Scotland itinerary — December 2026
For the Scotland trip (Edinburgh & Glasgow), December 2026 is one of the less comfortable months by weather. Daytime highs sit around 7°C / 45°F across the route. Plan around 5–7 days for the full Edinburgh & Glasgow loop.
In this order — about 5–7 days:
- Edinburgh3 nights
- Glasgow2 nights
- Route noteReserve the longest intercity leg first and keep transfer days free of timed sights.
By TripSapien Research · Updated May 20, 2026
Edinburgh
Edinburgh in December
TempTemperature
44°F / 34°F
6.9°C / 0.9°C
RainPrecipitation
12d
2.6in · 65mm
LightDaylight
6.7h
Sea
46.2°F
7.9°C
December is cold, with Christmas markets and Hogmanay setup making central hotel timing important.
City overview
Edinburgh sits between Castle Rock, Arthur's Seat, and the Firth of Forth, with Old Town closes, New Town crescents, Leith waterfront, Stockbridge streets, Bruntsfield cafes, and Calton Hill viewpoints forming a compact but steep city. Its August festival season changes the city more completely than any single attraction.
Food & drink
Edinburgh food is Scottish staples with a strong pub map: haggis is minced offal, oats, and spice served with neeps and tatties, Cullen skink is smoked-haddock soup, and cranachan folds cream, oats, raspberries, honey, and whisky into dessert. Grassmarket pubs, Stockbridge Market, Leith's Shore restaurants, New Town whisky bars, and chip shops add Scotch pies, shortbread, drams, and fish suppers.
Events & festivals
- Dec 1 – Dec 31
Christmas at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Seasonal displays and festive events including illuminated trails and family activities at the Royal Botanic Garden.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 1 – Dec 24
Christmas at the Museum of Edinburgh
Special Christmas-themed exhibitions and family workshops celebrating Edinburgh's festive traditions.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 1
- Dec 1
- Dec 2 – Dec 30
- Dec 3
Show all 33 events for December
- Dec 5 – Dec 31
Edinburgh Christmas Market
A festive market featuring traditional crafts, food stalls, and seasonal entertainment in the heart of Edinburgh's city center.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 5
- Dec 6
- Dec 6
- Dec 6 – Dec 29
THE FURTHER PANTOMIME ADVENTURES OF PETER PAN: THE RETURN OF CPT HOOK
Arts & Theatre · Circus & Specialty Acts.
Source: Ticketmaster
- Dec 7
- Dec 8
- Dec 9
- Dec 10 – Dec 20
Edinburgh International Festival: Winter Concert Series
A series of classical music concerts featuring international artists as part of the Edinburgh International Festival's winter programming.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 10
- Dec 11
- Dec 12
- Dec 12
- Dec 13
The Big Christmas Sing A-Long with Aled Jones and Alexander Armstrong
Arts & Theatre · Classical.
Source: Ticketmaster
- Dec 13
- Dec 17
- Dec 18 – Dec 27
The Nutcracker Ballet at Edinburgh Playhouse
A traditional performance of The Nutcracker ballet, a holiday favorite held at the historic Edinburgh Playhouse.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 18
- Dec 19
- Dec 19
- Dec 19
- Dec 29 – Jan 1
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: TripSapien festival dataset
- Dec 29
Source: TripSapien festival dataset
- Dec 30
- Dec 31
Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party
The world-famous New Year's Eve street party with live music, DJs, and fireworks in Edinburgh's city center.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 31
- Dec 31
Holidays & observances
- Dec 25Christmas DayPublic holiday
- Dec 26Boxing DayPublic holiday
- Dec 28Boxing Day (substitute day)Public holiday
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park
- 2Calton Hill
- 3Royal Mile
- 4Princes Street Gardens and Scott Monument
- 5Edinburgh Castle
- 6Palace of Holyroodhouse
- 7National Museum of Scotland
- 8Royal Yacht Britannia
- 9Scottish National Gallery
- 10Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
1Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park
4.8★ · 4,771outdoorThe extinct volcano rises 251m above the city, with paths from Holyrood, Duddingston, and the Salisbury Crags. Views reach the Castle, Firth of Forth, and Pentland Hills.
2Calton Hill
4.8★ · 6,446outdoorThe hill east of Princes Street has the National Monument, Nelson Monument, Dugald Stewart Monument, and one of the classic skyline views toward the Castle and Arthur's Seat. It is a short climb from Waterloo Place.
