Santorini in spring is the best time to come: 15 to 25 degrees, a genuinely green island, everything open by May, prices at half the August rate and no crowds on the caldera. The trade is a cold sea until June and unsettled weather in March.
Spring destinations: Why Santorini is at the top of the list?
Santorini is at the top of the list of Spring destinations!
Obviously, it is not new that it is the top spring Cycladic destination and this happens for many reasons, such as, its beaches, with the adjacent Kokkinos, ,the view of the sunset and the tranquil atmosphere of the Caldera and many more other places.
Don’t miss the change to enjoy some of the Santorini Tours!
Walks and Sightseeing in Santorini during Spring
The most famous sites that you will probably already know are the afternoon and sunset in Oia, night clubbing in Fira. But it is not just them. Leave enough space on your agenda to visit the villages of Pyrgos, Emborio, Karterados and Vourvoulos, and Kastelli, the medieval fort of the island.
A necessary stop for the wine-lovers is the island’s top wineries, especially those of Boutari, Sigala and Koutsogiannopoulos – the last one also houses the unique wine-cave Museum of Wine – for a guided tour of the world of Santorini wine and of course, the necessary tasting.
History lovers will dedicate a few hours to the Archaeological Museum in Fira, which houses sculptures, inscriptions, vases and other finds from the Archaic to the Roman period, as well as the Museum of Prehistoric Thira, also in Fira, with the unique findings of prehistoric art. If you have time after all, take the boat from the old harbor of Fira or Athinios and visit the islets of Caldera, Old and New Kammeni, in order to brag to your friends that you walked on a volcano.
You can book now a Santorini historical private tour for you and your friends, you can also take the advantage of Santorini private transfers!
Eating in Santorini
In Santorini you are going to be amazed with the variety of choices that you are going to have for food.
Top gourmet selection in Oia and the awarded restaurants in Fira. More reasonable prices, but excellent cuisine and rooftop views overlooking the Caldera features the Strogili, also in Oia.
You can enjoy modern cuisine based on pure, local products in Megalohori, while lovers of tradition will appreciate the taverns in Fira for their simplicity, cooked specialties and low prices for the island’s standard.
You can book now a Santorini Private Tour for you and your friends and spend some unforgettable moments by booking a private tour!
Accommodation in Santorini
Luxury and low budget? You can combine the two of them into one hotel choice. Hotel Margarenia is one of the most beautiful hotels in Santorini. Margarenia hotel is located in Perissa village which is only a few minutes away from the Black Sand Beach, one of the most famous beaches in Santorini.
See more about Santorini island:
- Orthodox Easter in Santorini
- Holidays in Santorini: Summer vacations 2018
- Wedding proposals in Santorini
- Vow Renewals: Renew your vows in Santorini
Santorini in Spring: The Short Answer
The best time to come, and it is not close. Santorini in spring means fifteen to twenty-five degrees, an island that is genuinely green, everything open by May, prices at half the August rate, and the caldera without a queue on it.
The trade is the sea, which is cold until June, and the weather, which is unsettled in March and April. Neither matters much if you came for the view, the archaeology and the wine rather than for a sunbed, which is the case for santorini in spring.
Come in the second half of April or in May. Bring a jumper for the evenings, hire a car, and expect to have Oia to yourself at nine in the morning.
The Weather, Month by Month
March
Fifteen to seventeen degrees by day, ten at night, and the wettest of the three months. Wild flowers start, the vines are pruned and tied, and the island is at its greenest. Some hotels are still shut. A gamble on weather, and the wildest month of santorini in spring when it comes off.
April
Seventeen to twenty degrees, nights around twelve, occasional rain and a good deal of sun. Everything begins reopening through the month and Easter, whenever it falls, is the pivot. The fields are still green and the temperature is perfect for walking, which is the whole point of santorini in spring.
May
Twenty-one to twenty-five degrees, nights around fifteen, and almost no rain. Everything is open, the sea reaches eighteen or nineteen degrees, the crowds have not arrived and the light is excellent. This is the best month of the year on this island and the peak of santorini in spring.
Wind
The meltemi has not properly started, so the sea in santorini in spring is calmer than it will be in July and boat trips are far less likely to be cancelled.
