Rhodes · Unsplash / Unsplash
Greece · Southern Europe
Best time to visit Rhodes
May
May scores highest overall — reliable weather and good value. Set your priorities below to personalise this result.
What matters most to you?
All 12 months — click any to expand
May
Unsplash / Unsplash
The smart-traveller month — 24C, 10 hours sun, almost no rain, hotels at half summer rates.
24°C
High
16°C
Low
15mm
Rain
10h
Sun/day
What you gain
- ↑24C and 10 hours sun without summer humidity — best walking weather in the old town
- ↑Beach resorts fully open with 30-40% lower rates than June
- ↑Sea creeps to 20C in last week — first proper swimming days possible
What you sacrifice
- ↓Sea still cooler than most expect — 19-20C, viable but no warmer than UK August
- ↓Meltemi wind picks up on the west coast from mid-May (Ixia and Ialyssos windy)
May scores highest overall — reliable weather and good value. Set your priorities below to personalise this result.
May
The smart-traveller month — 24C, 10 hours sun, almost no rain, hotels at half summer rates.
24°C
High
15mm
Rain
10h
Sun
- ↑24C and 10 hours sun without summer humidity — best walking weather in the old town
- ↑Beach resorts fully open with 30-40% lower rates than June
- ↑Sea creeps to 20C in last week — first proper swimming days possible
- ↓Sea still cooler than most expect — 19-20C, viable but no warmer than UK August
- ↓Meltemi wind picks up on the west coast from mid-May (Ixia and Ialyssos windy)
Top travel windows
★ BestMay
Best overall
Highest combined score
24°C
High
15mm
Rain
10h
Sun
November
Best for value
Lowest prices & fees
20°C
High
105mm
Rain
6h
Sun
November
Fewest crowds
Quietest month
20°C
High
105mm
Rain
6h
Sun
Breakdown by priority
Best for weather
September
29°C high · 15mm rain · 10hrs sun/day
Best for budget
November
Lowest old-town hotel prices of the year alongside January and February
Fewest crowds
November
Lowest old-town hotel prices of the year alongside January and February
Where to stay in Rhodes
All neighbourhoods →
Rhodes Old Town
UNESCO-walled medieval city — Knights Hospitaller streets of the Palace of the Grand Master.
9/10
Central
10/10
Walk
7/10
Transit
Faliraki
East coasts package-tour party strip — 4km of beach, water park, and the islands rowdiest summer nightlife.
5/10
Central
6/10
Walk
7/10
Transit
Also exploring
Lisbon
Portugal
A sun-drenched Atlantic capital where tram lines weave through hilltop neighbourhoods and prices stay genuinely affordable by Western European standards.
Barcelona
Spain
A Mediterranean city that runs on architecture, food markets, and beach culture — with a tourism problem that makes timing absolutely critical.
Santorini
Greece
The caldera sunsets and white-washed cliffside villages are real — but so is a tourism infrastructure that was never designed for 3 million annual visitors.
Worth knowing
May scores highest overall. August is the most crowded month — avoid if you can. See crowd-free ranking →
Month by month breakdown
January#10▾
Gains
- ↑Rhodes Old Town effectively delivered back to residents — no cruise ships, no tour groups
- ↑Hotels in the new town drop to €30-50/night — cheapest Greek city break of the year
- ↑Restaurants like Marco Polo and To Meltemi run normal menus to a locals-only crowd
Sacrifices
- ↓145mm of rain across the month — the wettest stretch on the island
- ↓Almost every beach resort (Faliraki, Lindos, Ixia) closed until late April
- ↓Sea at 16C — fully unswimmable
February#9▾
Gains
- ↑Greek Apokries carnival weekends bring local-only parades through the new town
- ↑Almond blossom across the islands interior (Apolakkia, Embonas) from mid-February
- ↑Lowest accommodation rates of the year in open old-town hotels
Sacrifices
- ↓110mm of rain still — multi-day systems common
- ↓Sea at 15C and beach paths slippery and washed-out
March#7▾
Gains
- ↑Greek Independence Day 25 March — military parade through Rhodes new town
- ↑Wildflower hiking from Profitis Ilias monastery and through Seven Springs valley at its peak
- ↑Hotels in old town at near-winter rates with weather slowly improving
Sacrifices
- ↓Still effectively no beach activity — sea at 17C and most resorts shut
- ↓Easter timing variable — late Greek Easter creates a sudden one-week price spike
April#5▾
Gains
- ↑Greek Orthodox Easter brings midnight resurrection services in every village with candles, fireworks and tsoureki bread
