Santorini in April brings mild spring weather of around 18 to 21C, hillsides of wildflowers, light crowds and superb hiking, though the sea is still too cool for comfortable swimming. This guide covers the April weather, swimming, the crowds and prices, what’s open and the best things to do.
April is the start of spring in the wider Santorini travel guide. The island is green and quiet. The sections below cover April.
What is April like in Santorini?
Santorini in April has mild, pleasantly spring-like weather, with daytime highs around 18 to 21C and cooler evenings near 13C. Sunshine is plentiful and rain is low, usually short showers early in the month, making it comfortable for sightseeing and walking but needing a jacket at night.
April offers gentle, comfortable spring weather rather than summer heat. Daytime temperatures average a pleasant 18 to 21C, ideal for exploring without the fierce sun of high summer, while evenings cool noticeably to around 13C, so a jacket or sweater is needed after dark. The month is largely sunny with long, bright days, and although early April can still bring the odd short shower, rainfall is low and the skies clear as the month goes on. The landscape is at its greenest, with wildflowers covering the hillsides, a side of Santorini few summer visitors see, set within the wider Santorini weather. The sea, though, stays cool.
Can you swim in Santorini in April?
Swimming is possible in April, but the sea stays cool, around 16 to 17C, as the Aegean has not yet warmed from winter. A dip is refreshing rather than comfortable for most, so April is better for sightseeing, hiking and the beaches as scenery than for long swims or beach days.
Swimming is possible in April but not really the point of the month. The sea temperature sits at around 16 to 17C, still cool after the winter, so while the hardy can take a brisk, refreshing dip, most visitors will find it too chilly for relaxed swimming or a full beach day. The black-sand beaches of Perissa and Kamari are pleasant to walk and photograph in the spring light, and beach tavernas begin to open, but April is far better suited to the island’s many land-based pleasures than to the water. For warm-sea swimming, you need to wait until June onward, set out alongside the guide to Santorini beaches. The crowds, happily, are thin.
What are the crowds and prices like?
April is one of the quietest months to visit, with far fewer tourists than summer and noticeably lower prices for hotels and flights, outside the Greek Easter period when numbers rise. The famous viewpoints and lanes of Oia and Fira are calm, making it easy to explore and photograph without the summer crush.
April is wonderfully uncrowded compared with the peak. Visitor numbers are a small fraction of the August throng, so the celebrated spots, the lanes and sunset viewpoints of Oia, the clifftop of Fira and the caldera path, are calm and easy to enjoy, with space to wander and take photographs free of the summer crowds. Accommodation and flights are also much cheaper than in high season, making April excellent value. The one busier window is around Greek Orthodox Easter, when Greeks travel and the island fills a little, bringing atmospheric local celebrations but higher demand, so check the Easter dates when planning, set out alongside the guides to Santorini on a budget and the best time to visit Santorini. There is plenty to do.
What are the best things to do in April?
The best things to do in April are hiking the Fira-to-Oia caldera path in cool, wildflower-covered conditions, exploring Oia, Fira, Pyrgos and the villages crowd-free, visiting Akrotiri and ancient Thera, and wine tasting on comfortable spring terraces. A relaxed sunset cruise is lovely without the summer heat.
April is prime time for the island’s land-based highlights. The standout is the spectacular 10-kilometre Fira-to-Oia caldera hike, which is gruelling in the summer heat but a joy in April’s crisp, cool air with the cliffs draped in yellow wildflowers. The villages of Oia, Fira, Imerovigli, Pyrgos and Megalochori are a pleasure to wander without the crowds, and the archaeological sites of Akrotiri and ancient Thera are comfortable to explore. The wineries are open on spring hours, their outdoor tasting terraces pleasant in the mild weather, and a sunset cruise is relaxed and uncrowded, though you will want a layer for the cool evening on the water, set out alongside the guides to the Fira to Oia hike and the wineries. The questions below cover the points travellers ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
How warm is Santorini in April?
April in Santorini is mild and spring-like, with daytime highs around 18 to 21C and cooler evenings near 13C. Sunshine is plentiful and rain is low, usually short showers early in the month, comfortable for sightseeing and walking but needing a jacket at night.
Can you swim in Santorini in April?
Swimming is possible in April, but the sea stays cool, around 16 to 17C, as the Aegean has not yet warmed from winter. A dip is refreshing rather than comfortable for most, so April suits sightseeing, hiking and the beaches as scenery more than long swims.
Is April worth a Santorini trip?
April is a good time to visit Santorini for mild weather, wildflowers, light crowds and low prices, ideal for hiking, sightseeing and wine tasting, though the sea is too cool for comfortable swimming. It is one of the quietest, best-value months outside the busier Greek Easter period.