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Greece in February...yes or no

My wife and I travel each year in February. We have been to Rome, London, Paris for about a week in each city. Our daughter now lives in London, so last year we did a split trip to London to visit with her, then a couple of nights each in Brussels and Bruges. So..we are now planning this year's trip, and one destination that I have thought about is Greece.

My first question is whether Greece would be a good destination for mid-February...and if so....are areas I should focus on...or avoid.

If anyone has winter experience in Greece, I would love to hear from you.

Thanks.

Posted by
4637 posts

I personally would postpone it at least to April, May and September, October. Significant part of Greek experience are beaches. Not very luring in February.

Posted by
3115 posts

Athens is great no matter when, but the outlying areas and the islands are dreary in mid-winter. Most tourist-oriented businesses will be closed until April. I guess it just depends on the sort of experience you're hoping to have. Myself, I would not go to Greece in February.

Posted by
15560 posts

I traveled to Spain in February. Andalusia is the warmest, driest part of Europe. The rainfall averages show February has fewer rainy days than either January or March/April/May.

Posted by
1383 posts

February is probably the worst time, in terms of weather, to go to Greece: it's the coldest month and often wet. I used to go quite regularly then but have taken to making a trip in mid March instead. Mind you it won't be worse than Brussels or Bruges.

Having said that if February is the only time you can make then there are still things in Greece which are well worth doing. I would avoid the islands, most of which (with the exception of Crete) are pretty closed up, and split my time between Athens and Nafplio. The latter is a nice town about 3 hours by bus from Athens (quicker if you hire a car) and is a destination for Greeks all year round so is always lively.

Although the weather isn't so nice there are also advantages to being there out of season: prices of hotels are cheaper, the sites are less crowded and people will have more time to talk and take an interest in you.

In summary, go at another time of year if you can but if February is the only time you can manage then go for it!

Alan

Posted by
16893 posts

I have been to Greece in mid-February, to visit a friend on Kos. We lucked out with sunny weather, good for walking. Swimming was only at a spot by a hot spring. Local buses not running, as expected on most islands. I would agree with the advice to stick to areas with more year-round population and services, such as Athens and Nafplio, and the nearby historic sites. I would not hesitate to rent a car upon leaving the city. A car can give you another place to retreat from the weather as well as more schedule flexibility.

Posted by
83 posts

I spent a semester on Crete (Jan through April) and have also traveled to Greece the first week of March. It depends on your interests. If you are envisioning laying on the beach, sitting outside for long periods at tavernas, etc it's a terrible time....but if you are primarily wanting to see major archaeological guides, museums, etc it's great as hotels, etc are cheap and crowds are minimal (often we had sites to ourselves). I had weather that was clear but cold/windy.