Best time to go to Greece for a perfect weather and where to go?
Discover the very best time to visit Greece from seasonal averages in many locations like Delphi or Kalambaka below.
When is the best time to go to Greece?
The peak tourist season in Greece corresponds to not only the summer season but also the time of school holidays. Most tourist sites see a large influx of vacationers, travelling from around the world. For this main reason, one should consider making their reservations well in advance in order to ensure a reasonable price with adequate accommodation. Especially if one desires to enjoy the sun and sea in peace. Otherwise, spring and fall are beautiful to visit Greece in all its authenticity.
Some Greek islands can even be visited all year round. During these off periods, one can benefit from the low level of tourists in order to privately discover the ancient ruins, relax on the Greek countryside and soak up the hospitality of the residents who live away from the modern world. If one is visiting Greece during the off season, take a moment to travel to Macedonia throughout the winter as this can be exciting: one can follow the footsteps of the great historical figures like Aristotle and Alexander the Great at a personal pace, while enjoying the peace and nature.
So, when is the best time to go to Greece? Here's some more information to help you in your decision:
- In Greece, the weather is good everywhere in April, May, June, July, August, September and October
- The best months to go to Athens are March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November
- On average, the warmest months in Athens are June, July and August, and the coldest month of the year is January
- The rainiest months in this city are January, February and December
- The cities with the best climate are Rhodes, Santorini, Ios, Kalymnos and Karpathos, with good weather at least 11 months a year
- August is the best month for swimming in Athens
Annual weather in Greece
For information about the climate and the weather city by city in Greece for a specific month, click on the corresponding line below:
| Month | Our opinion | View Details | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31°F to 61°F | tolerable weather* | |||
| February | 31°F to 61°F | tolerable weather* | |||
| March | 38°F to 63°F | good weather* | |||
| April | 47°F to 70°F | good weather | |||
| May | 58°F to 79°F | perfect weather* | |||
| June | 65°F to 86°F | perfect weather* | |||
| July | 68°F to 94°F | perfect weather | |||
| August | 68°F to 95°F | perfect weather | |||
| September | 59°F to 85°F | perfect weather* | |||
| October | 49°F to 76°F | perfect weather* | |||
| November | 41°F to 70°F | good weather* | |||
| December | 32°F to 65°F | good weather* |
Best time to travel to Greece by cities
Athens
The best months to go to Athens are march, april, may, june, july, august, september, october and november.
Chalkidiki
The best months to go to Chalkidiki are april, may, june, july, august, september, october and november.
Corfu Island
The best months to go to Corfu Island are april, may, june, july, august, september and october.
Climate and Weather in Greece
Throughout most of its territory, Greece has a Mediterranean climate which varies mainly with the differing altitudes and latitudes of the region. In general, we find mild, rainy winters and hot dry summers, like its neighbors, Albania, Bulgaria and Turkey. Less notable, seasons like the fall or the spring, although they are relatively pleasant, are generally short when compared to the summer or winter seasons. The climate in Greece is regularly softened and cooled by the wind on the coast, but the heat is quite common within the country.
The Mainland's Climate in Greece
The winter is in general rather mild and humid and the summers are hot and dry on the Greek mainland, it is not however uncommon for particularly cold temperatures in mountainous regions or in the capital, Athens. This approximates the harsh winters of Turkey, including Ankara as well, or as in Sofia, Bulgaria. In Athens and more generally inland, the heat is also sometimes extreme, causing it to be unbearable at times. On the coast however, the climate is similar to that of the Greek islands, thanks to the intervening North Winds which temper the summer heat. Note the possible appearance of “alcyoneus” days throughout January and February, which offer beautiful moments of sunshine in the middle of the winter blues.
The climate of the mainland in Greece also faces great temperature variations, depending on the location. Thus, summers are particularly hot in the Peloponnese and in the north, while the winters are long and cold. Despite such, Macedonia still faces very hot summers as well!
The Climate on the Greek Islands
Quite different from the mainland climate, the weather of the islands varies enormously depending on which part of the archipelago that one is located. Thus, the Ionian Islands face a lot of humidity and low wind exposure, creating the scorching summer temperatures while the Cyclades suffer from drought on a fairly regular basis when the summer arrives, the latter period lasting for six months in this part of the archipelago and rather popular with the tourists. There are times when the rain may indeed be entirely absent between the months of May and October. The summers are pretty cool though, thanks to a seasonal wind known as “Meltemi” that refreshes the whole of the atmosphere. Sporades and Dodecanese face themselves a climate similar to that of the Cyclades - with lesser important winds and a warmer summer.
Temperatures and rainfall in Greece
On these 3 graphs, we present the evolution of temperatures of Greece and month-by-month rainfall for the cities of Athens, Chalkidiki, Corfu Island, Crete and Greek islands of the Cyclades, as well as the month-by-month sea temperature for coastal cities.
Peak visitor numbers and tourist seasons in Greece
Find out when Greece has its high tourist season (the period when the influx of tourists is highest) and off-peak tourist season using our data and figures.
