The visitor season
Low season, nationally.
December records 34% of August's overnight stays. This measures overnight demand, not queues or day-trippers.
A good place. At the right time.
Spain
in December.
Is December a good time?
5 of 19 scored regions rate very good or better for weather.
National overnight stays are 34% of the August peak.
- Regional afternoon highs
- 51–69°F
- Very good weather
- 5 / 19 regions
Check seasonal openings: 1 region has an off-season warning this month.
Find your December baseBased on 19 statistical regions. Typical conditions, not a forecast for individual towns.
One month. 19 possibilities.
Choose your December base.
The useful differences, side by side. Open a region for its full month guide.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
Trip focus
Overall scores use the Balanced mix. Choose a different priority to order the regions by that mix.
BeachCanary IslandsTenerife · Gran Canaria · Lanzarote · Fuerteventura · La PalmaRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.4/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather8.7/10Very good69°F afternoons
Visitor seasonSteady all yearsimilar all yearAbove country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachMelillaRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.6/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather7.8/10Very good67°F afternoons · 4 rain days
Visitor seasonSteady all yearsimilar all yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
CityBarcelona & CataloniaBarcelona · Costa Brava · GironaRead the December guide ↗
Overall8.1/10#5 month here · Balanced
Weather7.6/10Very good59°F afternoons · 4 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearAbove country typicalregional accommodation level
CountrysideExtremaduraCáceres · MéridaRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.8/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather7.1/10Very good59°F afternoons · 6 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
CityAragonZaragoza · Spanish Pyrenees (part)Read the December guide ↗
Overall8.0/10#9 month here · Balanced
Weather7.0/10Very good56°F afternoons · 3 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
CountrysideCastilla-La ManchaToledo · CuencaRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.4/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather6.7/10Good55°F afternoons · 5 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachMurciaCartagena · Mar MenorRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.9/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather6.6/10Good64°F afternoons · 2 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
CityMadridRead the December guide ↗
Overall6.5/10#11 month here · Balanced
Weather6.6/10Good54°F afternoons · 5 rain days
Visitor seasonSteady all yearsimilar all yearAbove country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachValencia & the Costa BlancaValencia · Alicante · BenidormRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.7/10#8 month here · Balanced
Weather6.4/10Good63°F afternoons · 2 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachCeutaRead the December guide ↗
Overall6.9/10#9 month here · Balanced
Weather6.3/10Good64°F afternoons · 7 rain days
Visitor seasonSteady all yearsimilar all yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachMallorca & the BalearicsMallorca · Ibiza · Menorca · FormenteraRead the December guide ↗
Overall5.9/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather6.3/10Good62°F afternoons · 5 rain days
Visitor seasonOff seasonmany places closedAbove country typicalregional accommodation level
MountainsLa RiojaLogroñoRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.4/10#11 month here · Balanced
Weather6.2/10Good54°F afternoons · 8 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachAndalusiaSeville · Málaga · Granada · Córdoba · Costa del SolRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.3/10#9 month here · Balanced
Weather6.0/10Good63°F afternoons · 4 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearAbove country typicalregional accommodation level
CountrysideNavarrePamplonaRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.3/10#11 month here · Balanced
Weather5.8/10Good53°F afternoons · 9 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
CountrysideCastile and LeónSalamanca · Segovia · LeónRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.1/10#12 month here · Balanced
Weather5.6/10Good51°F afternoons · 8 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
CityBasque CountrySan Sebastián · BilbaoRead the December guide ↗
Overall6.6/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather5.6/10Good57°F afternoons · 12 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachCantabriaSantanderRead the December guide ↗
Overall4.6/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather2.6/10Poor58°F afternoons · 13 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachAsturiasPicos de Europa · OviedoRead the December guide ↗
Overall4.5/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather2.5/10Poor58°F afternoons · 11 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
BeachGaliciaSantiago de Compostela · A CoruñaRead the December guide ↗
Overall4.1/10#11 month here · Balanced
Weather2.1/10Poor57°F afternoons · 14 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level
No regions match these filters. Try another place or reset the filters.
Cost words compare a published regional accommodation level with Spain's typical level, or describe a region's price season against its own year. The Cost score still uses Spain's price level on the Europe scale; where regional money levels are unavailable, a cheaper season does not establish which region has the cheapest rooms.
