Tasmania · Australia
December
Summer peaks with the Sydney–Hobart yacht race finish — the most festive month in Hobart.
Best match
#2 of 12 months
December is one of the best times to visit Tasmania.
Climate
High
21°C
Low
11°C
Rain
50mm
Sun
8hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How December scores in Tasmania
Weather
Outstanding
Value
Average
Crowds
Above average
Events
Excellent
Atmosphere
Outstanding
What you gain in December
- ↑The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race fleet arrives in Hobart from December 28, transforming Constitution Dock and Sullivan's Cove into one of the great sporting finishes in world sailing. The scene — exhausted offshore racers, thousands of spectators, brass bands on the dock, fresh crayfish from the stalls — is an entirely Hobart moment and one of Australia's genuinely special annual events.
- ↑December is the beginning of the Taste of Tasmania food festival (late December through New Year) — the Hobart waterfront transforms into a showcase for the island's food and drink producers. Tasmanian lobster, oysters, smoked salmon, and the full range of Coal River Valley wines make this the best single food event in the Southern Hemisphere.
- ↑MONA is in full summer mode: the sunset ferry crossing, the outdoor bar, and the evening openings create an atmosphere that the winter visits simply cannot replicate. The permanent collection is extraordinary in any conditions but the long December evening is the ideal frame for it.
What you sacrifice
- ↓December is Tasmania's most expensive month — accommodation in Hobart requires booking 4–6 months ahead for New Year's period and the Sydney to Hobart finish days. Prices across the board are at annual peaks, including Cradle Mountain and Freycinet.
- ↓The Taste of Tasmania and Sydney to Hobart festival period draws large crowds to the Hobart waterfront. The market atmosphere is celebratory but the city's normally intimate character is temporarily overwhelmed.
How December compares to February (best month)
| Factor | December | February ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 9 | 9 |
| Value | 4 | 5 |
| Crowds | 5 | 5 |
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)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)Beijing (2°C)Delhi (22°C)Mumbai (31°C)Victoria Falls (28°C)Stockholm (2°C)Oaxaca (26°C)Bhutan (15°C)Da Nang (23°C)Nashville (9°C)Nice (13°C)Mallorca (15°C)Tuscany (9°C)Namibia (32°C)Crete (16°C)Komodo (32°C)Montréal (-3°C)Melbourne (24°C)Cairns (32°C)Venice (7°C)Dublin (8°C)Tenerife (22°C)Ibiza (16°C)Sardinia (15°C)Sicily (16°C)Rhodes (17°C)Corfu (15°C)Zakynthos (15°C)Algarve (17°C)Naples (13°C)Antalya (16°C)Barbados (29°C)St Lucia (29°C)Aruba (31°C)Turks and Caicos (29°C)Puerto Rico (28°C)Okinawa (21°C)Hokkaido (2°C)Varanasi (24°C)Langkawi (31°C)Lake Bled (4°C)Salzburg (4°C)Lake Como (7°C)Tallinn (0°C)Iguazu Falls (32°C)Luxor (24°C)Gran Canaria (22°C)Lanzarote (21°C)Fuerteventura (21°C)Menorca (15°C)Capri (14°C)Milos (16°C)Paros (16°C)Hvar (13°C)Bodrum (16°C)Malaga (18°C)San Sebastián (12°C)Bordeaux (11°C)Corsica (14°C)Abu Dhabi (26°C)Hurghada (23°C)Essaouira (19°C)Kruger National Park (32°C)Shanghai (11°C)Chengdu (10°C)Jeju (10°C)Banff (-4°C)Toronto (1°C)Québec City (-4°C)Lofoten (1°C)Bergen (5°C)Gold Coast (28°C)Whitsundays (31°C)Perth (30°C)Nha Trang (27°C)Koh Phi Phi (31°C)Luang Prabang (27°C)Raja Ampat (30°C)Agra (22°C)Udaipur (26°C)Hiroshima (11°C)Naxos (16°C)Thessaloniki (10°C)Helsinki (-1°C)Riga (0°C)Zurich (4°C)Monaco (14°C)Doha (24°C)Siargao (28°C)Bohol (29°C)Lake Atitlán (23°C)Sarajevo (4°C)Batumi (11°C)Chicago (2°C)Boston (5°C)Gdańsk (3°C)Berlin (3.8°C)Milan (5.9°C)New Orleans (16.1°C)Galápagos Islands (27°C)Patagonia (13.5°C)Koh Samui (29.2°C)Nusa Penida (30.6°C)Jerusalem (12°C)Busan (9°C)San Miguel de Allende (22°C)Yogyakarta (29.5°C)Hue (21.5°C)Nara (11.5°C)Chiang Rai (27.8°C)Lyon (6°C)Lalibela (22°C)Phnom Penh (30°C)Kota Kinabalu (30°C)Phu Quoc (30°C)Hakone (9°C)Kanazawa (9°C)Pai (25°C)Plovdiv (5°C)AlUla (22°C)Guanajuato (19°C)Bologna (5°C)Seattle (8°C)Cook Islands (27°C)Koh Lanta (31°C)Montevideo (26°C)Diani Beach (31°C)Austin (14°C)Washington DC (8°C)Warsaw (2°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Tasmania, not across destinations. Methodology →