Best Time for Swimming and Suntanning: The warmest weather in the Greek islands is between June and September when it’s sunny, hot and the water is perfect for swimming. Water temperature heats throughout the summer months and is warmest in August and early September. Swimming in May and October is often possible but can’t be guaranteed.
Best Time for Sightseeing: If you’re visiting Santorini more for the sights, views, wineries, and food then you don’t need hot weather just warm pleasant weather. So the months of April, May, October, and early November (as well as June through September) are fine times for touring the sights. The weather is still warm by northern european standards though there can be rain and some warmer clothing should be packed.

Best Time for Saving Money: Hotels are much cheaper in the low season (December to March) and shoulder season (April, May, October and November) than in the summer months. Transportation, food, and drink prices tend not to vary much by season. If you want good weather but cheap hotels then late May, early June, late September, or early October are the great times. There are no guarantees but the first three weeks of October can often surprise visitors with great weather.

High Season (late June to early September): Hot, sunny weather with lots of people – but never so many that it’s unenjoyable. Prices are at their peak. Sea water at its warmest and best for swimming. Ferries and flights run with the greatest frequency. If you’re in Greece for the nightlife then this is the time to visit.

Shoulder Season (May and June, September and October): Great weather. Sunny and warm but not blazingly hot like the summer. Tourists are many but it’s never crowded. Everything is open and ferries are running nearly all of their routes. The sea might not be warm enough for swimming in May and October.

Low Season (November to April): This is winter and that means gray skies, cool weather, and rain. Few hotels and restaurants are operating (but enough to get by). Ferries and flights have very limited schedules though there’ll be at least one a day going to Athens.

Santorini Weather by Month

Santorini temperature by month. The hottest and coldest months to visit.

Santorini Rain by month. The driest and rainest months of the year.

The best weather on Santorini is from June to September. July and August are the busiest months when hotels are full and restaurants are crowded. If you’re more interested in sightseeing, hiking, and great views then May and October are great months to visit.

January Weather on Santorini: Damp, cold, and windy (by Santorini standards). January is the rainiest month and one of the coldest. The island is very quiet with few tourists. Many restaurants and hotels are closed but you will always be able to find something open in Oia and Fira. The beach towns are completely shutdown. (Average Max Temperature: 14°C. Average Rainfall: 42mm.)

February Weather on Santorini: Much like January. February is Santorini’s coldest month. There is a little less rain than December and January (Average Max Temperature: 14°C. Average Rainfall: 35mm.)

March Weather on Santorini: A noticeable change occurs in March from the previous 3 months. There is less rain, more sun, and warmer temperatures. This can be a nice time to visit for hikers and sightseers but visitors should be prepared for some rain and cold nights. By the end of March most hotels and restaurants are open. (Average Max Temperature: 16°C. Average Rainfall: 32mm.)

April Weather on Santorini: A great month for hiking, sightseeing, and touring the wineries. On warm years it’s possible to have a few beach days at the end of the month. (Average Max Temperature: 19°C. Average Rainfall: 12mm.)

May Weather on Santorini: There are big differences between early May (when cool cloudy days can still be common) and late May (when the days are consistently sunny and warm). May is the month when the beach towns dust off the cob webs and open for business. (Average Max Temperature: 22°C. Average Rainfall: 7mm.)

June Weather on Santorini: June is a hot sunny month and the start of beach season when tourists arrive in large numbers. (Average Max Temperature: 26°C. Average Rainfall: 0.3mm.)
July Weather on Santorini: Hot and sunny. Along with August July is the busiest month on Santorini. Book rooms months at least 3 months in advance for July visits – especially for luxury hotels. (Average Max Temperature: 27°C. Average Rainfall: 0.9mm.)

August Weather on Santorini: Hot and sunny with occasional strong winds (called the meltemi) that can cancel ferries and catamarans. Book rooms at least 3 months in advance for August visits – especially for luxury hotels. (Average Max Temperature: 27°C. Average Rainfall: 0.4mm.)

September Weather on Santorini: Hot and sunny but cooling a little from August. The weather is similar to June but the water tends to be warmer as it heats over the summer months. Winds have died down. September is the best month to visit Santorini. Hotels are still very busy and can be fully booked months in advance. (Average Max Temperature: 25°C. Average Rainfall: 6mm.)

