China
Kunming in December
🧥 WinterCool and mostly dry. Watch for hazy air.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings · N95 mask for hazy days
Why December scores 8.2What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort8.8
- !Cool (16°C highs / 5°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 5.2°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~14 mm rain)
- Air quality5.4
- !Elevated (PM2.5 ~37 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| Dec | May | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.2 Very good | 9.2 Excellent |
| Season | 🧥 Winter | 🌷 Spring |
| High / low | 16° / 5° | 25° / 15° |
| Rain | 14 mm | 80 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 5° | dew pt 12° |
| PM2.5 | 37 µg/m³ | 14 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Kunming weather-station normals. Rainfall: Kunming weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsDecember 2026
No long holidaysNo long public-holiday weekends this month. School holidays aren't counted, so check those if you want to avoid family crowds.
No national public holidays in China this month.
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore KunmingEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyThe capital of Yunnan, nicknamed the 'Spring City' for its mild climate year-round, and a gateway to the Stone Forest and the rest of Yunnan.
Black-headed gull seasonDate variesUsually November to March
Large flocks of black-headed gulls winter in Kunming.
Why go: Feeding the gulls is a popular local tradition.
Where: Green Lake Park and Dian Lake shore
Coming up later
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)Date variesLunar calendar — late Jan to mid-Feb, date moves each year
China's most important holiday, with family reunions, lanterns, temple fairs and fireworks where permitted.
Why go: It is the peak domestic travel period; trains and flights sell out and popular sights are crowded.
Where: Kunming
Wild mushroom seasonDate variesUsually June to September
The rainy season brings a big variety of wild mushrooms to markets.
Why go: Only eat mushrooms prepared by experienced restaurants; some varieties are toxic if undercooked.
Where: Markets and restaurants across Kunming
Green Lake Park (Cuihu)great in Dec
A central park with lotus ponds, popular with locals for music and dancing.
💡 In winter, thousands of migrating black-headed gulls gather here.
Stone Forest (Shilin)
A UNESCO-listed karst landscape of limestone pillars, about two hours from the city.
Western Hills and Dragon Gate
Cliffside paths and grottoes overlooking Dian Lake.
Dian Lake
A large lake south of the city with lakeside parks.
Yunnan Ethnic Village
A theme park presenting the architecture and culture of Yunnan's many ethnic groups.
Yuantong Temple
A Buddhist temple in the city centre with buildings around a central pond.
Crossing-the-bridge noodles
A very hot broth into which raw meat, vegetables and rice noodles are added at the table.
💡 Noodle restaurants across the city
Wild mushrooms
Yunnan is famous for wild mushrooms, often served as hotpot.
💡 Mushroom restaurants, mainly in the rainy season
Flower cakes (xianhua bing)
Pastries filled with edible rose petals.
💡 Bakeries and street stalls
Xuanwei ham
Yunnan's famous dry-cured ham, used in many dishes.
💡 Local restaurants
Pu'er tea
Yunnan's famous fermented tea.
💡 Tea markets and shops
Flower cakes
Boxed rose pastries.
💡 Bakeries and supermarkets
Yunnan coffee
Coffee grown in southern Yunnan.
💡 Specialty cafés and shops
Dried mushrooms
Dried wild mushrooms from around Yunnan.
💡 Markets