What to Wear in Taipei in December
Taipei in December: 21°C / 70°F afternoons, 16°C / 61°F nights, about 13 drizzly days, and 2.4 cold-surge days that decide what goes in the bag.
- Camel packable trench — sheds drizzle on about 13 days and closes over a knit at 16°C / 61°F
- Bright yellow mohair crew — real warmth for a cold-surge day, and colour under 79.6 hours of sun
- Blue-and-white striped button-down — collar and cuffs out under the knit, alone at 21°C / 70°F
- Dark navy quick-dry trousers — 12.6 wet days, and a hem that is dry by morning
- Navy marled wool scarf — CWA averages 2.4 cold-surge days in a Taipei December
- Black leather derbies — closed and laced, because a 16°C / 61°F night in drizzle finds bare ankles
- A down parka — 21°C / 70°F afternoons, and only 0.9 days a month with a low of 10°C or below
- Sandals — 16°C / 61°F nights on about 13 wet days
- Leaving the umbrella at home — CWA says December rain runs close to November's
- Plans that need sun — 79.6 hours in the month, about 2.6 a day
Pack for a mild, damp month and for the two or three days that are neither. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) puts Taipei's December at 21.0°C / 70°F by day and 16.0°C / 61°F at night, with 88.7mm of rain over 12.6 wet days and 79.6 hours of sun, about 2.6 a day, down from 95.8 in November. Its winter summary counts 2.4 days in a Taipei December affected by cold surges, nearly 6 in January, and describes the winter monsoon behind them as dry and cold. Rain still falls on the north at a little over 2mm a day. So add a trench, a real knit and a scarf to the umbrella. Friday 25 December, Constitution Day, is a public holiday and opens a three-day weekend.
Most of December in Taipei is mild and damp. The month is decided by the two or three days a cold surge comes through, and the scarf is the only thing in the bag built for them.
The capsule
01Camel packable single-breasted trench coatStart with the layer that answers both December problems. A camel packable single-breasted trench sheds drizzle on about 13 wet days and closes over a knit on a 16°C / 61°F night, then folds over an arm when the afternoon reaches 21°C / 70°F. Camel rather than black, because with 79.6 hours of sun in the month a black coat disappears into a grey street.
02Bright yellow fluffy mohair crew sweaterThis is the cold-surge knit, and the reason the capsule holds up on the 2.4 days CWA counts. A fluffy mohair crew traps warm air under the trench in a way November's cotton cardigan never had to. Bright yellow on purpose: sunshine drops to 79.6 hours, from 95.8 in November and 117.6 in October, and one loud colour keeps a grey Da'an street out of your photos.
03Blue-and-white stripe button-down shirt, chest pocketWear it under the mohair with the collar and cuffs out, or alone on the afternoons that still reach 21°C / 70°F. A blue-and-white striped button-down with a chest pocket gives the yellow knit a clean edge at a Zhongshan dinner and carries a Da'an café at noon on its own. Stripes also hide a day of creasing that a plain shirt shows.
04Dark navy slim tapered quick-dry trousersAbout 13 wet days means a wet hem, and quick-dry fabric decides whether these trousers are wearable again the next morning. A slim taper keeps the leg out of the puddles at Ningxia and sits cleanly over the derbies. Dark navy is the base under yellow, camel and blue stripes, and it hides the splash off a wet Xinyi pavement by evening.
05Black leather lace-up derby shoes, low stacked heelClosed and laced, because a 16°C / 61°F night in the drizzle finds bare ankles first. Black leather derbies on a low stacked heel wipe clean after a wet walk and look right at a Zhongshan dinner on the Constitution Day holiday. Pack a pair that is already broken in: they are the only shoes in this capsule, and you will walk every day in them.
06Tan-brown oval leather crossbody, zip topZip-top and small, for an evening among Christmasland's three Banqiao sites, listed to run until 27 December. A tan-brown oval leather crossbody sits across the body under the open trench, keeps a phone and an EasyCard dry in drizzle, and wipes down at the hotel. Tan-brown shares the camel trench's warm family, which leaves the black derbies as the only dark leather.
07Navy compact folding umbrella, wrist strapCWA's winter summary puts northern December rain close to November's, a little over 2mm a day, and Taipei still logs 12.6 wet days. That is drizzle, so a navy compact folding umbrella with a wrist strap is enough, and it folds away on a crowded Bannan line carriage. Navy joins the trousers and the scarf, which leaves the yellow knit as the capsule's one bright note.
08Navy marled wool scarfPack it for the 2.4 days CWA counts as cold-surge days in a Taipei December, and for the 0.9 days a month with a low of 10°C or below. Wound once under the trench collar, a navy marled wool scarf covers the throat that an open trench leaves bare. On the other days it folds flat into a trench pocket.
Day to night
Camel trench open · yellow mohair crew over the striped button-down, collar out · navy tapered trousers · black derbies · navy wool scarf wound once. A cold-surge morning: coffee on Yongkang Street at nine, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at eleven.
