Warm destinations in Greece

Greece stays warm and dry from late spring into October, the heat fiercest in Athens and the interior and softened by sea breezes on the islands. Most trips balance the two: a few days of ancient history in the capital, then a ferry to the Cyclades or Crete for the beaches. July and August are the hottest, most crowded weeks, so May, June and September are the months worth chasing.

Where to go

Athens earns a couple of days for the history alone, though the food and bars have quietly caught up: the Acropolis lit at night, gyros for a few euros, and creative neighbourhoods like Koukaki below the rock. From there it is the islands. Santorini is the famous one, its whitewashed villages strung along a flooded caldera and the sunset crush filling Oia, as crowded as it is worth seeing. For more room to breathe, Chania on the west of Crete sets a Venetian harbour against the Samaria gorge and the pink sand at Elafonissi, both within a morning's drive. Worth lining up when you have the days for it: Mykonos for the party, Rhodes for its walled medieval town, and the cliff-top monasteries of Meteora on the mainland.

When to go

May, June and September are the most comfortable months, warm enough to swim but clear of the heat that lands in July and August, when Athens can top 38°C and the meltemi wind scours the Cyclades for days on end. Those peak weeks are also when the islands fill and prices climb, so the shoulder months buy you the same sea with a fraction of the queue. October still swims out on the islands, even as the ferry timetable starts to thin, and winter turns mild but firmly off-season: many island tavernas and hotels close from November.

Getting around

Athens does the mainland connecting: the metro runs from the airport into the centre for a few euros, and the city is walkable once you are in it. The islands are a ferry game, almost all of it routed through Piraeus, the port a short metro ride from the centre. Santorini is five to eight hours by boat or forty-five minutes by plane; Crete is an overnight ferry or a quick flight into Chania. Between islands, fast catamarans hop the Cyclades through summer. On the bigger islands a hire car earns its keep, Crete especially, while Santorini is small enough for buses and the odd ATV. The currency is the euro, and the island ferries are the one thing to book well ahead in July and August, when the popular crossings sell out.