The visitor season
Off season, nationally.
December records 7% of August's overnight stays. This measures overnight demand, not queues or day-trippers.
A good place. At the right time.
Greece
in December.
Is December a good time?
Only 1 of 13 scored regions rates very good or better for weather: Athens & Attica.
National overnight stays are 7% of the August peak.
- Regional afternoon highs
- 49–63°F
- Very good weather
- 1 / 13 regions
Check seasonal openings: 6 regions have an off-season warning this month.
Find your December baseBased on 13 statistical regions. Typical conditions, not a forecast for individual towns.
One month. 13 possibilities.
Choose your December base.
The useful differences, side by side. Open a region for its full month guide.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
Trip focus
Overall scores use the Balanced mix. Choose a different priority to order the regions by that mix.
CityAthens & AtticaAthens · Acropolis · Cape SounionRead the December guide ↗
Overall8.0/10#6 month here · Balanced
Weather7.4/10Very good59°F afternoons · 7 rain days
Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearNear usual price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
MountainsEpirusIoannina · Zagori · PargaRead the December guide ↗
Overall7.2/10#8 month here · Balanced
Weather5.6/10Good54°F afternoons · 12 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearNear usual price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
MountainsWestern MacedoniaKastoriaRead the December guide ↗
Overall6.4/10#12 month here · Balanced
Weather5.6/10Good49°F afternoons · 7 rain days
Visitor seasonBusy seasonvs its own yearHigher price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
BeachCreteChania · HeraklionRead the December guide ↗
Overall5.8/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather5.3/10Good62°F afternoons · 11 rain days
Visitor seasonOff seasonmany places closedLower price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
BeachSantorini, Mykonos & the Greek islandsSantorini · Mykonos · Rhodes · Kos · Naxos · Paros · MilosRead the December guide ↗
Overall5.7/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather5.2/10Good63°F afternoons · 12 rain days
Visitor seasonOff seasonmany places closedLower price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
BeachPeloponneseNafplio · Mani · MonemvasiaRead the December guide ↗
Overall6.0/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather4.3/10Fair59°F afternoons · 9 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearLower price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
BeachCorfu & the Ionian IslandsCorfu · Zakynthos · Kefalonia · LefkadaRead the December guide ↗
Overall5.3/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather4.3/10Fair61°F afternoons · 14 rain days
Visitor seasonOff seasonmany places closedLower price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
BeachNorth Aegean islandsLesbos · Chios · Samos · LemnosRead the December guide ↗
Overall5.2/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather4.1/10Fair59°F afternoons · 12 rain days
Visitor seasonOff seasonmany places closedLower price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
BeachWestern GreecePatras · OlympiaRead the December guide ↗
Overall5.6/10#11 month here · Balanced
Weather3.6/10Fair59°F afternoons · 11 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearLower price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
BeachCentral Greece & EviaDelphi · EviaRead the December guide ↗
Overall5.4/10#11 month here · Balanced
Weather3.4/10Fair57°F afternoons · 10 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearLower price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
BeachMeteora, Pelion & the SporadesMeteora · Pelion · Skiathos · SkopelosRead the December guide ↗
Overall5.0/10#11 month here · Balanced
Weather3.0/10Fair55°F afternoons · 8 rain days
Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearNear usual price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
BeachThessaloniki & HalkidikiThessaloniki · HalkidikiRead the December guide ↗
Overall4.8/10#10 month here · Balanced
Weather2.8/10Poor54°F afternoons · 7 rain days
Visitor seasonOff seasonmany places closedLower price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
BeachEastern Macedonia & ThraceKavala · ThassosRead the December guide ↗
Overall4.3/10#11 month here · Balanced
Weather2.3/10Poor53°F afternoons · 8 rain days
Visitor seasonOff seasonmany places closedLower price seasonhistorical estimated seasonal pattern; national price level
No regions match these filters. Try another place or reset the filters.
Cost words compare a published regional accommodation level with Greece's typical level, or describe a region's price season against its own year. The Cost score still uses Greece's price level on the Europe scale; where regional money levels are unavailable, a cheaper season does not establish which region has the cheapest rooms.
