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Where to go in January / Greece in January / North Aegean islands / January

Greece · Beach

North Aegean islands
in January.

Illustration of Molyvos on Lesvos viewed across an olive grove
Molyvos, LesvosDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 57°F afternoons and 62°F seas, with about 11 rain days. Check seasonal openings.

Afternoons
57°F
Sea
62°F
Visitor demand
2%of August peak

Historical Voreio Aigaio regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Lesbos, Chios, Samos and Lemnos; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

4.6/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather2.9/10Poor
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 57°F (14°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 46°F (8°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 11 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 07:32Sunset 17:1646°F57°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:32 and sets about 17:16 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 46°F (8°C); afternoons reach about 57°F (14°C). Expect rain on about 11 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
57°F (14°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
46°F (8°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
62°F (17°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 44m
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.

Early January 1 January

57°F

Typical afternoon high

37% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

57°F

Typical afternoon high

42% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

57°F

Typical afternoon high

39% 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°657°757°857°957°1057°
1157°1257°1357°1457°1557°1657°1757°
1857°1957°2056°2156°2256°2356°2456°
2556°2656°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 37–45%. 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 2% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings.

Overnight stays across Voreio Aigaio 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 52°F (11°C) and 61°F (16°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 57°F (14°C). Rain days ranged from 6 to 23; half the years had 11–15.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 11 rain days1120112012: 11 rain days112013: 15 rain days152014: 12 rain days122015: 15 rain days152016: 11 rain days112017: 16 rain days162018: 11 rain days112019: 23 rain days232020: 6 rain days62021: 19 rain days192022: 11 rain days112023: 10 rain days102024: 11 rain days112025: 11 rain days112025
Rain days
11
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 18 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
4 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°F11
201252°F11
201356°F15
201460°F12
201556°F15
201655°F11
201752°F16
201857°F11
201956°F23
202055°F6
202159°F19
202254°F11
202360°F10
202458°F11
202561°F11

Checked against official climate averages for Samos. 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°F57°F58°F
Sea64°F62°F60°F
Rain days12118
Overnight demand3%2%3%

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.

February to 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 3% 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
Afternoons57°F59°F
Nights46°F49°F
Sea62°F64°F
Rain days1112
Visitor seasonOff seasonOff season
Overall / 104.65.2
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
January4.6#1257°F46°F62°F112.9Off season
February5.2#1158°F47°F60°F84.0Off season
March5.8#962°F50°F60°F85.4Off season
April7.3#768°F54°F62°F57.8Off season
May8.9#275°F61°F66°F39.9Low season
June8.1#384°F69°F71°F110.0Busy season
July7.6#589°F72°F74°F010.0Peak season
August7.4#689°F73°F75°F010.0Peak season
September8.1#483°F68°F74°F110.0Busy season
October9.0#174°F61°F70°F59.5Low season
November6.4#866°F55°F66°F86.6Off season
December5.2#1059°F49°F64°F124.1Off 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 North Aegean islands

North Aegean islands' weather ranks 26 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Greece have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with North Aegean islands.

All of Greece in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's off season, 2% of the busiest month and 93% below its average month. That means about 610 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 72% of them from Greece itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 130 more: 22 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)50
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Samos from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.1°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day3
Busiest month hereAugust · 124
Visitors as share of people present0.3%
Rank among Europe's regions this month12th percentile
Domestic share of nights72%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights22
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.4%
National hotel-price seasonGreece historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−16% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used208,000
Statistical regionEL41 · Voreio Aigaio

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.