Cappadocia in December: 6.2 °C days, 29% flights and a 7-day gap

December is the month the average low first drops below zero as the year turns, to −1.3 °C, with an average high of 6.2 °C, 3.1 hours of sun a day and 12.3 rainy days. Balloons flew on 9 of 31 days in December 2025 (29%), and the last six days of the month all passed without a flight. One caution comes first: the flight record ends on 2 August 2026, so we hold a single December and cannot compare it with a second one. This guide sets the weather, that one December and the catalogue’s winter-arrival counts side by side. It has no prices, opening hours or event dates.

The weather in December

Measure	November	December	January
Average temperature	6.7 °C	2.1 °C	−0.1 °C
Average high / low	11.8 / 2.5 °C	6.2 / −1.3 °C	4.0 / −3.6 °C
Gap between day and night	9.3 °C	7.5 °C	7.6 °C
Sunshine, hours a day	4.6	3.1	3.1
Rainy days	8.5	12.3	12.3
Precipitation	34.3 mm	48.4 mm	45.4 mm
Record high / low	27.6 / −14.0 °C	23.0 / −19.5 °C	19.8 / −21.2 °C

MGM averages for 1959–2025, Nevşehir, so Göreme or Uçhisar can differ locally. From November, December loses 5.6 °C on the average high, 3.8 °C on the average low and 1.5 hours of sun, and its rainy days rise from 8.5 to 12.3 and its precipitation by 14.1 mm. At 48.4 mm it is the third-wettest month of the year, behind May (57.9 mm) and April (50.2 mm). The average low stays below zero from December to February, yet the record high of 23.0 °C shows a mild day is not impossible.

Balloons in December 2025

Year	Flown	Cancelled	Share	Days without flights
December 2025	9	22	29%	1, 3–7, 9–11, 15–17, 21–24, 26–31
December 2026	no record	no record	n/a	the record ends on 2 August 2026

December’s 9 of 31 days (29.0%) equal January 2026’s share; only the two Februaries, 7 of 28 days (25.0%) in 2025 and 8 of 28 (28.6%) in 2026, were lower. The longest run of flying days was 3, twice, from 12 to 14 and from 18 to 20 December, and the longest gap inside the month was 6 days, from 26 to 31 December. Flights came early and late in the month in about equal measure: the first 15 days flew on 5 days and the last 16 on 4 days.

Counting only windows of consecutive mornings that sit wholly inside December 2025:

Mornings	2	3	4	5
Windows with at least one flight	47%	62%	79%	89%

Of 30 two-morning windows, 16 had no flight; of 27 five-morning windows, 3 still had none. If a flight matters, plan four or five nights, and book it for the first morning. The decision is made on the day, on wind and visibility. The month-by-month table is in balloon flight days.

Snow and New Year: what we cannot say

The climate file holds no first-snow date and no count of snow days. Its only snow figure is the deepest cover on record, 64 cm on 2 February 1992, and the winter guide sets it beside the December to February numbers. So snow in December is possible, not promised.

The balloon record has no event or festival data for New Year either. What it does show is the turn of the year in two forms: 1 to 3 January 2025 all flew, while the 7 days from 26 December 2025 to 1 January 2026 had no flights, the third-longest gap in the whole record after 18 days in February 2025 and 9 in February 2026. A New Year week can be a run or a gap, and a single year cannot say which.

Arriving in winter: reception and transfer

A cold, dark arrival is easier with a reception that is open and a transfer that is arranged. The catalogue records both:

Town	Hotels	24-hour reception	Airport transfer
Göreme	43	4	17
Uçhisar	19	4	4
Ürgüp	9	5	3
Mustafapaşa	4	2	3
Çavuşin	3	0	2
Ortahisar	2	0	0
Total	80	15	29

Seven hotels tick both: in Uçhisar, My Story Cave Hotel and Dream of Cappadocia; in Ürgüp, The Calypso Cave, Ürgüp Evi and Kayata Cave Suites; in Göreme, Artemis Cave Suites & Spa (Adults Only); and in Mustafapaşa, Nujel’m Cappadocia. The other eight with a 24-hour reception do not tick a transfer; one of them, Mimi Cappadocia Luxury Cave Hotel, names a paid airport shuttle service in its highlights. A missing tick is not a missing service, so ask what the transfer costs and what happens if your flight is late. The full list is in hotels that list an airport transfer.

Warm hours

Twelve records tick a spa and seven a hot tub; the hamam list is in Cappadocia in November. In Mustafapaşa, Konak Bezirhane Cave Otel lists a jacuzzi and a private bathroom in each of its 23 rooms, with a 24-hour reception and room service. In Uçhisar, Mimi Cappadocia Luxury Cave Hotel lists a hot tub and an on-site Turkish bath, and The Kingdom of Cappadocia - Luxury Hotel lists a spa, a pool and a hamam as three separate facilities.

December or January?

January takes the average high from 6.2 to 4.0 °C and the average low from −1.3 to −3.6 °C, while the sun and the rainy days stay the same, 3.1 hours and 12.3 days. For balloons, December 2025 flew on 29% of days, against 58% in January 2025 and 29% in January 2026, so we cannot call one month steadier than the other. If you can choose, December has the milder temperatures and the same short days.

Where to stay in December

The Kingdom of Cappadocia - Luxury Hotel in Uçhisar’s Tekelli area, pictured above, lists a spa, a swimming pool, a hamam, balloon views, air conditioning and breakfast included. Mimi Cappadocia Luxury Cave Hotel in Uçhisar has a 24-hour reception, room service, a hot tub and an on-site Turkish bath. Konak Bezirhane Cave Otel in Mustafapaşa has a jacuzzi in every room and a 24-hour reception. Kilim Pansiyon in Uçhisar lists a spa, a restaurant and balloon views, with Uçhisar Castle about 138 m away. For the full list, see the hotel list. After choosing, you can book through gocappadocia.com, the regional booking platform created through the combined efforts of 175 Cappadocia hoteliers, with a best-price guarantee; this guide takes no commission. Next to December is January.