When to go · Greece
Greece, month by month
The best months for Greece: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
Month by month
- JanuaryMixedAthens mild and quiet; most island hotels closed and ferries reduced; mountain villages cold with snow.Athens and Attica: cool · Cyclades and Dodecanese: rainy · Crete: coolCrowds: Low · 2 festivals or holidays
- FebruaryMixedCarnival season (Apokries) with the big parade in Patras; islands still closed.Athens and Attica: cool · Cyclades and Dodecanese: rainy · Crete: coolCrowds: Low · 1 festival or holiday
- MarchMixedClean Monday kite-flying and Independence Day parades (25 March); sea too cold for most.Athens and Attica: fine · Cyclades and Dodecanese: cool · Crete: fineCrowds: Low · 4 festivals or holidays
- AprilGoodWildflowers and good walking; Orthodox Easter (12 April 2026, 2 May 2027) fills ferries and rooms. Islands start reopening.Athens and Attica: best weather · Cyclades and Dodecanese: fine · Crete: best weatherCrowds: Medium · 1 festival or holiday
- MayGreatWarm, green and open; sea cool but swimmable late in the month. Best for sightseeing and hiking.Athens and Attica: best weather · Cyclades and Dodecanese: best weather · Crete: best weatherCrowds: Medium · 3 festivals or holidays
- JuneGreatLong days, warm sea, full ferry timetables; first heatwaves late in the month.Athens and Attica: hot · Cyclades and Dodecanese: best weather · Crete: best weatherCrowds: High · 2 festivals or holidays
- JulyMixedHot; meltemi winds in the Aegean; Santorini and Mykonos at their most crowded and expensive.Athens and Attica: hot · Cyclades and Dodecanese: hot · Crete: hotCrowds: High · 1 festival or holiday
- AugustMixedGreek holiday peak around 15 August; ferries sold out, wildfire risk highest, rooms at top prices.Athens and Attica: hot · Cyclades and Dodecanese: hot · Crete: hotCrowds: High · 3 festivals or holidays
- SeptemberGreatWarmest sea, easing crowds and heat; the best all-round month for islands.Athens and Attica: best weather · Cyclades and Dodecanese: best weather · Crete: best weatherCrowds: Medium
- OctoberGreatStill swimmable in Crete and Rhodes; many Cyclades businesses close after mid-month.Athens and Attica: best weather · Cyclades and Dodecanese: fine · Crete: best weatherCrowds: Low · 2 festivals or holidays
- NovemberMixedRain arrives; islands largely shut; 17 November marches in Athens. Good for Athens museums.Athens and Attica: fine · Cyclades and Dodecanese: rainy · Crete: fineCrowds: Low · 2 festivals or holidays
- DecemberMixedAthens and Thessaloniki festive and cheap; mountain villages busy at Christmas; islands closed.Athens and Attica: cool · Cyclades and Dodecanese: rainy · Crete: rainyCrowds: Low · 1 festival or holiday
Weather by region
How each climate zone rates each month.
| Region | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens and AtticaAthens, Piraeus, Cape Sounion | Cool | Cool | OK | Best | Best | Hot | Hot | Hot | Best | Best | OK | Cool |
| Cyclades and DodecaneseSantorini, Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, Rhodes | Wet | Wet | Cool | OK | Best | Best | Hot | Hot | Best | OK | Wet | Wet |
| CreteChania, Rethymno, Heraklion, the south coast | Cool | Cool | OK | Best | Best | Best | Hot | Hot | Best | Best | OK | Wet |
| Ionian islands and westCorfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos | Wet | Wet | Wet | OK | Best | Best | Hot | Hot | Best | OK | Wet | Wet |
| North and mountainsThessaloniki, Meteora, Zagori, Pelion | Cool | Cool | Cool | OK | Best | Best | Hot | Hot | Best | Best | Cool | Cool |