MEXICO · SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE · DECEMBER
December is when San Miguel de Allende turns crisp and clear: dry afternoons, cold mornings, and a plaza where the pink neo-Gothic towers of the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel stand over the Jardín Principal. The historic center is a maze of steep cobbled streets and colonial facades, so you cover it on foot with a warm layer in your bag.
Against November and January, December differs by a few degrees and a little rain. The differences that change a trip are colder mornings, Christmas weeks worth booking early, and outdoor sites that close before dusk. Fees and hours below come from the sites themselves, read on Sept. 29, 2026.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE
December in San Miguel de Allende is dry and mild by day, cold in the mornings and after dark, so pack layers, book the Christmas weeks early and plan outdoor sites for the morning.
DRY MONTH · 1.7 RAIN DAYS · 10 H 55 MIN OF DAYLIGHT · COLD MORNINGS
Go for: dry afternoons for walking the historic center, a botanical reserve and an archaeological zone with posted hours, and hot-spring parks on the road toward Dolores Hidalgo.
Think twice before: packing for the afternoon only, since mornings average a low of 41.2°F.
Climate: SMN station 11093 · Daylight: sunrise-sunset.org · Sites: INAH, El Charco del Ingenio · Advisory: U.S. State Department
On this page
- San Miguel de Allende weather in DecemberHighs, lows, rain days and daylight, from the SMN station
- How warm is San Miguel de Allende in December?Afternoon warmth, hot-spring swims and cold nights
- How busy is San Miguel de Allende in December?Christmas weeks, booking, lodging tax and heating
- Things to do in San Miguel de Allende in DecemberCañada de la Virgen and El Charco del Ingenio, with fees and hours
- San Miguel de Allende itinerary for DecemberTwo days built around sunrise at 7:11 a.m. and sunset at 6:05 p.m.
- November or January instead of December in San Miguel de Allende?Highs, lows and rain for the three months side by side
- Is December a good time to visit San Miguel de Allende?Who it suits, who should move to November, and the U.S. advisory
Hotels, neighborhoods and everything that does not depend on the calendar live in our San Miguel de Allende guide. To weigh the town against other places in December, Where to Go by month lines up the year.
San Miguel de Allende weather in December
| Measure | December normal |
|---|---|
| Average high | 73.4°F |
| Average low | 41.2°F |
| Precipitation | 0.22 inches |
| Days of measurable rain | 1.7 days |
| Daylight on Dec 15 | About 10 hours 55 minutes |
| Sunrise · sunset on Dec 15 | 7:11 a.m. · 6:05 p.m. |
Every figure here is a 1991-2020 normal from Mexico’s national weather service (SMN, part of CONAGUA), measured at its own San Miguel de Allende station, number 11093, in town at 1,917 meters. A garden or an archaeological site outside town can read differently from that thermometer. December averages a high of 73.4°F, a low of 41.2°F and 0.22 inches of precipitation.
The SMN counts 1.7 days of measurable rain in an average December. Its station sheet does not publish the threshold behind “measurable,” so we do not set that count beside other countries’ standards. Expect one or two wet days across the whole month. A packable rain shell covers them.
High and low sit 32.2 degrees apart, and that gap sets the packing list: a warm jacket or fleece for mornings and after dark, a light layer for the afternoon, and closed shoes for the cobbles.
On December 15 daylight lasts about 10 hours 55 minutes, with sunrise at 7:11 a.m. and sunset at 6:05 p.m. local time, per sunrise-sunset.org. Carry the jacket when you head out for the afternoon, because you will be walking back after dark.
How warm is San Miguel de Allende in December?
San Miguel de Allende is inland, so there is no sea to take a temperature of, and our sources carry no water temperature for pools or springs. The warmth is in the air. The 73.4°F average high is a mean of daily afternoon maximums, so a given afternoon can land a few degrees either side of it.
For a swim, the options are hot-spring parks fed by the same aquifer, a short drive out of town on the road toward Dolores Hidalgo. We have no admission prices or water temperatures for them, so we give none. Pack a swimsuit and a dry warm layer, since mornings average 41.2°F.
We found no count of freezing nights in the SMN normals we read, so we cannot say how many December nights fall to freezing. The average low stays above the freezing mark, but averages smooth out the coldest nights, so a colder night than the norm is possible.
How busy is San Miguel de Allende in December? Crowds and prices
We found no occupancy series or hotel-rate history for San Miguel de Allende, so we crown no month expensive or cheap. What December does bring is the calendar: Christmas and New Year’s Day fall inside it, and holiday weeks push rates up in most destinations. How far they push them here is a number we do not have.
For dates that touch Christmas or New Year’s, reserve early and pick a rate you can cancel. We have no lead-time data for San Miguel, so we cannot put a number of weeks on it. If your dates are flexible, price the first half of the month, ahead of the holiday weeks, before anything else.
We could not verify the lodging-tax rate for San Miguel de Allende, so we give no percentage. Ask any hotel whether the quoted nightly rate includes taxes before you compare two offers, and see our Travel 101 section for general booking basics.
