Santorini in October: What You Should Expect?

October is possibly one of the best months to visit Santorini in Greece because it’s not too busy and crowded (as it is in July and August) and the weather is still awesome with a temperature between 15-25 degrees Celsius (or 65-80 Fahrenheit) and mostly sunny. It’s the best weather you could ask for a trip!

See also our guide for September in Santorini (warmer weather but more crowded…)

October in Santorini is a relatively hot and dry month.

Temperature can be anything between 15-25 degrees Celsius (or 65-80 Fahrenheit) and it will be sunny most of the times. Sometimes the temperature is around 25-30 degrees Celsius.

The average temperature in Santorini in October is 21 degrees Celsius or 70 Fahrenheit, but usually you get more than that and it feels even warmer because it’s mostly sunny.

You may get some rain for a few hours or a cloudy evening sometimes but in general you will be wandering the streets of Fira and Oia with t-shirts and shorts during the day without sweating or getting exhausted like you do during the summer months of June, July or August.

When it gets dark you may need a light jacket or a hoodie but that’s it. Seriously.

It won’t feel at all like a Western European autumn.

It will feel more like London or Paris summer weather in June or July.

October is the first month with some rainfall in Santorini, after the hot and dry summer. But still, we are talking about an average of 38mm of rain and only in 4 days of the whole month…

Where should I stay in October in Santorini?

October still feels like summer to be honest, so your options will literally be the same as they are in July or August.

However, because the whole island slows down it might be better to choose a location closer to Fira which is the capital.

However Oia and Imerovigli will still be great options (if views are your priority). Oia and Imerovigli will probably be even better as they will more quiet with less tourist masses.

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See also our recommendations:

Top 10 Best Hotels in Oia

Top 10 Hotels in Imerovigli

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If you want to stay close to the beach and you are not worried too much about the caldera/volcano views or sunsets, then you can stay at Kamari (very family-friendly small town by the beach with lots of options for restaurants) or alternatively you can always stay in Perissa or Perivolos (the famous black beaches) :

Most of the beach bars and restaurants in Perissa, Perivolos and Kamari have their last operational month in October, so there is still a lot going on in October.

October is still considered high season in Santorini!

What do I need to pack for a trip to Santorini in October?

You definitely need to pack your swimsuit(s), (those bikinis you saw on instagram and then you bought online along with his brand new speedos ), t-shirts, shorts, some light jackets (mainly for the evenings and nights) and generally everything you would wear let’s say in June or July in London,UK.

In case you don’t believe us here is a picture that was taken in October 2016:

#santorni #estate #perissa #spiaggia #rimedicontrolapioggia #sognareilmare

A photo posted by Giulia Rizzi (@giulietta_ri) on Nov 6, 2016 at 6:28am PST

Can I swim in Santorini in October?

Of course you can!

The sea water will still be warm from the summer and actually even hotter than it might be in May or June sometimes.

Also, because of the fact that Santorini does not attract that many people in October you will literally have a large part of the beach or the swimming pool for yourself!

(Don’t worry… you won’t be completely alone… it’s still high season!)

Kamari and Perissa/Perivolos beaches will be awesome and all the yummy snack and beach bars will be catering you.

See Also: The 8 Best Beaches in Santorini you MUST visit

Is October a good time to travel to Santorini?

Absolutely!

October is one of the best months to travel to Santorini because it’s not that busy and you’ll still get awesome weather.

It is true that businesses (hotels, restaurants, cafes, beach bars etc) are slowing down because it’s the end of the high season (April-October) but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

It basically means you will get more attention and possibly better service from the people who will serve or cater you.

For some of the hotels, beach bars and restaurants, October is their last month before they close but that is a good thing, seriously.

July and August in Santorini are really busy (like…crazy busy…!) and you can feel that everywhere: on the busy streets of Fira, during sunset time in Oia, at the beach bars of Perissa and Perivolos (where it might be super difficult to find a sunbed to lay down) and on the exhausted waiters and housekeepers of the island.

What are the things I can do in Santorini in October?

You can literally do everything you’d do during April, May, June, July, August or September as it is still considered high season.

• swimming at the amazing Santorini Beaches
• wine tasting at any of the Best Wineries of the island (this is the most detailed Wineries Guide on the internet!)
• visit the Akrotiri prehistoric ruins
• have a lunch or dinner at one of the best restaurants of the island
• use Santorini as your base to visit other greek islands or…
• do one (or more…) of these things

What are the flights to Santorini in October 2017 ?

For October 2017 here are the companies with direct flights to Santorini:

Aegean Airlines

Olympic Air

Volotea

Sky Express

Condor

Astra Airlines

Vueling

Iberia

AirBerlin

Niki

Lufthansa

EasyJet

Ryanair

Transavia

Eurowings

Thomas Cook

Norwegian Airlines

(unfortunately no flights from outside Europe…you have to get off at Athens and then take another plane or ferry)