Pros and cons of a Greece December 2022 two week trip

Alas, yes, it is a really bad idea. Greece is a sunshine nation... you need brightness to show off its beauties... and December is one of the rainiest, chilliest times ... and even tho locals will keep a few tavernas going, outside of Athens and Nafplio, things will be v closed-down. If you must go somewhere outside the Sunshine Belt of the Globe in December, in Europe think about Major cultural capitals where there are activities and events that can be enjoyed indoors -- Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, Rome. Don't have your first experience of Greece be at the wrong time.

While there's never a bad time to go to Greece there are better times.

The latest I've been to Greece is late October and the weather was still very nice, far less tourists and lower prices for accommodations.

I would assume it would be even less tourists and lower prices in December but the weather may be a factor especially if you are in any mountainous areas.

You may want to alter your plans on where to go. I would think southern Greece or the southern islands like Crete would offer more acceptable weather conditions but as we all know there are no guarantees regarding what the weather will be like.

I would look up what the weather is like in Greece here and decide if it's the right time to go:

https://www.weather25.com/europe/greece?page=month&month=December

Still would you rather be in a stuffy office looking out a window and wondering why am I here or in Greece even in December?

I’m more positive about a December trip. Pre Covid we were always in Greece over Christmas and New Year and really liked it. The weather can be bad but is quite changeable: we’ve certainly had rain, and even on one occasion snow, but three years ago we were swimming in Nafplio on Christmas morning. That holiday we sat out for lunch in warm sunshine most days.

Having said that I’m not sure about some of the places you’re considering. Athens and Nafplio will be busy with pretty much everywhere open. Kardamyli, I’d imagine, would be pretty closed up. Delphi is likely to be busy because people ski from there, which gives you an idea of the weather further north.

For me something centred on Athens and Nafplio with trips to Mycenae, Argos, and Epidavrus makes sense. Possibly a night in Sparta to visit Mystra. We enjoy the fact that the sites are so much emptier at that time of year.

Alan

Rick Steves guidebook says to avoid the islands during late fall and winter but the mainland is better. The climate weather chart shows temperatures ranging between 48 and 59 degrees with 24 days of no rain. Do expect cooler temperatures and rain in Delphi since you’re higher up.

Thanks to everyone for your help. We weighed the advice and kept the trip open as an option. A couple weeks after I posted a good airfare deal came through and we jumped on it.

We've decided to stick to 3 cities: Athens, Nafplion and Thessaloniki. Details are still being sorted.

Mid trip, we plan to rent a car and drive from Athens to Nafplion. We will spend a few days in Nafplion.

On Christmas day we will drive back to Athens, returning the rental car and catching an OSE train to Thessaloniki.

Questions: Do you see any issues returning a rental car on Christmas day? Will the rental car places be open? Should we rent from the airport? I figure the airport rental car places will be staffed. Do you see any issues taking the Metro from the airport to the train station and catching an OSE train to Thessaloniki? Will the Metro and OSE train operate on Christmas day?

We were in Rhodes, Athens, and Corinth, Greece, Cyprus, and Kusadasi, Turkey in early Dec 2019:
All the days were in the 60s and, for the most part, sunny. In Israel, we had one slightly rainy day in Jerusalem.

On the specific travel of travelling at Christmas:
a) three years ago, when we were last in Athens on Christmas, the buses and metro stopped early afternoon. I don’t imagine that included the airport line but I’m not sure.
b) I don’t know about the Thessaloniki train, it’s a new service. It’s bookable online though so you should be able to check.

Alan

Hi Sig!

We are planning a December trip to Greece as well! The first couple of responses on your thread disappointed me, but I think it is going to be amazing! We are planning to split our time between the Peloponnese and Athens. I am looking forward to no crowds, cool weather, and really experiencing the culture instead of the swarms of people.

We are also based in Dallas, Texas, and we put a premium on traveling to places with temperate weather, so December in Greece sounds great to me.