- ↑Beach resorts begin re-opening from mid-month at 40-50% off June prices
- ↑20C and 8 hours sun make Lindos Acropolis and the old town moat perfectly walkable
Sacrifices
- ↓Easter weekend hotel prices jump 60% for one week
- ↓Sea at 17C — beach lounging works, swimming brief
- ↓Some headline restaurants in Lindos not yet open
May#1▾
Gains
- ↑24C and 10 hours sun without summer humidity — best walking weather in the old town
- ↑Beach resorts fully open with 30-40% lower rates than June
- ↑Sea creeps to 20C in last week — first proper swimming days possible
Sacrifices
- ↓Sea still cooler than most expect — 19-20C, viable but no warmer than UK August
- ↓Meltemi wind picks up on the west coast from mid-May (Ixia and Ialyssos windy)
June#3▾
Gains
- ↑Sea hits 23C by mid-month — first full beach-and-swim conditions
- ↑12 hours of sun and effectively zero rain
- ↑Last week of June marks the start of family holidays — book for first three weeks
Sacrifices
- ↓Meltemi wind on west coast can be persistent — east coast (Lindos, Pefkos) more sheltered
- ↓Cruise ship arrivals build through the month, packing the old town between 11am and 4pm
July#12▾
Gains
- ↑13 hours of sun, near-zero rainfall, sea at 25C — peak beach conditions
- ↑Medieval Rose festival in the old town brings re-enactments and street theatre
- ↑Days long enough for Acropolis at sunrise and beach until 8pm sunset
Sacrifices
- ↓UK and German school holidays push package-tour prices 2x May
- ↓Meltemi wind episodes on west coast — Ixia and Ialyssos days unusable for sunbathing
- ↓Forest fire risk significant — interior trails close on red-alert days
August#11▾
Gains
- ↑Dekapentavgoustos 15 August — Greek high-holy day, processions and feasts across every village
- ↑Sea hits 26C — warmest of the year
- ↑Lindos sunset taverna terraces are uniquely magical, accepting all crowd caveats
Sacrifices
- ↓Hotel rates 3-4x May; last-minute availability impossible
- ↓Old town daytime overrun by cruise crowds — visit before 10am or after 6pm only
- ↓Forest fire risk at annual peak — 2023 saw west-coast evacuations
September#2▾
Gains
- ↑Sea peaks at 26C — warmest of the year, often holds through end of September
- ↑Hotel rates drop 30-40% from mid-September as Northern European schools resume
- ↑Meltemi wind eases and west-coast beaches become viable for sunbathing again
Sacrifices
- ↓First week still effectively August prices and crowds
- ↓Storm risk creeping back from last week — single days can wash out
October#4▾
Gains
- ↑25C and 23C sea make first three weeks fully beach-viable
- ↑Hotel rates back to May levels by mid-month — best value-for-weather window of the year
- ↑Old-town tavernas with no cruise crowds — Marco Polo Mansion at its best
Sacrifices
- ↓Storm risk back in earnest — 70mm rainfall in October, single days can flood
- ↓Many resorts close from last week of October until April
- ↓UK half-term in last week brings family crowds back to Lindos for one week
November#6▾
Gains
- ↑Lowest old-town hotel prices of the year alongside January and February
- ↑Restaurants like To Meltemi and Marco Polo at locals prices and walk-up availability
- ↑Best month for olive harvest on the island — agriturismo tastings at full season
Sacrifices
- ↓105mm rain — multi-day storm systems common
- ↓Almost every beach resort fully closed until April
- ↓Sunset by 5pm — short days for sightseeing
December#8▾
Gains
- ↑Mandraki harbour Christmas market and ice rink run from early December
- ↑Old-town hotel rates at annual lows — €40-70/night for boutique conversions
- ↑New Years Eve at Marco Polo Mansion or Nicolis Estate — local rather than tourist crowd
Sacrifices
- ↓145mm rainfall — wettest stretch of the year alongside January
- ↓Many Northern European flight routes cut to once-weekly or seasonal-only
- ↓Sunset by 5pm and most beach roads dark and empty after
How this is calculated
Climate data
Open Meteo ERA5
30-year normals (1991–2020). Temperature, rainfall, sunshine, humidity.
Price & crowd
Tourism research
Seasonal pricing from tourism authority data. Directional — compares months within a destination only.
Personalisation
Weighted scoring
Your priorities change the weights. Budget-first users get different results than weather-first users.
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May is the best time to visit Rhodes
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