San Francisco · United States
December
Grey and wet, but Christmas lights warm Union Square and hotel rates stay reasonable.
Strong option
#10 of 12 months
There are better months for San Francisco — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
13.8°C
Low
7.9°C
Rain
95mm
Sun
4.9hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How December scores in San Francisco
Weather
Average
Value
Good
Crowds
Very good
Events
Good
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in December
- ↑Union Square Christmas tree and the surrounding retail district are genuinely festive in a way that suits the city's compact, walkable urban layout. The ice rink at Union Square (mid-November through January) draws locals and visitors alike, and the department store windows on Post and Geary are decorated with a craftsmanship that bigger cities have abandoned.
- ↑December, outside of Christmas week (Dec 22–Jan 2), offers solid value. The combination of rainy weather and post-Thanksgiving travel fatigue means mid-December hotel rates are often lower than equivalent October dates, with the same easy access to restaurants and attractions.
- ↑The Holiday Lights Boat Parade in Sausalito (just across the Golden Gate Bridge) and the lit-up ferries crossing the bay create an atmospheric winter maritime scene that is specific to San Francisco's bay geography and genuinely charming.
What you sacrifice
- ↓December is a genuinely wet month — 95mm of rain spread across regular frontal systems means sustained periods of grey, windy, and wet weather that make outdoor exploration unpleasant. The windchill from Pacific fronts can push the effective temperature to 5–7°C on exposed hillsides and waterfront areas.
- ↓Christmas week (Dec 22–Jan 2) sees significant price increases and the return of tourist volumes that mid-December avoids. New Year's Eve fireworks over the bay are spectacular but draw large crowds to the Embarcadero.
How December compares to October (best month)
| Factor | December | October ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 4 | 9 |
| Value | 6 | 6 |
| Crowds | 7 | 6 |
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)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 San Francisco, not across destinations. Methodology →