Season guide · Crete · Greece
Crete in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Parisdent, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Mild but rainy, with snow on the mountains; resorts close, but cities and villages carry on as usual. Expect highs up to 17°C (63°F) and lows around 9°C (48°F), with about 30 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- 9°C (48°F) to 17°C (63°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 30
- Sea
- 16°C (61°F) to 18°C (64°F)
- Crowds
- Very quiet
- Hotel prices
- Lowest
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C (61°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 11 | 10 h | 1/5 |
| February | 16°C (61°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 9 | 10.9 h | 1/5 |
| December | 17°C (63°F) | 11°C (52°F) | 10 | 9.8 h | 1/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 16°C (61°F) against a yearly 23°C (73°F), and 30 of the year's roughly 55 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 1/5 and hotel prices 1/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- February: Rethymno Carnival — Crete's largest carnival (usually February or early March, before Lent)
Good choices for winter
Museum · Heraklion
Heraklion Archaeological Museum
Visit after Knossos so the frescoes and objects connect to what you have just seen.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Aquarium · Hersonissos and Malia
Cretaquarium
A large aquarium at Gournes, about 15 km east of Heraklion, with tanks of Mediterranean marine life including sharks, jellyfish and seahorses.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Day trips in winter
- Lake Kournas (About 50 minutes by car from Chania) — Crete's only natural freshwater lake lies in a green bowl of hills near Georgioupoli, with pedal boats, turtles in the shallows and lakeside tavernas.
- Kritsa and Lato (About 20 minutes by car from Agios Nikolaos) — Kritsa is a hillside village known for weaving and the Panagia Kera church with Byzantine frescoes; about 3 km away, the ruins of ancient Lato overlook Mirabello Bay.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Crete?
It is a trade-off: Mild but rainy, with snow on the mountains; resorts close, but cities and villages carry on as usual. The best months overall are May–June and September–October.
+What is the weather like in Crete in winter?
Highs of up to 17°C (63°F) and lows around 9°C (48°F), with about 30 rainy days over the season.