Early January 1 January
57°F
Typical afternoon high
23% historical wet-day frequency
Greece · City
Is January a good time?
January averages 56°F afternoons and 61°F seas, with about 7 rain days.
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.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your January
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.
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.
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.
Early, middle or late?
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.
57°F
Typical afternoon high
23% historical wet-day frequency
57°F
Typical afternoon high
23% historical wet-day frequency
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.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.)
Visitor season
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
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.
Year-to-year variation
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
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 56°F | 6 |
| 2012 | 51°F | 4 |
| 2013 | 57°F | 6 |
| 2014 | 59°F | 9 |
| 2015 | 56°F | 9 |
| 2016 | 57°F | 5 |
| 2017 | 51°F | 11 |
| 2018 | 57°F | 7 |
| 2019 | 54°F | 12 |
| 2020 | 55°F | 5 |
| 2021 | 59°F | 7 |
| 2022 | 54°F | 8 |
| 2023 | 60°F | 7 |
| 2024 | 58°F | 6 |
| 2025 | 61°F | 5 |
Checked against official climate averages for Athens Elliniko. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Dec | Jan | Feb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 59°F | 56°F | 59°F |
| Sea | 65°F | 61°F | 60°F |
| Rain days | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Overnight demand | 41% | 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.
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
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 →| Typical conditions | January | December |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 56°F | 59°F |
| Nights | 43°F | 46°F |
| Sea | 61°F | 65°F |
| Rain days | 7 | 7 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Month rank | #8 | #6 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.0 | #8 | 56°F | 43°F | 61°F | 7 | 7.0 | Low season |
| February | 8.0 | #7 | 59°F | 44°F | 60°F | 7 | 7.3 | Moderate season |
| March | 8.3 | #5 | 65°F | 47°F | 60°F | 5 | 8.7 | Moderate season |
| April | 8.6 | #3 | 73°F | 51°F | 62°F | 4 | 10.0 | Busy season |
| May | 8.3 | #4 | 82°F | 58°F | 66°F | 4 | 9.7 | Busy season |
| June | 6.7 | #10 | 91°F | 67°F | 73°F | 3 | 7.5 | Peak season |
| July | 5.9 | #12 | 97°F | 72°F | 78°F | 0 | 6.2 | Peak season |
| August | 6.1 | #11 | 95°F | 72°F | 79°F | 1 | 6.6 | Peak season |
| September | 7.3 | #9 | 88°F | 66°F | 78°F | 2 | 8.4 | Peak season |
| October | 8.7 | #2 | 76°F | 59°F | 74°F | 3 | 10.0 | Moderate season |
| November | 8.9 | #1 | 67°F | 53°F | 69°F | 6 | 9.2 | Moderate season |
| December | 8.0 | #6 | 59°F | 46°F | 65°F | 7 | 7.4 | Moderate season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
Central Greece & EviaGreece · about 70 miles
Balanced Overall 4.8 · Poor weather, 54°F (12°C) · Low season · Cost cheap
PeloponneseGreece · about 70 miles
Balanced Overall 5.2 · Fair weather, 56°F (14°C) · Off season · Cost cheap
Meteora, Pelion & the SporadesThessaly · Greece · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 4.7 · Poor weather, 53°F (12°C) · Low season · Cost cheap
Santorini, Mykonos & the Greek islandsGreece · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 5.2 · Fair weather, 60°F (16°C) · Off season · Cost cheap
Corfu & the Ionian IslandsGreece · about 180 miles
Balanced Overall 4.8 · Fair weather, 58°F (15°C) · Off season · Cost cheap
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.
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 checked | Official 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 day | 5 |
| Busiest month here | August · 14 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 0.5% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 34th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 38% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 66 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 0.8% |
| National hotel-price season | Greece historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−16% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 3.8 million |
| Statistical region | EL30 · 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.