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Where to go in January / Greece in January / Thessaloniki & Halkidiki / January

Greece · Beach

Thessaloniki & Halkidiki
in January.

Illustration of Thessaloniki White Tower and Thermaic Gulf promenade
White Tower, ThessalonikiDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 51°F afternoons and 58°F seas, with about 7 rain days. Check seasonal openings.

Afternoons
51°F
Sea
58°F
Visitor demand
6%of August peak

Historical Kentriki Makedonia regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Thessaloniki and Halkidiki; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

4.4/10 · scores & priorities

Planning to sightsee in Thessaloniki? The weather score rates beach conditions. Sightseeing rates good (6.0/10).

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather2.5/10Poor
CrowdsOff seasoncheck seasonal openings; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for 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 51°F (11°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 36°F (2°C): a winter coat, hat and gloves. About 10 hours of daylight. About 7 rain days in a typical January.

Can I swim in January?

The sea averages 58°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 07:50Sunset 17:2336°F51°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:50 and sets about 17:23 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 36°F (2°C); afternoons reach about 51°F (11°C). Expect rain on about 7 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
51°F (11°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
36°F (2°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
58°F (15°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 33m
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 52°F on the 1st, versus 53°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 17% to 27% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

52°F

Typical afternoon high

17% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

51°F

Typical afternoon high

25% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

53°F

Typical afternoon high

27% 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
152°252°351°
451°551°651°751°851°951°1051°
1151°1251°1351°1451°1551°1651°1751°
1851°1951°2051°2151°2251°2351°2451°
2551°2652°2752°2852°2953°3053°3153°

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

Afternoons hold at about 51°F (11°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 17–29%. 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 6% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December. Check seasonal accommodation and activity openings.

Overnight stays across Kentriki Makedonia do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for 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 42°F (6°C) and 55°F (13°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 51°F (11°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 14; half the years had 6–9.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 8 rain days820112012: 4 rain days42013: 8 rain days82014: 7 rain days72015: 9 rain days92016: 7 rain days72017: 11 rain days112018: 5 rain days52019: 14 rain days142020: 2 rain days22021: 14 rain days142022: 6 rain days62023: 9 rain days92024: 6 rain days62025: 6 rain days62025
Rain days
7
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 12 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
9 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
2 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
201151°F8
201246°F4
201352°F8
201455°F7
201551°F9
201651°F7
201742°F11
201852°F5
201947°F14
202051°F2
202153°F14
202250°F6
202355°F9
202453°F6
202554°F6

Checked against official climate averages for Thessaloniki Mikra. 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
Afternoons54°F51°F55°F
Sea61°F58°F57°F
Rain days777
Overnight demand8%6%6%

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

February: Warmer afternoons 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 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 8% of the busiest month; check seasonal openings.

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

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons51°F54°F
Nights36°F39°F
Sea58°F61°F
Rain days77
Visitor seasonOff seasonOff season
Overall / 104.44.8
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
January4.4#1251°F36°F58°F72.5Off season
February4.7#1155°F39°F57°F73.1Off season
March5.5#961°F44°F57°F104.7Off season
April8.0#569°F50°F60°F67.5Low season
May8.6#178°F58°F66°F59.1Low season
June8.1#487°F66°F74°F69.8Busy season
July7.4#692°F71°F79°F39.7Peak season
August7.3#792°F70°F80°F39.7Peak season
September8.3#283°F64°F77°F49.9Busy season
October8.3#372°F54°F71°F48.1Low season
November5.7#862°F48°F65°F84.8Off season
December4.8#1054°F39°F61°F72.8Off 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 Thessaloniki & Halkidiki

Thessaloniki & Halkidiki's weather ranks 31 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Greece have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Thessaloniki & Halkidiki.

All of Greece in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's off season, 6% of the busiest month and 84% below its average month. That means about 8,200 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 67% of them from Greece itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 4,300 more: 52 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)48
How our weather was checkedOfficial 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).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day5
Busiest month hereAugust · 83
Visitors as share of people present0.5%
Rank among Europe's regions this month31st percentile
Domestic share of nights67%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights52
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.7%
National hotel-price seasonGreece historical 2024–2025 index: Well below usual (−16% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.8 million
Statistical regionEL52 · Kentriki Makedonia

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.