Daylight
Sunset moves from about 18:30 in early March to 20:30 by the end of May, with long light evenings from April onwards.
In short, santorini in spring gets warmer and drier every week from the middle of March, and by the middle of May it is as good as the island gets.
What Is Open
Hotels. Most caldera properties reopen into santorini in spring at Easter or in early April, and by May the island is fully operational. Rates are a fraction of the summer peak.
Restaurants. Fira and the inland villages run all year; Oia and the caldera rim reopen through April.
Akrotiri. Open all year, roofed, and at its quietest in santorini in spring. See Akrotiri.
Ancient Thira. Open, on shorter winter hours until the season proper. See Ancient Thira.
Museums. Both Fira museums are open year round.
Wineries. All open from April, with shorter hours in March. Santorini in spring is the best season to visit them, because the estates have time for you. See the wine tour.
Boats. Volcano and catamaran trips restart in April and run reliably from May.
Flights. Direct European services resume through April, with the schedule filling out for May.
Beach bars. Perissa, Perivolos and Kamari open from around Easter, quietly at first.
What Is Still Closed
In March. A good share of caldera hotels, most of Oia’s shops and restaurants, the boat trips, and some wineries. Direct international flights have not restarted at the start of santorini in spring.
In early April. Fewer of the above, and it depends heavily on where Easter falls, because that is the date the island wakes up to.
By late April. Very little. A handful of beach bars and one or two boats.
By May. Nothing. Santorini in spring is fully open by then.
The practical rule for santorini in spring is to confirm your specific hotel, winery and boat rather than assuming, and to treat Easter as the switch that turns the season on.
Santorini in Spring: What It Costs
Caldera-view double. 100 to 200 euros a night in April and May, against 350 and up in August, which is most of the argument for santorini in spring.
Inland or beach hotel. 50 to 110 euros for a good room.
Dinner inland. 18 to 30 euros a head with wine.
Dinner on the rim. 45 to 90 euros a head, and in santorini in spring you can usually get a table without booking weeks ahead.
Car hire. 25 to 45 euros a day, against 45 to 70 in August.
Flights. Direct fares in May are frequently half the July price, and the Athens hop is cheap all spring.
Private full-day tour. Off-peak rates, and the guide is not working around five cruise ships.
Wine tasting. 15 to 30 euros a head, and in santorini in spring it is often the winemaker pouring rather than a summer temp.
A week of santorini in spring costs roughly what four nights in August costs, and it is a better week.
Where to Stay
Firostefani. The caldera view with road access, ten level minutes from Fira, and considerably cheaper than Oia. Our usual recommendation for santorini in spring. See Firostefani.
Imerovigli. The best view on the island and a great many steps. Glorious in santorini in spring when it is fifteen degrees and you are not carrying luggage in the heat. See Imerovigli.
Oia. Beautiful, and worth staying in now in a way it is not in August, because in santorini in spring the crowds are a fraction of the summer figure. Still stepped. See Oia.
Fira. Central, open all year, everything within walking distance. See Fira.
Megalochori and Pyrgos. Inland, quiet, the best food, and surrounded by vineyards in leaf. See Megalochori.
Kamari and Perissa. Level, cheap and half asleep until Easter, which is early santorini in spring in one line. See Kamari.
One question to ask before booking santorini in spring: is the hotel actually open on your dates, and is the heating adequate for a March evening.
What to Do on a Spring Day
The rim path. Fira to Oia, ten kilometres along the cliff, three to four hours. In April it is fifteen to twenty degrees, the ground is green and you will meet a handful of people. In July it is a heat-stroke risk. This is the single strongest argument for santorini in spring.
Akrotiri. Roofed and quiet, before the coaches start.
The wineries. In santorini in spring the vines are in leaf and the estates have time. Three in an afternoon with a driver.
Oia early. Empty at nine in the morning, and in santorini in spring manageable even at midday.
Ancient Thira. A steep exposed ridge that is a pleasure now and punishing in August. See Ancient Thira.
The inland villages. Pyrgos, Emporio, Exo Gonia and Vothonas, all green and all empty. See Emporio.
A boat. From April, with calmer seas than summer and no queue at the old port.
The beaches. For walking rather than swimming through santorini in spring until late May.