October Weather on Santorini: October is much like May but the weather is moving in the opposite direction. There is often a large difference between early October (when days can be hot and sunny) and late October – when you can find some cool rainy days and visits to the beach seem a distant memory. (Average Max Temperature: 22°C. Average Rainfall: 18mm.)

November Weather on Santorini: The cool and cloudy days of winter arrive in November. Early November can still see some warm days when a visit to the beach could be possible for the very brave. Almost all luxury hotels are closed by November 15. Oia and Fira stay moderately active until the final cruise ship of the season makes its visit (usually in mid to late November). (Average Max Temperature: 18°C. Average Rainfall: 44mm.)

December Weather on Santorini: Cool, cloudy, and rainy, though there are often stretches of sunny days. Fira is the hub of most activity during the winter as most other towns are completely shut down. Oia will have at least a few restaurants and hotels open as well. (Average Max Temperature: 15°C. Average Rainfall: 46mm.)

How long to spend on Santorini – You need 2 to 3 days minimum to get a feel for the island, see the top attractions, experience the sunset from a couple of different locations, and try some of the island’s great restaurants. You could easily fill a week with long walks, swimming and sunbathing, and more eating, clubbing, and dancing. If you have more than a week in Greece then I’d encourage you to spend 7 to 10 days on Santorini and then travel to a different island as there are so many great islands to see. You’d likely experience more by seeing Naxos, Paros, Ios, Mykonos, Crete, or Rhodes than staying in Santorini for a second week.

Santorini is famous for its cliff-side homes which are painted blazing white with deep blue roofs. They are symbolic of Greece. If you are looking for a romantic getaway, this is the place. Don’t miss watching the sunset at Oia, visiting the many historical sites, or exploring the vineyards. Santorini can get really touristy in high season but surprisingly cheap and, once you get out of the town, it’s easy to escape the crowds. People tend to prefer this island to nearby Mykonos.

Typical Costs

Hostel prices
Expect to pay around 20-35 EUR a night for a dorm bed. Most of the hostels are located on Perissa beach and near the port. You can book your room here: http://www.romani.gr/hotels/

Budget hotel prices
For a little bit more, you can spend 50-80 EUR for a budget hotel room for two people. Or book an apartment with a free car rent here: http://www.santorini-villa-thebirds.com/

Average cost of food
Food is not very expensive here. You’ll find a lot of cheap gyro and sandwich shops for about 4 EUR for a meal. Inexpensive restaurants will cost around 9 EUR. A nicer restaurant will cost around 18 EUR with a drink. Prices just go up from there. If you are eating in Oia, prices are about 30% higher because of all the tourists.

Transportation costs
The bus starts around at 3 EUR per trip and leaves each town every two hours. Taxis cost about 27 EUR to go across the island. Private transfers cost starts at 75 EUR for 4 people and 4 luggages, you can book your tranfer here: http://www.romani.gr/transfers/

Money Saving Tips
Rent a car – The buses are infrequent, the taxis are expensive and private tranfers are usefull for catching a fligh or a ferry. The most cost effective way to get around is to rent your own car. We reccomend cars over ATVs because an ATV can cost the same as a car but its more dagerous driving an ATV in a small island with narrow streets. You can book your car rental here: http://santorinicarrentalonline.com/

Hit Happy Hour
Drinks get very expensive on Santorini. Drink your fill during happy hour, when they have 2 for 1 drinks and 1 EUR shots. Perissa beach is a popular nightspot.

Avoid Oia
The main town is the most expensive place on this relatively cheap island. Avoid stay and eating here and you’ll find yourself cutting your costs in half.

Things to See and Do on Santorini

Visit the Santorini Volcano
A good daytrip, you visit the volcano’s caldera and then take a dip in the hot springs, take a donkey ride, and then see the sunset in Oia. If that’s too much for you, you can simply head out to the caldera and go to the hot springs. You can book trips and tours to Santorini here: http://www.santorini-volcanotours.com/

Visit a Winery
Santorini has a lot of great wineries. The fertile land is perfect for growing grapes. There are winery tours through the island and they last about half a day. You can also rent a car and do your own tour. Just don’t drink too much. You can book your car rental here: http://santorinicarrentalonline.com/

Spend the day in Oia
This is the main attraction on Santorini and the picturesque white houses you see on all the photos are from here. Walk around the small village of Oia. They have great (but expensive) restaurants here and it’s a popular place to watch the sunset from as it sets right over the town.

