The weather in London in December averages a daytime high of 8.8°C and an overnight low of 3.1°C, with 57.0mm of rain and only 53 hours of sunshine across the whole month — under two hours of sun a day, the darkest month of the London year. Snow that settles in central London is rare; cold rain and grey cloud are the realistic expectation. What December gives back is the city at its most theatrical — markets, lights, ice rinks and a New Year’s Eve display of more than 12,000 fireworks on the Thames — and one practical fact worth knowing before you book: on Christmas Day there is no Tube, no bus and no train service anywhere in London. All climate figures come from the Met Office record for the Heathrow station, 1991–2020.
Weather in London in December at a Glance
| Average daily high | Average daily low | Rainfall | Sunshine | Daylight on 1 Dec | Daylight on 21 Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.8°C | 3.1°C | 57.0 mm | 53 hours | 8h 12m | 7h 50m |
December is drier on paper than November — 57.0mm against 66.6mm — but that is the least useful comparison in the table. The figure that decides how December feels is 53 hours of sunshine, the lowest of any month, which works out at one hour and forty-five minutes of sun a day.
How Cold Is London in December?
December averages 8.8°C by day and 3.1°C at night, which makes it the second-coldest month of the year after January. Recent years have been noticeably milder: the 2021–2025 average daily high was 9.8°C, a full degree above the long-run figure, and December 2023 averaged 10.9°C.
Those numbers understate how cold London feels in December, for the same reason they do in November: the cold here is wet. An 8°C afternoon with drizzle and a river wind is harder work than a dry 2°C somewhere continental. Overnight frost is common by the second half of the month, mostly in the outer boroughs; central London, warmed by its own buildings and traffic, often stays a degree or two above.
Does It Snow in London in December?
Rarely, and it almost never settles. Sleet and cold rain are far more likely than snow, and a white Christmas in central London is an event that happens a handful of times a century rather than a normal December occurrence. The realistic December picture is grey, damp and around 8°C.
When snow does fall, London handles it badly: buses are withdrawn from hilly routes, overground rail services thin out and airports slow down. If you are travelling in the week before Christmas and a cold snap is forecast, build extra margin into the airport journey rather than assuming the schedule will hold.
How Short Are the Days in London in December?
The shortest day is 21 December, with 7 hours 50 minutes of daylight: sunrise 08:04, sunset 15:54. The month starts a little better, at 07:44 to 15:56 on the 1st, and reassuringly the sunset has already crept back past 16:00 by 31 December.
In practice this means one outdoor activity per day, done early. A December morning at the Tower of London or a walk through Hyde Park works; the same plan at 15:00 does not. The compensation is that from about 16:00 the city switches on, and December is the one month of the year when darkness at four in the afternoon is an attraction rather than a problem — every market, rink and lit street looks better after dark than before it.
What to Wear in London in December
Dress for 8°C with rain and wind, not for snow. A warm waterproof coat, thermal or thick layers underneath and genuinely waterproof shoes will handle any normal December day in London.
- A warm, hooded waterproof coat — wind makes umbrellas unreliable for much of the month.
- Thermal or thick base layers, which do more than one heavier coat and pack smaller.
- Waterproof boots with grip — markets and rinks mean standing outdoors for long stretches.
- Hat, scarf and gloves, all three, especially for evening outings.
- A power bank — cold weather and long nights of map use drain a phone fast.
- Layers you can strip off — shops, restaurants and the Tube are all heated hard in December.
What Is On in London in December
This is the busiest events month of the London year, and almost all of it happens after dark. The Christmas markets run along the South Bank and at Leicester Square, the ice rinks operate at Somerset House, the Natural History Museum, Hampton Court and Canary Wharf, and Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland runs from late November into the first days of January — our Winter Wonderland transfers page has the dates and the practical detail on getting there.
The West End pantomime and ballet season peaks in the second half of the month, the Norwegian Christmas tree stands in Trafalgar Square from early December, and carol services fill the major churches. Then two commercial fixtures: the Boxing Day sales on 26 December, which start early and draw very large crowds to Oxford Street and Knightsbridge, and the Mayor of London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks on 31 December, a twenty-minute display of more than 12,000 fireworks launched from the London Eye and barges on the Thames. That event is ticketed and the first tickets typically go on sale in October, so it needs planning well before you travel.