Wild Flowers and the Green Island
Most visitors only ever see Santorini grey, ochre and black, because that is what it looks like from June to October. For six weeks of santorini in spring it is a different island.
The winter rain brings up everything at once. Poppies and chamomile across the terraces, wild fennel, capers coming into leaf on the walls, thyme and oregano on the slopes, and the fields between the inland villages properly green. The almond blossom is over by early March; the broom and the crown daisies follow.
The vines. Pruned in January and February and tied back into their ground-level baskets, they break in March and are in full leaf by May. A vineyard in santorini in spring looks like nothing else in Europe: green wreaths lying on black ash.
Where to see it. The road between Pyrgos, Exo Gonia and Mesa Gonia. The slopes below Profitis Ilias. The fields around Emporio and Akrotiri. The path from Fira to Oia, which is bordered with flowers in April.
How long it lasts. By the middle of June santorini in spring is over and the island is brown again.
Anybody who has only been in August will not recognise the place, and it is one of the quieter pleasures of santorini in spring.
Greek Easter
Orthodox Easter is the biggest event of the Greek year and it usually falls in April, occasionally in early May, and rarely in late March. If your dates are near it, plan santorini in spring around it deliberately, because it is worth seeing.
Holy Week. Services build through the week. On Good Friday each parish carries its Epitaphios, a flower-covered bier, through the village after dark with the whole community following and candles in every doorway. In the caldera villages it goes along the rim path and it is extraordinary.
Saturday midnight. The Anastasi. The churches go dark, the light is passed candle to candle through the crowd, fireworks go off across the island, and everybody goes home to break the fast with magiritsa soup.
Easter Sunday. Lamb on the spit from mid-morning, families outdoors, wine, music and eating that runs all afternoon.
Practically. Book flights, ferries and hotels early; Greeks travel home at Easter and everything fills. Shops close on the Friday and Sunday. Some sites and museums keep holiday hours.
Worth it? If you want to see the island as a place people live rather than a destination, this is the week. It is the most memorable version of santorini in spring by a distance.
Swimming, Beaches and the Sea
Sea temperature. About 16 degrees in March, 17 in April, 18 to 19 in May. Swimmable for the hardy from April, and for most people santorini in spring is a swim only at the very end of May.
The beaches. Perissa, Perivolos, Kamari, Vlychada and Monolithos are all open ground with nobody on them. Beach bars reopen around Easter and stay quiet for the rest of santorini in spring.
Red Beach and White Beach. Best in santorini in spring, because the walk in is comfortable and there is no crowd. The boat to White Beach starts around April.
The black sand. Perfectly walkable, which it is not in July.
What to do instead of swimming. Walk the length of Vlychada under the carved cliffs, which is one of the strangest hours on the island and much better without the heat.
If the holiday is built around swimming, come in June or September instead. For everything else, santorini in spring wins.
Walking and Hiking
Santorini in spring is the season this island is built for, and the reason a good number of our repeat guests now come in April rather than July.
Fira to Oia. Ten kilometres along the caldera rim through Firostefani and Imerovigli, past Skaros, three to four hours at a civilised pace. Fifteen to twenty degrees, wild flowers along the path and almost nobody on it.
Skaros Rock. Twenty minutes down from Imerovigli onto the spur, and rather longer back up. Best on a still day.
Ancient Thira from Kamari. The old path up Mesa Vouno rather than the road. Steep, exposed and spectacular, and genuinely dangerous in August heat.
Profitis Ilias to Pyrgos. Down from the monastery at 550 metres through vineyards to the village.
Vlychada. Flat, sheltered and strange, under the wind-carved cliffs.
The village loop. Pyrgos to Exo Gonia to Mesa Gonia on farm tracks, past the eleventh-century church at Panagia Episkopi.
Kit. Proper shoes, a windproof layer, water, and a check of the forecast for gusts. Wind rather than heat is the limiting factor in santorini in spring.
Getting Around in Spring
Car hire. The obvious choice. Cheaper than summer, and in santorini in spring the roads are empty and you can park in Oia and Fira, which in August is impossible. See car hire.
Buses. A reduced timetable until the season proper, all routes through Fira, and workable if you are not in a hurry.