Striped button-down under the mohair · trench buttoned · same trousers and derbies · tan-brown crossbody · navy umbrella. Christmasland in Banqiao after dark, with sunset just after five, then a late dinner back in Zhongshan.
A suggested look — camel trench coat, yellow mohair sweater, blue and white striped button-down shirt, navy tapered trousers, black derby shoes.
What to avoid
- A down parka — 21.0°C / 70°F afternoons and 0.9 days a month with a low of 10°C or below
- Sandals or bare ankles — 16°C / 61°F nights on about 13 wet days
- Leaving the umbrella behind — December rain runs close to November's, a little over 2mm a day
- Plans that depend on sun — 79.6 hours in the month, about 2.6 a day
- Travelling without a scarf — CWA counts 2.4 cold-surge days in a Taipei December
Frequently asked questions
Per the Central Weather Administration (CWA) monthly means for the Taipei station, December's average daily maximum is 21.0°C / 70°F, the average minimum 16.0°C / 61°F and the monthly mean 18.2°C. Rain totals 88.7mm across 12.6 days, counted from 0.1mm, and relative humidity averages 75.6%. Sunshine drops to 79.6 hours, about 2.6 a day, and 0.9 days in the month bring a low of 10°C or below. CWA's winter summary counts 2.4 days in a Taipei December affected by cold surges, rising to nearly 6 in January. Daylight holds near 10h 35m all month.
A camel packable trench, a bright yellow mohair crew, a blue-and-white striped button-down, dark navy quick-dry tapered trousers, black leather lace-up derbies, a tan-brown leather crossbody, a navy compact umbrella and a navy marled wool scarf. That covers a 21°C / 70°F afternoon in Da'an, a 16°C / 61°F night in the drizzle, and the 2.4 days CWA counts as cold-surge days, when the scarf goes on and the trench buttons. Leave the down parka and the sandals at home, and bring one pair of closed shoes you can wipe dry.
CWA's winter summary counts cold surges (寒流) by the days they touch the city: "以臺北為例， 12月平均會有2.4天受到寒流的影響", meaning Taipei averages 2.4 December days affected by one, nearly 6 in January and about 4 in February. It describes the winter monsoon as dry and cold. CWA's low-temperature alerts start at yellow when lowland minimums reach 10°C or below, and the Taipei station averages 0.9 December days that cold. On a surge day, button the camel trench over the yellow mohair, wind the navy scarf once, and wear the closed derbies.
Late December, for the calendar. The Taipei Marathon starts from the plaza in front of Taipei City Hall at 6:30am on Sunday 20 December; the city's sports department announced it as "2026臺北馬拉松將於12月20日上午6時30分在臺北市政府前廣場盛大起跑", with a Christmas breakfast run of 3km or 9km the day before. Friday 25 December, Constitution Day, is a public holiday, which makes 25 to 27 December a long weekend. Christmasland in Banqiao is listed to run to 27 December, and Taipei 101's fireworks mark midnight on the 31st, though the 2026 programme is not yet published.
December runs nearly four degrees colder at both ends. CWA puts November at 24.8°C by day and 19.7°C at night, December at 21.0°C and 16.0°C. Rain barely changes, 83.2mm across 12.3 days against 88.7mm across 12.6, but the light does: sunshine falls from 95.8 to 79.6 hours. November averages no days with a low of 10°C or below; December averages 0.9, and CWA counts 2.4 cold-surge days. So November's cotton cardigan becomes a mohair crew, a trench goes over it, and a wool scarf joins the umbrella. Our November guide covers the lighter version.
A trench or a light jacket over a knit, with a scarf that comes out on the cold-surge days. In Da'an the look stays layered rather than heavy: dark trousers, closed leather shoes, a coat worn open by lunch as the afternoon reaches 21°C / 70°F. For tailoring with a local signature, look at DOUCHANGLEE, the Taiwanese design duo Dou and Changlee, which cuts tailoring that plays retro lines against futuristic ones. Wear one strong colour against navy or camel, the way this capsule uses yellow.
Sources
- Central Weather Administration (CWA) — 1991–2020 climate normals, Taipei (CWA station 466920) stationRead from CWA's Monthly Mean climate statistics page (30-year averages, 1991–2020) on 26 September 2026. CWA counts a precipitation day at ≥0.1 mm, a lower threshold than the ≥1 mm used by JMA, so Taipei's wet-day counts run higher than Japan's for the same rain.
- Central Weather Administration — Monthly Mean, Taipei, 1991–2020 — accessed 2026-09-26
- Central Weather Administration — 季節特徵概述：冬季 (Taipei cold-surge days) — accessed 2026-09-26
- Central Weather Administration — 低溫特報 criteria — accessed 2026-09-26
- Taipei City Government Department of Sports — 2026 Taipei Marathon, 20 Dec 2026 — accessed 2026-09-26
- DGPA — 中華民國115年政府行政機關辦公日曆表 (行憲紀念日 25 Dec day off) — accessed 2026-09-26
- Taiwan Tourism Administration — 2026新北歡樂耶誕城, 13 Nov – 27 Dec 2026 — accessed 2026-09-26
- DOUCHANGLEE — About — accessed 2026-09-26
