My husband and I have planned a 10-day trip covering Athens, Santorini and Mykonos in mid July. We always wanted to go off-season (Apr/May) but our plan has been getting cancelled due to covid since last 2 years :( So we are just going ahead with what's possible this year.
Looking for some tips on the weather/crowds in July. Would it at least be manageable, if not completely private? Any other things we should keep in mind?
Thanks a ton!
Here's the day-by-day weather in Athens last July. You can look at other years and other cities as well. The highs were anywhere from low to high 30's (low 90s to 100). The lower the temps, the higher the humidity. The islands are probably similar and more humid.
Those are the most popular places, so I imagine there'd be lots of crowds everywhere. On Santorini, if you go to the opposite side of the island to the caldera, there probably won't be large crowds since most of the crowds are daytrippers from the the cruise ships. When I researched my island trip, I decided to skip Mykonos, but I did read that if you get away from the main part of town to the rest of the island, it can be enjoyable. I used Lonely Planet. Reading one or two good guide books will probably give you a very good idea of what to expect - and also alternative destinations that you'd enjoy more.
In terms of choice of islands you have selected destinations, Mykonos and Santorini, which are the most visited (and far from being the most authentic of the Greek islands)
In July you will therefore be among a crowd of thousands of tourists and cruise passengers.
If it is for July 2022, and particularly for these two islands, know that the best accommodation in terms of quality and price have probably already been reserved for a long time.
About the weather:
July and August are the hottest months of the year. While the temperature may be bearable in the islands (thanks to the Meltemi), in Athens in July you will easily have temperatures of 95°F or more (it was 90°F yesterday and 97°F for several days last week )
I was in Greece in April. They are gearing up for a very hot, and very crowded, summer. They expect the number of tourists to be near what they had the summer prior to the pandemic.
You have picked the three most popular places in Greece.
Hot, humid, crowded.
It will not even be close to "completely private". Manageable if you do well at navigating crowds and lines. Oia is an absolute madhouse from late afternoon until sunset in Santorini because of the cruise ships. My advice is to avoid it and find another place to enjoy the caldera at those times. If past weather patterns hold true expect high temperatures, so when in Athens, get an early start and be at the outdoor major sites first thing in the morning. (think Acropolis) Hit the museums in the afternoon where there is A/C.
We returned from Greece this past Sunday. Our itinerary was Santorini, Naxos, Nafplion, and Athens. We arrived in Santorini on May 13. At that time, temps were in the 70's and cooler at night and breezy. As we continued on with our trip, temps got hotter, and by the time we reached Nafplio, both Nafplio and then Athens were about 90ish. Very sunny. Very hot. My husband and I kept saying we would not want to be here during the summer months.
Regarding crowds, Santorini was crowded but I am sure it must be worse during the summer months. We stayed in Firostefani, which was less crowded than Fira and Oia. The big parking lot at Oia was a zoo with huge tour buses. Our private driver dropped us off and then picked us up later on when we called to say we were ready. I was fearful he wouldn't be able to find us in the packed parking lot. I was on the look-out for him!!!
Naxos and Nafplio and the Pelopponese Peninsula were much less crowded. Athens was very crowded, especially the Acropolis with huge tour groups. The Athens Flea Market was quiet, surprisingly, and shady. The Acropolis was very sunny and very hot.
What to keep in mind: wear good sturdy walking shoes/sneakers. Make sure you have sunglasses, hats, water, and sunscreen.
If your itinerary is flexible, I would visit Naxos instead of Mykonos. Naxos is quieter, laidback and much less crowded. A more authentic Greek experience. We loved Santorini; it is a beautiful island and worth visiting, IMO, but Naxos will give you a more laidback and authentic experience, and will be very different from Santorini.
If you have the time, I highly recommend renting a car for a day on Santorini to see the rest of the island. We enjoyed Akrotiri, Red Sand Beach, the Akrotiri lighthouse, and the black sand beach at Perissa.
We returned yesterday from a wonderful 19 day trip to Greece most of which was hiking on the coast of Crete followed by 2 days in Santorini. There were several very hot days even in May but it cooled off significantly at night. But the water temperature in the Libyan sea was 60 degrees F. I can’t imagine doing that trip in the summer even with the warmer water. I can’t wait to go back to Greece but don’t think I would ever travel there during the crowded and hot days of summer.
Looking for some tips on the weather/crowds in July. Would it at least be manageable, if not completely private? Any other things we should keep in mind?
Plan on hot; days in the 90sF
Humid- depends on where you are from; if your base is Phoenix, you will have a different opinion than someone from Orlando
The crowds will be manageable; just accept you will be far from alone
This advice (from a prior post) is worth repeating : " wear good sturdy walking shoes/sneakers. Make sure you have sunglasses, hats, water, and sunscreen". ( flip-flops and the like are poor choices)
My wife found the compact collapsible umbrella she got in Rome ( for a rain storm) worked well as a sunshade in Greece
We’re doing a similar trip in August. It was the only time we could go, so we figured better to go than not to this year. From what I’ve read about the crowds, we can avoid some of that by staying in hotels a bit off the beaten track on both islands and not known for being on top of party areas in Mykonos. In Oia, we’re planning to make a dinner reservation to watch the sunset, so hoping that helps us. We’re also renting a small boat for the day in Santorini to explore on our own, rather than going on a packed boat tour (for four of us, the price was similar). Would love to hear other ideas beyond suggesting we go another time.
Our first trip to Greece has gone beautifully travelling in the months of May and June. Tourists are traveling but much fewer. Temperatures are great. Sunny skies. Restaurants are not crowded and so many choices. I have travelled many times to Italy in the heat of the summer which can be exhausting, but there is a beautiful vibe in early morning and after sundown when a destination can provide unique pleasures. You just have to be able to navigate the heat - rest in the afternoon. Having been in Greece now for almost five weeks, I personally would not come here in the heat of summer, but everyone is different.
Fred, how did you find the water temps in May? Swimmable? (Better than in Seattle, no doubt, but still...)
Chiming in to say on our trip we have heard from nearly every local that the islands are overrun this year. The crowds usually in july/August have already peaked and no Greeks are going to the islands unless they own their own homes. Even the ferries have sold out in many cases. Unless this is your only chance to see Santorini I'd seriously consider going elsewhere in greece this summer. And I'd personally skip mykonos altogether in favor of naxos.
