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Where to go in January / Greece in January / Western Greece / January

Greece · Beach

Western Greece
in January.

Illustration of Messolonghi salt pans and lagoon at twilight
Messolonghi lagoon and salt pansDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 56°F afternoons and 62°F seas, with about 11 rain days.

Afternoons
56°F
Sea
62°F
Visitor demand
13%of August peak

Historical Dytiki Elláda regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Patras and Olympia; 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

Weather2.6/10Poor
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; 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 56°F (14°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 42°F (6°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 07:49Sunset 17:3642°F56°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:49 and sets about 17:36 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 42°F (6°C); afternoons reach about 56°F (14°C). Expect rain on about 11 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
56°F (14°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
42°F (6°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
62°F (17°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 46m
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. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 31% to 41% between those dates.

Early January 1 January

57°F

Typical afternoon high

31% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

57°F

Typical afternoon high

40% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

57°F

Typical afternoon high

41% 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°256°356°
456°556°656°756°856°957°1057°
1156°1256°1357°1457°1557°1657°1757°
1856°1956°2056°2156°2256°2356°2456°
2556°2656°2756°2856°2956°3057°3157°

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

Afternoons hold at about 56°F (14°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 31–45%. 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?

Low season. January averages 13% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.

Overnight stays across Dytiki Elláda 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 51°F (11°C) and 60°F (16°C); in 10 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 56°F (14°C). Rain days ranged from 4 to 20; half the years had 11–14.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 11 rain days1120112012: 9 rain days92013: 13 rain days132014: 11 rain days112015: 11 rain days112016: 14 rain days142017: 14 rain days142018: 11 rain days112019: 20 rain days202020: 4 rain days42021: 20 rain days202022: 8 rain days82023: 13 rain days132024: 11 rain days112025: 11 rain days112025
Rain days
11
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 17 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
6 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
3 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
201157°F11
201252°F9
201356°F13
201459°F11
201556°F11
201656°F14
201751°F14
201858°F11
201953°F20
202056°F4
202158°F20
202255°F8
202359°F13
202458°F11
202560°F11

Checked against official climate averages for Araxos. 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°F56°F59°F
Sea65°F62°F60°F
Rain days11119
Overnight demand17%13%16%

December: Warmer afternoons and warmer sea than January. More overnight demand. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than January. More overnight demand. 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 and 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 17% of the busiest month.

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
Afternoons56°F59°F
Nights42°F45°F
Sea62°F65°F
Rain days1111
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 104.65.6
Month rank#12#11
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#1256°F42°F62°F112.6Low season
February5.6#1059°F43°F60°F93.6Low season
March6.9#964°F46°F60°F105.3Low season
April7.9#571°F50°F62°F57.9Low season
May8.6#178°F57°F66°F59.5Moderate season
June8.3#287°F65°F73°F310.0Busy season
July7.6#694°F69°F78°F19.5Busy season
August7.4#794°F70°F80°F29.5Peak season
September8.3#385°F65°F78°F410.0Busy season
October8.3#475°F57°F74°F58.8Moderate season
November7.0#866°F52°F70°F115.7Low season
December5.6#1159°F45°F65°F113.6Low 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 Western Greece

Western Greece's weather ranks 30 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Greece have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Western Greece.

All of Greece in January · Everywhere in January

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

It's low season, 13% of the busiest month and 70% below its average month. That means about 2,000 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 87% of them from Greece itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 550 more: 28 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 Araxos from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (1.0°C), night lows within 1°F (0.5°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day3
Busiest month hereAugust · 24
Visitors as share of people present0.3%
Rank among Europe's regions this month15th percentile
Domestic share of nights87%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights28
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 used636,000
Statistical regionEL63 · Dytiki Elláda

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.