Month guide · Rome · Italy
Rome in December
What December is really like in Rome: weather, crowds, prices, events and what to pack.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder . Feel free to use my photos, but please mention , CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
December is a quieter month with trade-offs. Expect average highs of 13°C (55°F), lows of 4°C (39°F), about 8 rainy days and roughly 9.1 hours of daylight. Cool and festive, with nativity scenes in churches, the Christmas market in Piazza Navona and busy holiday weeks.
Key facts
- Average high / low
- 13°C (55°F) / 4°C (39°F)
- Rainy days
- About 8
- Daylight
- About 9.1 hours
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in December
December is the 11th-warmest month in Rome: days average 13°C (55°F) against a yearly average high of 21°C (70°F), and nights fall to about 4°C (39°F). Rain falls on roughly 8 of its 31 days. Compared with November (17°C (63°F)), December is cooler; by January highs stay near 12°C (54°F).
- Sunrise (15 December)
- About 07:31
- Sunset (15 December)
- About 16:40
- Daylight
- About 9.1 hours
Winter (December–February). Cool and sometimes rainy but rarely freezing, with a festive December, quiet January and February and the lowest hotel prices.
Crowds and prices
On a 1–5 scale, December rates 3 for crowds (the peak is May at 5) and 3 for hotel prices (highest in May). Prices sit in the middle of the year's range.
Events in December
- Christmas market in Piazza Navona (usually early December to 6 January)
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations at St Peter's
- New Year's Eve concerts and celebrations (31 December)
Dates move from year to year. Check the organiser’s site before booking travel around an event.
What to do in December
Mild, settled days suit walking, viewpoints and time outdoors.
Gallery · Villa Borghese
Borghese Gallery
Cardinal Scipione Borghese's villa holds one of the city's great private collections: Bernini's marble sculptures Apollo and Daphne and The Rape of Proserpina, a room of Caravaggio paintings, Titian's Sacred and Profane Love and Canova's reclining Pauline Bonaparte.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Couples
- Rainy day
- History
Religious site · Celio
Basilica of San Clemente
The upper basilica is free; pay for the excavations below, which are the real reason to come.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Market · Centro Storico
Campo de' Fiori
In the morning Campo de' Fiori is an open-air market for vegetables, flowers and spices beneath the hooded statue of Giordano Bruno, burned for heresy on this spot in 1600.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- After dark
Neighbourhood · Ghetto
Jewish Ghetto
Come for lunch in spring when Roman artichokes are in season, and see the synagogue on the museum's guided visit.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Food
- Free
- Off the beaten path
What to pack
For highs near 13°C, lows near 4°C and 8 wet days: layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings; a packable rain jacket for showers; comfortable walking shoes.
Is December a good time to visit Rome?
A quieter month with trade-offs, with 3 notable events on the calendar. If your dates are flexible, April–May and September–October are better overall. Compare every month.
Rome in other months
Questions travellers ask
+Is December a good time to visit Rome?
It is a quieter month with trade-offs. Cool and festive, with nativity scenes in churches, the Christmas market in Piazza Navona and busy holiday weeks.
+How warm is Rome in December?
Average highs are around 13°C (55°F) and lows around 4°C (39°F).
+Does it rain a lot in Rome in December?
Expect rain on about 8 days of the month.