Fewer crowds
January is quietest.
January, at 6% of the busiest month (August). Low season, under 35% of the peak: October to May. In off-season months, many seasonal hotels and restaurants may be closed.
A good place. At the right time.
Best time to visitThessaloniki & Halkidiki.
Plan your visit
Find your month.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
Start with May.
#1 of 12 · Balanced · 8.6/10
Overnight stays are 27% of the busiest month.
Based on Kentriki Makedonia regional averages.
- Afternoon high
- 78°F
- Sea temperature
- 66°F
- Crowds
- Low
The sea averages 66°F (19°C). Fresh: fine once you are in. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
The ranked Overall uses Thessaloniki & Halkidiki's beach weather model. It does not rank the best months for sightseeing in Thessaloniki; each month guide shows that separate weather rating.
Price context. National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Historical averages, not forecasts or live prices.
A regional guide. Figures cover Kentriki Makedonia, including Thessaloniki and Halkidiki. Conditions vary within the region.
The whole calendar
Already have dates?
Explore your month, then weigh up the trade-offs.
May at a glance
Balanced match #1 · 8.6/10
Overnight stays are 27% of the busiest month.
The sea averages 66°F (19°C). Fresh: fine once you are in. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Read the May guide- Afternoon high
- 78°F
- Night low
- 58°F
- Sea temperature
- 66°F
- Rain days
- 5
- Daylight
- 14h 25m
- Crowds
- Low
All 12 months, on the same measures. Tap a heading to sort or a month to open its guide.Select a month to open its guide. Scroll the table for more detail.
| Rank | Month | Overall | Weather | Crowds | Cost | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | May | 8.6 | 9.1/10 Excellent | Low | Moderate | 78°F | 58°F | 66°F | 5 | 14h 25m |
| #2 | September | 8.3 | 9.9/10 Excellent | Busy | Moderate | 83°F | 64°F | 77°F | 4 | 12h 32m |
| #3 | October | 8.3 | 8.1/10 Very good | Low | Moderate | 72°F | 54°F | 71°F | 4 | 11h 12m |
| #4 | June | 8.1 | 9.8/10 Excellent | Busy | Moderate | 87°F | 66°F | 74°F | 6 | 15h 04m |
| #5 | April | 8.0 | 7.5/10 Very good | Low | Moderate | 69°F | 50°F | 60°F | 6 | 13h 15m |
| #6 | July | 7.4 | 9.7/10 Excellent | Peak | Pricey | 92°F | 71°F | 79°F | 3 | 14h 50m |
| #7 | August | 7.3 | 9.7/10 Excellent | Peak | Moderate | 92°F | 70°F | 80°F | 3 | 13h 51m |
| #8 | November | 5.7 | 4.8/10 Fair | Off season many places closed | Moderate | 62°F | 48°F | 65°F | 8 | 9h 57m |
| #9 | March | 5.5 | 4.7/10 Fair | Off season many places closed | Moderate | 61°F | 44°F | 57°F | 10 | 11h 52m |
| #10 | December | 4.8 | 2.8/10 Poor | Off season many places closed | Cheap | 54°F | 39°F | 61°F | 7 | 9h 17m |
| #11 | February | 4.7 | 3.1/10 Fair | Off season many places closed | Cheap | 55°F | 39°F | 57°F | 7 | 10h 38m |
| #12 | January | 4.4 | 2.5/10 Poor | Off season many places closed | Cheap | 51°F | 36°F | 58°F | 7 | 9h 33m |
Overall follows your priorities. Crowds compare each month with this place's own year. Highs, lows and rain days are historical averages for 2011–2025.
A little perspective
The shape of the year.
Afternoon highNight low
Top balanced match · May
May
- High
- 78°F
- Low
- 58°F
- Rain
- 5 days
- Crowds
- Low
Some weather measures are unavailable. Gaps in the chart mean no data.
Off season can mean fewer services. Confirm what is open for your dates.
Kentriki Makedonia regional averages · Historical patterns, not a forecast. Gaps mean no data. Crowds compare months within this region.
The busiest month records 17.9 times the overnight stays of the quietest.
Very-good-or-better weather scores: April to October. Poor weather scores: December to January.
Peak-season months: July to August. Low-season months: October to May.
The two busiest months account for 47% of annual overnight stays.
Events that move crowds and prices Orthodox Easter, 25 April – 3 May 2027: Greeks travel home and to the islands; ferries and hotels book up. Official site.
On the 2024 EU comparison, Greece's restaurants and hotels are below EU average.
Before you go
Pack a little context.
Good weather
May, outside the busy season.
Very good or better April to October. September has the highest displayed weather score (9.9/10). Highest weather score outside the busy season: May.
Lower prices
December to February.
These are three lower-price months on Greece's historical 2024–2025 national hotel index. It cannot identify this region's cheapest bookable rooms.
School holidays
Summer break meets the busy season.
If your dates follow US school breaks: June falls in busy season; July and August fall in peak season. Spring break spans off season in March and low season in April.
Local families travel too: at least 30% of people in Greece live where schools are out on a typical day June to August. Greece's school calendar for September isn't fully published yet. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL, and official calendars.)
About these answers
These are historical seasonal patterns. Crowds compare a month with this place's own busiest month; they do not measure queues at individual sights. Weather answers use the displayed weather scores. These seasonal facts stay the same when you change your priorities; your Overall recommendation updates above. Prices retain the scope stated beside them. Full methodology.
Choose your season
The year, season by season.
Winter
Dec–Feb
Off season throughout.
Many seasonal hotels and restaurants may be closed.
51–55°FAfternoon highs
Spring
Mar–May
A quieter stretch of the year.
March falls in off season; April and May fall in low season. In off-season months, many seasonal hotels and restaurants may be closed.
61–78°FAfternoon highs
Summer
Jun–Aug
A busy season for visitors.
June falls in busy season; July and August fall in peak season.
87–92°FAfternoon highs
Autumn
Sep–Nov
A busier start, a quieter finish.
September falls in busy season; October falls in low season; November falls in off season. In off-season months, many seasonal hotels and restaurants may be closed.
62–83°FAfternoon highs
Ranges span monthly average afternoon highs, not daily extremes. Conditions and seasonal openings vary within Thessaloniki & Halkidiki.
How we know
The default Balanced Overall weighs weather 50%, crowds 30% and cost 20%. Your priority choice updates the Overall, month ranks and recommendation. While your weather weight is at least 40%, Overall cannot exceed weather by more than 2. Close scores can describe different trip experiences. How the scores work.
| Statistical region | EL52 · Kentriki Makedonia |
| Region type | Beach (Eurostat NUTS3 typologies weighted by population: urban 61%, coastal 100%, mountain 90%; median ground height 221 m) |
| Population used | 1.8 million (1 January 2025) |
| Crowd reference years | 2024–2025 average |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Thessaloniki Mikra from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 2°F (0.9°C). |
| Climate index | HCI:Beach, observed climatology over 15 years (2011–2025) |
| Hotel occupancy (annual) | 52% |
| Accommodation mix | 65% hotels, 5% camping |
| Country price level (restaurants & hotels, EU27 = 100) | 86 |
| Daylight latitude | 40.74° N |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by month and NUTS 2 region, per 1,000 inhabitants, divided by days in the month. "Season here" is the month's figure as a share of this region's busiest month. "Visitors" ranks overnight visitors per resident against all Europe's regions that month. Weather: Holiday Climate Index (Scott et al. 2016; Rutty et al. 2020) computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records and population-weighted to the region. Prices are national. Hand-written notes are marked and nothing depends on them. Full method · this region's data.