Tourist seasons in Greece
The months with low numbers of tourists are: January, February, March, April, May, June, October, November and December. The number of visitors to Greece is high in: July, August and September.
- Very low season in Greece: January, February, March and November.
- Low season in Greece: April, May, June, October and December.
- High season in Greece: September.
- Peak season in Greece: July and August.
Figure: Visitor index for Greece month by month
Average price for flights to Greece
A return flight between London and Athens is generally cheaper if you go in march ($ 90 on average): this is the best time for travellers on a tight budget. In contrast, you may end up paying $ 72 more for your airline ticket to Athens if you go in august.
Where to go in Greece?
This table allows you to see the maximum temperature for each city and our opinion on the weather month by month (see colour legend below the table).
| Cities | jan. | feb. | mar. | apr. | may | jun. | jul. | aug. | sep. | oct. | nov. | dec. |
| Athens | 56°F | 59°F | 63°F | 68°F | 77°F | 85°F | 90°F | 90°F | 85°F | 74°F | 67°F | 59°F |
| Chalkidiki | 50°F | 54°F | 59°F | 67°F | 77°F | 85°F | 90°F | 92°F | 83°F | 72°F | 63°F | 54°F |
| Corfu Island | 56°F | 58°F | 59°F | 65°F | 70°F | 77°F | 83°F | 86°F | 79°F | 72°F | 67°F | 59°F |
| Crete | 59°F | 59°F | 63°F | 67°F | 72°F | 77°F | 83°F | 83°F | 79°F | 74°F | 68°F | 63°F |
| Greek islands of the Cyclades | 58°F | 58°F | 59°F | 63°F | 70°F | 76°F | 79°F | 81°F | 76°F | 70°F | 65°F | 61°F |
| Kos | 58°F | 59°F | 61°F | 67°F | 72°F | 79°F | 85°F | 85°F | 81°F | 74°F | 68°F | 61°F |
| Mykonos | 58°F | 58°F | 59°F | 63°F | 70°F | 76°F | 79°F | 81°F | 76°F | 70°F | 65°F | 61°F |
| Naxos | 58°F | 59°F | 61°F | 63°F | 70°F | 76°F | 79°F | 81°F | 77°F | 72°F | 67°F | 61°F |
| Paros | 58°F | 59°F | 61°F | 63°F | 70°F | 76°F | 79°F | 81°F | 77°F | 72°F | 67°F | 61°F |
| Rhodes | 59°F | 61°F | 63°F | 67°F | 72°F | 79°F | 85°F | 85°F | 81°F | 76°F | 70°F | 63°F |
| Samos | 58°F | 58°F | 61°F | 65°F | 72°F | 79°F | 85°F | 86°F | 81°F | 74°F | 67°F | 59°F |
| Santorini | 59°F | 61°F | 61°F | 65°F | 70°F | 76°F | 79°F | 81°F | 77°F | 72°F | 68°F | 63°F |
| Skiathos | 54°F | 56°F | 59°F | 63°F | 70°F | 77°F | 81°F | 83°F | 77°F | 70°F | 65°F | 58°F |
| Thessaloniki | 50°F | 54°F | 59°F | 68°F | 77°F | 86°F | 92°F | 92°F | 83°F | 72°F | 63°F | 54°F |
| Zante | 58°F | 58°F | 59°F | 65°F | 70°F | 77°F | 83°F | 85°F | 79°F | 72°F | 67°F | 61°F |
| Antiparos | 58°F | 59°F | 61°F | 63°F | 70°F | 76°F | 79°F | 81°F | 77°F | 72°F | 67°F | 61°F |
| Corinth | 54°F | 58°F | 61°F | 68°F | 77°F | 86°F | 92°F | 92°F | 83°F | 74°F | 65°F | 58°F |
| Delphi | 47°F | 50°F | 56°F | 63°F | 72°F | 79°F | 85°F | 85°F | 77°F | 67°F | 59°F | 50°F |
| Gregolimano | 50°F | 54°F | 59°F | 67°F | 77°F | 85°F | 90°F | 92°F | 83°F | 72°F | 63°F | 54°F |
| Hydra Island | 58°F | 59°F | 63°F | 67°F | 76°F | 83°F | 88°F | 88°F | 83°F | 74°F | 67°F | 61°F |
Legend:
perfect weather
good weather
tolerable weather
bad weather
very bad weather
About Greece
What can I do in Greece?
Beaches / swimming
Nature and countryside
Culture and heritage
Sports
Family travel
Crafts / shopping
Gastronomy
Nightlife
Is this weather information for Greece reliable?
Climate data for Greece has been gathered every day since January 2009. The analysis of these meteorological data for Greece allows us to determine the average for each month in Athens, Chalkidiki, Corfu Island, Crete, Greek islands of the Cyclades, Kos, Mykonos, Naxos, and 92 other cities.
So yes: this data is reliable except in cases of temporary climate disruption in the region.