Taxis. Around thirty on the island. Not a plan in any season.
A driver. Worth it for the winery afternoon and for any day when the weather is deciding the plan. See transfers.
Boats. Restarting through April, and calmer in santorini in spring than they will be in July.
Ferries. The fast catamarans resume in spring; the Blue Star runs all year. Wind still cancels sailings in March.
Santorini in Spring Compared With Summer and Autumn
Against July and August. No contest on everything except sea temperature. Half the price, a fraction of the crowd, walkable temperatures, no cruise gridlock and a green island. High summer wins on swimming and santorini in spring wins on everything else.
Against June. June is santorini in spring with a warm sea, and arguably the single best month of the year. If you can move a May trip to early June, do.
Against September and October. The other great window: the warmest sea of the year, thinning crowds and softer light. Autumn beats spring on swimming; spring beats autumn on colour, because the island is green rather than burnt.
Against winter. Winter is emptier and cheaper still, and half the island is shut. Santorini in spring gives you the quiet without the closures.
Ranked honestly: late May and early June first, late September second, santorini in spring from mid-April third, and August last.
What to Pack
Layers. Twenty degrees at two in the afternoon and twelve at nine in the evening on an exposed rim.
A windproof jacket. More useful than an umbrella, which is useless here.
Something waterproof. March and April both get showers.
Walking shoes with grip. For the rim path and for wet marble lanes.
Sun cream and a hat. The UV is stronger than the temperature suggests and there is no shade.
A jumper for the evening. Every visitor to santorini in spring wishes they had brought one.
Swimwear. Optional in March, worth packing for May, and some hotels have heated pools.
For Couples and for Families
Couples
The best time of year for it, and the quiet case for santorini in spring. A caldera room costs a third of the August rate, the terrace is warm enough to sit on until ten, restaurants have tables, and Oia can be walked hand in hand rather than shuffled through. Weddings and vow renewals start in April, and photographers prefer the light now to anything summer offers. See honeymoons.
Families
Santorini in spring is easier than August in every respect except the sea. There is no heat to work around, the beaches are empty, the black sand is walkable, and the archaeology is comfortable at any hour. The trade is that swimming is off until the end of May, so book a hotel with a heated pool if that matters. See Monolithos.
Walkers and photographers
The season the island exists for. Nothing beats santorini in spring for either. Green terraces, wild flowers, low light, empty viewpoints and temperatures you can move in.
A Five-Day Spring Plan
Day 1. Arrive, transfer, settle in, and the rim path from Fira to Firostefani for sunset. Dinner in town.
Day 2. Akrotiri at opening, lunch in Megalochori, three wineries in the afternoon with the vines in leaf, dinner inland at nine.
Day 3. The full rim walk from Fira to Oia, three to four hours, starting at nine. Lunch in Oia, and a driver back rather than the walk in reverse.
Day 4. A catamaran round the caldera if the boats are running, with the cliff from below. If not, Ancient Thira in the morning and Vlychada in the afternoon.
Day 5. Pyrgos, Emporio and Exo Gonia through the vineyards, then the Akrotiri lighthouse for the last of the light.
The spare day. Build one in. March and April can take an afternoon off you, and having a day in hand turns that from a loss into a swap.
Five days of santorini in spring covers everything the island has without a single hour spent queueing, which is not a sentence anybody can write about August.
Booking: What to Do and When
Check the hotel is open. The single most useful email you will send. A great many caldera properties reopen at Easter rather than on a fixed date, and the date moves each year.
Book around Easter early. Greeks travel home for it and flights, ferries and rooms fill for that week regardless of where it falls.
Flights. Direct European services resume through April. Check that yours is actually operating on your dates rather than assuming the summer timetable applies.
Boats. Confirm the catamaran is running in April; many start mid-month.
Wineries. Ring rather than turning up in March, and expect a proper conversation rather than a production line.
Car hire. A week ahead is ample outside Easter, and the rate is a third below the August one.
Restaurants. Walk in, except at Easter and except for the two or three famous caldera tables.
The spare day. Book five nights rather than three. It is the cheapest insurance against a wet afternoon there is.
Is Santorini in Spring Worth It?
