When to go · Queenstown
Queenstown in December
Great month. Inside Queenstown's best window: Dec–Apr.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Great
- Temperature
- 19°C (67°F)67°F (19°C) / 8°C (46°F)46°F (8°C)
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 16
- Crowds
- High
- Australia overall
- Prices
- High
- Australia overall
Verdict
Inside Queenstown's best window: Dec–Apr.
Is another month better than December?
No other month rates higher than December for Queenstown in this guide.
Weather in December
- QueenstownHighs around 19.3 °C (67 °F), lows around 7.9 °C (46 °F), rain on about 16 daysHighs around 67 °F (19.3 °C), lows around 46 °F (7.9 °C), rain on about 16 days
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.
New Year big impact
31 Dec – 1 Jan · Australia
Sydney Harbour fireworks: vantage points ticketed or claimed from morning; beds book out months ahead.
Summer school holidays big impact
Mid-Dec to late Jan · Australia
Coast, campsites, ferries and Tasmania fill; prices peak.
Christmas and Boxing Day big impact
25–26 December · Australia
Shops closed on Christmas Day; Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the Sydney–Hobart yacht race start.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Australia overall
- High
- Prices · Australia overall
- High
Australia overall: Summer holidays begin; bushfire risk and heatwaves in the south, wet season in the north; book everything early.
High-price month: see what to book ahead.
Compare two months
Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in Queenstown, side by side.
Verdict
Dec: Great
Jan: Great
Daytime high
Dec: 19.3 °C (67 °F)67 °F (19.3 °C)
Jan: 21 °C (70 °F)70 °F (21 °C)
Night low
Dec: 7.9 °C (46 °F)46 °F (7.9 °C)
Jan: 8.3 °C (47 °F)47 °F (8.3 °C)
Rain days
Dec: 16
Jan: 15 (better)
Crowds
Dec: High
Jan: High
Prices
Dec: High
Jan: High
Festivals listed
Dec: 3
Jan: 2
December: Inside Queenstown's best window: Dec–Apr.
January: Inside Queenstown's best window: Dec–Apr.
Queenstown: figures are long-term averages from this guide, not a forecast.
What to pack
- A warm layer for the evenings
- A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast