Tel Aviv · Israel
December
Mild winter with significant rain — the city is still fully functional and reasonably priced.
Strong option
#9 of 12 months
There are better months for Tel Aviv — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
19°C
Low
11°C
Rain
115mm
Sun
5.6hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How December scores in Tel Aviv
Weather
Good
Value
Very good
Crowds
Very good
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Very good
What you gain in December
- ↑December in Tel Aviv is mild enough (19°C) to sit at an outdoor café without a coat on many days — an experience most European visitors find remarkably pleasant in what is technically "winter." The city is fully operational, the Christmas week brings some international visitors but nothing approaching the summer scale.
- ↑Hanukkah (typically December) brings menorahs and sufganiyot (deep-fried doughnuts) to every bakery and café in the city — a festive street atmosphere that is entirely different from anything else in the calendar.
- ↑Prices are at shoulder-to-low season levels: accommodation is cheaper than any month from April through October and flights are at their most affordable outside the January–February period.
What you sacrifice
- ↓December's 115mm of rainfall is the second-heaviest month (after January) and the Mediterranean winter storms can be persistent. The beach and outdoor café culture that defines Tel Aviv's appeal is largely on hold during the rainy season.
- ↓Shabbat is particularly impactful in winter months when the reduced frequency of open businesses makes Friday evening through Saturday night navigation more challenging for visitors without local knowledge.
How December compares to April (best month)
| Factor | December | April ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 6 | 9 |
| Value | 7 | 7 |
| Crowds | 7 | 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)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 Tel Aviv, not across destinations. Methodology →