Santorini weather

The best months to visit Santorini are May, June, July, August. Late May through early June the Aegean warms enough for Amoudi Bay swims but before cruise ships jam Oia's caldera path at sunset.

July runs the highest averages in Santorini, with typical daytime highs of 30°C (85°F). August meltemi winds gust 40 knots on Perissa beach; locals disappear for afternoon mesimeri and reopen tavernas at 9pm when the wind drops.

January brings the lowest averages, with daytime highs near 15°C (59°F). January half the island shuts — even Fira's supermarkets close by 6pm — but the wineries at Santo and Venetsanos stay open and the caldera is empty.

January typically records the highest monthly rainfall — around 54mm on average. November thunderstorms wash volcanic ash off the caldera cliffs onto the switchback path from Fira to the old port; donkeys refuse the descent.

Santorini, Greece has warm summers, mild winters. The island's actual name is Thira; Santorini is the Venetian nickname. Locals in Pyrgos and Megalochori villages resent Oia's Instagram economy and eat at Metaxi Mas or Selene where the fava beans come from Emborio, not Athens. The 'sunset' spectacle is a manufactured ritual — old islanders watch it from their own courtyards with a raki, not shoulder-to-shoulder on the Byzantine castle ruin. You can read the detailed month-by-month breakdown on this page.