When Is the Best Time of Year To Travel to Greece?

Whether you're heading on a sunny trip to a beach-side Aegean island or a cultural excursion on the mainland itself, Greece is an exciting and memorable destination to go on holiday. However, you may have quite different experiences in this famous Mediterranean country depending on your travel season. —

For example, in the height of the summer, the Greek islands such as Santorini and Mykonos are a big draw and can be experienced at their best, with long days, high temperatures, and calm, crystal-clear waters. However, for touring Athens or Thessaloniki, the hot and busy peak summer months might be too crowded for your tastes, and spring or autumn will probably offer you a better experience.

To help you better plan your next trip, we explore the pros and cons of each season below to find the best time to travel to Greece:

Peak Season (Jun-Aug)

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Average temperatures (Athens): 23 to 33 °C (72 to 92 °F)

Advantages: Long days, outdoor dining and drinks, exquisite warm and sunny weather on the Aegean islands, music and film festivals, cultural activities and events.

Disadvantages: Very busy (especially in July), heat can be sweltering (especially on the mainland), higher hotel and restaurant prices, crowds and queues at tourist sites.

It should come as no surprise that summer in Greece is hot. Most days are sunny and touch 30 °C (86 °F), which is hot enough to make city tours and long walks unpleasant and sweaty experiences. What's more, July and August are when the most tourists from abroad land in Greece, making island resorts and cities such as Athens rather full — especially around the hotspots such as the Parthenon, Acropolis Museum, Plaka, and Monastiraki Square. As a result, hotels and restaurants are in high demand, and prices are bargained up during this period.

Because of the high temperatures, higher prices, and crowded streets, July and August are not the best months to visit Athens, in our opinion, but they are an excellent time to visit the Aegean islands. On the islands, the crowds are thinner than in the city and the temperature, while hot, is generally slightly cooler thanks to their proximity to the ocean.

2nd Shoulder Season (Sep-Oct)

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Average temperatures (Athens): 18 to 27 °C (65 to 80 °F)

Advantages: Excellent weather (warm but not sweltering), fewer tourists and more locals, Ohi Day, lower prices.

Disadvantages: Smaller islands begin shutting down for the winter, evening temperatures can get chilly (especially in October), more rain.

In our opinion, Autumn is all-around the best time of the year to visit Greece, no matter whether you're interested in touring the ancient sites in the cities or sunbathing at the beach. In September, the weather is still sunny (often still hot), and the sea temperature has warmed nicely after three months under the Aegean sun.

While beach resorts are still open in October, the weather is no longer quite as good as earlier in the year. However, for visiting cities such as Athens and Thessaloniki, October is a mild and uncrowded time to visit. Most restaurants and tourist spots are still open while the country gradually begins to cool for the winter months.

Off-Peak Season (Nov-Mar)

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Average temperatures (Athens): 9 to 16 °C (48 to 60 °F)

Advantages: Few crowds, Christmas and New Year celebrations, full indoor restaurants, bars, and clubs in the big cities, Apokries carnival season, Greek Independence Day (in late March).

Disadvantages: Quite cold, rainy with the occasional downpour, limited tourist spots are open, island resorts are almost all closed.

As November and December roll around, temperatures across Greece begin to fall into the low teens Celcius (except in the mountainous central and northern regions, where they drop even further). The weather is still nice enough to do outdoor activities, but you'll need to bring a light jacket and a raincoat or umbrella as the rains become more frequent.

Throughout the winter months, you'll be able to avoid the large tourist crowds that inundate Greece during the high season altogether. On the other hand, museums, restaurants, resorts, and tourist hotspots might be closed entirely until the busier seasons return, making it a comparatively empty and limited time to visit.

March is perhaps the best low-season month to visit Greece, as the days become gradually longer and the temperatures climb while the country remains uncrowded.

1st Shoulder Season (Apr-May)

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Average temperatures (Athens): 15 to 24 °C (58 to 75 °F)

Advantages: Sunny weather, few crowds, springtime blooms, Orthodox Easter celebrations, International Museums Day.

Disadvantages: Sometimes a bit chilly or rainy, smaller islands are not yet open (especially in early spring).

Heralded in by Greek Independence Day parades at the end of March, Greek springtime is marked by increasingly pleasant weather, plenty of activities, a growing sense of life on the streets, and religious celebrations culminating in Easter — the holiest day in the Greek Orthodox tradition.

By May, Greece is arguably at its best. It's not yet crowded, but the weather is warm and sunny, and holiday resorts, museums, restaurants, and tourist hotspots have begun to operate in full swing. We think early- or mid-May is the best time of year to visit mainland Greece in particular, specifically places such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Meteora, and Delphi. This is because the weather is warm (though not yet baking), and the crowds are yet to show up in big numbers. However, May is still on the early side for island resorts, as the sea temperatures have yet to heat up after the winter.