Hi. My husband and I are planning our first visit to Greece. we want to avoid all the crowd, and wonder if April is a good time to visit some of the islands and the inland, also. We definitely want to check out Santorini but would like to also visit an island just to relax. recommend any? Thank you
Posted by
Camarillo, California
3122 posts
The weather is still unpredictable in April. It will more than likely be cold and windy some of the time. You might even get some rain. The sea will definitely be too cold for swimming. The islands' tourist infrastructures don't really begin operating at full capacity until sometime after Greek Easter weekend, which is April 24 in 2011. Before that it'll be pretty quiet on the islands. If you're definitely going to Santorini it makes the best sense to visit another island that's close by. Your immediate choices on a daily ferry route are Ios, Naxos and Paros. From Paros the ferry will return you to Athens.
Posted by
Philadelphia
655 posts
We visited after the Orthodox Easter and into May which worked out very well. The crowds will be very modest except for the Easter celebration itself - many Greek families travel that week for vacation so that the ferry, highway, and air service will be very full. Our trip was non-stop to Athens and then directly on to Santorini. Ferry to Naxos and ferry to Athens for a brief visit before returning home. At Santorini we liked Oia. It was a great trip.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3320 posts
Is there any particular reason you need to choose April, aside from your wish to avoid crowds? Really and truly, there are no "crowds" until late June, early July [INVALID] and most of us who go in Spring annually find that late May through June is ideal. Weather is perfect 60sF at night, hi of 80s, sunny, water warm enough to swim, seas like glass for ferry-going. Everything's open, but nothing's crowded. Also, it would be good [INVALID] since you are coming a loooong way from CA [INVALID] if you could manage a trip of at least 10-14 days, so see more and not be rushed.
Posted by
Grapevine, TX, USA
875 posts
We were in Mykonos in late April, 2009 [INVALID] sunny & warm during the day, pretty chilly at night. In Santorini at the beginning of May [INVALID] sunny & warm during the day, very cold and extremely windy at night. We were staying in a beautiful "hotel/villa" in Oia with our own large balcony/terrace, and it was alway too chilly & windy to sit outside and enjoy the spectacular view. For our next visit, we will go later in May.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6318 posts
I was in Greece in late April and really enjoyed it. For the most part, the weather cooperated especially when I was in Crete, with sunny days and cool evenings. The biggest problem I had was that buses did not run as frequently as in May - other than that, it's a great time to go.