What goes into the scores?
Overall combines weather, crowds and cost. It is not a weather rating. By default, the list ranks weather first and shows Balanced Overall scores (50% weather, 30% crowds, 20% cost). Other priorities order it by your Overall mix. Missing cost is excluded and the available parts are reweighted.
Visitor season compares each region with its own year. A higher crowd score does not establish which place has fewer people in absolute terms. Regions cover whole statistical areas; open a guide for its geographic scope. Read the scoring method.
Weather across the country
December weather & packing.
Regional averages vary; check a forecast closer to your trip.
- Typical afternoons
- 51–69°F
- Typical nights
- 36–58°F
- Rain days
- 2–14 days
Ranges span available regional monthly averages, not daily extremes. A dash means a measurement is unavailable or withheld; individual guides explain the gaps.
What to bring.
Canary Islands: afternoons around 69°F (21°C): light layers; nights around 58°F (15°C): a sweater and a light jacket. Castile and León: afternoons around 51°F (10°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 36°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves.
Weather, region by region Afternoons, nights, rain & weather
| Region | Afternoon | Night | Rain days | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canary Islands | 69°F | 58°F | — | very good |
| Melilla | 67°F | — | 4 | very good |
| Barcelona & Catalonia | 59°F | 43°F | 4 | very good |
| Extremadura | 59°F | 42°F | 6 | very good |
| Aragon | 56°F | 39°F | 3 | very good |
| Castilla-La Mancha | 55°F | 38°F | 5 | good |
| Murcia | 64°F | 47°F | 2 | good |
| Madrid | 54°F | 37°F | 5 | good |
| Valencia & the Costa Blanca | 63°F | 47°F | 2 | good |
| Ceuta | 64°F | 54°F | 7 | good |
| Mallorca & the Balearics | 62°F | — | 5 | good |
| La Rioja | 54°F | 39°F | 8 | good |
| Andalusia | 63°F | 46°F | 4 | good |
| Navarre | 53°F | 38°F | 9 | good |
| Castile and León | 51°F | 36°F | 8 | good |
| Basque Country | 57°F | 44°F | 12 | good |
| Cantabria | 58°F | 46°F | 13 | poor |
| Asturias | 58°F | 44°F | 11 | poor |
| Galicia | 57°F | 45°F | 14 | poor |
Before you go
Check the trip details.
Hotel prices
A little below usual.
−9% on Spain's historical national hotel-price index, versus its usual month in 2024–2025. This describes a price season, not a live room quote.
Published regional hotel revenue per occupied room-night ranges from €67 in Murcia to €159 in Canary Islands. Murcia uses the 2024–2025 monthly average. Historical averages, not booking quotes.
Seasonal openings
Quiet can mean closed.
There is an off-season warning for Mallorca & the Balearics. Check accommodation and activities before choosing your base.
Thinking about the coast?
Check the water, too.
Among beach-focused regions, the warmest measured seas this month are Canary Islands (70°F), Ceuta (63°F), Melilla (63°F). Sea temperature is one part of a beach trip; open a region for weather and seasonal closures.
Events & holiday dates Check the year against your trip
Holidays: 32% of people in Spain live where schools are out on a typical December 2026 day. Public holidays: 6 Dec Constitution Day; 8 Dec Immaculate Conception; 25 Dec Christmas Day. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL, and the official calendars.)
Same country. A different chapter.
Dates still up in the air?
December is fixed, but the destination isn't? Find somewhere else in Europe ↗
How we know Sources, scope & limitations
Each row is a statistical region (NUTS 2); open it for the full month, the sources and what moving your dates would change. National lines are built from the regions: season is Spain's total tourist nights this month against its busiest month (Eurostat, primarily 2024–2025; earlier published years where needed); weather counts regions whose displayed Weather score is at least 7.0/10 (very good or better) rather than averaging across the country; visitors ranks overnight visitors per resident against all Europe's regions (for a region) or the other countries (for Spain) that month.
A regional accommodation level is shown only where publishable money data exists; elsewhere the cost words describe a regional season against its own year, and the score starts from the national price level. Separately, Spain's 2024 restaurants-and-hotels level is below EU average (84 where the EU average is 100). Full method.