ljturco

I am in the very earliest stages of planning a 3-4 week trip to Turkey and Greece for May/June 2024. I am struggling with wanting warm/sunny weather vs wanting to avoid hordes of tourists. Hoping to get advice from people who have been to Greece, Turkey or both in May and / or June.

Our dates are flexible beginning the middle of May. We could start the trip any time between May 16 and mid-June. I had initially envisioned spending the first 7 days in Turkey (Cappadocia and Istanbul) and then moving to Greece (Meteora, Delphi, Athens, and Naxos). We would likely hit Naxos around June 5, spend 4 days there and do a day-trip to Santorini from there. After reading up, I am concerned about a couple of things: 1. that it will be rainy in Cappadocia in mid-May; 2. that it will not be warm enough in the Cyclades in early June.

I know the number of tourists will be better in late May rather than June, but will the weather in the Cyclades be warm enough for the beach in early June? Should we start the trip in early June instead, to hit the Cyclades in mid-to-late June?

We don't mind a bit of heat and would prefer to be hot than to be in the rain, but mostly want to avoid crowds. Am I just splitting hairs, or is there a difference between mid-May and early June in terms of weather and tourists?

Any advice is welcome! We are also totally open to switching up the itinerary, doing Greece first etc. I will also post on Turkey forum for the question about Cappadocia weather.

Thanks!

TDudette

Welcome, ljturco! My husband and I were in Athens and on a cruise (including Ephesus in Turkey-a wonderful place) in mid-May. My pictures show us in tee t-shirts mostly. A sweater or light jacket at night or on a windy area. Greeks in Athens were still in heavy coats so it's relative to what you are used to. No help with Cyclades..

KarenWoo

We visited Greece in May 2022. I remember we arrived in Santorini around May 12 or 13 and our trip was for 16 nights on the ground. So I think we flew home on or about May 29.

Santorini - warm and sunny during the day; a few times needed a light jacket in the evening. One evening we wanted to dine outside but it was too cool and too windy.
Naxos - warm and sunny during the day; comfortable at night. I don't think I needed a jacket. People were in the water on the sunny days. The day I had set aside for beach time was overcast and cool so we did something different.
Nafplio - warm and sunny; we did spend couple hours one afternoon on a beach and went into the water on the Argolid Peninsula. We also spent an afternoon on the beach in Nafplio. Warm enough to be in the water.
Athens - hot and sunny and was the most crowded of all the places we visited. This was our last stop so it was towards the end of May. Temps were in the low 90's. Very hot and crowded on the Acropolis.

Traveler_Nick

When it comes to weather the subjective measures really depend on what you're used to. I'd wager that most northern Europeans would be more likely to complain about the heat than the cold in May. Does that mean you'll find it hot? Depends on you. You can look at historical weather reports and use that for a guide but weather is so variable.

I'd say the biggest difference would be in night time lows. That's only an issue early morning on the beach. Afternoons? I doubt it'll be cool.

In short think about what temperatures you want and compare them with the past.

ljturco

Thank you, TDudette, KarenWoo and Traveler_Nick! This is just the kind of info I was hoping for! I have checked the average temps and precipitation, but they are such wide ranges. It sounds like we will be happier at the beach the later we wait, so I will aim to put the beach at the very end of our vacation - early to mid-June. We are from the Southern US and are very heat tolerant. Perfectly happy sightseeing in any temperature, but would be quite sad if it were below high 70s / 25C at the beach .

BAHItaly

We visited Greece in May.. islands, Athens, & Peloponnese Peninsula.
Santorini was busy then and visitors supposedly double in June as well as the prices.
Other islands are so enjoyable.

ljturco

Thanks BAHItaly! Understood about the crowds in Santorini. We are thinking of making Naxos our "main island" and do a day trip to Santorini. I know it will be over-touristy, but I feel that I will regret it if I don't see Santorini at all while we are so close. I'm sure I'll be seeking advice later on my choice of island (Naxos)!

plambers

Hi. We visited turkey for 3 weeks last year. Mid May to mid June. Weather was fantastic. 6 nights Istanbul, 3 in Cappadocia, and 12 in Kalkan on the Turquoise coast and final night Istanbul airport. fantastic