March is the month Greece turns. Clean Monday on 15 March 2027 ends carnival and starts Lent, Independence Day on Thursday 25 March fills Athens with a military parade, the clocks go forward on the 28th, and the first ferries and island hotels start waking up. Athens sits near 16°C, the countryside is green and full of wildflowers, and prices are still on the winter floor.
Clean Monday, 15 March 2027
Kathara Deftera is a public holiday and one of the most purely Greek days in the calendar. It ends the three weeks of Apokries carnival and opens Lent, and it is celebrated outdoors: families go to a hill or a beach, fly kites, and eat a fasting table of grilled octopus, shellfish, taramasalata, olives, halva and the flat lagana bread baked only on that day.
In Athens the hills – Filopappou above all – fill with kites from late morning. It costs nothing, everyone is doing it, and shops and businesses are closed. Because Orthodox Easter is late in 2027 (2 May), Clean Monday lands in mid-March rather than February.
Independence Day, Thursday 25 March 2027
A double holiday – the Annunciation and the 1821 declaration of independence – and a national public holiday. The military parade in Athens runs along Vasilissis Sofias past the Parliament, with a student parade the day before, and every town holds its own version.
Two practical notes: central Athens closes to traffic for most of the morning and the metro stations around Syntagma can be shut; and because the day falls inside Lent, it is one of the two days when fish is permitted, so every taverna serves bakaliaros skordalia – salt cod with garlic dip. The Acropolis Museum offers free admission on 25 March.
Free entry days in March
Continue planning your Greece trip
- Saturday 6 March 2027 – free entry at state archaeological sites and museums, in memory of Melina Mercouri. The Acropolis Museum is also free on this date.
- Sunday 7 March 2027 – the first Sunday of the month, free at state sites. This is the last free Sunday until November: the scheme runs only from 1 November to 31 March.
- Thursday 25 March – the Acropolis Museum is free for Independence Day.
As always, the state-site scheme does not cover the Acropolis Museum, the Benaki or other private and municipal museums, and you collect a free ticket at the gate rather than walking in.
Weather, and the clocks
- Athens – highs near 16–17°C, lows near 9°C, and about 40 mm of rain across seven or eight days. Warm in the sun, cold in the shade, and changeable.
- The north – still cold, with snow on the mountains and the ski season running into April.
- Crete and the south – high teens to low twenties and the best hiking of the year: the Samaria Gorge does not usually open until May, but the coastal and lower gorge walks are at their best now.
- The sea – still about 16°C. Not a swimming month.
Greece moves to summer time on the last Sunday of March, which in 2027 is 28 March. Sunset in Athens jumps from around 19:10 to after 20:00 overnight, and the evenings become usable for the first time since October.
What starts to reopen
March is when the islands begin to stir, slowly. Ferry timetables step up from the second half of the month, some Santorini and Mykonos hotels open for the season towards the end of it, and the Cretan and Rhodian resorts start taking bookings.
“Begin” is the word. In 2027, with Orthodox Easter on 2 May, the real island reopening happens in April and the last week of April in particular. A March island trip is still a gamble on what is trading.
Prices
March is the last cheap month. Athens rates stay near the winter floor through the first three weeks, with a bump around Clean Monday and Independence Day when Greeks themselves travel. From April, prices climb steadily towards the Easter peak at the start of May.
See how much a trip to Greece costs for the numbers.
The March 2027 calendar
- Thursday 4 March – Tsiknopempti, the grilled-meat night before Lent.
- Saturday 6 March – free entry at state sites and the Acropolis Museum.
- Sunday 7 March – free entry at state sites; the last free Sunday until 7 November.
- Sunday 14 March – the Patras carnival closing parade, on the Sunday before Clean Monday.
- Monday 15 March – Clean Monday: kites, the Lenten table, and a public holiday.
- Thursday 25 March – Independence Day and the Annunciation; military parade in Athens.
- Sunday 28 March – the clocks go forward; sunset moves past 20:00.
Read alongside
- Greece in February – carnival season and the quietest weeks.
- Greece in April – the islands reopening, and Holy Week beginning at the very end.
- Greece in May – where Orthodox Easter falls in 2027.
- Best time to visit Greece – all twelve months compared.
- How much a trip to Greece costs – shoulder-season daily numbers.
- Athens travel guide – what to do with the city in spring.
- What to pack for Greece – the two-seasons list.
Frequently asked
Is March a good time to visit Greece?
For Athens, the mainland and Crete, yes – around 16°C, wildflowers, winter prices and no crowds at the ancient sites. For the islands it is early: the real reopening happens in April, and in 2027 that is pushed later still because Orthodox Easter falls on 2 May.
When is Clean Monday in 2027?
Monday 15 March 2027. It is a public holiday that ends carnival and begins Lent, celebrated outdoors with kite-flying and a fasting table of seafood, lagana bread and halva.
What happens on 25 March in Greece?
Independence Day and the Annunciation, a national public holiday. Athens holds a military parade along Vasilissis Sofias with central roads and some metro stations closed, every town parades, and salt cod with garlic dip is eaten because fish is permitted that day during Lent.
Are museums free in Greece in March?
On three dates in 2027: Saturday 6 March at state sites and the Acropolis Museum, Sunday 7 March at state sites, and 25 March at the Acropolis Museum. 7 March is the last free Sunday until 7 November.
When do the clocks change in Greece in 2027?
On Sunday 28 March 2027. Sunset in Athens moves from around 19:10 to after 20:00 overnight.
How warm is Greece in March?
Athens averages about 16–17°C by day and 9°C at night with roughly 40 mm of rain. Crete and the south are a few degrees warmer; the north is still cold with snow on the mountains.
Are the Greek islands open in March?
Partly, and increasingly through the month. Ferry timetables step up from mid-March and some Santorini and Mykonos hotels open towards the end of it, but with Orthodox Easter on 2 May in 2027 the real reopening is late April.
Can you swim in Greece in March?
The sea is around 16°C, so not comfortably. March is for walking, ruins and food.
You Might Also Love
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.
