Cinque Terre · Italy
December
Christmas brings a small festive glow to the villages — nativity scenes, lights, and silence.
Strong option
#7 of 12 months
There are better months for Cinque Terre — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
12°C
Low
6°C
Rain
98mm
Sun
4hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How December scores in Cinque Terre
Weather
Average
Value
Outstanding
Crowds
Outstanding
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in December
- ↑December in Cinque Terre has a loyal niche following based on the presepe (nativity scene) traditions. Manarola's hillside presepe is one of the most photographed in Italy — hundreds of illuminated figures arranged across the cliff face above the village. It runs from early December through Epiphany (January 6) and is genuinely beautiful, especially on clear nights.
- ↑Outside the Christmas week, the villages are extraordinarily quiet. Prices are among the lowest of the year. The quality of winter light on clear days — when it appears — is remarkable: low angle, warm, and exceptional for photography.
- ↑A small number of local restaurants and enoteche remain open and make time for lingering meals of Ligurian winter cooking: stockfish, trofie al pesto with the season's olive oil, and Sciacchetrà with local cheese.
What you sacrifice
- ↓The weather in December is cold and grey for most of the month. Coastal trails remain largely closed. Swimming is out of the question. The experience is entirely about the villages themselves, not the landscape or outdoor activities.
- ↓Christmas week brings a brief, concentrated surge of Italian day-trippers (similar to Easter) to see the Manarola presepe. The period December 23–27 can be surprisingly busy for what is otherwise an empty month.
How December compares to May (best month)
| Factor | December | May ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 4 | 9 |
| Value | 9 | 7 |
| Crowds | 9 | 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)Kotor (11°C)Tel Aviv (19°C)Santiago (29°C)Bogotá (18°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 Cinque Terre, not across destinations. Methodology →