Boston · Month comparison

December vs October

October ranks #1 overall vs December at #9. Fall foliage peak (Oct 10-25) plus Salem Halloween Month — Boston's most photographed weeks.

Faneuil Hall holiday tree and Quincy Market lights

December

#9 of 12 months

Worth considering

Holiday Boston — Faneuil Hall tree (the country's second-tallest), Boston Tea Party reenactment (16 Dec).

  • ↑Boston Tea Party Reenactment (Dec 16) — historic harbor pageantry
  • ↑Faneuil Hall holiday tree lighting and Quincy Market lights
October foliage on Boston Public Garden

October

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Fall foliage peak (Oct 10-25) plus Salem Halloween Month — Boston's most photographed weeks.

  • ↑Foliage on Comm Ave, Public Garden and the Common at world-class peak
  • ↑Salem (30 min north) Haunted Happenings runs all month
FactorDecemberOctober
Weather score
3
10
Value score
7
4
Crowd score
7
4
Events score
8
10
Atmosphere
9
10
Avg high temp5°C17°C
Monthly rain100mm110mm
Daily sunshine4hrs7hrs

December trade-offs

  • ↓Christmas/NYE week hotel rates jump 30-50%
  • ↓100mm rain or snow; nor'easter risk grows

October trade-offs

  • ↓Salem and foliage day-tripper traffic clogs every northbound road
  • ↓Hotel rates spike for Head of the Charles weekend
  • ↓110mm rain — wettest autumn month
See all 12 months for Boston →December in detail →October in detail →
Scores compare months within Boston. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →