February is the quietest month in Greece and the one with the loudest fortnight in it. Apokries – the Greek carnival – runs through the second half of the month and ends on Clean Monday, which in 2027 falls on 15 March. Athens sits near 14°C, the islands are still shut, the state sites are still free on the first Sunday, and Patras throws the biggest street party in the country.
Apokries: the carnival nobody outside Greece books for
Because Orthodox Easter is late in 2027 – 2 May – the whole carnival calendar shifts with it. Apokries runs for three weeks before Clean Monday, which means the season covers late February into the first half of March 2027, and the two landmark dates are:
- Tsiknopempti, Thursday 4 March 2027 – “Smoky Thursday”, when the whole country grills meat in the street before the pre-Lent fast. Athens’s Psyrri and Plaka, and every taverna street in the country, fill with smoke and tables. It is the single most enjoyable food night of the Greek year and it costs nothing to walk through.
- Clean Monday, 15 March 2027 – the end of carnival and the start of Lent, a public holiday, kite-flying on every hill and a fasting table of seafood, lagana bread and halva.
Patras stages the largest carnival in Greece, a season of events culminating in a huge parade on the final Sunday before Clean Monday. Rethymno on Crete and Xanthi in the north run the next biggest. Accommodation in Patras for the closing weekend books out months ahead; the rest of the country does not.
Weather: still winter, but turning
- Athens – highs near 14°C, lows near 7°C, with about 40 mm of rain across seven days. Drier than January and noticeably brighter.
- Thessaloniki and the north – the coldest part of the Greek year, with snow inland and in the mountains.
- Crete and the Dodecanese – the mildest, with the first almond and wild-flower displays of the year and hiking that is genuinely comfortable.
- The mountains – peak ski season on Parnassos and Kalavryta.
Sea temperature is at its annual low of around 15°C. February is not a beach month in any part of Greece.
Free entry on the first Sunday
Continue planning your Greece trip
State-run archaeological sites, monuments and museums are free on the first Sunday of the month from 1 November to 31 March. In 2027 the February date is Sunday 7 February.
The scheme covers Ministry of Culture sites – the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, Delphi, Knossos – but not the Acropolis Museum, the Benaki or other private and municipal museums. You still collect a free ticket at the gate.
What is open, and what is not
The same answer as January, with the first signs of change at the very end of the month. Athens, Thessaloniki, the Peloponnese, Meteora and Delphi all run normally. Crete, Rhodes and Corfu function as year-round places. Santorini and Mykonos remain largely closed, and winter ferry schedules are still thin and weather-dependent.
If the trip is about islands, February is the wrong month and the answer is May or later. If it is about ruins, food, mountains and cities, February is among the best value in Europe.
Prices
With January, February is the cheapest month of the Greek year. Athens rates are at their floor and flights are low. The exceptions are Patras on carnival weekend and the ski resorts at weekends. From March, prices begin a slow climb that does not stop until August.
See how much a trip to Greece costs for the daily numbers.
What to wear
Layers, a waterproof and shoes with grip – the marble at the Acropolis and at Delphi is treacherous wet. Greek interiors are often cooler than northern European ones, so do not assume you can strip down indoors. For Meteora, covered shoulders and knees are required and a long skirt is lent to women at the monastery door.
The February 2027 calendar
- Sunday 7 February – free entry at state archaeological sites and museums.
- Second half of February – Apokries carnival season begins and runs into March; Patras builds towards its closing parade.
- All month – winter site hours, reduced ferries, peak ski season, sea at its annual low of about 15°C.
- Thursday 4 March – Tsiknopempti, the grilled-meat night before Lent.
- Monday 15 March – Clean Monday, the end of carnival and a public holiday.
Read alongside
- Greece in January – the cheapest month, and the Epiphany.
- Greece in March – Clean Monday, Independence Day and the season starting.
- Best time to visit Greece – all twelve months compared.
- How much a trip to Greece costs – low-season daily numbers.
- Athens travel guide – the city that carries a Greek winter.
- Greece travel guide – regions, islands and how to combine them.
- What to pack for Greece – the winter list.
Frequently asked
Is February a good time to visit Greece?
For Athens, the mainland and the big islands, yes – it is among the two cheapest months, the ancient sites are empty and the carnival season starts. For the small Cyclades it is the wrong month: most of Santorini and Mykonos is closed and ferries are thin.
When is Greek carnival in 2027?
Apokries runs for three weeks before Clean Monday, which falls on 15 March 2027 because Orthodox Easter is late that year, on 2 May. That puts the season in late February and the first half of March, with Tsiknopempti on 4 March and the Patras closing parade on the preceding Sunday.
How cold is Greece in February?
Athens averages about 14°C by day and 7°C at night with roughly 40 mm of rain across seven days. The north is genuinely cold with inland snow; Crete is the mildest part of the country. The sea is at its annual low of about 15°C.
Are museums free in Greece in February?
On the first Sunday – 7 February in 2027 – state archaeological sites and museums are free, under the scheme running 1 November to 31 March. The Acropolis Museum and other private museums are not included.
What is Tsiknopempti?
“Smoky Thursday”, eleven days before Clean Monday – 4 March in 2027 – when Greeks grill meat in the street before the Lenten fast. Taverna districts in every city fill with smoke and tables, and it is free to walk through.
Are the ferries running in February?
On a reduced winter timetable, with some routes down to two or three sailings a week, and cancellations in bad weather. Island-hopping does not work in February.
Can you swim in Greece in February?
No. Sea temperatures are at their annual low of around 15°C across the country.
Is Patras Carnival worth going to?
It is the biggest carnival in Greece and one of the biggest in Europe, with a parade on the final Sunday before Clean Monday. Patras accommodation for that weekend books out months ahead; the rest of the country stays cheap.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
