People always ask me when it is a good time to sail in Greece.
But that depends on what you are looking for.
If you are looking for warm weather and warm waters to swim to, you should consider sailing from early May to end of October.
You do not wish to visit crowded places?
Then July, August and September should be avoided as they are the crowded months almost everywhere in Greece.
You want to visit the Cyclades on a calm period?
Then June is the month with the lightest winds in the area. The first weeks of September also, offering a combination of hot temperatures and light winds makes you feel that you are in the heart of summer.
The area of your preference is Sporades?
End of June-early July and September is for me the best time to visit the area. But if you are the ‘party’ type then August is the month where some of the islands are full of people and a lot of events take place on daily bases at the local bars and clubs.
You want to visit Greece at a time where the nature becomes wilder than in summertime?
End of October early November when fall has arrived is a beautiful time. Water temperature is still high for the dare ones to swim. The leaves fall and the yellow colors provide different scenery.
The last week of July includes the days with the maximum daytime (it starts getting dark around 19:35) and sailors can take advantage of that in order to sail longer distances.
Which is the most crowded area and when?
Corfu and Lefkas in August are the most crowded sailing areas followed by the Saronic. This is also because of the Meltemi wind in the Cyclades that forces a lot of yachts to calmer area. Most of the yachts leaving from Athens and Lavrio end in the Saronic instead of spreading between the Cyclades and Saronic.
Why sailing early in the season?
The prices are much lowered in April and May and someone can find easier the yacht that really suits his needs. If you are in Greece during Orthodox Easter you can also experience many religious fests with Easter Sunday being the greater.
In September you can experience the grape-harvest in many places in Greece. The wine fest in Ermioni is one of the famous in Peloponnese, while in the Ionian the Corfu fest hostess many famous artists for all over the world. And the pistachio (Fistiki) fest in Aegina Island around the 20th September is worth visited during September. But if you are in Kos, the honey fest (at Antimachia village) gives you also the opportunity to taste and buy some of the best Greek honey.
Fests and local celebrations take place throughout the year in Greece. Some of them go back in the ancient times. Some are combined with lots of dance, and live traditional music, especially in some islands but also in the mainland.
