Europe · Destination guide
Islands, mainland resorts and huge variety hidden behind one country name.
Where to go
Choose it if you want a medieval walled town to explore, a long season and big east-coast family hotels, with Lindos for a smarter week..
A long season, substantial resorts and a proper historic old town.
Explore Rhodes
Choose it if you want several kinds of holiday in one fortnight: gorges, Minoan palaces, harbour towns and beaches, with a car for part of it..
A large island where transfer time and airport choice matter as much as the hotel.
Explore Crete
Choose it if you prefer green hills, olive groves and pebble coves to long sandy beaches, and like a Venetian old town for evenings..
Green scenery, coves, villas and resorts that range from peaceful to lively.
Explore Corfu
Choose it if you have young children or want to cycle, because the island is flat, transfers are short and the north-coast sand shelves gently..
Easy cycling, beach resorts and a compact island shape that keeps exploring manageable.
Explore Kos
Choose it if you want sea caves, turtles and boat days, and are happy for us to steer you to the right coast..
Beautiful water, family resorts and nightlife, all needing careful area choice.
Explore Zante
Choose it if you would trade island life for pine forest running down to quiet sand, a drive from Thessaloniki and self-contained beach hotels..
Resort hotels, pine-backed beaches and a mainland setting reached through Thessaloniki.
Explore HalkidikiIs it right for you?
A strong fit for
Families, couples, island lovers and luxury resorts.
We would think twice for
Anyone needing guaranteed warm swimming outside the summer season, because the Greek beach year is real but short, and an April or late October sea is bracing.
What we would want you to know
Flight, ferry, wind, terrain and resort style narrow the answer quickly.
We’ve been here
We have travelled in Greece ourselves, and it taught us how different one Greek holiday can feel from the next. That is why we choose the island before the hotel: ferry links, the summer wind and how far a resort sits from its airport decide more than any star rating.
Weather and seasons
The Greek beach year is shorter than the brochures suggest. Even on Crete, the most southerly of the big islands, the sea is only around 19°C in May, and it is late June before it feels easy for children. It then holds its warmth well into autumn, still about 23°C in October, which is why late September is our favourite fortnight for couples. August averages 30°C by day, and high summer brings full school-holiday prices and, across the Aegean, the meltemi: a dry northerly wind that cools the beach but can cancel small ferries. Greek Easter often falls on a different weekend from ours and is the country's biggest holiday. By November most island hotels have closed until spring, so winter Greece means Athens rather than the beach.
Worth timing a trip around
The first day of Lent is a public holiday for picnics and kite flying, and Athenians gather on Filopappou Hill opposite the Acropolis.
A summer of theatre, music and dance, including ancient Greek drama performed at night in the theatre at Epidaurus. The big productions sell out.
The biggest summer holiday in Greece, when families head for their home islands and villages hold festivals that run all night. Ferries and hotels are at their fullest that week.
A national holiday marking Greece's refusal of Mussolini's ultimatum in 1940, with parades and a flag on every balcony.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C | 9°C | 16°C | 91 mm |
| February | 16°C | 9°C | 16°C | 49 mm |
| March | 18°C | 10°C | 16°C | 39 mm |
| April | 21°C | 12°C | 17°C | 18 mm |
| May | 24°C | 16°C | 19°C | 6 mm |
| June | 28°C | 20°C | 22°C | 2 mm |
| July | 30°C | 23°C | 25°C | 0 mm |
| August | 30°C | 23°C | 25°C | 0 mm |
| September | 28°C | 21°C | 25°C | 7 mm |
| October | 24°C | 17°C | 23°C | 10 mm |
| November | 21°C | 14°C | 20°C | 36 mm |
| December | 17°C | 11°C | 18°C | 62 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Nikos Kazantzakis, 4 km away at 35 m. Rainfall is from the same station and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | 7°C | 32 mm |
| February | 16°C | 8°C | 21 mm |
| March | 18°C | 10°C | 19 mm |
| April | 23°C | 13°C | 10 mm |
| May | 27°C | 17°C | 3 mm |
| June | 31°C | 21°C | 14 mm |
| July | 34°C | 25°C | 1 mm |
| August | 34°C | 25°C | 1 mm |
| September | 30°C | 21°C | 5 mm |
| October | 25°C | 17°C | 12 mm |
| November | 21°C | 13°C | 30 mm |
| December | 16°C | 9°C | 36 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Hellinikon, 9 km away at 10 m. Rainfall is from the same station and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 5°C | 15°C | 129 mm |
| February | 16°C | 7°C | 15°C | 52 mm |
| March | 17°C | 8°C | 15°C | 75 mm |
| April | 21°C | 11°C | 16°C | 41 mm |
| May | 25°C | 15°C | 19°C | 31 mm |
| June | 30°C | 19°C | 22°C | 15 mm |
| July | 34°C | 22°C | 24°C | 0 mm |
| August | 34°C | 22°C | 25°C | 16 mm |
| September | 29°C | 19°C | 24°C | 53 mm |
| October | 25°C | 15°C | 22°C | 112 mm |
| November | 20°C | 11°C | 20°C | 152 mm |
| December | 17°C | 7°C | 17°C | 159 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Ioannis Kapodistrias Intl, 2 km away at 2 m. Rainfall is from Corfu, 0 km away and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
Things to do
Entry is by timed ticket, so in summer book the first slot of the day, while it is cool and before the cruise groups arrive. The museum at the foot of the hill holds five of the original Caryatids, and it is air conditioned.
