The best time to visit Athens
Athens has no real winter, but summer pushes toward 30°C on stone with no shade — Mar–May · Oct–Nov carries the best balance of temperature, crowds and opening hours at the sights.
- Best
- Mar–May · Oct–Nov
- Hottest
- July and August
- Coldest
- January, averaging around 9°C
Athens comes down to two things when picking a month: how bearable the heat is on stone with no shade, and how long the sights stay open that day. Mar–May · Oct–Nov delivers both — a temperature you can handle and hours that still run into the late afternoon. What that means in degrees, month by month, and how much winter shortens the hours, is in the table below.
Month by month
Temperature is the mean over the whole day (not the daily high), and a rainy day has at least 1 mm of rain; averages for 2021–2024.
Summer pushes toward 30°C
July and August hold an average daily temperature over 28°C, and that is an average — individual afternoons run higher. On the Acropolis, with no shade and no water, that afternoon gets hard before midday. Travel then and the plan is to leave the rock for the morning and put indoor stops, like the Acropolis Museum, in the afternoon.
Opening hours shrink in winter
The season changes the hours, not the day of the week — all five sites run in winter too, just for less of the day.
The rain that changes day trips
January and December carry the most rainy days of the year — it rarely spoils the city, but it changes trips out of it: a sunset at Sounion with no visibility is not the same trip, and boats to Aegina and Hydra run less often off season and cancel more easily for weather.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
When is the best time to visit Athens?
Mar–May · Oct–Nov — comfortable temperatures and long hours at the sights, without the peak of summer heat.
How hot does Athens get in summer?
The average daily temperature in July and August is over 28°C, and on the shadeless Acropolis it feels stronger still.
Do the sights change their opening hours in winter?
Yes, all five main ones — the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Lycabettus all run shorter hours from November to March, but they stay open.
Ready for Athens?
Where to next
Getting around Athens
→The metro from the airport runs straight to the centre with no change, three lines cover the rest of the…
Nafplio · 93 km
→An Old Town below Acronafplia, Palamidi fortress on the hill and Bourtzi on an islet in the harbour — all on foot, with a second day left for Epidaurus or Mycenae.
How well does Athens suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
Leave your email and we'll let you know when a new destination or story goes up.