Jordan · Jordan
December
Quiet winter character — occasional snow on Petra's cliffs, low prices, and the most atmospheric candlelit heritage visits of the year.
Strong option
#9 of 12 months
There are better months for Jordan — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
14°C
Low
5°C
Rain
50mm
Sun
6.5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How December scores in Jordan
Weather
Above average
Value
Very good
Crowds
Very good
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in December
- ↑December is among the quietest months in Jordan with the most favourable accommodation pricing — Wadi Rum camp bookings, Petra gateway hotels, and Amman properties at annual lows; the Jordan Pass (currently JOD 70 for 3+ sites including Petra multi-day entry) combined with low December accommodation pricing makes Jordan's best value accessible
- ↑Christmas in Madaba and Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan: Jordan's Christian community (8% of population) celebrates Christmas in the ancient sites; Madaba's sixth-century Byzantine mosaic floor (depicting Jerusalem and the Holy Land) and the Bethany baptism site on the Jordan River are both more personally significant to visit in December than at any other time
- ↑The possibility of snow at Petra in December creates the most dramatic version of the rose-red city: the narrow Siq with snowflakes, the Treasury facade framed by white, and the total absence of crowds in a winter snowfall combine to create an experience that effectively never occurs in the months most tourists visit
What you sacrifice
- ↓December rainfall is the highest outside January and February — heavy winter showers are possible and can close the Siq access temporarily; carry a day buffer in your itinerary
- ↓Cold nights at Wadi Rum (0–3°C) and Petra (5°C) require full winter gear; the desert romance experience works, but it works with proper thermal layers; minimalist packing is not appropriate
- ↓Shorter days (sunset at 4:45pm) compress the daytime hiking window — the full Petra day circuit (Treasury to Monastery and return) needs to begin by 7am to complete comfortably before the light fades
How December compares to October (best month)
| Factor | December | October ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 5 | 10 |
| Value | 7 | 5 |
| Crowds | 7 | 4 |
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)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)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 Jordan, not across destinations. Methodology →