Switzerland
Geneva in December
🧥 WinterCold and some showers.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings · compact umbrella or rain jacket
Why December scores 7.9What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort6.6
- !Cold (8.3°C highs / 2.2°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point -0.7°C)
- !Wet: ~127 mm rain, ~5 heavy-rain days
- Air quality8.6
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~14 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline9.0
- ·Normal precautions
| Dec | Jul | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 7.9 Very good | 9.6 Excellent |
| Season | 🧥 Winter | ☀️ Summer |
| High / low | 8° / 2° | 28° / 18° |
| Rain | 127 mm | 74 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt -1° | dew pt 14° |
| PM2.5 | 14 µg/m³ | 6 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast).
Holidays & crowdsDecember 2026
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Christmas Day 25–27 Dec · 3 days off in a row
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore GenevaEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyA Swiss city on Lake Geneva, home to United Nations and Red Cross bodies, banking, watchmaking and a compact old town.
Fête de l'EscaladeDate variesUsually the weekend closest to 12 December
Commemorates the city's defeat of a 1602 night attack by Savoy, with costumed processions, a chocolate cauldron tradition and a city running race.
Why go: The costumed parades in the old town are free to watch.
Where: Old Town
Coming up later
Swiss National DayEvery year1 August every year
Switzerland's national holiday, celebrated with bonfires, lanterns and fireworks.
Why go: A public holiday, so many shops close.
Where: Lakefront and across the city
Jet d'Eau
A huge fountain shooting water high above the lake, the city's landmark.
💡 It may be switched off in strong wind or freezing weather.
Old Town and St Pierre Cathedral
Cobbled streets around the cathedral, whose towers give views of the lake and Alps.
Palais des Nations
The European headquarters of the United Nations, open for guided tours.
💡 Bring your passport or ID for security checks.
CERN
The European particle physics laboratory, with free public exhibitions at its Science Gateway on the city outskirts.
Reformation Wall
A long monument to the leaders of the Protestant Reformation in the Parc des Bastions.
Carouge
A neighbourhood with a Mediterranean feel, built under Sardinian rule, known for artisans and cafés.
Perch fillets (filets de perche)
Pan-fried lake perch, usually served with fries and lemon butter.
💡 Lakeside restaurants
Fondue
Melted Swiss cheese, often a moitié-moitié blend of Gruyère and Vacherin, eaten with bread.
Raclette
Melted cheese scraped onto potatoes, served with pickles.
Longeole
A Geneva pork sausage flavoured with fennel seeds.
💡 Butchers and traditional restaurants
Cardon genevois
A gratin of cardoons, a local winter vegetable.
Swiss watches
Geneva is a historic watchmaking centre with many boutique and luxury watch shops.
💡 Rue du Rhône area
Swiss chocolate
Bars, pralines and truffles from Swiss chocolatiers.
Marmite de l'Escalade
A chocolate cauldron filled with marzipan vegetables, sold for the Escalade festival.
💡 Chocolate shops in early December