Crete winter

Crete’s winter climate is similar to the South of Spain and Cyprus. These regions have the warmest winters in Europe but strangely, whilst South Spain and Cyprus are also winter destinations, there is no winter tourism in Crete between November and April.

The climate in winter (see Crete’s weather for November, December, January, February and March) is of course much milder than anywhere further north but apart from November it will not be suitable if you are looking for a beach holiday. It can still be a wonderful time to visit and escape the greyness of a northern European winter.

Winter holidays in Crete:

  • no crowds anywhere. This is especially nice in famous sites such as Knossos or Elafonisi
  • it won’t be too hot
  • you won’t be an anonymous tourist and can get closer to ‘normal’ life in Crete
  • Crete is green and the mountains are covered in snow (generally from December onwards) making it all much more beautiful than during the dry summer
  • you’ll see plenty of spring flowers from January onwards

and the cons

  • if you catch a bad weather spell it could be cold, wet and windy
  • normal tourist resorts are mostly shut down
  • from December the sea is generally too cold to swim in it comfortably
  • there are no organized excursions (bus tours) and public transport to some places might be more limited or non-existent (but renting a car is cheaper than in summer)