Best Time for Mykonos? Here’s What Each Month Actually Looks Like

The best time to visit Mykonos is during the shoulder season months of September and October. During this time, the Aegean Sea is still warm enough for swimming (averaging 23°C / 73°F), but the massive August party crowds and peak hotel prices have subsided. If your primary goal is the famous nightlife and beach clubs, you must visit during the peak season in July or August.

The best summer weather you will get in Mykonos is between June and September but this is also the time when the island is very crowded and extremely expensive.

VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW

How crowded is Mykonos during the year?

(the following numbers are not official statistics but more of a feeling after visiting the island for many years and in different months)

• January & February: 10% crowded – (Low Season – many restaurants, hotels, and businesses will be closed, beaches will be empty but the island is not “dead”…Mykonos Town is the best place to stay, eat, and entertain yourself during the wintertime)
• March: 20% crowded – (Low Season –but slightly more people start to visit the island as the high season approaches, many restaurants, hotels, and businesses will be closed or just about to open, and beaches will probably be empty but the island is not “dead”…Again Mykonos Town is the best place to stay and eat; this is the month with the most unpredictable weather in Greece
• April: 40% crowded – (Shoulder Season – the slow beginning of the high season; most restaurants, beach bars, cafes, and businesses open in April since it is also the Greek Easter and lots of Greeks visit the island to start preparing for the coming high season)
• May: 70% crowded – (Shoulder Season – All of the businesses of the island will be 100% open and operational but the island is still not full, the beaches are getting busier every day and the weather is becoming better and better with lower chances of chill days or rain)
• June: 90% crowded – (High Season – almost at full capacity but not yet super busy…everything will be open, and all beach bars are running at full speed; this is the best time of the year to visit Mykonos in my opinion; bear in mind that there is a bank holiday in Greece in mid-June (Holy Spirit Monday) and it is extremely common for Greeks to visit Mykonos that day!
• July: 100% crowded – (High Season – the heart of the high season and when the island gets super busy and crowded, but you will still have a great time while the weather is super hot – do expect to spend most of your time on the beach or the swimming pool – July is not as busy as in August though)
• August: 110% crowded – (High Season – the busiest month for Mykonos, try to avoid it if possible because everything becomes more complicated and takes more time with all the crowds)
• September: 90% crowded – (Shoulder Season – it will still feel like the long tail of August sometimes, but it will get less busy towards the end of the month – weather still feels like summer and you should still be able to swim in the sea)
• October: 70% crowded (Shoulder Season – the weather gets colder but you can still possibly enjoy a swim in the sea or the pool – for many of the businesses October is their last operational month for the year)
• November: 30% crowded (Low Season – the early days of winter and the month where the weather gets considerably colder – many businesses, hotels, and restaurants will be closed)
• December: 10% crowded (Low Season – the heart of the low season and one of the coldest months in Mykonos; no swimming, many closed businesses and shops)

To put it simply:

• November-December-January-February-March: Low Season/ most businesses will be closed
• April-May-September-October: Shoulder Season / all businesses will be open
• June-July-August: High season / all businesses open (massive crowds and extremely high prices everywhere)

(It is true that the recent years, the High or Peak Season has started to extend in late May and early September, and I do believe this trend will continue till the whole of the year is high season for the island!)

So, let’s see one by one all of your options, shall we?

Best Time to visit Mykonos for hot weather, swimming at the beaches or pools

The hottest weather in Mykonos is in June, July, August, and September, but even May and October are pretty hot. In October the sea water will probably be warmer than in May as it has been warmed all summer long.

Try to avoid July and August as much as possible because the island is super crowded and the shops are always very busy.

It’s not that you won’t have a great time…it’s just that you might feel overwhelmed by the thousands of people crowding the small streets of Mykonos City every night. I always visit the island between mid-September and mid-October, while the weather feels nice for swimming and all the businesses are still open.

Best time to visit Mykonos for sightseeing, hiking, and great food, but without the hot weather

If you are not a big fan of swimming or the weather that makes you sweat, and it’s fine for you if you don’t wear a t-shirt, shorts, and bikinis 24/7, then you should better visit Mykonos in April, May, or October (the shoulder seasons).

Best time to visit Mykonos to party

Most of the famous DJs in the world visit the island in July, August, and sometimes in September, so your chances of having an awesome party anywhere on the island are very high during these 2 months.

This of course does not mean that there are no parties in June or in October. There is still life in Mykonos during those 2 months, but it’s not the same parties as they are in July and August.

Best time to visit Santorini for a solo traveler

It depends again on what you are looking for from your travel, but if you are looking to meet people or just network with other travelers, then July and August are the best months to visit Mykonos. If you are looking to see the place but not being super lonely then I would say June or September is the best option for you.

Best time to visit Mykonos for a honeymoon

The best time to visit Mykonos for honeymoon is June. You will get amazing sunny warm weather but fewer tourists and crowds everywhere. I also recommend visiting Mykonos in September, as in both these 2 months the island would feel not too crowded but also not too empty, and all businesses will be open and operational.

Best time to visit Mykonos for cheap hotels

You should look for any low-season deals, which means any date between November and March. However, you may find some good deals in April and October as well.

Best time to visit Mykonos for Greek island hopping

If the main purpose of visiting Mykonos is to use it as your base to visit other Greek islands (such as Santorini for example) then you need a time when you will get the most available options of flights and ferries between the islands.

This time is June, July, August and September. These are the best months to do your island hopping in Greece. But especially in July and August, you should expect lots of crowds in Santorini as well.

Also, bear in mind that other Greek islands (Naxos, Crete, Ios, etc) are not as crowded as Santorini or Mykonos, and the high season will be normal (you won’t be alone, but you won’t have millions of tourists around you).

Best time to visit Mykonos for a family

I believe that the best time to visit Mykonos with kids is in May or September when the crowds will be less visible and the weather won’t be super hot. I highly recommend that you stay in one of the best beach hotels in Mykonos if you are visiting with kids.

CONCLUSION

The best time to visit Mykonos is in June or September. Mykonos is a place with some of the best beaches in Greece so you should go during the summer months but you must avoid July and August by any means.

Mykonos is an exceptionally expensive place to visit but there are some cheap hotels in Mykonos that you can trust. If you are visiting with kids then you should also avoid the crowds of July and August and I also recommend that you stay close to one of the beaches in Mykonos so the kids can enjoy them more easily.

FAQs