If you pay more for one thing, make it the room’s heating. With nights averaging 41.2°F, ask before booking whether the room has heat, and skip any rate whose hotel cannot say.
Things to do in San Miguel de Allende in December
December is dry enough for open-air sites: 0.22 inches of precipitation, against 0.76 inches in November and 0.63 in January. That suits the two outdoor places with posted hours, an archaeological zone and a botanical reserve, and it makes walking the historic center easy without watching the sky.
Cañada de la Virgen, run by INAH, charges 100 pesos for adults and 25 pesos for children. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., last entry 4 p.m., and after a walk of almost a kilometer a shuttle in 20-passenger vehicles covers the final stretch. El Charco del Ingenio charges 100 pesos, 50 pesos for students, teachers and seniors with ID, and nothing for children under 10. It opens daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (rates posted December 2024, read Sept. 29, 2026).
December’s short days squeeze the schedule. Cañada de la Virgen’s last entry is 4 p.m., about two hours before the 6:05 p.m. sunset, and El Charco closes at 5 p.m., a little over an hour ahead of it. Start El Charco at its 9 a.m. opening and Cañada after 10 a.m.
Walking costs nothing. The Jardín Principal and the cobbled streets of the historic center need no ticket, and most through-traffic is closed around the plaza. Entry to Cañada de la Virgen is free for visitors from the surrounding indigenous communities. Our sources do not price the church interior, so we give no fee for stepping inside.
San Miguel de Allende itinerary for December
First day, garden and plaza. Arrive at El Charco del Ingenio for the 9 a.m. opening (100 pesos) with the jacket on, and take it off as the morning warms toward noon. Spend the afternoon in the historic center on foot, then be at the Jardín Principal for the 6:05 p.m. sunset and put the jacket back on.
Second day, Cañada de la Virgen. Go any day but Monday, when it is closed. Arrive between 10 a.m. and noon to leave room for the walk of almost a kilometer, the shuttle and the 4 p.m. last entry. If the month’s 1.7 rain days land on this one, drive out to the hot-spring parks on the road toward Dolores Hidalgo and keep the site for the next clear morning.
San Miguel de Allende in December vs November and January
| Measure | November | December | January |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 75.4°F | 73.4°F | 72.3°F |
| Average low | 45.9°F | 41.2°F | 40.3°F |
| Precipitation | 0.76 inches | 0.22 inches | 0.63 inches |
| Days of measurable rain | 2.7 days | 1.7 days | 2.4 days |
December’s average high of 73.4°F is 2.0 degrees below November’s 75.4°F and 1.1 degrees above January’s 72.3°F. The average low falls 4.7 degrees from November’s 45.9°F to 41.2°F, then another 0.9 degrees to January’s 40.3°F. Rain runs 0.76 inches in November, 0.22 in December and 0.63 in January, with 2.7, 1.7 and 2.4 days of measurable rain. All three columns are SMN station 11093 normals for 1991-2020.
Shifting four weeks earlier, to November, adds 4.7 degrees on the low and 2.0 on the high, and costs 0.54 inches more rain and about one more wet day. Shifting to January gives you 1.1 degrees less on the high and 0.9 less on the low, with 0.63 inches of rain in place of 0.22. It also leaves the Christmas weeks behind, though we have no January rate data to say what that saves.
Is December a good time to visit San Miguel de Allende?
Yes, for walkers and for anyone who wants dry, clear afternoons and can pack for cold mornings. It suits travelers who need warm evenings less well. Read the U.S. State Department’s Mexico travel advisory before you book: issued May 29, 2026, it rates the state of Guanajuato at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, and the full text is at travel.state.gov.
If the cold mornings decide it, November is the month to move to, with lows averaging 45.9°F. If warmth and a beach decide it, our month-by-month destination guide lists where else to go in December.
Of the three months compared, December has the least rain at 0.22 inches, and it is the only one with Christmas in it.
The last word
Book a room with heat, spend the first morning at El Charco del Ingenio, and let the reserve’s cactus and succulent collection set the pace. It was founded as a civil association in 1991, and many of its Mexican species are rare or endangered. By dusk the plaza takes over, and the jacket goes back on.
Sources & data
- Temperature, precipitation and rain-day normals, December, November and January · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), 1991-2020, station 11093 in town · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Rain-day threshold · not published on the SMN station sheet · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Daylight, sunrise and sunset on December 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted to local time · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Cañada de la Virgen fees, hours and access · INAH · checked Sep 30, 2026
- El Charco del Ingenio rates (posted December 2024) and hours · El Charco del Ingenio · checked Sep 30, 2026
- Mexico travel advisory, Guanajuato Level 3, issued May 29, 2026 · U.S. Department of State · checked Sep 30, 2026
- We found no occupancy series, lodging-tax rate, verified December event dates or count of freezing nights, so none is given. Descriptions of the Parroquia, the historic center and the hot-spring parks are general knowledge, and fees and hours change · check operators when you book.