The Christmas Shutdown: What Closes and When
On 25 December there is no Underground, no bus, no Overground and no National Rail service in London. This surprises more visitors than any other fact about a London Christmas, and it cannot be worked around on the day: taxis are scarce and expensive, and almost every shop, museum and attraction is closed.
Boxing Day, 26 December, runs a reduced Sunday-style service with several lines closed for engineering work, and services stay reduced through to 2 January. If you arrive at or depart from an airport between 24 and 27 December, a pre-booked car is not a luxury but the only reliable way to move: our London airport transfer operates through the Christmas period when the rail links do not.
Is December a Good Time to Visit London?
December is the best month for atmosphere and the worst for daylight and price. If you are coming for markets, lights, theatre, shopping and food, no month competes. If you are coming to see the outdoor city, you are working with under eight hours of daylight and under two hours of sun a day.
Against November, December costs you nearly three degrees, half an hour of daylight and a quarter of the sunshine, and hotel rates in the run-up to Christmas are far higher. The quiet window inside the month is 27 to 30 December: the Christmas rush is over, the sales are running, the city is between its two big nights, and rates dip before the New Year’s Eve peak. For the cheapest festive experience of all, the alternative is the second half of November, when the lights are already on — and if value matters more than atmosphere, the weather in London in January comes with the lowest hotel rates of the year.
London Weather in December: Early Month vs Late Month
The first three weeks are the festive peak; the last week is the quiet one. Weather-wise the month is fairly flat — a degree or so colder at the end than the start — but the city’s rhythm changes completely around the 24th.
Weekends before Christmas are the busiest shopping days of the British year, and Oxford Street, Covent Garden and Borough Market are genuinely crowded. Midweek in the first fortnight is much calmer and gets you the same lights and markets. After the 27th the city empties of workers and fills with sale shoppers, which is a different kind of crowd concentrated in a few streets rather than spread across the centre.
Getting Around London in December
Transport this month is defined by three things: the Christmas shutdown, the engineering works either side of it, and the crowds before it. Weekend Tube closures for engineering are heavier in late December than at any other time of year, and the pre-Christmas evening peak in the West End is the busiest of the calendar.
Airport journeys deserve the most attention. Fog and winter storms are the two most common delay causes at Heathrow and Gatwick, arrival halls are at their fullest in the week before Christmas, and rail links are reduced or absent from 24 December. Our Heathrow transfer to your hotel tracks the flight and waits through delays, which matters far more in December than in July.
For evenings out in the cold — a market, a rink, a show, the fireworks — the journey home is the part to book. A chauffeur-driven car in London waiting at an agreed point is worth several times its value at 22:00 on a wet December night, and a private tour guide in London makes a seven-hour day of daylight go a great deal further.
Frequently Asked Questions
How cold is London in December?
December averages 8.8°C by day and 3.1°C at night, making it the second-coldest month after January. Recent years have been milder, averaging 9.8°C by day across 2021–2025.
Does it snow in London at Christmas?
Very rarely, and settling snow is rarer still. Cold rain and sleet are far more likely. Plan for a damp 8°C rather than a white Christmas.
Does the Tube run on Christmas Day in London?
No. On 25 December there is no Underground, no bus, no Overground and no National Rail service at all. Boxing Day runs a reduced service with some lines closed, and services stay reduced until early January.
What time does it get dark in London in December?
Sunset is at 15:56 on 1 December and 15:54 on the shortest day, 21 December. By 31 December it has moved back to 16:01. Daylight bottoms out at 7 hours 50 minutes.
When is the quietest week to visit London in December?
The window between 27 and 30 December. The Christmas rush is finished, the New Year’s Eve peak has not started, and rates are lower than in the fortnight before Christmas.
Planning a December Trip
Three things decide whether a December trip in London works: booking the ticketed events early, planning each day around under eight hours of daylight, and knowing that the transport network stops entirely on 25 December. Get those right and you get the best-looking version of the city there is. Check availability and prices for transfers and chauffeur service over the Christmas period, when the trains are not an option.
Sources
Temperature, rainfall and sunshine figures are 1991–2020 averages calculated from the Met Office Heathrow station record, which also supplies the individual recent years quoted. New Year’s Eve fireworks detail is from Visit London. Sunrise and sunset times are calculated for central London.