Early December 1 December
54°F
Typical afternoon high
20% historical wet-day frequency
Spain · City
Madrid
in December.
Is December a good time?
Cool days.
A steady visitor season.
December averages 54°F afternoons, with about 5 rain days.
- Afternoons
- 54°F
- Rain days
- 5
- Visitor demand
- 87%of October peak
Historical Comunidad de Madrid regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day.
Overall match
6.5/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather6.6/10Good
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostPriceyfor 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 54°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 37°F (3°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. About 9 hours of daylight. About 5 rain days in a typical December.
A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details
About 9 hours of daylight.
The sun rises about 08:31 and sets about 17:49 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 37°F (3°C); afternoons reach about 54°F (12°C). Expect rain on about 5 days in a typical December.
Typical afternoon
54°F (12°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
37°F (3°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
9h 18m
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 54°F on the 1st, versus 53°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 20% to 17% between those dates.
Mid December 15 December
54°F
Typical afternoon high
21% historical wet-day frequency
Late December 31 December
53°F
Typical afternoon high
17% 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; 7 Dec Monday following Constitution Day; 8 Dec Immaculate Conception; 25 Dec Christmas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 154° | 254° | 354° | 454° | 554° | 654° | |
| 754° | 854° | 954° | 1054° | 1154° | 1254° | 1354° |
| 1454° | 1554° | 1654° | 1754° | 1854° | 1954° | 2054° |
| 2154° | 2254° | 2354° | 2454° | 2554° | 2653° | 2753° |
| 2853° | 2953° | 3053° | 3153° |
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 12–23%. Local schools are out 23–31 December 2026.
Schools here are off 23–31 December 2026 (Christmas holidays and non-teaching days (after christmas)). Public holidays: 6 Dec Constitution Day; 7 Dec Monday following Constitution Day; 8 Dec Immaculate Conception; 25 Dec 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%, 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?
Steady all year. December averages 87% of October's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.
Overnight stays across Comunidad de Madrid do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
About usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €137 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
€137
2024–2025 monthly average; hotel revenue per occupied room-night; not a current booking quote. −3% 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, Dallas and Charlotte and 7 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 51°F (10°C) and 58°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 1 to 12; half the years had 3–8.
Rain days in each December
Rain days
5
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 10 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
9 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
16 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 | 53°F | 3 |
| 2012 | 52°F | 5 |
| 2013 | 51°F | 7 |
| 2014 | 53°F | 3 |
| 2015 | 58°F | 1 |
| 2016 | 54°F | 7 |
| 2017 | 52°F | 5 |
| 2018 | 56°F | 2 |
| 2019 | 56°F | 8 |
| 2020 | 52°F | 10 |
| 2021 | 55°F | 6 |
| 2022 | 55°F | 12 |
| 2023 | 53°F | 4 |
| 2024 | 54°F | 1 |
| 2025 | 52°F | 9 |
Checked against 21 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
November, December
or January?
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 59°F | 54°F | 52°F |
| Rain days | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Overnight demand | 92% | 87% | 73% |
November: Warmer afternoons and more rain days 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. April 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.
Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €147 per occupied room-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Read the November guide →| Typical conditions | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 54°F | 59°F |
| Nights | 37°F | 43°F |
| Rain days | 5 | 8 |
| Visitor season | Steady all year | Steady all year |
| Overall / 10 | 6.5 | 6.7 |
| Month rank | #11 | #10 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.5 | #12 | 52°F | 35°F | 7 | 6.4 | Steady all year |
| February | 6.9 | #9 | 56°F | 37°F | 5 | 7.0 | Steady all year |
| March | 6.9 | #8 | 61°F | 41°F | 7 | 7.3 | Steady all year |
| April | 7.5 | #5 | 68°F | 45°F | 7 | 8.7 | Steady all year |
| May | 7.9 | #1 | 77°F | 51°F | 4 | 9.7 | Steady all year |
| June | 7.5 | #4 | 87°F | 60°F | 2 | 8.8 | Steady all year |
| July | 7.1 | #7 | 94°F | 65°F | 0 | 7.6 | Steady all year |
| August | 7.3 | #6 | 94°F | 65°F | 1 | 7.7 | Steady all year |
| September | 7.9 | #2 | 83°F | 58°F | 3 | 9.6 | Steady all year |
| October | 7.6 | #3 | 72°F | 52°F | 6 | 9.3 | Steady all year |
| November | 6.7 | #10 | 59°F | 43°F | 8 | 7.1 | Steady all year |
| December | 6.5 | #11 | 54°F | 37°F | 5 | 6.6 | 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.
Castilla-La ManchaSpain · about 70 miles
Balanced Overall 7.4 · Good weather, 55°F (13°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Castile and LeónSpain · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 7.1 · Good weather, 51°F (10°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
AragonSpain · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 8.0 · Very good weather, 56°F (13°C) · Moderate season · Cost cheap
Valencia & the Costa BlancaSpain · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 7.7 · Good weather, 63°F (17°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
Basque CountrySpain · about 190 miles
Balanced Overall 6.6 · Good weather, 57°F (14°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
Elsewhere in Europe
Same dates, elsewhere in Europe
Madrid's weather ranks 6 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
Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 87% of the busiest and about average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are.The figures cover the whole Comunidad de Madrid region, suburbs included. That means about 86,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 51% of them from Spain itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 35,000 more: 41 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 68 |
| How our weather was checked | 21 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 12 |
| Busiest month here | October · 14 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.2% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 73rd percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 51% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 41 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.7% |
| Population used | 7.1 million |
| Statistical region | ES30 · Comunidad de Madrid |
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.