Greece in the month of March?

Of course we only choose these early dates for tours itineraries where we expect the weather to be pleasant. The tour page has a few reviews from the tour that departed this March 28.

The reviews mention the spectacular wildflowers during the tour, which were also a memorable feature of my first trip to Greece. It was roughly the second half of March and warmer than Italy had been the month before (when Venice ladies wore fur coats). Some flowers probably come earlier, as I picket a different selection on a February island trip.

At that time, I had one stay in an unheated pension where the hostess left the doors open, creating a breezeway affect. But the tour hotels are carefully chosen and most everywhere in Greece has now added wall-mounted, in-room AC/heating units.

Thank you Laura! I am going to book this trip June 3rd. I got the approval from my job already. If this trip is half as good as that Best of Rome tour then I will be very happy!

Margaret

I'm regularly in Greece in March and the weather is generally quite changeable.

This year I was in Athens for ten days in the middle of the month and, while it was warm enough to sit out in the sun at lunchtime, it was cold at night. I was regularly changing into much heavier clothes before going out in the evening.

We also had two or three very wet days and overall our experience is we always get some rain in March. Obviously the later in the month you go the better your chances of sun.

Having said that, March is a nice time to go. Places are less crowded, everywhere is green, and the weather is good for walking. Just make sure you take layers and a waterproof.

Alan

Thank you so much Alan, that info is so helpful! I appreciate it, Margaret

We visited in March last year. It rained for us in Delphi and in Monemvasia but otherwise was sunny and quite pleasant. The best part was the historical sites (with the exception of the Acropolis) were empty!

Thank you everyone! I think it will be fine for me. I love weather between 60-lower 70's (F). When it starts to get into the upper 70's, it starts getting too hot for me so I think it will be perfect. I will book the one offered for the latter part of March and start of April 2017 on June 3rd. Thanks so much all!

Margaret,
I went on the trip that began on March 21, 2016. As previously mentioned, the weather was quite changeable, cool and rainy some days, and sunny on others. It is Spring, so you will get more rain that later in the season. An advantage to traveling in March is fewer crowds in many spots (not all - the museums and ruins in Athens were crowded) and everything is very green with lots of flowering trees and wildflowers. Be aware that in March and early April, there are winter hours for ALL the sites, so they close at 3 p.m. Also, March 25 is Greek Independece Day and nothing is open. Our schedule was rearranged to accommodate these changes, and we did not do everything as listed in the trip itinerary. It was still a great trip; I feel the same way as you about the heat and I hate crowds, so these trade offs were worth it for me.

Hi Denverite, thank you so much for replying! I hope you had a wonderful trip! I had written a longer reply with a few questions and accidentally deleted it! So I will try again lol. I am going to book the March 25th-April 7th 2017 tour I think. Do you feel even with the winter hours you had enough time to see all that you wanted to? Also, another poster had said they had to change clothes in the evening due to the changeable weather. I want to just try and bring a small carry-on this trip so would an extra sweater be sufficient for the change in temps do you feel? Or was it much colder such as needing a pair of gloves type of weather change? I appreciate you posting and thanks again! Margaret

Margaret, hi

I was the 'other poster' who mentioned changing clothes. And yes, in Athens, in mid March I was wearing gloves in the evenings. I was also wearing a light fleece and anorak and wishing I had a woolly hat!

The problem with getting a definite answer to this question is that the weather at that time of the year is very changeable. This winter was very mild - in Nafplio at Christmas we were swimming for the first time in twenty years - but there was a cold snap in February and March.

If you really want to pack light you can always take a chance and then plan to buy things if necessary. There are a lot of nice and cheap hats and gloves for sale a around in Athens.

Alan

Margaret, hi

I was the 'other poster' who mentioned changing clothes. And yes, in Athens, in mid March I was wearing gloves in the evenings. I was also wearing a light fleece and anorak and wishing I had a woolly hat!

The problem with getting a definite answer to this question is that the weather at that time of the year is very changeable. This winter was very mild - in Nafplio at Christmas we were swimming for the first time in twenty years - but there was a cold snap in February and March.

If you really want to pack light you can always take a chance and then plan to buy things if necessary. There are a lot of nice and cheap hats and gloves for sale a around in Athens.

Alan

Thank you Alan! I couldn't see the post to get your name when I was writing that other reply lol. Wow then that is a big change if hats and gloves were needed but it is ok for me especially since I have been given this info ahead of time. I will see if when the time gets closer to travel if I will bring those items or shop there. I had seen here on Ricks site that shopping can be inexpensive there but of course I have plenty of time to decide. Thanks again so much Alan! Margaret

Hi Margaret,
Here are some answers to your questions: There were a few times where I had to carefully choose what to do with my free time; that was particularly so with our free afternoon in Nafplio. We toured Mycenae that morning and arrived back in Nafplio around 1:00 p.m. With the sites closing at 3:00 p.m. it was near impossible to fit in more than one thing to do. And there were quite a few interesting options to chose from. Also, we weren't able to do the cog railway, or visit the mountain village or Planitero and have the trout lunch that was scheduled for Day 4. I think this change may have been a combination of early winter hour closings and the upcoming Greek Independence Day. Since you are starting the tour on March 25, which is the holiday, you may not be impacted like we were.

One other think about going in March and early April that I forgot to mention previously, is that many of the restaurants and shops in some of the smaller towns will not be open for the season yet. This was particularly true in Kardamyli. It didn't bother me; I felt there were still plenty of choices available, but some people on my tour were not happy about it.

As for the weather, I was never cold in Athens; a light jacket was all I needed at night. I did use light gloves some of the mornings in Delphi and Olympia; no hat. Along with the light jacket and gloves, I also brought a sweat shirt, a light scarf, and of course, an umbrella. My light jacket served as my raincoat. There were a couple days where I started wearing all my cold weather gear, but then peeled them off within a couple hours. I think the key is that the weather will vary and be unpredictable. And, you will be there a week later than I was, so it may be a bit warmer. One final note: even with the additional clothes for colder weather, I was able to stick with a carry on suitcase!

Thank you for all that info! I really think that to avoid hot weather I would be willing to miss seeing a few things and I am glad to read you still brought a carry on, that's important to me. I think it will be great! Thank you Denverite and thank you everyone that wrote!

Have a great trip and post back after you return!