Greece climate guide

Check climate guides for Greece showing average temperature, rainfall & sunshine figures for each month of the year.

  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C
Hours of sunshine (daily)
Days with some rainfall
Sea temperature °C

The climate guide for Greece (Athens) shows long term monthly weather averages processed from data supplied by CRU (University of East Anglia), the Met Office & the Netherlands Meteorological Institute. Find out more about our data sources.

Top Greece destinations

Below are average maximum temperatures at popular destinations in Greece for next month - October. Select a destination to see the climate guide for all months of the year.

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About Greece

Greece by month

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Metric (°C / mm)  |  Imperial (°F / inches)

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Greece climate overview

Greece lies at the southern extremity of the Balkan Peninsula in southern Europe, mid way between Italy and Turkey. Its remarkable cultural history is still very much evident today with many great classical buildings of the 4th and 5th centuries BC still standing, particularly around Athens.

Greece is a very mountainous country with great mountain ranges extending down its western spine right through to the island of Crete in the far south. All of the islands in the Aegean Sea in eastern Greece are in fact the remains of similar mountain chains that have now sunk into the sea.

The climate of Greece is typically Mediterranean with cool and relatively wet winters and warm to hot dry summers with lots of sunshine. Temperatures depend largely on altitude above sea level, however the west of the country including the islands of Corfu, Zante and Kefallonia, is both wetter and cooler in general than the east, particularly in winter.

Rainfall increases over the whole country from October reaching a peak in November and December. For the rest of the winter it levels off, and from April onwards dry conditions begin to set in again. In winter snow falls on the highest peaks even as far south as Crete, while at the height of summer only the mountains in the north receive more than a shower of rainfall.

Over much of Greece the vegetation is hardy evergreen scrub that has adapted to survive the dry summers. There are some forests in the north of fir and deciduous trees but generally the landscape gives the appearance of being rather barren. The growing season peaks in April and May when in some places there is an abundance of wild flowers.

Greece's coasts are heavily indented forming picturesque bays with a mixture of beautiful sandy beaches and rocky headlands. Much of the country's coastline is centred around the Aegean Sea where in the summer months of June, July and August there are usually at least 12 hours of bright sunshine every day.

Not surprisingly this area, which includes the islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Crete, Paros and Kos, is one of the most popular summer beach destinations in the whole of Europe.

Hot summer days are often relieved by cooler winds, known as the 'meltemia', that blow from the north. These winds can be quite strong sometimes, however they usually never last longer than a few days at a time.

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