Bali in December: Weather, Christmas Crowds, Prices and What to Do

The short answer

December is wet season in Bali, and it is also the most expensive fortnight of the year. Expect hot, humid days around 31°C (88°F), warm nights around 24°C, and roughly 250 to 330 mm of rain spread over about 16 days, usually as heavy afternoon or evening downpours rather than all-day drizzle. The first three weeks are quiet, green and good value. From around December 20 to the first days of January, flights, villas and restaurants fill up, prices jump and traffic in the south slows to a crawl. If you want December without the crush, come early in the month. If you want Christmas and New Year in Bali, book months ahead and plan your days around the rain.

The weather in December

December sits at the start of the wettest stretch of the year. A typical day starts sunny or hazy, clouds build by early afternoon, and a tropical downpour arrives sometime between 2 p.m. and evening, often hard enough to flood a street for half an hour before it drains. Some days stay dry; occasionally it rains on and off for two or three days straight.

• Temperature: highs around 31°C, lows around 24°C on the coast. Cooler in Ubud and properly cool in the highlands around Kintamani and Munduk.
• Humidity: very high. Clothes take longer to dry and you will want air-conditioning at night.
• Sea: around 29°C, the warmest of the year.
• Sunshine: still around eight hours a day on average, mostly in the mornings.

For every month side by side, see Bali weather by month.

Crowds and prices at Christmas and New Year

Bali in December is really two different months.

December 1 to around 20: low season. Hotels and villas often discount, beach clubs have space, and you can walk into most restaurants. This is one of the best-value times of the year to visit.

Around December 20 to January 5: the holiday peak. Australian summer school holidays, Christmas travelers from Europe and Asia and Indonesia's own year-end break all land at once. In practice that means:

• Villa and hotel rates rise sharply, with many places adding a peak surcharge and some requiring minimum stays of three to five nights.
• Compulsory gala dinners on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve at some resorts, sometimes shown only at the final booking step. Read the small print.
• Flights from Australia often cost close to double their shoulder-season price, and long-haul fares from the US and Europe peak.
• Traffic around Canggu, Seminyak, Kuta and Ubud is at its worst, so a 30-minute drive can take well over an hour.

If you are traveling at Christmas, book flights and accommodation as soon as your dates are fixed, ideally five or six months ahead, and reserve restaurants for the big nights.

Christmas and New Year's Eve in Bali

Bali is mostly Hindu, but Christmas is a national holiday in Indonesia, and the tourist areas embrace it. Hotels put up trees, resorts serve Christmas brunches, and Catholic and Protestant churches in Denpasar, Kuta and Nusa Dua hold services that visitors can attend.

New Year's Eve is the biggest party night of the year in the south, with sold-out events at the beach clubs of Seminyak, Canggu and Uluwatu, and dinners at clifftop restaurants. Fireworks are not guaranteed, though. For the 2025 to 2026 New Year, police confirmed that fireworks displays were banned across the tourist areas, including at hotels and restaurants, as a mark of mourning for victims of the floods in Sumatra and Aceh. Rules for New Year's Eve 2026 had not been announced at the time of writing, so check close to the date before you plan around a show. On the night itself, expect road closures and gridlock around Kuta and Seminyak; walk, or stay put.

What to do on rainy days

The rain is easy to work around once you plan for it. Do your outdoor things in the morning and save the afternoon for something under a roof.

• Morning adventures: temple visits, waterfall walks and rice-terrace strolls are best early, before the clouds build. The terraces at Tegallalang and Jatiluwih are especially green in December.
• Spa afternoons: a Balinese massage or a long spa ritual is the classic Bali answer to a downpour, and prices in Ubud and Sanur are reasonable.
• Cooking classes: many in Ubud start with a morning market visit and finish under cover.
• Culture under cover: catch a Legong or Barong dance performance, browse the galleries of Ubud, or visit a museum.
• Surf the east coast: in the wet season the wind favors the east side, so Sanur's reefs and Keramas get the cleaner waves while the west coast is messier.

Be careful with anything that depends on calm water or clear skies. Fast boats to Nusa Penida and the Gili Islands are sometimes cancelled in rough weather, and sunrise views from Mount Batur are often lost in cloud. Build a spare day into your plans.

Practical tips for December

• Base yourself well. Sanur and Nusa Dua drain better and have calmer, more swimmable seas than the west coast in December, when Kuta and Seminyak beaches can be littered with plastic washed in by the monsoon.
• Pack for the rain. A light rain jacket, quick-dry clothes and sandals you do not mind getting wet beat an umbrella on a scooter.
• Take care on the roads. Wet roads and floods make scooter riding riskier. If you are not an experienced rider, use a driver or ride-hailing apps.
• Watch your stomach. Heat and humidity make food safety matter more; choose busy warungs and drink bottled or filtered water.
• Look ahead to January. Galungan, one of Bali's most beautiful festivals, falls on January 13, 2027, with Kuningan on January 23. Villages will already be preparing their tall bamboo penjor in early January, so a trip that runs past New Year catches the start of the celebrations.

For the bigger picture across the year, our best time to visit Bali guide compares every season.