Benidorm in December: Weather, What's Open & Is It Worth It

Benidorm in December is mild, calm and properly Christmassy. Daytime highs average about 18°C and you get plenty of sunny days. It's not beach weather, but you can sit outside at lunch, and Christmas week plus New Year's Eve on the Levante seafront make the end of the month busy in a fun way.

Quick facts

• Average high / low: 17.7°C / 7.4°C
• Sea temperature: about 16.5°C on average
• Rain: about 25 mm over roughly 4 days with 1 mm or more
• Sunshine: about 164 hours, a bit over 5 hours a day, the lowest of the year
• Daylight: on the shortest day, 21 December, sunrise is about 08:12 and sunset about 17:44, so roughly 9.5 hours
• Crowds: quiet until Christmas, busy from 24 December to New Year's Day
• Prices: among the cheapest of the year, except Christmas and New Year week
• Christmas lights switch-on: TBD, likely Saturday 28 November (it was Saturday 29 November in 2025)
• New Year's Eve party: New Year's Eve is Thursday 31 December, but the 2026 party programme is TBD. Last year there was a free party on the Levante seafront

Where the numbers come from: air temperatures, rain and sunshine are AEMET's 1981-2010 climate normals for its Alicante city station, the nearest long-running official record, about 40 km down the coast. Benidorm won't match it to the decimal point, but it's close enough to plan with, and I use the same station for every month so you can compare. Sea temperatures are 10-year averages from seatemperature.info, and sunrise and sunset times are from sunrise-sunset.org.

Is Benidorm warm in December?

Warm for December, yes. On a clear day at noon it feels like a good British May, and you'll see people in T-shirts on the promenade. But it isn't hot, the sun goes down before 6pm, and the average low of 7.4°C feels colder than it sounds once you're sitting outside after dinner.

The other thing nobody warns you about is indoors. A lot of Spanish apartments have tiled floors and no central heating, so check your place has heating or air conditioning with a heat setting. Rain is rare: about four wet days in an average December.

Can you swim in the sea in December?

You can, but it's a dip rather than a swim for most people. The sea averages about 16.5°C. A handful of hardy regulars go in most mornings off Levante, and they'll tell you it's fine. If you're not that person, find a hotel with a heated pool and save the sea for paddling.

What to wear and pack

• A proper jacket for the evenings, not just a hoodie
• A jumper or fleece and long trousers
• A couple of T-shirts for sunny lunchtimes
• Closed shoes and socks
• Something warm for New Year's Eve: you'll be standing outside by the sea until well after midnight
• Something smart-ish if you've booked a Christmas Day lunch

There's more in our winter packing guide.

Is Benidorm open in December? What's closed

Benidorm doesn't close for winter. The Levante strip, the British pubs, the old town tapas bars and most big hotels stay open, and plenty of northern Europeans spend the whole winter here. A few hotels close for refurbishment, so check yours.

The parks are the main gap:

• Terra Mítica: closed. Its 2026 season ended on 1 November.
• Aqualandia: closed, it's a summer-only park.
• Mundomar: its official calendar ends normal opening on 1 November 2026. Last winter it opened on selected days, mainly for animal experiences, so check before you plan around it.
• Terra Natura: ticket sellers list weekends, holidays and the Christmas period over winter.

Watch the holidays: 6 December (Constitution Day), 8 December (Immaculate Conception), 25 December and 1 January are public holidays, so banks and most shops close. Bars and restaurants mostly don't.

What's on in December 2026

The council's Christmas programme, called BeniNadal, is TBD for 2026: it hadn't been published at the time of writing (October 2026). Here's what happened last year, which is a good guide to what to expect. Check benidorm.org nearer the time.

Christmas lights, market and ice rink

The 2026 switch-on is TBD, and likely to be the last Saturday of November, 28 November. In 2025 the lights went on at 19:00 on Saturday 29 November in the Plaza de SS.MM. Reyes de España, which becomes the Plaza de la Navidad for the season, with an ice rink, rides and a big nativity scene until 6 January. The Porrat Navideño Christmas market ran in Parque de Elche over the same dates. The traditional nativity scene by La Barqueta, at Calle Tomás Ortuño 62, opened on 8 December. Our Christmas in Benidorm guide has the full picture.

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is Thursday 31 December 2026, but the party programme is TBD. Last year's programme had a children's morning party from 11:00 in the Plaza de la Navidad, an afternoon "Tardevieja" from 12:30 on Calle Santo Domingo with DJs, and the main free party from 18:00 on Playa de Levante, where Paseo de Levante meets Avenida de Bilbao. Fireworks at midnight, the Madrid chimes at 00:00 and Big Ben at 01:00, which is midnight in the UK. The TRAM also ran extra late trains on Line 1 last year, at 00:19 from Luceros in Alicante and 01:50 back from Benidorm. See our New Year's Eve guide for both towns.

Best things to do in December

• Walk the lights from the Plaza de la Navidad up into the old town after dark.
• Go up to the Balcón del Mediterráneo at the tip of the old town for the views over both beaches, then have tapas at El Rincón del Ribera on Plaza de la Constitució.
• Book Christmas Day lunch early. The good places fill up weeks ahead.
• Get a drink with a view at the Gran Hotel Bali on a clear evening.
• Take the TRAM to Altea on a sunny day for a wander round its hilltop old town. Line 9 runs from Benidorm to Dénia.
• Do a day in Alicante for a bigger Christmas market and a proper city feel. See Christmas in Alicante.

Is it busy? Prices

The first three weeks of December are about as quiet as Benidorm gets, apart from the 6 and 8 December holidays, when Spanish families come for a long weekend. Prices are low and it's easy to walk into any restaurant.

From Christmas Eve to New Year's Day it's a different town. Hotels on Levante fill up and New Year's Eve dinners sell out, so book both early. Getting here, the ALSA bus from Alicante airport was €7.99 one way at the time of writing (October 2026), or take the TRAM up from Alicante city. Everything else is on our Benidorm area page.

FAQ

Is Benidorm warm in December?

Warm for winter. The average high is about 17.7°C, so lunch outside in the sun is normal, but the average low is about 7.4°C and it's dark before 6pm. Bring a proper jacket for the evenings.

Can you swim in the sea in Benidorm in December?

Only if you like it bracing. The sea averages about 16.5°C in December. A few hardy people still swim, but most visitors stick to a heated pool.

What's open in Benidorm on Christmas Day?

Plenty of the bars on the Levante strip and many hotel and seafront restaurants open, often with set Christmas menus that need booking. Most ordinary shops, banks and offices close, as 25 December is a public holiday.

Is there a New Year's Eve party in Benidorm?

Almost certainly, but the 2026 programme is TBD. In recent years the council has put on a free party on the Levante seafront with DJs, fireworks at midnight and the Big Ben chimes at 01:00, which is midnight in the UK. Details for Thursday 31 December 2026 hadn't been announced at the time of writing.

Is Terra Mítica open in December?

No. Terra Mítica's 2026 season ended on 1 November and Aqualandia only opens in summer. Terra Natura has opened on weekends, holidays and over Christmas in winter, so check its calendar.

Is Benidorm busy in December?

The first three weeks are quiet, apart from the 6 and 8 December holidays when Spanish visitors come. It gets busy from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day, so book that week early.

Bring a warm coat for midnight on the beach. You'll want it.

Planning the rest of the year? See November · January · Benidorm in winter