Wikipedia
3Royal Mile
4.7★ · 23,477outdoorThe Old Town spine runs from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace through Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate, closes, churches, pubs, and souvenir shops. It is steep, crowded, and central to most first-time walks.
Wikipedia
Show 7 more sights
- 4Princes Street Gardens and Scott Monument
- 5Edinburgh Castle
- 6Palace of Holyroodhouse
- 7National Museum of Scotland
- 8Royal Yacht Britannia
- 9Scottish National Gallery
- 10Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
Neighborhoods
1Old Town
Old Town is medieval and vertical, with the Royal Mile, Grassmarket, Greyfriars, Victoria Street, closes, pubs, ghost tours, and festival venues.
2New Town
New Town is Georgian and ordered, with Princes Street, George Street, Queen Street Gardens, galleries, shopping, and hotels.
3Leith
Leith is port-city and food-led, with the Shore, Royal Yacht Britannia, Water of Leith paths, seafood restaurants, pubs, and tram links.
4Stockbridge
Stockbridge is village-like, with Sunday market, Raeburn Place, Dean Village access, Water of Leith walks, and independent shops.
5Bruntsfield and Morningside
Bruntsfield and Morningside are local and cafe-heavy, with Meadows access, cinemas, bakeries, bookstores, and tenement streets.
6Southside and Marchmont
Southside and Marchmont are student-and-festival districts, with University of Edinburgh buildings, the Meadows, theatres, pubs, and August venues.
Getting around
Lothian Buses, Edinburgh Trams, airport tram service, and contactless day caps cover most visitor moves. Walk the Old Town-New Town core, use trams for airport-Leith links, and expect steep climbs between Waverley, the Royal Mile, and the Castle.
Glasgow
Glasgow in December
TempTemperature
44°F / 34°F
6.9°C / 0.9°C
RainPrecipitation
18d
6.3in · 160mm
LightDaylight
6.7h
December is the wettest stretch, with Christmas lights and indoor music venues carrying the visit.
City overview
Glasgow sits on the River Clyde, with Merchant City, the West End, Finnieston, Southside, East End, and city-center grid showing a former shipbuilding and industrial city turned museum, music, food, and architecture base. Charles Rennie Mackintosh, sandstone tenements, Victorian civic buildings, and live music give the city its strongest traveler identity.
Food & drink
Glasgow food mixes Scottish comfort with South Asian cooking: fish suppers mean battered haddock or cod with chips, square sausage rolls show up at breakfast counters, pakora and curry are part of the city's late-night and family-restaurant rhythm, and tablet is a crumbly sugar-and-condensed-milk sweet. Finnieston, Merchant City, the Barras, Byres Road, and Pollokshaws Road are better routes than a single market hall.
Events & festivals
- Dec 1 – Dec 24
Glasgow Christmas Market
Annual festive market held in George Square featuring artisan stalls, food vendors, and seasonal entertainment.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 1
- Dec 2
- Dec 2
Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert - The Film With Live Orchestra
Arts & Theatre · Theatre.
Source: Ticketmaster
- Dec 3
Glasgow Christmas Lights Switch-On
Official event marking the start of the festive season with the illumination of the city’s Christmas lights, including live performances.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 3 – Dec 4
Show all 40 events for December
- Dec 4 – Dec 5
- Dec 4
- Dec 5 – Dec 31
Theatre Royal Pantomime: Cinderella
Traditional Scottish pantomime production of Cinderella, a popular family Christmas theatre event.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 5
- Dec 6
- Dec 6
- Dec 7
- Dec 8
- Dec 8
- Dec 9
- Dec 9
- Dec 10 – Dec 30
Glasgow Film Theatre Christmas Season
Special seasonal film screenings including classic Christmas movies and new releases at the independent Glasgow Film Theatre.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 10
- Dec 11 – Dec 20
Celtic Connections Winter Music Festival
A renowned winter music festival celebrating Celtic music and its connections to cultures worldwide, featuring concerts and workshops.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 11 – Dec 12
- Dec 12
- Dec 12
- Dec 13
- Dec 13
- Dec 14
- Dec 14
- Dec 15 – Dec 23
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Christmas Concerts
Series of festive classical and choral concerts held at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
Planning lead · dates set closer in · Source: festival research
- Dec 15
- Dec 16
- Dec 16
- Dec 17
- Dec 17
- Dec 18
- Dec 18
- Dec 19
- Dec 19
- Dec 20
- Dec 21
- Dec 30
Holidays & observances
- Dec 25Christmas DayPublic holiday
- Dec 26Boxing DayPublic holiday
- Dec 28Boxing Day (substitute day)Public holiday
Top sights
Ranked for December suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
- 2The Burrell Collection
- 3Riverside Museum and Tall Ship
- 4Mackintosh House and Hunterian Museum
- 5People's Palace and Glasgow Green
- 6Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis
- 7Glasgow Botanic Gardens
- 8George Square and City Chambers
1Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
4.7★ · 24,682indoorOpen dailyThe red-sandstone museum opened in 1901 in Kelvingrove Park and displays Scottish art, European paintings, natural history, armor, design, and Salvador Dali's Christ of Saint John of the Cross. It is near Kelvinhall subway.
