As autumn begins to set in and the UK starts to turn colder and darker, are you finding yourself longing for the sunshine? Perhaps teasing yourself with the idea of a warm break to suspend the end of summer that little bit longer? Whether you’re looking for secluded beaches and turquoise water for your partner and you, or great deals on hotels and flights for your family during the October half-term holiday, an autumn break to Greece is the best way to delay the winter blues and keep your summer going for even longer.
Greece is a country full of proud traditions, a long and celebrated history, and with a love of music and dance. So, while the tourists pack up and leave at the end of August until the following summer, the Greeks continue their celebrations with numerous autumn festivals.
Feasts are held throughout various towns and islands to honour various religious and cultural figures, where tourists are welcome to join locals by celebrating with music, dancing, and food. Art lovers and culture seekers should head to Thessaloniki in October for the Demetria Festival, while adventure-seekers may prefer to mix with the crowds of Greeks at Kalymnos celebrating diving and climbing as the nation’s fastest-growing sports.
Thessaloniki is also the host of the International Film Festival, which attracts around 70,000 people to its screens every November, where viewers have the chance to see the work of a whole host of artistic directors. In 2018, you can check out this world-class event from 1 November until 11 November.
As the winter solstice approaches in the northern hemisphere, the UK’s nights are rapidly growing colder and darker, and with the drop in temperature comes more wind and rain. Meanwhile, Greece enjoys a part-Mediterranean, part-semi-arid climate due to its more southerly location, meaning the country and its (literally) thousands of islands still bask in warm sunshine until early November.
Greece has countless paradise beaches for holidaymakers to sunbathe on and the clear, warm water of the Aegean Sea is inviting to water sports enthusiasts, divers and swimmers, alike. In fact, with 519 Blue Flag-quality beaches, it is one of the best countries in the world for beautiful, safe and well-maintained beaches, second only to Spain.
Better still, while the weather is reliably warm in Greece, neither is it too hot. Autumn temperatures average about 18˚C, with average highs of 22˚C, meaning the sunshine is warm and inviting without stopping you from enjoying all the incredible sites and activities that Greece has to offer.
Greece is not only the land of stunning beaches, luxurious hotels and restaurants and magnificent, well-preserved ruins; it is also one of the most popular holiday destinations for British and European tourists. Consequently, if you want to enjoy all of these delights in the summer, you can expect huge crowds and queues of other sightseers and holidaymakers.
Visiting out of season, especially in the autumn, when the days are still long and the weather is still warm, means you can enjoy the same sights, tastes, and beautiful scenery without the weighty crowds. Beaches are more secluded, a night out in a restaurant is more private, and it’s not unusual for guests to have hotel swimming pools entirely to themselves. Better still, you don’t need to worry about how you might ‘beat the queues’ at the popular landmarks like the Acropolis or the Delphi Theatre—there are no queues! These empty landmarks make for much better pictures, too!
An ‘out-of-season’ visit to Greece means you and your travel companions can enjoy a more personalised holiday where you are less likely to encounter other holidaymakers. With fewer other tourists vying for their attention, hotel and flight staff can devote more time to making sure all your needs are met to the highest satisfaction, restaurant owners are better able to ensure your experience with them is a memorable and enjoyable one, and tour organisers and guides can go ‘off-piste’ to show you the parts of Greece that their tours are normally too large to accommodate.
Some businesses and resorts only operate in the summer and close in the off-season, especially in the less populated areas of Greece, like Santorini. However, for those that stay open, they compensate for the slower season by lowering their prices. Restaurants, tour guides, activity instructors and bars and clubs all compensate by reducing their prices out of the summer season, and are ready for you to enjoy.
However, without a doubt the best reason to travel to Greece in the autumn is because hotels and flights offer massive discounts, too. While some hotels will shut up shop after the summer, the majority stay open throughout the year and fill their rooms with great deals for single visitors, couples and even whole families.
Greece is still the perfect place for an autumn getaway. The beautiful beaches, coast and mountains make it a paradise for UK holidaymakers seeking autumn sunshine, and when the sun disappears behind the clouds, there is still a vast array of fun activities to do, sites to see, and luxurious hotels and restaurants to indulge, all at much lower prices.
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