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Where to go in January / Greece in January / Corfu & the Ionian Islands / January

Greece · Beach

Corfu & the Ionian Islands
in January.

Illustration of Porto Timoni double beach below Afionas, Corfu
Porto Timoni, CorfuDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 58°F afternoons and 62°F seas, with about 14 rain days. Check seasonal openings.

Afternoons
58°F
Sea
62°F
Visitor demand
0%of August peak

Historical Ionia Nisia regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Corfu, Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Lefkada; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

4.8/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather3.2/10Fair
CrowdsOff seasoncheck seasonal openings; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, quieter than most of Europe this month
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 58°F (15°C): a sweater and a light jacket. Bring rain gear: about 14 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 10 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in January?

The sea averages 62°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 07:55Sunset 17:3958°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:55 and sets about 17:39 (local time, mid-month). Afternoons reach about 58°F (15°C). Expect rain on about 14 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
58°F (15°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
—
not shown here: our correction of the model data isn't accurate enough for night lows in this region
Sea
62°F (16°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 45m
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 59°F on the 1st, versus 58°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 35% to 43% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

59°F

Typical afternoon high

35% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

58°F

Typical afternoon high

47% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

58°F

Typical afternoon high

43% 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
159°259°359°
459°559°658°758°859°959°1059°
1158°1258°1358°1458°1558°1658°1758°
1858°1958°2058°2158°2258°2358°2458°
2558°2658°2758°2858°2958°3058°3158°

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

Afternoons hold at about 58°F (15°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 35–51%. 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 and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Off season. January averages 0% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings.

Overnight stays across Ionia Nisia do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, quieter than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

Well 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.

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 54°F (12°C) and 61°F (16°C); in 11 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 58°F (15°C). Rain days ranged from 6 to 23; half the years had 11–17.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 14 rain days1420112012: 9 rain days92013: 17 rain days172014: 13 rain days132015: 14 rain days142016: 11 rain days112017: 17 rain days172018: 11 rain days112019: 22 rain days222020: 6 rain days62021: 23 rain days232022: 10 rain days102023: 15 rain days152024: 11 rain days112025: 14 rain days142025
Rain days
14
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 20 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
5 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
201158°F14
201255°F9
201358°F17
201461°F13
201558°F14
201659°F11
201754°F17
201859°F11
201955°F22
202058°F6
202160°F23
202257°F10
202360°F15
202460°F11
202561°F14

Checked against official climate averages for Corfu (Kerkyra). 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
Afternoons61°F58°F59°F
Sea65°F62°F60°F
Rain days14149
Overnight demand1%0%1%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than January. More overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. December guide →

February: Fewer rain days than January. More overnight demand. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings. 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 and November to December have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, without a substantially busier visitor season.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 1% of the busiest month; check seasonal openings.

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

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons58°F61°F
Nights——
Sea62°F65°F
Rain days1414
Visitor seasonOff seasonOff season
Overall / 104.85.3
Month rank#12#10
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January4.8#1258°F—62°F143.2Off season
February5.1#1159°F—60°F93.8Off season
March5.7#962°F—60°F105.3Off season
April7.8#566°F—62°F47.6Low season
May8.3#272°F—66°F39.4Moderate season
June8.0#380°F—73°F110.0Busy season
July7.4#785°F—77°F010.0Peak season
August7.5#686°F—80°F110.0Peak season
September8.0#481°F—78°F410.0Busy season
October8.4#174°F—74°F88.7Low season
November5.9#868°F—70°F145.7Off season
December5.3#1061°F—65°F144.3Off 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

Better January weather than Corfu & the Ionian Islands

Corfu & the Ionian Islands' weather ranks 23 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Greece have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Corfu & the Ionian Islands.

All of Greece in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's off season, 0% of the busiest month and 99% below its average month. That means about 720 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 83% of them from Greece itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 230 more: 32 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)51
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Corfu (Kerkyra) from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.1°C), night lows off by more than 4°F (2°C), so not shown.
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day4
Busiest month hereAugust · 802
Visitors as share of people present0.4%
Rank among Europe's regions this month21st percentile
Domestic share of nights83%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights32
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.5%
National hotel-price seasonGreece historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−16% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used198,000
Statistical regionEL62 · Ionia Nisia

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.