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Weather in September?

We are thinking of visiting Greece next September. Athens, Santorini and Mykonos. What is the average weather? Warm enough for the beach? Is rain an issue?
For the islands are there any beach resorts? we have a budget of 200-250 Euros/night is that enough?
Is a car needed to get around the islands?
Are there any tour agencies we can book a tour or two with on each island?
My plan if possible, spend 4 nights on each island. Two days running around and one day relaxing at the hotels beach. Then go to Athens and spend four nights there. Maybe visit Delphi one day.

Posted by
2788 posts

September 2014 or 2015? Hope it is 2015 as you would have a heck of a time trying to get your preferred literary this late. If you go to RS Greece tours and click thru, you should see the "weather" listed below. Click on that and it will give you the average temperature for Athens for the year. Do you have RS Greece guide book yet? If yes, great. If not, I would suggest you get one as soon as possible as it sure helped us plan for our visit to Greece this previous May and June. It can be ordered elsewhere on this web site if you need one.

Posted by
123 posts

The weather in September is fantastic. Not too hot but warm enough to still hit the beaches. The later into September you get, you could see some cloud cover but it should still be warm.

There would definitely be beach resorts on Mykonos, not as much on Santorini. As stated before, Santorini's beaches do take a bit more effort to get to. I found the buses to be easy to use but you can rent ATVs or Scooters on both islands. I rented a Smart Car to drive around to some more remote beaches on Santorini and other parts of the island. I found there to be much more to do in Santorini than Mykonos. The latter is definitely more of the "party island."

Have a great trip!

Posted by
311 posts

Thanks to Dick, Charlie and Rosie for your replies. Yes, I am looking for September 2015. We are going to Italy this year. I guess I mentioned Santorini and Mykonos because that seems to be where most visit. We are a couple in our late 50's so not into party time. Looking for a place that is different and awesome. would like to relax at least one day on each island. I love the beach so I thought a beach resort. Would any one suggest a different island? Any and all ideas welcomed as I am just starting to put these ideas together. Is 3 full days in Athens enough? Also, I thought a day trip to Delphi would be good. Is there any other day trips we could take from Athens? Again, thanks so much for all your help. Very much appreciated.

Posted by
2119 posts

September is a gorgeous month in Greece. Warm, but not too hot. Maybe the occasional rain shower but it's not an issue.

I agree that for your first trip, you should see Santorini. I would encourage you to fly directly to Santorini upon arriving in Athens. It's a spectacular island. Four nights would be good. You can find a tour agency on the island. You might want to take the sunset dinner cruise in the caldera.

I would suggest, however, that your second stop be 5 nights on Milos or Naxos or Paros. I found Mykonos to be sadly overdeveloped and horribly crowded on days that cruise ships are in port. I would think you might enjoy a little more "Greek" experience on the islands I mentioned. Rather than a fancy, isolated beach resort, stay somewhere within walking distance of town. Experience sitting at a taverna along a quiet beach, watching the old Greek men with their worry beads. Rent a car for a day to explore the island, or take public transportation (buses or boats).

If you choose Naxos or Paros you can take a day trip to the sacred island of Delos, which I found to be the most interesting part of our Mykonos stay.

Then fly back to Athens for 3 nights.

Choosing among the Greek islands is a personal matter. There are more than 100 developed islands, each with its own fans and personality. Do a little research online (http://www.greektravel.com/ or http://www.greek-islands.us/). Check out a Lonely Planet Greek Island guide, or the Thomas Cook Island Hopping book (might find them at your library) before making your decision. Mykonos does have its fans but I gravitate toward places that feel more "real," whatever that means!

Posted by
311 posts

Charlene,
Thank you so much. Your advice is most appreciated. My husband and I would also like the feel of a Greek experience. I will check into the three islands you suggested and also buy Lonely Planet Greek Island guide.

If you are looking for amazing beaches, I would suggest visiting Milos. It has some of the best beaches in Greece. Myself and my husband were there last year as part of an Island hopping holiday. We spent a day on an amazing boat trip around the island with Milos adventures. They have sea cliffs similar to The Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland which is a Unesco world heritage site. You can just off the catamaran and snorkel around in the crystal clear water looking at the cliffs below. There are also catacombs to visit and the sunset is beautiful from the most northerly town Pollonia. I would recommend car hire to see all the beaches.

We also visited Santorini which was beautiful. It was however overcrowded with tourists. The streets are very narrow and you basically have to walk in single file. This takes away from the normal relaxing vibe you get whilst visiting Greece. The sunset in Oia is spectacular but its slightly manic with crazy tourists with their cameras and tripods climbing up on buildings and walls to get the best photo. The best sunset we actually experienced in Santorini was from Santo Wines Winery which had a great tour of the wine making process and tasting. We hired a car one day to visit the highest town in the center which was beautiful and relatively tourist free .
Naxos is also beautiful.The sunset over the temple is breathtaking. We had an extremely relaxing time . Very good boat trips here also. You get to visit smaller less inhabited island for lunch.

As for Athens I think four nights would be too long personally. It does have some amazing historic sites but it is a huge city which has alot of dodgy areas. Its also quite hot and humid you will miss your island breeze.
Good luck with the planning you will have an amazing trip!