Wikipedia
2The Burrell Collection
4.7★ · 2,914indoorOpen dailyThe collection reopened in Pollok Country Park after a major renovation and holds medieval art, tapestries, Chinese ceramics, stained glass, sculpture, and paintings collected by Sir William Burrell. It pairs with Pollok House and park walks.
Wikipedia
3Riverside Museum and Tall Ship
4.6★ · 1,872indoorOpen dailyZaha Hadid designed the transport museum, which opened on the Clyde in 2011 with trams, locomotives, cars, bicycles, subway cars, and street reconstructions. The Tall Ship Glenlee is moored outside.
Show 5 more sights
- 4Mackintosh House and Hunterian Museum
- 5People's Palace and Glasgow Green
- 6Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis
- 7Glasgow Botanic Gardens
- 8George Square and City Chambers
Neighborhoods
1Merchant City
Merchant City is polished and central, with restaurants, bars, galleries, City Halls, Trongate, and easy walks to George Square.
2West End and Hillhead
The West End is leafy and student-heavy, with Byres Road, Ashton Lane, University of Glasgow, Kelvingrove, Botanic Gardens, and subway access.
3Finnieston
Finnieston is food-and-nightlife focused, with Argyle Street restaurants, bars, the SEC, OVO Hydro, and routes toward the Clyde.
4Southside and Pollokshields
The Southside has Queens Park, Pollok Country Park, Tramway, cafes, tenements, and access to the Burrell Collection.
5East End and Dennistoun
The East End mixes Glasgow Cathedral, Necropolis, Barras Market, breweries, Celtic Park, and Dennistoun cafes.
6City Centre and Sauchiehall Street
The city center grid has Buchanan Street shopping, Sauchiehall Street nightlife, theatres, stations, murals, and Victorian facades.
Getting around
SPT Subway circles the center and West End, while ScotRail, buses, and contactless payments cover wider trips. Use the subway for West End-Finnieston-center loops, trains for Pollokshaws/Balloch/Stirling, and walking for Merchant City to George Square.
Planning the Scotland route?
Add your dates and we'll pace all 2 cities — every place checked for closures, limited hours, and booking needs in December.
Weather by month for the Scotland trip
In December, the Scotland trip runs daytime highs near 7°C / 45°F, with nights down to about 1°C / 34°F at the coolest stop. Climate averages show about 18 rainy days at the rainiest stop. Weighed across both stops, December is one of the less comfortable months by weather.
The most comfortable months across Edinburgh & Glasgow are July, August and June, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at every stop. December 2026 is a lower-comfort month.
Common questions about the Scotland trip
- When is the best time to do the Scotland trip?
- The most comfortable months across Edinburgh, Glasgow are July, August and June, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at each stop. December is one of the less comfortable months by weather — see the per-stop weather below for the climate averages in December 2026.
- How many days do you need for the Scotland trip?
- A comfortable Scotland trip runs about 5–7 days, allowing roughly Edinburgh 3, Glasgow 2 nights plus travel between stops. Add a day if you want a slower pace or extra day trips.
- What's the route for the Scotland trip?
- The classic order is Edinburgh & Glasgow. Each city below has its own December weather, any available event listings, and a top-sights list.
Ready to plan the Scotland trip?
Turn this route into a day-by-day plan for December 2026, every stop checked for closures and booking needs on your exact dates.