Best Time To Visit Santorini in 2026 & Why To Avoid August!

The best time to visit Santorini is between May and October, but avoid August in Santorini if you don’t like crowds. If you’re looking for the best time to go to Santorini, this month by month guide will help.

The image above shows a little graph (I’ve called it the Santorini crowd-o-meter!) of how busy you can expect it to be in Santorini each month of the year.

August is marked in red as this is the most crowded time to visit Santorini. June and October are marked in green as these months have the best balance of lower crowds with pleasant weather and are ideal times to go to Santorini.

Beautiful Santorini and when to go

Perfectly positioned in the South Aegean Sea lies the idyllic Greek island of Santorini. Most famous for its iconic white-washed and blue-topped buildings, this pretty island has long been a tourist hotspot.

When is the best time to visit Santorini though?

It depends what you are after. Do you want to visit Santorini in the low season when it’s cheaper? Do you want to go to Santorini for the best weather? Do you want to travel to Santorini when there’s fewer tourists?

In this Santorini Travel Guide I’m going to offer my perspective from living in Greece to help you decide when is the best time to go to Santorini for your next vacation.

Note: I’ve visited Santorini twice – Once in early November, and once in July. Out of these two, I felt the best time for Santorini was November.

Overall, with my experiences of travel in the Cyclades islands in Greece, I think that June would perhaps be the perfect time go go to Santorini.

When to visit Santorini island – Summary

• Best time to travel to Santorini for weather – May to September
• Best time to visit Santorini to avoid crowds – Not July and August
• Cheapest time of year to visit Santorini – Low season October to March
• Best time of year for Santorini nightlife – June to September
• Pro Tip – Visit Santorini in winter for lower prices and fewer tourists

** My guide to the best Santorini Sunset hotels **

Santorini Weather

As with the other Cyclades islands, during the summer (June – September) Santorini has a dry Mediterranean climate with hot, sunny days and slightly cooler nights. The hottest months are August in particular and July. A slight haze in the air means that sunset photos are not as clear as those taken in off season months.

The winter weather on the other hand is much cooler, and while there is no rainy season as such, rains can be expected from mid October onwards. The coldest months are January and February, and on very rare years, snow might also fall – but it never lasts for long!

Best time to visit Santorini

Santorini attracts over 1.5 million tourists annually, which is quite a lot considering how small the island is!

Most head there during the peak summer months of July and August. Due to the popularity of visiting at this time, you might be forgiven for instantly assuming this was the best time to visit Santorini, but this is not necessarily the case.

If you’re planning a trip to Santorini, you’ll want to choose your date more carefully. Read on for a month by month breakdown on when is the best time to travel to Santorini.

In each section, I lay out the pros and cons for each month, balancing things such as the best weather to visit Santorini against the months when the Cycladic island is at its busiest.

Oh, and if you’re wondering how you should get there in the first place, read this: How to get to Santorini

Visiting Santorini in January

January is off-peak season, and it also has few tourists. You can expect sunshine, but may need to pack a sweater or two to keep warm. You may also experience a little light rain.

Not all the tourist facilities will be open, and many hotels may be closed, but Santorini is gradually transforming into a year through travel destination. You will always find places to eat and drink – Lucky’s Souvlaki in Thira never seems to close!

January is probably the best time of year to visit Santorini on a budget for backpackers who might not care that everything is not open yet.

Bonus for going to Santorini in January – Probably the month with the least visitors!

Downside for traveling to Santorini in January – Forget about swimming!

Visiting Santorini in February

February is a month much like January when it comes to Santorini. The water is still too cool to swim, and there can be a bit of a sea breeze.

On the plus side things will be much cheaper and you will still find restaurants open in some of the main tourist areas.

Bonus for spending time in Santorini in February – A few more tourist facilities open. Still low on visitors.

Downside of Santorini in February – Swimming is still not really possible.

Visiting Santorini in March

Things start to heat up come March. Well, it might still be a bit chilly by Greek standards, but Northern Europeans will appreciate the difference! Temperatures can reach 20 degrees during the day, although it’s still not consistent.

What’s great about Santorini in March, is that hotel prices still remain fairly low. (Check out my guide to sunset hotels in Santorini here).

It’s still firmly in the off-season, but shoulder season is coming, and the first cruise ships start to arrive at the end of the month.

Don’t come at this time of year if you are hoping to swim in the sea though, as the water temperatures will still be way too cold for that. Swimming months are between June and September.

However, if you choose a hotel with a heated pool, or if you’re okay with just strolling the streets, then March could work for you.

Bonus for visiting Santorini in March – Still low on visitors, with the possibility of the odd few days of T-Shirt weather!

Downside for visiting Santorini in March – You’ve still got to be pretty crazy to swim – but don’t let me stop you!

Related: Is March a good time to visit Greece?

Visiting Santorini in April

April is still classed as low season, so you can grab yourself some serious deals when it comes to flights and accommodation options. The only exception will be the days around Greek Easter which varies every year.

While it won’t be as warm as in those peak summer months, it will still feel relatively hot – T-shirt weather for non-Greeks most likely!

If you’ve endured a long and cold winter, and want some cheap sunshine, then April could be the month for you.

Bonus for visiting Santorini in April – Some great deals on flights and hotels outside of Easter. The weather is warming up nicely!

Downside for visiting Santorini in April – The only real downside is the weather isn’t 100% reliable as of yet. Other than that, a pretty good month to visit Santorini!

Visiting Santorini in May

Excellent weather runs from around May to the end of November, although you can still expect warm and sunny days outside of this time period as well.

