Many ask what is the best time to visit Thassos. This is very hard to answer, as each and every person has different interest for the visit and likes and dislikes about every aspect of their trip. There is no single best time to visit the island, but we will attempt here to give you some information about Thassos that may help you choose your best time to visit Thassos based on your likes, dislikes and interests.

Interested in Nature, Culture and Tradition?      If you love nature, there are many activities you can take part in year around. Hiking, rock climbing, visiting archaeological sites and many more activities can be done year round. There are also cultural events from time to time around the island that you will find worth attending.      To see Thassos at it's most beautiful time you would want to visit in the month of April, May or June. Spring brings on many wonderful colors as nature wakes from its winter rest. In addition to the beauty of the Thassos spring, only a short ferry ride away, close to Keramoti, is an ecological treasure. This area is the wetlands of the Nestos Delta. Here you also will find the magical beauty of spring doing its work on the fauna of the area. The best period for this area may be April and May, but is truly a wonderful place to see year round. The weather      The weather is usually very nice on Thassos, beginning as early as April, and lasting until mid November. Of course, like every where else the weather is never a sure thing from year to year. We will talk about what is considered to be normal here.

A waterfall outside of the village Potamia

January

     January is usually cold and wet with occasional snow that may stay on the ground for a few days. The temperature can and does go down to below 0 degree Celsius occasionally. But for the most part is probably in the 5 to 8 degree Celsius range. *Sunrise occurs at 07:45 and sunset at 17:18. Hiking, rock climbing, visiting archeological sites can still be done, but the weather makes it less appealing. Fishing is also available.

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February

     February starts to see slightly warmer days, but often the rain or drizzle will accompany it. Snow is still a possibility. Again the temperature can and does go down to 0 degree Celsius and below occasionally. But for the most part is probably in the 5 to 12 degree Celsius range. *Sunrise occurs at 07:18 and sunset at 17:56. Hiking, rock climbing, visiting archeological sites can still be done, but the weather makes it less appealing. Fishing is also available. The preparation for the carnivals is beginning. The carnival season will be starting this month and ends the last weekend before Lent (Clean Monday). Lent starts 48 days before the Orthodox Easter Sunday. Even though the season lasts for many weeks, the last week is the one that brings the most activities. The last week of the carnival falls in February on some years and March the other years. There are events all around the island and it is fun to attend. The events include parades, dance and street parties with free snacks and wine on certain days. You will need to track the events closely on this web site as the exact places and events are never finalized until a few weeks before they begin. The only thing you can be certain of is that they will take place the last weekend before Lent begins. See carnival dates.

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March

     March is very much like February, but the days are slowly getting warmer. Rain or drizzle are still possibilities. The nights are still a bit cold. The temperatures for the most part are in the 9 to 20 degree Celsius ranges. *Sunrise occurs at 06:34 and sunset at 18:29. Hiking, rock climbing, visiting archeological sites can still be done. Fishing is also available. The preparation for the carnivals continues if they were not concluded in February. The carnival season which started last month (February) and ends the last weekend before Lent (Clean Monday). Lent starts 48 days before the Orthodox Easter Sunday. Even though the season lasts for many weeks, the last weekend is the one that brings the most activities. The last week of the carnival often falls in February and in March the rest of the years. There are events all around the island and it is fun to attend. The events include parades, dance, and street parties with free snacks and wine on certain days. You will need to track the events closely on this web site as the exact places and events are never finalized until a few weeks before they begin. The only thing you can be certain of is that they will take place the last weekend before Lent begins. See carnival dates.

