Santorini in autumn is the best season on the island for most visitors, because the Aegean holds its summer heat two months longer than the air does. September gives a 25 to 26 degree sea with air in the high twenties; October gives 21 to 25 degrees with the sea still at 23 to 24; November drops to 17 to 20 with the resorts closing. The best fortnight of the year is the second half of September.
In our minds we have combined the Greek islands with summer, the intense sun and the dips in the blue waters. The reality, however, is that every season of the year Santorini is very beautiful. Not only are there less people in the alleys and beaches and the prices are more favorable, but also the people are more relaxed. See why you should visit Santorini Tours in Autumn 2023.
The tourist season now lasts until the middle or end of October, while in some islands, such as Santorini, it has been extended until the end of November.
The legend says that Santorini emerged from the depths of the sea. Signs of life date back to the Early Bronze Age, in the middle of the third millennium BC. The best-known prehistoric settlement is the one in the Akrotiri area, which was buried under ash in the great eruption of the volcano around 1600 BC.
Along with Thirassia and Apsronisi, Santorini is the remnant of the volcanic island of Strongili. Parts of its volcano include Nea and Palaia Kameni. There are many boats that go around the Caldera, giving the visitor the opportunity to see up close the steep rocks and the contrast of the black earth with the white of the Cyclades.
Idyllic sunset in absolute silence
A work of art reminds of the time of sunset in Santorini. From whichever side of the island you choose to see it, the colors will captivate your gaze. These days, in fact, when the tourist traffic is relatively reduced, the quietness combined with the incredible view that almost the entire island offers will captivate you. We suggest you to walk in Oia and just before sunset choose one of its white terraces and indulge in the magnificent view.
Luxury accommodations at a better price
This is one more reason to want to travel to Santorini in autumn. All those rooms with the white terraces and swimming pools that we admire in the summer, but are never available, are now available at much better prices. In Santorini there are plenty of accommodation options, from rooms for rent to luxurious suites with a unique view of the Caldera. You can take a tour of Santorini!
Walks in the beautiful villages and visits to the archaeological sites
In our mind, Santorini has been combined with the sunset, the white houses and the Volcano. And yet, it offers much more. Autumn is ideal to get to know Santorini in all its glory. You can easily tour its villages, observe how the locals live (who will be more relaxed compared to summer), walk more comfortably in its alleys and easily climb Skaros, the black rock that in the summer months becomes inaccessible. In addition, you can visit the island’s museums, but also its archaeological sites, such as Akrotiri and Ancient Thira, which emerged as one of the most important urban centers of the Aegean in the past centuries and many liken it to the lost Atlantis.
Delicious local dishes
Santorini, in addition to its natural beauty, is also famous for its delicious cuisine. Who does not know Santorini fava beans, capers, local vegetables (usually dehydrated) or the famous tomato meatballs and kopania? All this and more you can enjoy in Santorini. Except that in autumn there will be no waiting in the restaurants, while you will be able to book the table you want.
The unique experience of a wine tour
And since we mentioned wine, let us remind you that Santorini is known worldwide for its wine production. The main grape varieties grown in Santorini and which give all its wide variety of wines are Assyrtiko (which accounts for 80% of the island’s production), Athiri and Aidani from the whites and Mantilaria, Mavrotragano and Voudomato from the red ones. Of course, don’t forget to try Santorini’s signature wine, Vinsanto. You can book a wine tour with Santorini Tours and learn from the professionals why the vineyards in Santorini are not like those in the rest of Greece, taste the unique varieties of wine, learn with which to accompany your favorite your food, but also to be informed about all the innovations prepared by the producers, with the aim of the highest quality product and the protection of the environment.
From the best sunsets to museum tours and delightful vineyard walks, Santorini is well worth a visit during these months. And it may in the minds of most be one of the ultimate summer destinations, however, Santorini is irresistibly charming and wonderful in autumn as well.
When the first cool breeze means Autumn, Santorini enchants with its pure white simplicity and the calm that emerges in the volcanic landscape, the previously bustling alleys and the unique sunsets.
This is the season to feel its charm, the charm of Autumn spread over the black and red volcanic rocks, with the white houses and the blue and white churches
Now that the weather is sweeter, without the summer heat, visit Palaia and Nea Kammeni. Refresh yourself with a morning walk on the path that connects Fira with Imerovigli and Oia, enjoying the magnificent view along the Caldera. Get to know the ancient history of the island at Akrotiri.