May is a great time to visit Santorini if you want to get there when things are warming up, but when it still has a quiet old-town feel to it. You can check out some interesting day trips from Santorini to enjoy here.

Bonus for visiting Santorini in May – The May weather heralds the beginning of the good weather months. The sea may (for the brave) be warm enough to swim in.

Downside for visiting Santorini in May – No real downsides to visiting in May, other than the sea perhaps being not comfortably warm yet.

Visiting Santorini in June

The high season runs from around June to September. At the start of June, things are only just beginning to get really busy. So it might be a good time to visit if you still want to dodge the crowds but also want that summer sun.

Bonus for visiting Santorini in June – One of the best months to visit Santorini. The first few weeks are still low(ish) on tourists, and the waters around popular beaches such as Red Beach on Santorini are now warm enough to take a swim.

Downside for visiting Santorini in June – None really.

More here: Greece in June

Visiting Santorini in July + August

Two words sum up Santorini in July and August – busy and hot. High temperatures can hit 35 degrees, and everyone seems to have had the idea of visiting at the same time.

In my opinion, it’s not really pleasant at this time of the year. The beauty of Santorini is best experienced in quieter times, and who wants to try and elbow people out of the way in order to get the best sunset spot?

Now of course, I totally get that some people don’t have a choice but to visit Santorini in July and August due to work leave, school vacations and the like. You have been warned though!

You are going to want to book your hotels and flights WAY in advance if you want anything resembling a good deal if you are determined to visit Santorini during this period.

Bonus for visiting Santorini in July and August – I don’t want to sound negative, but there really is no upside of visiting Santorini in July and August. Do yourself a favour, and pick some other months! This is not the best time to visit Santorini in my opinion.

Downside for visiting Santorini in July and August – As mentioned – tourist hordes, pricey flights, hot weather (too hot), insanely priced accommodation, crowded beaches. Should I go on?

Also, the infamous Meltemi which affects the Greek islands in the Cyclades occurs at this time. It can get very windy during this period!

Further reading – Best time to visit Greece

Visiting Santorini in September

Things start to revert back to normality in September. It’s still busy, but not as crazy as July and August, and you can almost sense the sigh of relief in the air that Santorini has got over the high season rush again!

This month is a good time to visit if you want to grab some late summer sun. The Meltemi wind has also eased off, and weather-wise, September is a near perfect time of year. Early September has great weather overall, and its a great month for wine tasting and boat tours.

Bonus for visiting Santorini in September – Fewer tourists than peak season. Hotels coming back down in price. Weather and sea still warm, and lots of sunny weather.

Downside for visiting Santorini in September – None really, although later September is better to avoid the holiday cross-over with the early parts of the month.

Additional: September is a great month to visit the Greek islands. Read here the 10 best Greek islands to visit in September.

Visiting Santorini in October

October marks the start of the low season, so it can be one of the best times to visit Santorini if you want to save money on your hotel. You’ll find warm weather in early October, but cool evenings which makes it a lot more comfortable for sightseeing.

The crowds are also thinner, and you’ll often have a slice of beach to yourself. Is it warm enough at that time of year? Just – but perhaps not 100% reliable especially in late October.

Bonus for visiting Santorini in October – Pick up some nice deals on hotels in Santorini and flights. Still warm for the time of year.

Downside for visiting Santorini in October – Some businesses starting to close for the year towards the end of the month.

Find out more: Travel Guide to Santorini in October

Santorini is one of my picks for the best Greek islands to visit in October.

A full guide here to visiting and the weather in Greece in October.

Visiting Santorini in November / December

November and December used to be a very quiet time but it is actually rising in popularity. So much so that many restaurants are choosing to remain open all year round.

Hotel prices are still slashed and the sun still shines (with a little rain from time to time), so it can be a good month if you want to escape the winter cold.

I visited Santorini in November a couple of years back, and found the weather to be great at that time of year. It was also the ideal month to take the walk from Fira to Oia along the caldera. The heat of July when we revisited in 2020 did not encourage me to take the same hike!

Another observation, is that the caldera views seemed clearer in November than they did in July. Perhaps because the wind was less pronounced and didn’t make the air so hazy.

Santorini in Winter

Greek islands have traditionally been summer time only travel destinations. With increasing numbers of tourists though, Santorini island is slowly developing as a year around destination.

Visiting Santorini in winter has several advantages. Firstly, it is a lot cheaper to stay at hotels in Santorini in the winter than in the summer.

Additionally, it is also easier to find accommodation in Santorini during the winter months. The biggest bonus though, is that there are far fewer other tourists.

If you are planning to go to Santorini in the winter however, you need to keep some things in mind. Whilst there will be some bars and restaurants open, many businesses will still close down for those winter months in Santorini.

You’ll also not find a nightclub open between November and March. The beach resort areas such as Kamari may also be virtually closed.

Personally, I loved travelling to Santorini in November. I was maybe lucky with the climate and weather, but really enjoyed all those great views with none of the crowds to match!

Santorini and other Greek islands

If you are planning an island hopping trip in Greece beyond just Santorini, you’ll find a lot of other useful travel guides which may help you plan your trip. Here’s a few to get you started:

You might also like to sign up for my newsletter, which will help plan you Greek vacation in more detail. In it, I share the best of the best from the blog, and it’s all totally free of course.

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Next read: Warm European Destinations In December

Dave Briggs
Dave is a UK travel writer living in Athens since 2015. With 20 years of firsthand travel experience and over 80,000 km of bicycle touring across six continents, he’s been blogging at Dave’s Travel Pages since 2005. Every guide is based on places he’s actually been.