Italy in December: Weather, Crowds and Where to Go

December is a good month for Italy if you like cities, food and Christmas lights more than beaches: days are cool, about 55°F in Rome and 47°F in Venice, the summer crowds are gone, and the season of markets and nativity scenes starts on December 8. Plan the first three weeks for museums and sightseeing, and the holidays for slower days. Skip the Amalfi Coast and the islands, where most hotels are closed.

On this page · 10 sections

1. Is December a good time to visit Italy?
2. Italy weather in December
3. Crowds and prices in December
4. Best places to visit in Italy in December
5. What is closed in December
6. Christmas week at a glance
7. An 8-day itinerary for early December
8. Getting around in December
9. What to pack
10. Frequently asked questions

I am Moreno Moretti. I was born in Le Marche, and since 2014 my team and I have planned private trips across Italy for travelers from the United States. December is one of my favorite months to send people to Italy: the cities belong to the people who live in them again, the restaurants serve winter dishes, and the first half of the month is quiet. This guide covers the weather, the crowds, where to go, what is closed and a sample itinerary.

Is December a good time to visit Italy?

Yes, with two different halves.

Yes, December is a good time to visit the Italian cities, as long as you plan for short days, cool weather and the holiday closures. The month has two halves, and they feel like two different trips.

	December 1 to about 20	About December 20 to January 6
Crowds	Low. Short lines at the big museums	Busy again: Italians travel for the holidays
Hotels	Low season rates in most cities	Holiday rates, and some hotels have minimum stays
Atmosphere	Lights and trees go up from December 8	Christmas Mass, nativity scenes, New Year’s Eve
Museums	Regular winter hours	Closed on December 25 and January 1, and some on December 26

For sightseeing, choose the first half. For Christmas itself, see our guide to Christmas in Italy, with what is open on each holiday in 2026.

Italy weather in December

Cool, rarely cold, with short days.

Italy in December is cool rather than cold in the cities: daytime highs are 46°F to 58°F from Milan to Naples, and Palermo reaches about 62°F. The north is colder and damper, the south milder and wetter.

City	Average high	Average low	Rainy days
Milan	46°F (7.7°C)	33°F (0.6°C)	6
Venice	47°F (8.4°C)	34°F (1.2°C)	6
Bolzano	44°F (6.8°C)	27°F (-2.7°C)	4
Florence	53°F (11.5°C)	37°F (2.8°C)	8
Rome	55°F (12.8°C)	40°F (4.7°C)	9
Naples	58°F (14.4°C)	43°F (5.9°C)	11
Palermo	62°F (16.7°C)	52°F (11.0°C)	12

Averages from 1991 to 2020, from Climates to Travel. Snow is common in the Alps and the Dolomites, and rare in the cities. Days are short: in Rome the sun rises around 7:30 a.m. and sets around 4:40 p.m., so plan the outdoor sights for the morning and the museums for the afternoon.

In Venice, December is also high water season. Acqua alta is most frequent in November and December, but the MOSE barriers now rise when the forecast tide reaches 101 cm (about 40 inches), to protect the city.

Crowds and prices in December

Quiet until the holidays.

The first three weeks of December are among the quietest of the year in Rome, Florence and Venice, and hotel rates follow. From about December 20 to January 6, Italians are on holiday too, so trains, hotels and restaurants fill up again.

For a private trip, the daily cost depends more on the hotels and guides you choose than on the month: our private trips cost €500 to €1,000 per person per day. What December changes is availability: the first half of the month is low season, while the best hotels and restaurants for Christmas and New Year’s Eve book early, so plan those dates in the summer or early fall. Our guide to how much a trip to Italy costs has the numbers for each travel style.

Best places to visit in Italy in December

Cities, mountains and the south.

The best places to visit in Italy in December are the art cities, Rome, Florence, Venice and Naples, the Christmas markets of the Alps and the ski resorts of the Dolomites.

Where	Why go in December
Rome	Short lines at the Vatican and the Colosseum before Christmas, nativity scenes in every church, Christmas Mass at St. Peter’s
Florence	The tree in Piazza del Duomo, traditionally lit on December 8, the Christmas market in Piazza Santa Croce, the Uffizi at its quietest
Venice	Quiet streets and the lagoon in the mist. Fireworks over the Bacino di San Marco on New Year’s Eve
Milan	December 7, Sant’Ambrogio: opening night of La Scala, with Verdi’s Otello in 2026, and the Oh bej! Oh bej! fair
Naples	The nativity workshops of Via San Gregorio Armeno and the mildest weather of the big cities
Bolzano, Merano and Trento	The best Christmas markets in Italy, from late November to January 6
The Dolomites	Ski season: Dolomiti Superski opens on November 28, 2026, Alta Badia and Val Gardena on December 4
Umbria and Le Marche	Hill towns without tourists, the giant tree of Gubbio lit on December 7, the bonfires of the Venuta on December 9, and white truffle season

If you want sun, Sicily is the warmest choice, with about 62°F by day in Palermo, but it is also the wettest. More on each city is on our pages for Rome, Florence, Venice and Le Marche.