Go to Red Beach
This beautiful beach on Santorini Island has a red volcanic cliff worth visiting. There is also a black sand beach on the south eastern side of the island.

Walk up and along the cliffs
Although it’s quite a climb, the view from the cliffs is worth it. You’ll get a great view of the whole island and surrounding oceans. While you can see a lot from the main town, the best views are from Oia.

Visit Akrotiri
Akrotiri is a roughly 3,500 year old Minoan town preserved in volcanic ash (like Pompeii) on the southern part of the island. The excavation site is covered by a roofing system, which makes it something that you can comfortably visit no matter what time of year. The ruins, are extremely well preserved. Streets, buildings, stairs and even second floors of buildings are still visible. Visitors can stand in the ruins and look at Minoan pottery and frescoes.

Scuba Dive
Visit ancient wrecks in the harbor. The area here is great for wreck diving and you can get down to about 14 meters and see ancient Greek ships. Visibility isn’t great and you won’t see many fish so the main draw here is the wrecks.

Go horseback riding
This is a popular activity with couples and families. You can ride around the hills of the island or along the beaches. It makes for a good afternoon activity and if horses aren’t your thing, you can always ride a donkey.

See the Museum of Prehistoric Thira
Located in Fira, this place is host to a mass collection of artifacts that were found in the ruins of Akrotiri. There are a ton of pots and pottery to see, but the highlight is the frescoes of the blue monkeys. Interestingly enough, there is no evidence of monkeys ever having lived on this island.

Spend the day hiking
Getting outside of the little towns and villages always makes for a great adventure. The landscape across the island is really beautiful and it is often quite temperate. Throughout the countryside, there are little establishments of cave housing, gardens, and tiny churches to discover.

Go on a boat excursion
There is a great boat excursion that goes to Volcano Island, the hot springs, and then to Thirassia. It is basically a daytrip, even though it is only a few hours long. Lunch isn’t included, but the group typically stops and eats at some local taverns. You can book trips and tours to Santorini here: http://www.santorini-volcanotours.com/

Visit the Akrotiri Lighthouse
At the southern end of Santorini, close to Akrotiri, lies the lighthouse. It’s used by the Greek Navy, which means you’re not allowed to enter it, but it does make for a good photo opportunity.

When visiting the Santorini Island for either vacation or work, you can always rent a car at the airport or the port. However, if you want to rent at the airport or the port you will often have to stand in line, and, it is very likely that the car you wanted to rent just got rented out to the person in front of you. Booking your car upfront at CarHireSantorini.com Car Rental in Santorini Island can prevent winding up with a car twice the size or the price you had in mind.

Your car awaits
Upon arrival at the airport or port in Santorini Island you are one step ahead. While others stand in line, walk to the car rental parking lot or are transported in a car rental shuttle, you are awaited at the arrival hall by one of our employees whom will guide you to your vehicle of choice, so you can arrive as fast as possible at your final destination. It’s that easy!

Always the right rental car
Without booking in advance there is no telling which car will be available. The rental car that you had in mind could be rented out already. Which most of the time leads to higher price range. When renting a car as a group it might happen that you have to settle with tighter seating and luggage spaces. But also when having special wishes such as renting a child seat or gps, it is possible the car rental has run out.
Do you want to be sure you get a rental car to your liking? With booking in advance you know you’re getting the right car.

No price difference
The biggest plus of the book in advance is of course knowing you’ll get the right car. You also know exactly what the costs are. When renting a car at the airport or port, there is no guarantee of getting a rental car in your price range. The most rented cars are often rented out during high season, thus you’re forced to rent in a higher price range. If you book upfront at CarHireSantorini.com Car Rental in Santorini Island you can enjoy 100% all inclusive rates and no nonsense terms.

Renting a car abroad
Renting abroad can be pretty tricky. Car rentals often advertise with all in prices, but when reading the terms, the car is not fully insured. Also the car price can be more expensive than you expected by having to take on multiple insurances. Therefore, always read the contract and make sure you really need all the extra insurances.

http://santorinicarrentalonline.com