The sanctuary of the oracle climbs a mountainside above a valley of olive groves running down to the sea. It is a long day trip from Athens, and the site is steep with little shade by midday, so start early.
Monasteries perched on top of rock pillars above Kalambaka in central Greece. Each closes on a different weekday, and the dress code is strict: covered shoulders, and skirts rather than trousers for women, with wraps usually lent at the door.
The Temple of Poseidon stands on a headland at the tip of Attica, an easy half day from Athens along the coast road. The classic plan is to arrive in late afternoon and stay for sunset.
An island with almost no motor traffic, where donkeys, water taxis and your own feet do the work. Fast ferries from Piraeus make it a day out from Athens, though a night lets you see the harbour once the day boats leave.
The ferry network links most islands, but timetables are published late and summer wind can delay the smaller boats. We keep the last crossing at least a day before your flight home, and book car spaces early for August.
Nafplio, the first capital of modern Greece, is a Venetian harbour town beneath the Palamidi fortress. Pair it with the ancient theatre at Epidaurus nearby, whose acoustics carry a voice from the stage to the highest rows.
The Varvakios market on Athinas Street is where Athenians buy meat, fish, olives and spices. Go on a weekday morning and eat at one of the simple tavernas that feed the market workers.
The Evzones guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier below parliament on Syntagma Square, changing every hour. The full ceremony, with a band, is on Sunday mornings.
Stone villages linked by old mule paths and arched bridges in the mountains of Epirus, above one of Greece's deepest gorges. Walkers love it in late spring and early autumn; it is a long way from any beach resort.
Food and drink
The Greek salad as Greeks make it: tomato, cucumber, onion, olives and a slab of feta on top, with no lettuce. Order one for the table.
Grilled skewers, or meat shaved from the spit, wrapped in pitta with tzatziki and chips. The cheapest good meal in the country, and the one teenagers ask for daily.
Layers of aubergine, spiced mince and béchamel baked in big trays, often in the morning, and served warm rather than piping hot, which surprises people the first time.
The anise spirit turns cloudy with water or ice and is sipped slowly alongside small plates such as grilled octopus. Greeks rarely drink it without food.
Espresso shaken over ice until it foams, the summer coffee of Greece. Ask for it sketo if you want it without sugar.
Hot fried dough balls soaked in honey syrup and finished with cinnamon or walnuts, best eaten fresh on a summer evening.
Money
The island sets the price band before the hotel does. Kos, Zante and the big family resorts of Rhodes and Crete sit at the value end, while Elounda and the quieter corners of Halkidiki sit at the top. School holidays move the price more than anything else. We often suggest half board, because a taverna supper is a large part of why people come, and keep all inclusive for families who want the pool and the kids' club at the centre of the week.
Flights and transfers
The main islands are served directly and seasonally from Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle, roughly May to October. Outside those months the islands mostly go quiet and the flying goes with them, which is why a Greek November rarely survives contact with a quote. Athens is the year-round exception and an underrated city break.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
2 hours ahead of the UK
Euro (€)
Greek
Type C and F, 230V
On the right
Safe in Athens and most mainland towns; on many islands it is desalinated or brackish, so most visitors drink bottled
Round up or leave 5 to 10 percent in tavernas; service is not usually added
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for tourist stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Passport. Issued less than 10 years before you arrive, and valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave the Schengen area.
The EU Entry/Exit System is now in use, so you may be asked to register your fingerprints and photo at the border on your first visit. It is free.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
Kos is the easiest: short transfers, a flat island and gently shelving sand on the north coast. Rhodes and Crete add bigger family hotels and more to see, though Crete's size means the airport has to match the resort. On Zante the east coast suits families and Laganas does not.
From mid-June for most people. On Crete the sea is around 22°C in June and reaches 25°C by August, and September and October are warmer in the water than May. April and early May feel bracing, so a heated pool matters then.
A strong, dry northerly wind that blows across the Aegean, mainly in July and August. It keeps the heat bearable but can make north-facing beaches choppy and delay small ferries. The Ionian islands, Corfu and Zante, feel it far less.
Yes, and it is a two-centre trip we like for anyone new to Greece. Two or three nights in Athens covers the Acropolis and the old streets of Plaka, then a ferry from Piraeus takes you on. We plan the connection so the island leg never depends on the last boat of the day.
Athens is, and it makes a good city break from November to March, with mild days and quiet archaeological sites. Most island resorts close from late October until April and many tavernas shut with them, so a winter beach holiday is not realistic.
In Athens and most mainland towns, yes. On many islands the supply is desalinated or brackish and hotels advise bottled water, which is cheap and sold everywhere. We check the local advice for the island you choose.
Photographs
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