What is closed in December

Seaside towns, islands and the holidays.

Two things close in December: the seaside and island destinations, which shut for the winter, and most museums on the holidays.

• The Amalfi Coast, Capri and the islands: many hotels close from November to Easter, and ferries run less often. You can see the coast on a day trip from Naples, but I do not recommend sleeping there in December.
• Cinque Terre and the lakes: quiet and partly closed, with fewer boats and some restaurants shut.
• The holidays: the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, the Uffizi, the Accademia and Pompeii are closed on December 25. The Vatican Museums also close on December 8 and 26. The Uffizi and the Accademia close every Monday all year.
• December 24 and 31: not public holidays, but shops and Christmas markets close early, and restaurants serve set holiday menus.

Christmas week at a glance

What changes from December 24 to January 6.

If your trip includes Christmas, the week from December 24 to January 6 needs its own plan. The Pope’s Christmas Mass needs free tickets requested before December 8, restaurants for Christmas Eve, Christmas lunch and New Year’s Eve need booking weeks ahead, and the museums close on the holidays. Our Christmas in Italy guide has the full 2026 calendar, the best places to spend the holidays and a sample plan for Christmas in Rome.

An 8-day itinerary for early December

Venice, Florence and Rome, before the holidays.

This plan uses the quiet first half of the month: Venice, Florence for the tree lighting on December 8, and Rome. It avoids the Monday closures in Florence.

Day	Base	Plan
Sat, Dec 5	Venice	Arrive, a water taxi to the hotel, a slow evening walk
Sun, Dec 6	Venice	St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, a gondola workshop
Mon, Dec 7	Florence	Train to Florence, about two hours. Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. The Uffizi and the Accademia are closed on Mondays
Tue, Dec 8	Florence	Immaculate Conception: the Christmas tree in Piazza del Duomo, the market in Piazza Santa Croce
Wed, Dec 9	Florence	Uffizi and Accademia without summer lines
Thu, Dec 10	Rome	Train to Rome, about an hour and a half. Colosseum and Roman Forum in the afternoon
Fri, Dec 11	Rome	Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s, nativity scenes in the churches
Sat, Dec 12	Departure	Transfer to Fiumicino airport

The same route in summer is our private tour Venice, Florence and Rome in 7 Days, and our 7-day Italy itinerary explains the train times and the hotel choices. In December the plan is the same, with shorter days and one more evening for dinner.

Getting around in December

Trains for the cities, a driver for the mountains.

High-speed trains run all through December between Venice, Florence, Rome and Naples, and they are the easiest way to travel. Around Christmas and New Year’s Day, Italians travel home, so book trains for December 20 to January 6 as early as you can.

For the Dolomites and the hill towns, a private driver is the safer choice. Many mountain roads require winter tires or snow chains from mid-November, and the driving is very different from the cities. On December 25, taxis are fewer, and a driver booked in advance removes the problem.

What to pack

Layers, not a ski suit.

• A warm coat, light layers and a scarf. Churches and museums are heated, the streets are not.
• Waterproof walking shoes. Rome and Naples have 9 to 11 rainy days in December.
• A compact umbrella and gloves for the evenings.
• For Venice, boots you do not mind getting wet if the tide is high.
• For the Alps, proper winter boots and a hat. Nights are below freezing.

Frequently asked questions

What travelers ask us about Italy in December.

December in Italy is for travelers who like cities, food and a slower pace: come in the first half of the month for the museums, or for Christmas itself with the holiday meals booked. Send me your dates, and a travel designer on my team will plan the month around them.

Sources: Climates to Travel (December averages 1991-2020), WeatherSpark (daylight in Rome), Italian Chamber of Deputies (public holidays), Vatican (Mass tickets), Vatican Museums, Parco archeologico del Colosseo, Uffizi Galleries, Galleria dell’Accademia, Pompeii archaeological park, Teatro alla Scala (2026-27 season), Südtirol and Alto Adige tourism and Visit Trento (markets), Comune di Venezia and Il Post (high water and MOSE), Venezia Unica (New Year’s Eve), Dolomiti.it (ski season), Italia.it (Gubbio, Loreto), Rick Steves and Fodor’s travel forums (traveler advice).