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April

     April sees beautiful warm days and much of the heavy clothing is ready to be packed away for the next late autumn period. Rain is still around, sometimes for days at a time. The nights are still a bit cold. The temperatures for the most part are in the 11 to 24 degree Celsius ranges. *Sunrise occurs at 06:43 and sunset at 20:02. Excitement is building as the Orthodox Easter (Paska) draws near. This is the most important holiday of the year. Most years, Orthodox Easter takes place in this month, but occasionally occurs in early May. When the sun is out, shorts and t-shirts start appearing, but the evening is still jacket and sweater attire. People are starting to take advantage of the beaches for sunning them selves and some afternoon swimmers are beginning to show up. By the middle of the month, the entire island has started burst in to beautiful colors as the new life springs up in the warm spring day. Many hikers start returning to the island to watch nature be reborn. Hiking, rock climbing, visiting archeological sites are very appealing now. Yes, there are still rainy days to watch for, but some of the beauty of Thassos can only be seen in this and the next month. Most tourists related businesses start preparing to open their businesses again by the month's end or just after Easter. Thassos is waking up from a winter's nap.

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May

     May brings much of the same as April, but the days are much warmer and on many evenings, the jackets may not be required. The nights can still be a bit chilly. The temperatures for the most part are in the 15 to 28 degree Celsius ranges. *Sunrise occurs at 06:04 and sunset at 20:33. Still a possibility for rain, but the dry season is starting in this time. This month may have the Orthodox Easter (Paska) which is the most important holiday of the year. Most years, Orthodox Easter takes place in the month of April, but occasionally occurs in early May. More and more people are starting to take advantage of the beaches for sunning them-selves and swimming in the afternoon heat. Nature continues to put on her show of beautiful colors and life continues to be reborn. On the average, May is a very comfortable time to be on Thassos. Sight seeing, hiking and many other activities can be done all day with ease.

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June

     June is starting to feel the heat of the coming months, but is still very comfortable in deed. The temperatures for the most part are in the 18 to 30 degree Celsius ranges. *Sunrise occurs at 05:50 and sunset at 20:56. The heat of the day is still tolerable and more and more swimmers are finding the beach everyday. Sight seeing, hiking and many other activities can still be done all day. Thassos has many cultural events that will start to take place this month and continue through July and August.

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July

     July is hot and the afternoon sun is really uncomfortable unless you're at the beach and enjoying a cooling swim. The temperatures for the most part are in the 25 to 30 degree Celsius ranges. *Sunrise occurs at 06:03 and sunset at 20:53. You now notice the beeches starting to be crowded. It's getting too hot to do a lot of sight seeing in the afternoons. Sight seeing, hiking, rock climbing and many other activities can still be done. Best to do them in the morning and find some shade for the afternoon. Have plenty of sun block with you. The evenings are pretty warm, but you can find places that have a nice cool breeze. The nights are becoming very active and the streets are filling up with people. Thassos has many cultural events that take place this month as they do in August as well. This is the first month that the cost of most everything significantly increases. Accommodations are getting increasingly hard to find unless you have made your bookings some months before. You will probably still be able to find some sort of accommodations, but you will be paying more and getting less. The laws of supply and demand rule the pricing of July and August. But even so, the prices are still less than what you will find on most of the other islands. If cost is a big factor to your holiday on Thassos, you should really consider traveling to Thassos in May, June, September or October.

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August

     August is like July, but starts to cool after the 15th. Nights are still uncomfortably warm. The temperatures for the most part are in the 25 to 30 degree Celsius ranges. *Sunrise occurs at 06:32 and sunset at 20:20. There are crowds almost every where as the island fills with people trying to escape the heat of the mainland. It maybe hot on Thassos, but it's even hotter on the mainland. You'll want to go sight seeing in the early morning hours. Sight seeing, hiking, rock climbing and many other activities can still be done. Best to do them in the morning and find some shade for the afternoon. In the late morning and afternoons you'll want to find a pool or beach to be at, or perhaps in one of the mountain villages sitting in the shade drinking a cold beer or soda. Thassos has many cultural events that take place this month as they do in July as well. This is the peak season for Thassos and the rules of supply and demand are in full force. This is the month that finding accommodation is very difficult at times with out having made prior arrangements. There has been many a family that came to Thassos expecting to easily find a place to stay and ended up sleeping in their car, just to end up going back home without their holiday.

