Mexico, North America

Mexico City in December

Festive lights, poinsettias, and ponche. From mid month through January 6, holiday closures touch some small businesses while the big sights carry on.

GoodDry, highs near 70F (21C), cold nights near 42F (6C)

Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City — Mexico CityPhoto: Xavier Quetzalcoatl Contreras Castillo, CC BY-SA 3.0

The straight answer

December is a good month to visit Mexico City. Festive lights, poinsettias, and ponche. From mid month through January 6, holiday closures touch some small businesses while the big sights carry on.

Weather: Dry, highs near 70F (21C), cold nights near 42F (6C)
Crowds: 3 of 5
Prices: 3 of 5

What December is like in Mexico City

December is dry and festive. Highs sit near 70F (21C), but nights drop to about 42F (6C), and indoor spaces are chilly. The city fills with lights, poinsettias and warm ponche. From about December 12 through January 6, many locals take holidays, so some small restaurants and shops close, while the big sights carry on.

December suits families on winter break and travelers who love holiday atmosphere with sunny days. It is also good for the monarch sanctuaries. If you want every neighborhood spot open, come in early December or late January instead.

Make the most of December

What is especially good about Mexico City this month.

Holiday lights and ponche

Plazas glow with lights, and street stalls sell warm fruit punch on cold evenings.

Monarch butterflies

The sanctuaries west of the city are filling up, and a day trip makes a great family adventure.

Early December calm

The first part of the month has festive decorations without the holiday closures.

What to pack for December

A warm coat for evenings
A sweater for chilly indoor rooms
Sunscreen for bright days
Comfortable shoes for long walks

Our timing tip

Visit before about December 12 if you want small restaurants open, and book New Year's Eve dinners well in advance.

Book Mexico City for December.

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Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in Mexico City
Opens a hotel search for Mexico City in December, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
Hotels for December
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Vacation rentals in Mexico City
Whole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
Rentals on Vrbo
Tours and tickets. Expedia
Tours and tickets in Mexico City
Timed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Mexico City for December. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Tours and tickets

What's on in December

Monarch butterfly season

Late November through early March, in sanctuaries a few hours west of the city

Millions of monarchs winter in the mountain fir forests, reachable as a long day trip or an overnight. Mid-winter visits catch the densest clusters.

Things to do in Mexico City

Full guide

Museo Nacional de Antropologia

The Aztec Sun Stone, the Maya rooms, and hall after hall of the pre-Hispanic Americas. Give it a full morning; it is closed Mondays like most museums here.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Centro Historico and the Zocalo

The cathedral, the Templo Mayor excavation, and Diego Rivera's murals at the Palacio Nacional and San Ildefonso, all within a few blocks of one of the world's largest city squares.

Tickets and tours →

Teotihuacan

The immense pyramid city about an hour northeast. Arrive at opening ahead of the heat and the buses, or splurge on a dawn hot-air balloon flight over the site.

Tickets and tours →

Chapultepec Park and Castle

Twice the size of Central Park, with the castle's hilltop views, museums, and boating lakes. Sundays are joyful, family-packed chaos.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Coyoacan and the Frida Kahlo Museum

The Casa Azul sells out days or weeks ahead; buy timed tickets online early, then give the rest of the day to Coyoacan's plazas and markets.

Official site ↗Tickets and tours →

Xochimilco

Float the canals of the old lake system on a painted trajinera with mariachis rowing past. Go with a group, go at midday, and negotiate the boat price before boarding.

Tickets and tours →

Beat the crowds

Do the Centro Historico early on a weekday morning: by afternoon, and especially on weekends, the pedestrian streets around the Zocalo run at carnival density.
Book the two sellout tickets first, the Casa Azul and any famous tasting-menu restaurant; everything else in this city can be decided the same day.
Reach Teotihuacan at opening. The site is vast enough to absorb crowds, but shade is scarce and tour buses stack up from mid morning.
Use rainy-season afternoons on purpose: the 4pm downpour is the best museum ticket in town, and the streets after rain are the clearest-aired, prettiest version of the city.

Know before you go

Mexico City has no off season: museums, restaurants, and sights run all year. The planning facts are weekly and holiday rhythms, not seasonal shutdowns.
Most museums, including Anthropology and the Casa Azul, close on Mondays. Teotihuacan is open daily, which makes Monday the natural pyramid day.
Semana Santa, the week before Easter, and the December 12 to January 6 holiday corridor send locals out of town: traffic lightens, big sights stay open, but a noticeable share of small restaurants and shops takes the week off.
Around Dia de Muertos and Independence Day, downtown streets close for parades and the Zocalo hosts massive events: thrilling to join, worth routing around if crowds are not your thing.

Mexico City in December, quick answers

Is December a good time to visit Mexico City?

December is a good month to visit Mexico City. Festive lights, poinsettias, and ponche. From mid month through January 6, holiday closures touch some small businesses while the big sights carry on.

What is the weather like in Mexico City in December?

Dry, highs near 70F (21C), cold nights near 42F (6C).

Is Mexico City crowded in December?

Crowds in Mexico City are moderate in December; timed bookings still help at the biggest sights.

What is happening in Mexico City in December?

Monarch butterfly season (late november through early march, in sanctuaries a few hours west of the city).