In Athens, the capital of Greece, the climate is Mediterranean, with mild, moderately rainy winters and hot, sunny summers. The city is located near the 38th parallel, but in winter, from December to mid-March, it's sometimes subject to outbreaks of cold air from the Balkan Peninsula, which can bring cold and rain for some days, and sometimes even snow. Snowfalls occur more easily in the northern part of the city; at the city center, the Acropolis is whitened with snow more easily than the lower surrounding areas; a particularly abundant snowfall, which also affected the southern and coastal areas, occurred in February 2008.
Summer is hot and sunny; in fact, Athens in summer is the hottest capital of Europe. In July and August, the temperature quite easily reaches 35/36 °C (95/97 °F), but it can sometimes reach as high as 40 °C (104 °F).
Precipitation is not abundant, since it amounts to about 400 millimeters (16 inches) per year, and follows the Mediterranean pattern, with a maximum from November to February and a minimum in summer, when clear skies prevail and there are only occasional thunderstorms.
Here is the average precipitation at the Ellinikon Airport.

The city covers a wide area in the plain of Attica, which is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and overlooks the sea to the south. Thus, there are slight differences that are worth considering, looking at the data of four stations, from north to south.



Let's start from the Tatoi Airport, located in Decelea, at 240 meters (790 feet) above sea level, on the northern outskirts of the city, close to the foothills of Mount Parnitha. Here, the monthly average temperature ranges from 7.5 °C (45.5 °F) in January to 25.7 °C (78.3 °F) in July; precipitation amounts to 450 mm (17.7 in) per year, with a maximum of 85 mm (3.3 in) in December and a minimum of 6 mm (0.2 in) in August. Here are the average temperatures.

Further south, near the park of Nea Filadelfia, in the north-central part of the city, 6 km (3.5 miles) away from the center and 135 meters (440 feet) above sea level, the average temperature ranges from 9 °C (48 °F) in January to 27 °C (81 °F) in July. The rainfall is slightly scarcer, 415 mm (16.5 in) per year, in fact, it is a bit less abundant in winter.

At the National Observatory, 100 meters (330 feet) above sea level, at the city center and not far from the Acropolis, the temperature is higher, almost 10 °C (50 °F) in January and 28 °C (82 °F) in July, also because the area is affected by the urban heat island effect. Here, the rainfall amounts to 375 millimeters (14.8 inches) per year, so it's even lower, and it does not go above the 67 mm (2.6 in) recorded in December.

Going further south, we arrive in the old Ellinikon Airport, located on the coast, in the extreme southern edge of the city. The temperature ranges from 10.3 °C (50.5 °F) in January to 27.3 °C (81 °F) in July and August. Rainfall is very similar to that of the center, and as we have seen in the table above, it amounts to 368 mm (14.5 in) per year.

The amount of sunshine in Athens is great in summer, when clear skies are normal, while it's not so high from November to February, when the sky is often cloudy, although there may be sunny days also in midwinter. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea in Athens is warm enough for swimming from July to September, when the water temperature is 24 °C (75 °F); in June, it's still a bit cool, about 21 °C (70 °F). Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best times to visit Athens are spring and autumn, especially from mid-April to late May and from mid-September to early October. By mid-October, the likelihood of rainfall increases, and sometimes it can be violent and concentrated in time. Those who can stand the heat can also choose the summer.