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 September

     September still brings hot days, but they are beginning to cool down a bit. The temperatures for the most part are in the 18 to 25 degree Celsius ranges. *Sunrise occurs at 07:03 and sunset at 19:31. By mid month the heat will have subsided enough that you can easily explore Thassos at any time of day. Sight seeing, hiking and many other activities can be done all day. By now the seas are nice and warm. The crowds of people have returned to their home to get their children back in school, but the island is still full of life, fun and adventure for those that choose this month to visit. Mr. Supply and Mr. Demand have also left Thassos and taken their law with them. You can now find good bargains with hotels again. Where it was difficult to find a car to rent just last month, you can now find one easily and much more cheaply. Accommodations are again easily found in many places, but bookings your accommodations before arrival is still the best way to go.

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 October

     October brings a chill in the evening air, time to bring those jackets and sweaters back out for the evening outings. The temperatures for the most part are in the 15 to 24 degree Celsius ranges. *Sunrise occurs at 07:34 and sunset at 18:41. The days are still mostly very warm and swimming is still an option. Beaches are getting very quiet as now even many of the businesses are beginning to close for the winter. Some of the hotels close at the beginning of the month and also some of the other tourist related businesses start to close as well. By the middle of the month, most will have closed so that they can take their well-deserved holiday. Some hotels, dining places and bars will remain open for the rest of the year. This month starts bringing a different type of visitor to Thassos, which steadily grows every year as more and more people discover the other face of Thassos. Hiking, rock climbing, visiting archeological sites are a year round possibility on Thassos, but now there are also other cultural and traditional events that are starting to take place. There is honey to be collected from the hives; grapes to be picked and the harvesting of the olives will also begin at the en of the month. There are shoals of squid and other fish to be caught.

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 November

     November brings cooler weather and the rains will start to come in as well. The temperatures for the most part are in the 10 to 20 degree Celsius ranges. *Sunrise occurs at 07:10 and sunset at 17:04. Heavier clothing will start to be worn. Hiking, rock climbing, visiting archeological sites still continues, just fewer visitors enjoying it. The visitor can now observe the olives being harvested and also the pressing of the olives the to make the famous Thassos olive oil. The visitor can witness the entire olive oil production process at several of the olive pressing mills. Taking part in the olive harvest can also be arranged. This is also the time for making the Thassos wines and Tsipouro / Ouzo. Interested tourist can watch the traditional way distilling Tsipouro / Ouzo at several of the traditional distilleries located through out Thassos and perhaps even have a taste while you watch. There are still shoals of squid and other fish to be caught as well as the mushrooms that can now be found in the mountains. (Caution: Not all mushrooms are editable and many are poisonous. This should only be done with a guide who knows what is safe to be eaten.)

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 December

     December starts the coldest part of the year. The temperatures can and do go down to below 0 degree Celsius occasionally. But for the most part is probably in the 5 to 10 degree Celsius range. *Sunrise occurs at 07:40 and sunset at 16:55. It also is raining and sometimes snows as well. This is also the month that brings the fewest visitors to Thassos. By the 15th of the month, all of the olives have been pressed and the mills close. Now most of the locals will be able to take a break from their hectic schedules for a few months. Hiking, rock climbing, visiting archeological sites can still be done, but the weather makes it less appealing. Fishing is also still available.

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* Sunrise and sunset is based on the 15th day of the month using local time.

NOTE:
It is important to point out that there are days when the ferries can't move due to the wind conditions. This means that you could be stranded a day or two on the mainland trying to get to Thassos or a day or so on Thassos, trying to get to the mainland. This is more common in the months from December to April but could occur at anytime of the year. When this happens, the arriving traveler can easily find accommodations on the mainland if necessary. The departing traveler will most likely know in advance of severe weather and can depart the island a bit earlier than planned to make sure that flights are not missed. These bad spells can last for hours to days, but normally no more than 1 day. Some of these days, the Dolphin may still make its scheduled trips from Kavala to Limenas (Thassos Town) while the ferries are unable to make theirs.