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Where to go in January / Greece in January / Athens & Attica / January

Greece · City

Athens & Attica
in January.

Illustration of Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion above the Aegean
Temple of Poseidon at Cape SounionDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 56°F afternoons and 61°F seas, with about 7 rain days.

Afternoons
56°F
Sea
61°F
Visitor demand
33%of August peak

Historical Attiki regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Athens, Acropolis and Cape Sounion; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

8.0/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather7.0/10Very good
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostCheapfor Europe; Greece-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your January

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 56°F (14°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 43°F (6°C): a warm coat. About 10 hours of daylight. About 7 rain days in a typical January.

Can I swim in January?

The sea averages 61°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 10 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:40Sunset 17:2943°F56°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:40 and sets about 17:29 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 43°F (6°C); afternoons reach about 56°F (14°C). Expect rain on about 7 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
56°F (14°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
43°F (6°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
61°F (16°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 49m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late January?

Early and late January have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 57°F on the 1st, versus 57°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 23% to 28% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

57°F

Typical afternoon high

23% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

57°F

Typical afternoon high

23% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

57°F

Typical afternoon high

28% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 Jan New Year's Day; 6 Jan Epiphany.

Daily calendar & holiday datesJanuary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

January 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
157°257°357°
457°557°656°757°857°957°1057°
1157°1257°1357°1457°1557°1657°1757°
1857°1956°2056°2156°2256°2356°2456°
2556°2657°2757°2857°2957°3057°3157°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons hold at about 57°F (14°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 21–28%. Local schools are out 1–7 January 2027.

Schools here are off 1–7 January 2027 (Christmas holidays). Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year's Day; 6 Jan Epiphany. Elsewhere in January 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 21%, Spain 24%, Italy 20%, Poland 17%. (School holidays: official calendar, compiled by Bigfoot Wanders; other countries from OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds, cost and getting there

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Low season. January averages 33% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.

Overnight stays across Attiki do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

A little below usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Greece as a whole
Below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 86 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from Newark and New York JFK; 2024 schedule, Eurostat

Year-to-year variation

How much does January vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 51°F (11°C) and 61°F (16°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 56°F (14°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 12; half the years had 5–9.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 6 rain days620112012: 4 rain days42013: 6 rain days62014: 9 rain days92015: 9 rain days92016: 5 rain days52017: 11 rain days112018: 7 rain days72019: 12 rain days122020: 5 rain days52021: 7 rain days72022: 8 rain days82023: 7 rain days72024: 6 rain days62025: 5 rain days52025
Rain days
7
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 10 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
8 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no January in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
19 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded JanuaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201156°F6
201251°F4
201357°F6
201459°F9
201556°F9
201657°F5
201751°F11
201857°F7
201954°F12
202055°F5
202159°F7
202254°F8
202360°F7
202458°F6
202561°F5

Checked against official climate averages for Athens Elliniko. How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons59°F56°F59°F
Sea65°F61°F60°F
Rain days777
Overnight demand41%33%39%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than January. More overnight demand. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons than January. More overnight demand. February guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with January Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. January stays as your reference.

March to May and September to November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 41% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons56°F59°F
Nights43°F46°F
Sea61°F65°F
Rain days77
Visitor seasonLow seasonModerate season
Overall / 108.08.0
Month rank#8#6
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January8.0#856°F43°F61°F77.0Low season
February8.0#759°F44°F60°F77.3Moderate season
March8.3#565°F47°F60°F58.7Moderate season
April8.6#373°F51°F62°F410.0Busy season
May8.3#482°F58°F66°F49.7Busy season
June6.7#1091°F67°F73°F37.5Peak season
July5.9#1297°F72°F78°F06.2Peak season
August6.1#1195°F72°F79°F16.6Peak season
September7.3#988°F66°F78°F28.4Peak season
October8.7#276°F59°F74°F310.0Moderate season
November8.9#167°F53°F69°F69.2Moderate season
December8.0#659°F46°F65°F77.4Moderate season

Near here

Nearby places in January

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Same dates, elsewhere in Europe

Athens & Attica's weather ranks 3 of 41 city regions this month. We found no city regions outside Greece with a weather score at least 1.0 point higher on these dates.

All of Greece in January · Everywhere in January

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's low season, 33% of the busiest month and 48% below its average month.The figures cover the whole Attiki region, suburbs included. That means about 18,000 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 38% of them from Greece itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 12,000 more: 66 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)70
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Athens Elliniko from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.7°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day5
Busiest month hereAugust · 14
Visitors as share of people present0.5%
Rank among Europe's regions this month34th percentile
Domestic share of nights38%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights66
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.8%
National hotel-price seasonGreece historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−16% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used3.8 million
Statistical regionEL30 · Attiki

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.