Spring (April-May) and autumn (late September-October) are our favourite times, being moderately warm (typically 20-30 celsius) and much quieter than midsummer. Spring is great for wild flowers and lush landscapes; autumn for warm seas. If you are restricted to school summer holidays, we'd recommend July over August – which sees swarms of holiday-makers and proportionately higher prices. If you're worried about the heat (which can reach 40 celsius on a hot day in Crete, for example), consider heading up to the mountains of the mainland; here, it's 5-10 degrees cooler in summer - and, in winter, can snow quite heavily. Hotels often close or renovate over the winter – some have no central heating - but most aim to reopen for Greek Easter, at which point they fill rapidly for the holiday period.
Two major Greek festivals include Greek Orthodox Easter, which is usually later than western European Easter, and which prompts a nationwide exodus to the country for socialising and church-going, followed by loud fireworks (bring earplugs). In summer, the period around the 15 August (Assumption of the Virgin Mary) sees people flock to the islands and highlands for late-night dancing and feasting. If you're travelling around either of these dates, book your accommodation and transport (including ferries) well in advance, and be prepared for disruption.
OTHER HOLIDAYS
New Year’s Day: January 1 (public holiday)
Epiphany: January 6 (a crucifix is thrown into the sea and retrieved by boys)
Carnival (Apokriés): 60-40 days before Easter (huge parade in Patras, festivities in Athens, ‘goat-dance’ on Skyros)
Clean Monday (Kathari Deftera): Last Monday before Lent (kite-flying throughout Greece)
Lent (Sarakostí) and Holy Week (Megali Evdomáda): 40-1 days before Easter (fasting, church-going)
Independence Day: March 25 (costumed parades)
St George’s Day: April 23 – can vary (rural service, feast and dancing; also start of summer pastures for transhumants)
May Day: May 1 (flower-picking, wreath-making)
Greek Easter(Pascha): Date varies - up to 5 weeks after western Easter
St Constantine: May 21 (firewalking in Macedonian villages)
Pentecost (Whitsun)50 days after Easter (long weekend)
Prophet Elijah (Ilias): July 20 (mountaintop celebrations and fires, notably on Mt Taygetus)
St Paraskevi: July 26 (feasts in Epirus villages)
Transfiguration of Christ (Metamorfosi): August 6 (feasts in Evia & elsewhere)
Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Dekapentávgousto): August 15 (the biggest summer exeat - Greeks return to their home village or make pilgrimmages e.g. to Tinos)
Birth of the Virgin Mary (Genisi): September 8 (rural service and feast)
St Demetrius: October 26 (new wine tasted, also end of summer pastures)
Ochi Day: October 28 (parades to celebrate Metaxa's historic “No!” to Mussolini)
St Nikolaos: December 6 (services at coastal chapels)
Christmas: December 25 (public and religious holiday, but less commercial than in western Europe)
New Year’s Eve: December 31 (nightlong services, parties and card-playing)
To search flights across all airlines, we recommend using Skyscanner
Key airlines include:
Olympic and Aegean fly between Athens and the islands or regional cities of the mainland.
BY SEA
Ferries and hydrofoils ply between all major islands. Hydrofoils are quicker than ferries and cost about twice as much. Most services start from Athens’ main port, Pireaus (for central-southern Cyclades, Dodecanese, Crete, Argo-Saronic and eastern Peloponnese); a few leave from Athens' second port Rafina (for Andros-Tinos-Mykonos-Syros). The southern Ionian islands (Kefalonia, Zakinthos) are served from Patras or Killini (Peloponnese); the central and northern ones (Ithaka, Corfu, Paxos) from other mainland ports. Try a site like Open Seas or Ferries in Greece.
GETTING AROUND EACH ISLAND
You may want to hire a car, jeep, quad bike or moped; if the latter, then check the brakes and insist on a helmet. Remember that riding two to a moped halves the cost, but doubles your chance of a puncture. Every island has several rental outlets.
Buses can be useful for exploring the island; buses tend to meet ferries at the port and shuttle up to the main town and sometimes elsewhere too. On Crete there is a good bus network linking the main cities of the north coast (Hania - Rethymnon - Heraklion - Agios Nikolaos), as well as a reasonable village network.
Taxis are not expensive. On Crete we have heard good things about Crete Taxi and Easy Taxi: taxi booking services with good English who charge a small handling fee over and above the prescribed rates.