The best time to visit Crete, Greece

Think Crete, and you may be imagining beaches packed with sunseekers lying out for hours. But if you're wondering when is the best time to visit Crete to enjoy the island without the crowds, we consider how each season compares.

You’ve got summer covered. But the island – with its 600,000 full-time residents – experiences all four seasons. In winter, things can get cold, windy and wet. Most sights and businesses set their annual schedules around the high summer season, and the warmest months usher in endless festivals and long nights on taverna terraces.

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Crete has hot, dry summers, mild but changeable winters and long shoulder seasons that many travelers find more comfortable. Come winter, much of the island is closed with residents hunkered down indoors. In the spring shoulder season, places reopen, temperatures remain mild and crowds are moderate.

Spring may well be the sweet spot for a visit to this Greek island province. Here's the best time to visit Crete by season.

July and August are best for sunshine and festivals

Weather in Crete in summer: Midday temperatures are sweaty – with an average high of 29ºC (84ºF) – and rain is rare, but Mediterranean breezes offer temperate relief. 

Everything is open in the highest days of high season, and wherever visitors gather, the party never seems to end. Book everything far in advance as flights and hotels fill up quickly.  If you're not that organized, last-minute bookings can be found in mountain villages and the more obscure beach towns such as Plakias, Sougia and Ierapetra.

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This is also peak festival season, and it seems like every town, no matter how tiny, plans something special during August. And everything comes to a halt on August 15 for the Feast of the Assumption: families reunite, the roads are clogged and businesses close. In Iraklio, the Summer Arts Festival runs from July to mid-September and features top classical music, dance, art, films and more.

April to June, plus September and October, is best for mild weather

Weather in Crete in spring and autumn: Daily highs range from 20ºC to 27ºC (68ºF to 80ºF) depending on your proximity to summer. You can expect around 6 days of rain on average in April and October, but fewer rainy days the rest of the shoulder season months.

Most businesses and attractions are open before and after the peak-summer months, which means you can rent a beach umbrella, enjoy a seaside taverna lunch and visit a remote church on a mountain pass – but without the hordes. Prices are moderate and the availability of flights and rooms is good; you may even find last-minute deals. 

In April, Orthodox Easter (which falls on a changing date that's different from Catholic Easter) is the most important religious date in a nation that takes its religious dates very seriously. Good Friday features massive processions, often accompanied by a blessing of the boats in coastal towns. At midnight on Easter Saturday, fireworks light up the sky in every town, large and small. This is followed by a late-night feast of roast lamb and other iconic Greek dishes. In Crete, residents love to invite visitors to join the celebrations.

Beachside tavernas, cafes and clubs begin opening right after Orthodox Easter, when the air – especially along hiking trails – becomes redolent with the verdant spring scents of sage, thyme, rosemary and other wild herbs. In June, all beaches fully open, with the water rapidly warming. Businesses still have a gloss from winter renovations.

September is a fabulous month for beachgoing (if you’re not traveling with kids, that is), as the water is still warm after the new school year begins.

Beach businesses start to close in October – though most churches and museums are open, and you can hit the hiking trails with less worry about heatstroke.

November to March is best for drinking raki

Weather in Crete in winter: The weather is cool to cold, with average highs of 15ºC (59ºF), and frequent storms bring rain and chilly winds for days on end. In the coldest weeks, snow often dusts the island’s tallest peaks. In the low season, getting around can be trickier by public transport, but not impossible.

Because almost every tourist-focused business is closed, finding accommodation becomes harder in the low-season months. Yet winter in Crete has its charms, as waves pound desolate beaches and most Cretans prefer the comforts of a well-stoked fire. (Note that the world-class ruins at Knossos are open year-round and are much more enjoyable without the crowds.)

November brings the season of raki, a fiery spirit that’s the national drink of Crete and an island-wide symbol of hospitality. It’s made from the mush left over from the wine harvest, and fresh batches issue forth from producers large and small all month. Christmas is generally low-key and cozy in Crete, with some seaside villages delightfully observing the holiday the traditional way: by decorating fishing boats.

A winter highlight is Carnival, three pre-Lent weeks of masquerade balls, street parties, treasure hunts and more. The final Sunday sees spectacular parades that devolve into mass frivolity. Rethymno has the wildest scene.