Month by month
Craiova in January
The market runs to the 3rd, then the city goes quiet and cheap — grey, often foggy, and the best month for the museums.
The figures — Craiova
- Avg high
- 2.5°C
- Avg low
- −3.3°C
- Sunshine
- 131 h
- Rain
- 47 mm
- Wet days
- 8 days
- Snow days
- 4 days
- New snow
- 18 cm
Climate normals 1991–2020 for the centre (≈100 m), from the CERRA regional reanalysis (Copernicus, 5.5 km grid) — a model, not a single weather station. Highs and lows are means of the daily maximum and minimum; a wet day has at least 1 mm of rain, a snow day at least 1 cm of new snow; sunshine is a model estimate. Source: Open-Meteo — CERRA regional reanalysis 1991–2020 (Copernicus)
Up the mountain — Rânca
- Rânca · 1,600 m · max
- −2.2°C
- Rânca · 1,600 m · min
- −9.3°C
- New snow
- 31 cm
- Snow on the ground
- 65 cm
- Days with 30 cm+
- 24 days
- Parâng ridge · 1,900 m · max
- −4.8°C
Rânca (≈1,600 m) and the Parâng ridge above it (≈1,900 m, temperatures only), 1991–2020, CERRA regional reanalysis. Snow depth is NATURAL snow on the ground, averaged over the month. The column is here for one reason: it is two and a quarter hours from Craiova and the July gap is the argument for the drive. Source: Open-Meteo — CERRA regional reanalysis 1991–2020 (Copernicus)
January starts loud and ends silent. The Christmas market in Piața Mihai Viteazul runs to 3 January, so the first weekend still has the lights, the stalls and the crowd. After that Craiova empties out faster than most Romanian cities, and hotel rates drop with it.
What is left is the coldest month of the year — a daily high of about 2.5 °C, nights a few degrees below zero — and, more characteristically, fog. The Oltenian plain holds low cloud for days at a time in January, which is dreary outdoors and exactly why this is the month to spend indoors on purpose: the Brâncuși rooms at the Art Museum, the Oltenia Museum, Casa Băniei, an afternoon in a café on Calea Unirii.
If what you want is the city without anyone else in it, this is the month, and it costs the least. If you want to photograph the Belle Époque facades, check the forecast rather than the calendar — a clear January day here is very good, and there are not many of them.
What to know
- The Christmas market in Piața Mihai Viteazul runs until 3 January 2027.
- Public holidays: 1–2 January, 6 January (Epiphany), 7 January (St John) and 24 January (Union Day) — a date Craiova marks properly, given Mihai Viteazul stands in the main square. Some museums close on them.
- Fog is the month's signature, not snow: Craiova averages only a handful of snow days.
What is on this month
No dated events in the calendar for this month yet — the events page has everything currently scheduled.
All events →Where to stay
Live prices and availability on a map centred on this exact spot — hotels, apartments and hostels, so you can judge the walk from here rather than guess from an address.
Bookings made through this map earn us a commission. Your price is unaffected.
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Tickets & tours
Skip-the-line tickets, tours and experiences bookable ahead — free cancellation on most.
See all options: Craiova Christmas market →We may earn a commission from these. It never changes your price.
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Questions about this month
What is the weather like in Craiova in January?
The average daily high is 2.5°C and the average low −3.3°C, with around 47 mm of precipitation over 8 wet days and 131 hours of sunshine. These are 1991–2020 normals for the centre (≈100 m), from the CERRA regional reanalysis.
Is January a good time to visit Craiova?
The market runs to the 3rd, then the city goes quiet and cheap — grey, often foggy, and the best month for the museums.
How busy is Craiova in January?
Moderate by the standards of the Craiova year, and prices are cheapest. The table on the weather page compares all twelve months side by side.
How much cooler is Rânca in January?
At Rânca (≈1,600 m) the average January high is −2.2°C, against 2.5°C in the city (1991–2020 normals). That gap, two and a quarter hours up the road, is why Rânca is Craiova's standard escape from a heatwave.
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