Rome (Roma) weather in December

December in Rome: cool, rainy, with muggy air — a good time to visit.

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Rome🇮🇹 Italy · Central & Southern Italy · City67
  1. 68Jan
  2. 73Feb
  3. 79Mar
  4. 88Apr
  5. 92May
  6. 85Jun
  7. 79Jul
  8. 77Aug
  9. 83Sep
  10. 86Oct
  11. 72Nov
  12. 67Dec

#12 of 12 months in Rome · #814 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 67/100 (tier C)

Days
14°C
Nights
5°C
Wet days
10
Sun
6.4 h
Humidity
81%
Daylight
9 h
Rome, Italy
Photo: Görkem Özdemir · Pexels

What December is like in Rome

Nativity scenes in the churches, markets in the squares, and a dry tramontana wind between the rain. Sites close early.

festivallow season

confidence: medium

Traveller notes on Rome in December

Other months in Rome

Regulars are careful not to sell March here as spring: the days are in the low to mid sixties, the evenings get properly cold, and rain is frequent by Mediterranean standards. Our row gives 16.6C reading as 15C over 6.6C nights that feel like 4C, with 79.2mm across 10.7 days - so an umbrella and layers rather than a coat, and shoes that will take a day of cobbles. The compensation is the shoulder season: shorter queues, lower prices, and daylight back to 12 hours. The caveat they add is the calendar rather than the weather - Easter moves, and when it falls early the city and the Vatican fill up regardless of the month. The record: humidity 76 percent, 9.2 hours of sun and AQI 53.
FreshNotSpringYet · March · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Rome-forum threads asking for August weather advice are consistent it runs genuinely intense, temperatures regularly climbing past the mid-90s Fahrenheit, and posters call out the city's stone streets and buildings as radiators that hold and re-emit heat well after sunset, keeping nights uncomfortably warm too. The standing strategy is front-loading open-air sights like the Colosseum and Forum for early morning, retreating into shade through the worst midday hours, and using the city's public fountains to refill water bottles all day. Many long-time residents do leave for the coast this month, but posters are clear the city itself stays fully open and busy regardless. Regulars call August workable with real planning, just not a month for a packed, non-stop itinerary. The record: a scorching 32.9C by day feeling like a punishing 35C, 20.8C nights, just 30mm across 5.3 days, a 25.6C sea, 63 percent humidity and 12.4 hours of sun.
ColosseumAugustRegular · August · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Rome-forum threads often crown September the best overall month - the balance of weather and atmosphere posters keep coming back to - but the same threads push back on the idea that it's an easy month. Early September is still hot and very crowded, crowds rival April through June and October rather than dropping off, and one recurring point is that mid-September doesn't reliably beat late August: families are back from summer break, and everyone who avoided the mid-summer heat is now traveling instead. The record backs the 'still hot' half of that: 27.7C days feeling like 29C, 17.1C nights, 97mm of rain across 8.8 days, 10.4 hours of sun and a 24.5C sea still warm enough to swim - September reads more like a second summer than a cooldown.
TrastevereSeptemberRegular · September · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Rome-forum threads on June heat describe a month that gets away from you fast: posters report bearable mornings turning to unworkable midday heat by ten, with more than one account of mid-90s Fahrenheit days and metro cars and buses running impossibly packed. The standing advice is to flip the schedule - do the Colosseum and Forum at opening, save the Vatican for a cooler evening slot, and treat the early-afternoon window as indoor time. The record explains why: 30C days feeling like 32C, 17.8C nights that don't offer much relief, just 4.7 rainy days and over thirteen hours of sun - dry heat with very little rain to break it.
TrastevereShadeSeeker · June · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Year-round notes are on Rome's overview. Add your own note from Rome's card on the map.

Rome climate normals — December

Daytime high14°C / 57°F🙂 cool
Nighttime low5°C / 41°F
Feels like (high)12°C / 54°F
Sea temperature16°C / 61°F🧊 bracing
Rainfall98 mm / 3.9 in🌧 rainy
Rainy days10 days
Humidity81%💦 very humid
Dew point6°C / 43°F
Sunshine6.4 h/day
Daylight9.2 h
Wind13 km/h / 8 mph
Air quality (US AQI)55🙂 moderate

Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.

Crowds in Rome in December

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Quietthe editor's quiet month, Christmas holidays in Italy, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Best months for Rome's weather

Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).

Toughest weatherRome's best weather comes in April, May and October — separate windows, not one continuous season.

JFMAMJJASOND

Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather

What's on in Rome in December

Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.

  • Festival

    Befana market, Piazza Navona

    8 Dec – 6 JanChristmas & New Year

    Stalls fill Piazza Navona until Epiphany on 6 January, when the old woman brings sweets or coal and the Christmas season formally ends. Source ↗

  • Festival

    Nativity scenes and markets

    8 Dec – 6 JanChristmas & New Year

    From 8 December the churches put out their presepi and the squares take stalls; sites and museums close early through the holiday fortnight. Source ↗

What's on around the world in December →

Nearby, and something's on

Within 300 km of Rome — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.

Where is Rome?

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Rome in December — FAQ

Is December a good time to visit Rome?
December in Rome: cool, rainy, with muggy air — a good time to visit. It ranks #12 of 12 months for Rome on SeasonMap's comfort score (67/100).
What is the weather like in Rome in December?
In December, Rome averages a daily high of 14°C and a low of 5.1°C, with about 97.9 mm of rain over roughly 10.3 rainy days.
What is the air quality in Rome in December?
Rome has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 55 in December.

Within 300 km: Siena's White truffle and new oil around 20 Oct – 15 Dec, and Naples' Crib season, San Gregorio Armeno on 1 Nov – 6 Jan.