Bogotá · Colombia
December
The rainy season breaks — dry conditions return and Bogotá's Christmas is genuinely spectacular.
Best match
#9 of 12 months
There are better months for Bogotá — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
18°C
Low
7°C
Rain
55mm
Sun
5.6hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How December scores in Bogotá
Weather
Very good
Value
Good
Crowds
Good
Events
Very good
Atmosphere
Excellent
What you gain in December
- ↑December marks the return of the first dry season and Bogotá's Christmas is among South America's most elaborate. The Alumbrado Navideño — a city-wide illumination that turns parks, boulevards, and public spaces into a Festival of Lights — runs from early December through January 6 (Epiphany). The Parque de la 93 in Chicó, the Parque Simón Bolívar, and the Paseo de los Libertadores in the north of the city are transformed. The combination of eternal spring temperatures (18°C) and outdoor Christmas lights is entirely unlike a northern hemisphere Christmas and uniquely pleasant.
- ↑Colombian Christmas traditions include novenas (nine days of communal prayer and celebration, December 16–24), aguardiente (anise-spirit) sharing, natillera (corn pudding), and the Noche de Velitas (December 7) when millions of candles and paper lanterns light every window and balcony in Colombia simultaneously. In Bogotá it is genuinely overwhelming in scale.
- ↑The Ciclovía on Christmas Day and New Year's Day draws exceptional attendance — the city turns out for the car-free streets with particular enthusiasm on holidays.
What you sacrifice
- ↓December brings the first surge of domestic family tourism for Christmas. Hotels in the Zona Rosa and Chicó fill for Christmas week (December 23–31) and prices rise accordingly. The Noche de Velitas on December 7 and the Noche Buena on December 24 cause significant traffic disruption.
- ↓Some businesses and government offices close for extended periods around Christmas and New Year, reducing the practicalities of city exploration. The immigration office and large administrative operations effectively shut from December 20 through January 3.
How December compares to June (best month)
| Factor | December | June ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 7 | 8 |
| Value | 6 | 7 |
| Crowds | 6 | 7 |
December in other destinations
Lisbon (14.4°C)Barcelona (13.8°C)Tokyo (12°C)Bali (30.3°C)Santorini (14.5°C)Paris (6.9°C)New York (5.1°C)Marrakech (18.1°C)Amsterdam (6.4°C)Maldives (30°C)Rome (11.7°C)Bangkok (30.4°C)Istanbul (9.4°C)Vienna (3°C)Seoul (3.7°C)Dubrovnik (11.6°C)Rio de Janeiro (29.5°C)Kyoto (11.3°C)Phuket (31.8°C)Cape Town (25.6°C)Prague (3°C)Amalfi Coast (13°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (30°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (25°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (27.5°C)Miami (25.6°C)Florence (9.8°C)Queenstown (21°C)Madrid (9.5°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (5°C)Budapest (5°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (7°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (20°C)Osaka (11°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (29°C)Mykonos (14°C)Zanzibar (31°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (14°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (28°C)Havana (26°C)Split (11°C)Taipei (20°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (16°C)Ho Chi Minh City (31°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (6°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (27°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (17°C)Jordan (14°C)Azores (18°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (20.4°C)Cairo (20.8°C)Kenya (26°C)Jaipur (22.8°C)Las Vegas (14.7°C)San Francisco (13.8°C)Madeira (20°C)Vancouver (7.1°C)Muscat (27.8°C)Lima (24.2°C)Cinque Terre (12°C)Kotor (11°C)Tel Aviv (19°C)Santiago (29°C)Bruges (6.8°C)Penang (30.9°C)Lombok (30.9°C)Cape Verde (26.8°C)Fez (15.2°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (19°C)Oslo (2°C)Auckland (22°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Bogotá, not across destinations. Methodology →