Read more about Santorini Tours:
- Santorini Sightseeing Private Tour
- Exclusive Shore Santorini Private Tour
- Impressive Caldera Santorini Private Tour
- South Part Santorini Private Tour
- North Part Santorini Private Tour
- Santorini Historical Private Tour
- Santorini Sunset Private Tour
Santorini in Autumn: The Short Answer
Santorini in autumn is the best season on the island for most visitors, and the reason is a quirk of the Aegean: the sea holds its summer heat for two months after the air has cooled. September and October give you a 24 to 26 degree sea, air in the mid-twenties, golden light, the grape harvest, and a crowd that thins week by week from the second week of September.
Seven points cover most of what people ask about santorini in autumn.
September. The peak of santorini in autumn: the warmest sea of the year, 25 to 29 degrees by day, and everything open. The strongest month of the season.
October. The value month of santorini in autumn: 21 to 25 degrees, a sea still at 23 to 24, the first rain since spring, and prices falling sharply. Everything open until roughly the third week.
November. 17 to 20 degrees, storms arriving, Oia and the beach resorts closing, and prices at a quarter of August.
The best fortnight of santorini in autumn. The second half of September. Same weather as August, half the people, and the vineyards working.
The trade-off. Daylight shortens fast — sunset moves from eight o’clock in early September to just after five by late November — and boats become weather-dependent.
Who santorini in autumn suits. Couples, photographers, walkers, wine drinkers and anybody who has been put off by an August description.
Why the Sea Is Warmer Than the Air
Water temperature in the Aegean lags air temperature by about two months, because a body of water that deep takes the whole summer to absorb heat and then most of the autumn to release it. The practical consequence is the single strongest argument for santorini in autumn.
In June the air is 26 degrees and the sea is 22. In September the air is 26 and the sea is 25 to 26. In October the air has dropped to 23 and the sea is still 24. You are swimming in warmer water in late October than in mid June, in an emptier sea, at half the price.
The volcanic geology adds to it. The black sand at Perissa, Perivolos and Kamari absorbs heat all day and holds it, which keeps the shallows on the east coast noticeably warmer than the caldera side well into November. Those beaches are the last on the island to stop being swimmable, and they are where most people swim during santorini in autumn.
The Harvest, and What It Changes
The grape harvest on Santorini begins earlier than almost anywhere in Europe — from the middle of August into September — because the vines are ungrafted assyrtiko trained into low baskets on the ground, working without irrigation on volcanic ash.
What that means for a visitor in September is that the wineries are busy in a way they never are in July: trucks of fruit arriving, presses running, and staff who will tell you what is happening because it is happening in front of you. A tasting during santorini in autumn is a working visit rather than a tourist appointment.
By October the pressing is finished and the estates have time, which is the other good version of the same visit: unhurried, quiet, and often with the winemaker rather than a guide.
Vinsanto, the island’s sweet wine, is made from grapes left to dry in the sun after picking, so racks of drying fruit are a September and October sight that disappears completely by winter, and one of the small pleasures of santorini in autumn.
What to Do in Santorini in Autumn
Nine things that are better in santorini in autumn than at any other point in the year.
Walk the caldera path. Oia to Fira, ten kilometres along the rim. In August this is a heat risk; in October it is one of the best walks in Europe, and the light is better.
Swim to the end of santorini in autumn. Perissa, Perivolos and Kamari on the black sand east coast stay warm longest and empty out completely from mid-October.
A winery in the late afternoon. Harvest in September, calm in October. Assyrtiko and Vinsanto, both from vines that grow nowhere else like this.
Akrotiri without a queue. The Bronze Age town under its roof, at a fraction of the summer footfall.
Ancient Thera. The Hellenistic city on the ridge, with autumn weather moving across the view.
The volcano and hot springs. Boats run through October and become weather-dependent in November.
Sunset without a crowd. Skaros Rock, Imerovigli, Firostefani or the Akrotiri lighthouse, all of which are genuinely calm in santorini in autumn.
Pyrgos and Emporio. The inland villages, at their most themselves once the season eases.
The Santorini Experience. Mid-October: trail running on the caldera path and an open-water swim across the crater.
Weather, Month by Month
September. 25 to 29 degrees by day, 20 to 22 at night, effectively no rain, and a sea at 25 to 26. The meltemi fades through the month.
