December in Slovenia, lights in the city and snow in the mountains

December in Ljubljana, all lit up

The capital’s festive December starts on 27 November 2026 with the lights switch-on and runs until 14 January 2027. The Tourist Board describes a Christmas market, free events across the decorated historic centre and some of the most imaginative lighting around, with decorations by the designer Urban Modic. On 5 December at 8pm, the Tartini in Ljubljana series holds a concert at the ZRC SAZU headquarters, and on Sunday the 27th the Sunday flea market is back on Kongresni trg from 8am. What to see over those weeks is in Christmas in Ljubljana. What follows the festive season, the coldest month of the year, is in Slovenia in January.

Bled, Koper and the rest of Slovenia in December

Koper holds Fantazima from 5 December to 10 January, Idrija its Perkmandlc festival until the 31st and Moravske Toplice an outdoor Advent programme from the 4th to the 31st, with its spas as a bonus. At Bled, the Tourist Board mentions the December Winter Fairytale, and at Postojna some five hundred volunteers stage a nativity underground. Cave tickets, as always, are sold only on its official website, as I explain in Postojna Cave.

Can you ski in December?

December is when the ski season starts, though 2026-27 opening dates weren’t published on the official websites I checked. At Bohinj, the Vogel cable car wasn’t due back in service before December because of works. At Planica, a FESA cross-country skiing cup runs from 4 to 6 December. If you’re combining the city with a day on the slopes, Krvavec is the resort the Tourist Board places closest to Ljubljana, about ten minutes from the airport. Resort by resort, see skiing in Slovenia. And the whole winter, December to February, is brought together in Slovenia in winter.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Ljubljana on Expedia and filter by area before price.

The cold, and two days when it all shuts

December averages 1.3°C in Ljubljana on the official series, 0.8°C in Maribor and 5.8°C at Portorož, with -3.1°C at Rateče and -7.3°C at Kredarica in the Alps. Winter equipment is still compulsory in cars, so if you’re driving from the airport to the mountains, make sure the hire company fits winter tyres. On the calendar, the 25th, Christmas, and the 26th, Independence and Unity Day, are both work-free, so I’d book dinner in advance and not count on shops being open. What the 26th commemorates is explained in Slovenia’s Independence Day.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Ljubljana and pick one that fits your day.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Ljubljana on Booking.com and filter by area before price.