When to Visit Greece

This is the peak season for tourism, especially on Greece’s coast and islands, when prices are at their highest. It’s also the hottest and driest time of the year when 100°F / 37°C days are common, and wildfires increase. Domestic tourism peaks around the August 15 Assumption of Mary holiday.

The best place to be in Greece in July and August is on the beach. You can cool off in the sea, and on the islands, seasonal winds provide welcome relief. July and August also offer summer festivals! One of Greece’s top music events, the Rockwave Festival, is usually in Athens in July. August is packed with panigyria, all-night feasts on the islands with traditional music and dance. The August Moon Festival features free music, dance, and theater shows under the full moon in historical sites around Greece, like the Acropolis! The Athens Epidaurus Festival from June to August has fantastic theater, dance, and music performances, with special events at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

July and August aren’t great for outdoor activities like hiking, when sunstroke and heat exhaustion are risks, especially for kids and the elderly. The heat also makes sightseeing and exploring cities difficult. Plus, many cities, including Athens, empty as locals head to beach destinations for summer vacation. That means family-run establishments may close for several weeks, and cafes and bars are less lively.

This is Greece’s shoulder season. Spring, early and late summer, and fall are the best times to go to Greece for lovely weather, fewer tourists, and lower prices, though prices spike around Easter.

Orthodox Easter is in April or May and is the religious and cultural event of the year. It’s celebrated all over Greece with candlelit processions, dying of eggs, and feasts to break the 40-day fast. Some towns have unique local Easter traditions. They throw clay pots in Corfu and shoot firecrackers in Chios!

April, May, and October are ideal for outdoor activities like hiking when it’s usually sunny but not hot or cold. September is the best month for the beach! The sea is warm and crowds and prices have lowered from their August peak. After September, flights and ferries stop going to some islands, so they may close up shop for the season. The most popular islands like Santorini and Mykonos, though, have much longer seasons. Early October is a good time to visit them, but the weather and sea will be cooling down. June is also lovely on the islands, but depending on where you are, the sea might be cold to swim in.

This is Greece’s off-season, when tourism and prices are at their lowest, except for a spike around Christmas and New Year’s. The northern part of the country gets the coldest, with snowfall in the mountains, while in the south, winters are mild, with a handful of rainy days each month. In January, the coldest month of the year, temperatures in Athens (in the south) average between 44-56 °F (7-13 °C).

Winter offers great bang for your buck. With iconic ancient sites practically empty and cafes and bars filled with plenty more locals than tourists, the off-season is an opportunity to better immerse in the culture and experience Greece’s daily rhythms. For culture lovers, there’s also the International Film Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city in the north. It’s held in November and showcases about 150 films in 11 days. In March, Greece’s Carnival season reaches its peak on the Sunday before Lent. It’s a period of Dionysian festivities in the spirit of the Greek god of wine and revelry! The biggest celebration is in Patras, Greece’s third-largest city in the Peloponnese. Other great places for Carnival are Xanthi, Galaxidi, Rethimno, Naousa, and Skyros. If that isn’t enough reason to visit in winter, then go to hit the slopes! Popular ski resorts are in Parnassos, Vasilitsa, Kalavryta, and Karpenisi, to name a few.