What goes into the scores?
Overall combines weather, crowds and cost. It is not a weather rating. By default, the list ranks weather first and shows Balanced Overall scores (50% weather, 30% crowds, 20% cost). Other priorities order it by your Overall mix. Missing cost is excluded and the available parts are reweighted.
Visitor season compares each region with its own year. A higher crowd score does not establish which place has fewer people in absolute terms. Regions cover whole statistical areas; open a guide for its geographic scope. Read the scoring method.
Weather across the country
December weather & packing.
Regional averages vary; check a forecast closer to your trip.
- Typical afternoons
- 49–63°F
- Typical nights
- 33–54°F
- Rain days
- 7–14 days
Ranges span available regional monthly averages, not daily extremes. A dash means a measurement is unavailable or withheld; individual guides explain the gaps.
What to bring.
Santorini, Mykonos & the Greek islands: afternoons around 63°F (17°C): light layers; nights around 54°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket. Bring rain gear: about 12 days with at least 1 mm of rain. Western Macedonia: afternoons around 49°F (9°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 33°F (0°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves.
Weather, region by region Afternoons, nights, rain & weather
| Region | Afternoon | Night | Rain days | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens & Attica | 59°F | 46°F | 7 | very good |
| Epirus | 54°F | 38°F | 12 | good |
| Western Macedonia | 49°F | 33°F | 7 | good |
| Crete | 62°F | 50°F | 11 | good |
| Santorini, Mykonos & the Greek islands | 63°F | 54°F | 12 | good |
| Peloponnese | 59°F | — | 9 | fair |
| Corfu & the Ionian Islands | 61°F | — | 14 | fair |
| North Aegean islands | 59°F | 49°F | 12 | fair |
| Western Greece | 59°F | 45°F | 11 | fair |
| Central Greece & Evia | 57°F | 43°F | 10 | fair |
| Meteora, Pelion & the Sporades | 55°F | — | 8 | fair |
| Thessaloniki & Halkidiki | 54°F | 39°F | 7 | poor |
| Eastern Macedonia & Thrace | 53°F | 39°F | 8 | poor |
Before you go
Check the trip details.
Hotel prices
A little below usual.
−9% on Greece's historical national hotel-price index, versus its usual month in 2024–2025. This describes a price season, not a live room quote.
The national index cannot tell you which region has the cheapest rooms.
Seasonal openings
Quiet can mean closed.
There is an off-season warning for Crete, Santorini, Mykonos & the Greek islands, Corfu & the Ionian Islands, North Aegean islands, Thessaloniki & Halkidiki, Eastern Macedonia & Thrace. Check accommodation and activities before choosing your base.
Thinking about the coast?
Check the water, too.
Among beach-focused regions, the warmest measured seas this month are Crete (66°F), Santorini, Mykonos & the Greek islands (66°F), Peloponnese (65°F). Sea temperature is one part of a beach trip; open a region for weather and seasonal closures.
Events & holiday dates Check the year against your trip
Holidays: 26% of people in Greece live where schools are out on a typical December 2026 day. Public holidays: 25 Dec Christmas Day; 26 Dec Glorifying Mother of God. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL, and the official calendars.)
Same country. A different chapter.
Dates still up in the air?
December is fixed, but the destination isn't? Find somewhere else in Europe ↗
How we know Sources, scope & limitations
Each row is a statistical region (NUTS 2); open it for the full month, the sources and what moving your dates would change. National lines are built from the regions: season is Greece's total tourist nights this month against its busiest month (Eurostat, primarily 2024–2025; earlier published years where needed); weather counts regions whose displayed Weather score is at least 7.0/10 (very good or better) rather than averaging across the country; visitors ranks overnight visitors per resident against all Europe's regions (for a region) or the other countries (for Greece) that month.
A regional accommodation level is shown only where publishable money data exists; elsewhere the cost words describe a regional season against its own year, and the score starts from the national price level. Separately, Greece's 2024 restaurants-and-hotels level is below EU average (86 where the EU average is 100). Full method.