When to go · Bucharest
Bucharest in December
Good month. Cold; Christmas market and lights.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Good
- Temperature
- 4°C (39°F)39°F (4°C) / −2°C (28°F)28°F (−2°C)
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 10
- Crowds
- Medium
- Romania overall
- Prices
- Medium
- Romania overall
Verdict
Cold; Christmas market and lights.
All twelve months in one grid — weather, crowds and prices, with gaps left as unknown.
Is another month better than December?
December is rated good. These months rate higher:
Weather in December
- BucharestHighs around 4 °C (39 °F), lows around -2 °C (28 °F), rain on about 10 daysHighs around 39 °F (4 °C), lows around 28 °F (-2 °C), rain on about 10 days
- Bucharest and the southern plain, Romania · Bucharest, Wallachia, Craiova, the Danube townscool
Continental: summers regularly reach 35–40 °C (95–104 °F) and winters bring snow and –10 °C (50 °F) cold snaps. May–June and September–October are the comfortable windows.Continental: summers regularly reach 95–104 °F (35–40 °C) and winters bring snow and –50 °F (10 °C) cold snaps. May–June and September–October are the comfortable windows.
Winter season
The Christmas market in Piața Constituției and festive lights along Calea Victoriei.
Watch: Genuinely cold, sometimes well below freezing; short daylight hours.
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
National Day
1 December · Arcul de Triumf and central boulevards
Military parade; road closures near the Arc and museums are busy.
Christmas market
Late November to late December · Piața Constituției, other squares
Stalls, mulled wine and lights; crowded Old Town restaurants in the evenings.
Revolution anniversary
21–22 December · Revolution Square
Ceremonies and road closures around the square.
Christmas and New Year
25 December – 1 January · Citywide
Many restaurants and some museums close for part of the period; hotel prices rise.
St Andrew's Day and Great Union Day (National Day)
30 Nov – 1 Dec · Romania
Two-day holiday; military parade in Bucharest at the Arc de Triumf on 1 December; mountain resorts busy.
Christmas big impact
25–26 Dec · Romania
Family days; most shops and many restaurants close. Carol singers go house to house on Christmas Eve.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Romania overall
- Medium
- Prices · Romania overall
- Medium
Romania overall: Christmas markets in Sibiu, Brașov and Bucharest; carol singing and village customs; ski season starts mid-month.
Compare two months
Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in Bucharest, side by side.
Verdict
Dec: Good
May: Great (better)
Daytime high
Dec: 4 °C (39 °F)39 °F (4 °C)
May: 23 °C (73 °F)73 °F (23 °C)
Night low
Dec: -2 °C (28 °F)28 °F (-2 °C)
May: 11 °C (52 °F)52 °F (11 °C)
Rain days
Dec: 10 (better)
May: 12
Crowds
Dec: Medium
May: Medium
Prices
Dec: Medium
May: Medium
Festivals listed
Dec: 6
May: 3
December: Cold; Christmas market and lights.
May: Warm and green; good month.
Bucharest: figures are long-term averages from this guide, not a forecast.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat and gloves for mornings and evenings
- A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast
- Layers: a fleece or light jacket