As parts of Greece roast in exceptionally high temperatures of 43°C this week, the island of Thassos in the North Aegean remains significantly cooler, with August highs sitting consistently around 28°C.
Cooler Greek Island Alternatives
Yahya Dawood, founder of Bnbstay and a Greece travel specialist with over fifteen years of personal travel across the mainland and islands, has three suggestions for cooler places to go.
Samothraki and Thassos in the North Aegean are heavily forested, with dense woodland and shaded gorge trails. Thassos is almost entirely covered in pine forest that runs directly to the shoreline, holding temperatures in the high 20s where southern islands regularly hit 35°C or above. Samothraki averages 28°C in August and offers natural rock pools fed by mountain waterfalls.
The Meltemi Wind Effect in the Cyclades
In the Cyclades, the Meltemi wind keeps the real-feel temperature on islands like Mykonos, Tinos, Folegandros and parts of Santorini significantly below recorded highs. Athens stifles at 40°C, but the wind on these islands holds conditions steady around 28°C. Folegandros and the elevated parts of Santorini catch an unobstructed sea breeze.
Altitude Options in Crete
In Crete, villages like Anogia and Spili sit above 700 metres in the foothills of Mount Ida and run 6–8°C cooler than the island's coastal resorts throughout August. Anogia is about an hour from Heraklion and offers warm water, cool evening air, and temperatures that require a sweater after sunset.
