2559° | 2659° | 2759° |
| 2859° | 2959° | 3058° | 3158° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons hold at about 59°F (15°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 7–17%. Local schools are out 22–31 December 2026.
Schools here are off 22–31 December 2026 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 6 Dec Constitution Day; 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%, Italy 35%, 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?
Low season. December averages 19% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to November.
Overnight stays across Cataluña do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
Well below usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €115 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
Historical hotel average
€115
2024–2025 monthly average; hotel revenue per occupied room-night; not a current booking quote. −11% vs this region's usual month.
Spain as a whole
Below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 84 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, Miami, Atlanta and Newark and 4 more; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
The historical regional amount comes from INE Spain, EOH/IRSH table 2059: hotel average daily rate per occupied room; the country price level is national. Hotel averages are not live booking quotes.
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 56°F (13°C) and 61°F (16°C); in 15 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 59°F (15°C). Rain days ranged from 0 to 11; half the years had 2–5.
Rain days in each December
Rain days
4
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 7 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
10 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
24 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 | 59°F | 0 |
| 2012 | 58°F | 2 |
| 2013 | 57°F | 4 |
| 2014 | 57°F | 5 |
| 2015 | 61°F | 0 |
| 2016 | 60°F | 4 |
| 2017 | 56°F | 3 |
| 2018 | 60°F | 1 |
| 2019 | 60°F | 4 |
| 2020 | 57°F | 4 |
| 2021 | 59°F | 2 |
| 2022 | 61°F | 8 |
| 2023 | 61°F | 2 |
| 2024 | 59°F | 5 |
| 2025 | 59°F | 11 |
Checked against 79 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
November, December
or January?
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 64°F | 59°F | 57°F |
| Sea | 64°F | 60°F | 57°F |
| Rain days | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| Overnight demand | 21% | 19% | 17% |
November: Warmer afternoons, warmer sea and more rain days than December. 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.
April to June and September 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 21% of the busiest month.
Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €130 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 59°F | 64°F |
| Nights | 43°F | 49°F |
| Sea | 60°F | 64°F |
| Rain days | 4 | 6 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Low season |
| Overall / 10 | 8.1 | 8.2 |
| Month rank | #5 | #4 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.0 | #7 | 57°F | 41°F | 57°F | 5 | 7.3 | Low season |
| February | 7.8 | #8 | 59°F | 42°F | 56°F | 5 | 7.5 | Low season |
| March | 8.0 | #6 | 63°F | 45°F | 56°F | 7 | 8.0 | Low season |
| April | 8.2 | #3 | 68°F | 49°F | 59°F | 7 | 9.0 | Moderate season |
| May | 8.4 | #1 | 74°F | 54°F | 64°F | 4 | 10.0 | Moderate season |
| June | 7.5 | #9 | 82°F | 62°F | 71°F | 3 | 8.8 | Busy season |
| July | 6.4 | #11 | 87°F | 67°F | 76°F | 3 | 7.7 | Peak season |
| August | 5.9 | #12 | 87°F | 68°F | 78°F | 4 | 7.2 | Peak season |
| September | 7.5 | #10 | 80°F | 63°F | 75°F | 7 | 8.6 | Busy season |
| October | 8.4 | #2 | 73°F | 57°F | 71°F | 8 | 9.4 | Moderate season |
| November | 8.2 | #4 | 64°F | 49°F | 64°F | 6 | 8.2 | Low season |
| December | 8.1 | #5 | 59°F | 43°F | 60°F | 4 | 7.6 | Low 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.
AragonSpain · about 110 miles
Balanced Overall 8.0 · Very good weather, 56°F (13°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Toulouse & the PyreneesMidi-Pyrénées · France · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 7.0 · Good weather, 53°F (12°C) · Low season · Cost moderate
Languedoc-RoussillonFrance · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 4.5 · Fair weather, 55°F (13°C) · Off season · Cost moderate
Mallorca & the BalearicsSpain · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 5.9 · Good weather, 62°F (17°C) · Off season · Cost moderate
NavarreSpain · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 7.3 · Good weather, 53°F (12°C) · Low season · Cost cheap
Elsewhere in Europe
Same dates, elsewhere in Europe
Barcelona & Catalonia's weather ranks 1 of 41 city regions this month. We found no city regions outside Spain with a weather score at least 1.0 point higher on these dates.
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's low season, 19% of the busiest month and 59% below its average month.The figures cover the whole Cataluña region, suburbs included. That means about 100,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 41% of them from Spain itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 46,000 more: 46 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 73 |
| How our weather was checked | 79 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.4°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 12 |
| Busiest month here | August · 64 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.2% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 73rd percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 41% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 46 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.8% |
| Population used | 8.1 million |
| Statistical region | ES51 · Cataluña |
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 (INE Spain, EOH/IRSH table 2059: hotel average daily rate per occupied room). Full method · this region's data.