Yes if you want the caldera without a crowd, the archaeology without a queue, wineries with time for you, an island that is green rather than burnt, prices at half the summer rate, and weather you can actually walk in. Yes if you want Oia to be a village rather than a procession.
Less so if the holiday is built around swimming and a sunbed, because the sea is 16 to 19 degrees until the very end of May. Less so in early March, when a third of the island is still shut and the weather is a gamble.
Our own answer, after years of watching people arrive in every month of the year, is that santorini in spring from mid-April onwards is the best version of this island for anybody who came to see it rather than to lie on it.
Mistakes People Make
Booking early March and expecting May. Half the island is shut and it rains. That is not santorini in spring at its best.
Not checking whether the hotel is open. A great many reopen for Easter, not on the first of April.
Assuming the sea is warm. It is 17 degrees in April.
Packing for summer. Evenings on the rim are cold enough for a jumper and a jacket.
Ignoring Easter. Flights, ferries and hotels fill and prices rise for that week.
Skipping the walk. The Fira to Oia path is the best thing on the island and this is the only comfortable season for it.
Booking a boat in March. Most do not run until April.
Coming for three nights. The weather can take one of them, so give santorini in spring five nights.
Santorini in Spring: Frequently Asked Questions
Is spring a good time to visit Santorini? Yes, and from mid-April onwards it is arguably the best. Fifteen to twenty-five degrees, a green island, everything open by May, prices at half the summer rate and no crowds.
How warm is it? About 15 to 17 degrees in March, 17 to 20 in April and 21 to 25 in May, with nights ten to fifteen degrees cooler.
Can you swim? The sea is 16 to 19 degrees. Hardy swimmers manage from April; most people wait for the end of May.
Does it rain? In March and April, in showers rather than all day. May is close to dry.
Is everything open? By May, yes. In April it fills up through the month, with Easter as the switch. In March a good share is still closed.
Is it cheaper? Considerably. Caldera rooms run 100 to 200 euros against 350 and up in August, and flights are roughly half.
When is Greek Easter? Usually April, occasionally early May and rarely late March. It moves each year, so check your dates.
Do boat trips run? From April, and reliably from May. The sea is calmer than in high summer.
Is Oia crowded? Far less than in summer. It is a genuinely pleasant village to walk through in April.
What is the best spring month? May, comfortably, followed by the second half of April.
How many days do we need? Five, with one spare in case a day goes to weather.
Do we need a car? It is the easiest way, it is cheaper now, and you can actually park.
Come and See It Green
We are a local operator running private tours and transfers in our own vehicles, and this is our favourite half of the year to show people round.
Akrotiri before anybody else is there, three wineries with the vines in leaf, the inland villages in flower, the rim path at a temperature you can walk in, and Oia at an hour when it is still a village.
Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, hotel pickup anywhere on the island is included, we guide in twelve languages, and an 80 EUR deposit confirms a date.
See the personalised tour, the full list of tours, or contact us.
Every Village and Site on the Island
Any of these can be built into a private day. Each has its own page with what to see and how long to allow.
Caldera villages: Fira · Firostefani · Imerovigli · Oia · Finikia · Baxedes
Inland villages: Pyrgos · Megalochori · Emporio · Mesaria · Karterados · Vothonas · Vourvoulos · Exo Gonia · Mesa Gonia · Pigadia
Beaches: Perissa · Perivolos · Kamari · Vlychada · Monolithos · Red Beach · White Beach · Agios Georgios · Agia Paraskevi
Sites and landmarks: Akrotiri · Ancient Thira · Akrotiri Lighthouse · Nea Kameni · Palia Kameni · Thirasia · Athinios Port
All our tours: All Santorini tours · Full day tour · Sightseeing tour · Personalised tour · North part tour · Horse riding · South part tour · Sunset tour · Shore excursion · Caldera tour · Food experience · Wine tour · Historical tour · Small group tour
Planning and services: Famous sights tour · Private transfers · Transfers to Oia and Finikia · Transfers to other villages · Villages of Santorini · History of Santorini · Tours near you · Languages we guide in · Food and fun tours · Gay friendly tours · Our tour buses · Daily tours · Day tours · FAQ · Gallery · Tour photo gallery · About us · Contact · Blog