October. 21 to 25 by day, 17 to 19 at night, the first two or three wet days of the year late in the month, and a sea at 23 to 24.
November. 17 to 20 by day, 13 to 15 at night, six to nine wet days, and a sea falling from 21 to 19.
Daylight through santorini in autumn. Sunset at about eight o’clock on 1 September, half past six in late October after the clocks change, and just after five by the end of November.
Wind. The summer meltemi eases through September and is replaced from late October by weather systems bringing southerlies and rain.
Storms. Rare before the end of santorini in autumn, normal after it. They pass quickly and the light afterwards is the best of the year.
The clocks. Greece goes back on the last Sunday of October, which takes an hour off the end of the day overnight.
Prices and Crowds Through the Season
The commercial curve on this island is steeper than the weather curve, which is exactly why santorini in autumn is good value and why the calendar below moves faster than the thermometer.
Early September. Still peak. Prices within twenty per cent of August and the island still busy.
Mid September. The break point. The crowd visibly thins in the second week and rates start to fall.
Late September. The best value fortnight of santorini in autumn, roughly 40 to 50 per cent below August for the same weather.
October. Half to a third of August, with everything still open until the third week.
November. A quarter of August, with the trade-off that much of Oia and all of the beach resorts have closed.
Flights. Direct European routes run to late October and then stop. Athens connects year-round.
Cruise ships. Continue through santorini in autumn into early November and thin sharply through October, which changes the middle of the day in Fira and Oia more than anything else.
Santorini in Autumn Against Spring
These are the two shoulders, and the choice between them decides more trips than any other question. Most visitors pick spring out of habit rather than analysis, and santorini in autumn usually wins on the numbers.
Spring gives a green island, wild flowers, Greek Easter, dramatic cloud and the lowest prices of the open season. What it does not give is a warm sea: April is 17 degrees and May only reaches 20 to 21 at the very end.
Autumn gives the warmest sea of the year, a burnt-gold landscape, the harvest, the best light for photography, and a crowd falling away week by week. What it does not give is certainty at the far end — from the third week of October businesses start closing.
Choose spring if you want walking, flowers and Easter, and do not intend to swim.
Choose santorini in autumn if you want to swim, want warm evenings, want the vineyards working, and can travel before late October.
The verdict. Autumn wins for most people, and the second half of September wins within it.
What to Pack
What goes in the bag changes across santorini in autumn more than in any other season.
September. Summer clothes, plus one light layer for the evening. Nothing else changes from August.
October. Layers, a light jacket for after dark, and a packable waterproof for the last ten days.
November. A proper light shell, a windproof layer, and grippy shoes for wet stone steps.
All three months. Sunglasses and sunscreen. The sun is lower and the reflection off whitewash is unchanged.
Swimwear. For all of santorini in autumn through October without question, and into early November on the east coast.
Walking shoes. This is the season the caldera path becomes comfortable, and it deserves better than sandals.
Santorini in Autumn: Frequently Asked Questions
Is santorini in autumn a good time to visit? For most people it is the best time: warm sea, warm air, half the crowds and half the prices of August.
Which month of santorini in autumn is best? The second half of September, followed by the first half of October.
Can you swim in October? Yes. The sea is 23 to 24 degrees, warmer than June, and the beaches are almost empty.
Can you swim in November? Early in the month, yes, at about 21 degrees. By the end it is 19 and the beach resorts have closed.
Does it rain in santorini in autumn? Almost never in September, two or three days late in October, and six to nine days in November.
Is everything still open in santorini in autumn? Yes through mid-October. From the third week of October businesses close progressively, and by late November only Fira really functions.
Are there direct flights? To roughly the end of October. After that, connect through Athens, which flies year-round.
How much cheaper is it than summer? Late September is 40 to 50 per cent below August, October about half, and November about a quarter.
Is the sunset still good? Better. Autumn cloud gives the colour that a cloudless August sky does not, and there is nobody at the viewpoint.
What about the wind in santorini in autumn? The summer meltemi eases through September. From late October the wind comes with weather systems instead, and boats become unreliable.
Come When the Island Is Worth It
We are a local operator running private tours and transfers in our own vehicles, and santorini in autumn is the season our drivers recommend when anybody asks honestly.
Tell us your dates and we will build the days around what is open, what the sea is doing, and where the light will be that week.
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 wine 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
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