Early December 1 December
45°F
Typical afternoon high
44% historical wet-day frequency
Switzerland · Mountains
Zurich
in December.
Is December a good time?
Cold days.
A steady visitor season.
December averages 45°F afternoons, with about 15 rain days.
- Afternoons
- 45°F
- Rain days
- 15
- Visitor demand
- 79%of July peak
Historical Zürich regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day.
Overall match
4.5/10 · scores & prioritiesThis weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.
What 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, typical for Europe this month
CostExpensivefor Europe; Switzerland-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 45°F (7°C): a warm coat; nights around 31°F (−1°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. Bring rain gear: about 15 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 08:06 and sets about 16:35 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 31°F (−1°C); afternoons reach about 45°F (7°C). Expect rain on about 15 days in a typical December.
Typical afternoon
45°F (7°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Decembers
Night low
31°F (−1°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
8h 29m
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 45°F on the 1st, versus 45°F on the 31st.
Mid December 15 December
45°F
Typical afternoon high
45% historical wet-day frequency
Late December 31 December
45°F
Typical afternoon high
44% 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: 25 Dec Christmas; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 145° | 244° | 344° | 444° | 544° | 644° | |
| 744° | 844° | 944° | 1044° | 1144° | 1244° | 1345° |
| 1445° | 1545° | 1645° | 1745° | 1846° | 1946° | 2046° |
| 2146° | 2246° | 2346° | 2446° | 2546° | 2646° | 2746° |
| 2846° | 2946° | 3045° | 3145° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 44°F (7°C) in the first week to 45°F (7°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 40–48%. Local schools are out 21–31 December 2026.
Schools here are off 21–31 December 2026 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 25 Dec Christmas; 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%, Spain 32%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Crowds, cost and getting there
Visitor season
Will it be busy?
Steady all year. December averages 79% of July's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.
Overnight stays across Zürich do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe this month.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
About 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.
Switzerland as a whole
Well above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 171 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, Newark and Chicago and 5 more; 2024 schedule, Eurostat
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 42°F (5°C) and 51°F (10°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 45°F (7°C). Rain days ranged from 1 to 22; half the years had 7–17.
Rain days in each December
Rain days
15
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 20 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
4 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
5 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 | 44°F | 22 |
| 2012 | 42°F | 22 |
| 2013 | 45°F | 7 |
| 2014 | 43°F | 18 |
| 2015 | 51°F | 4 |
| 2016 | 45°F | 1 |
| 2017 | 42°F | 17 |
| 2018 | 45°F | 16 |
| 2019 | 46°F | 16 |
| 2020 | 44°F | 15 |
| 2021 | 44°F | 15 |
| 2022 | 44°F | 14 |
| 2023 | 46°F | 17 |
| 2024 | 44°F | 14 |
| 2025 | 46°F | 4 |
Checked against 7 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
November, December
or January?
| Typical conditions | Nov | Dec | Jan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 51°F | 45°F | 43°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 15 | 13 |
| Overnight demand | 71% | 79% | 56% |
November: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than December. November guide →
January: Cooler afternoons and fewer 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 | 45°F | 51°F |
| Nights | 31°F | 36°F |
| Rain days | 15 | 10 |
| Visitor season | Steady all year | Steady all year |
| Overall / 10 | 4.5 | 4.9 |
| Month rank | #11 | #9 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.4 | #12 | 43°F | 29°F | 13 | 4.1 | Steady all year |
| February | 4.9 | #10 | 47°F | 29°F | 9 | 4.9 | Steady all year |
| March | 5.3 | #8 | 54°F | 34°F | 10 | 6.0 | Steady all year |
| April | 5.8 | #6 | 61°F | 40°F | 9 | 7.0 | Steady all year |
| May | 6.0 | #5 | 67°F | 47°F | 13 | 7.4 | Steady all year |
| June | 6.4 | #4 | 76°F | 55°F | 13 | 8.2 | Steady all year |
| July | 6.5 | #1 | 78°F | 58°F | 13 | 8.4 | Steady all year |
| August | 6.5 | #3 | 78°F | 57°F | 10 | 8.2 | Steady all year |
| September | 6.5 | #2 | 70°F | 50°F | 10 | 8.4 | Steady all year |
| October | 5.8 | #7 | 62°F | 44°F | 11 | 7.0 | Steady all year |
| November | 4.9 | #9 | 51°F | 36°F | 10 | 5.1 | Steady all year |
| December | 4.5 | #11 | 45°F | 31°F | 15 | 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.
Basel & northwest Switzerlandabout 30 miles
Balanced Overall 4.4 · Fair weather, 45°F (7°C) · Steady all year · Cost expensive
Lucerne & central Switzerlandabout 30 miles
Balanced Overall 5.1 · Fair weather, 44°F (7°C) · Moderate season · Cost expensive
TyrolInnsbruck · Austria · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 5.1 · Fair weather, 40°F (5°C) · Busy season · Cost pricey
Milan, Lake Como & LombardyItaly · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 6.8 · Good weather, 49°F (9°C) · Moderate season · Cost moderate
Munich & Upper BavariaGermany · about 150 miles
Balanced Overall 5.8 · Fair weather, 43°F (6°C) · Moderate season · Cost pricey
Elsewhere in Europe
Better December weather than Zurich
Zurich's weather ranks 14 of 28 mountain regions this month. These mountain regions outside Switzerland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Zurich.
South Tyrol & the DolomitesItaly · about 140 miles
Good weather (5.3): about as warm, 9 fewer rain days, cheaper
TrentinoItaly · about 150 miles
Good weather (5.8): 2°F warmer afternoons, 12 fewer rain days, cheaper
La RiojaSpain · about 650 miles
Good weather (6.2): 10°F warmer afternoons, 7 fewer rain days, cheaper
Sofia & the southwestBulgaria · about 800 miles
Good weather (5.4): about as warm, 8 fewer rain days, cheaper
Western MacedoniaGreece · about 800 miles
Good weather (5.6): 4°F warmer afternoons, 8 fewer rain days, cheaper
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 79% of the busiest and about average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are. That means about 20,000 overnight visitors on a typical December night across the region, 35% of them from Switzerland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 3,900 more: 20 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100) | 57 |
| How our weather was checked | 7 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 12 |
| Busiest month here | July · 15 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.2% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 72nd percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 35% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 20 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.4% |
| National hotel-price season | Switzerland historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−5% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 1.6 million |
| Statistical region | CH04 · Zürich |
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.