Travel to Greece in Autumn

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Tourists may flock to Greece during the summer months in search of sun, sea, and islands but autumn is actually a great time to spend in Greece. Here are my 7 favorite reasons to travel to Greece in Autumn!

1 The colours

With so many wooded areas of outstanding natural beauty to be found in Greece, you are never too far from those stunning Autumn colors. In North Greece and the Peloponnese, there are so many places to see nature’s display. We love going to Pelion in autumn because of its hiking trails and picturesque villages with romantic squares and fields of apples. Read more about Pelion with kids here. Even Athens has its own share of beautiful colored parks where kids can enjoy autumn leaves.

2 The chestnuts

My kids love chestnuts and in Greece, we have loads of them. Travel to Greece in Autumn and celebrate the chestnut! There are several areas in Greece organizing chestnut festivals such as the one in Nafpaktos. The festival takes place in Ano Hora in mid-October. During the festival, tsipouro is distilled and served to the visitors along with roasted chestnuts, traditional desserts (baklava, kourabiedes, ravani, cherry, chestnut, walnut, and quince), traditional pies, and goat stew. Read more about our trip and experiences to Nafpaktos is this post.

3 The wine

Greece may not be considered a major destination in wine tourism, but it sure has plenty of options to offer any wine lover willing to step off the beaten track. The wine harvest takes place in September and October, thus, but autumn is a fantastic time to tour some of Greece’s vineyards. Head over to the Nemea region for a glimpse into the age-old winemaking traditions and let your kids run around the beautiful vineyards. We tried a wine tour in Nemea and combined it with a visit to the Ancient Nemea archaeological site. You can find out more about our experience here.

4 The truffles, mushrooms and chestnuts

Autumn is wild mushroom season in Greece, so why not grab a basket and spend a fun autumnal day foraging for some tasty fungi but be sure to go out with an expert so you know what to look for…and what to avoid. Many towns hold mushroom picking and tasting events and in Meteora, there is even a mushroom museum. The Natural History and Mushroom Museum of Meteora, located in Kalambaka, Thessaly, organizes a Mushroom Festival each year with events focusing on mushroom species and delicacies. Chestnut festivals and chestnut picking take place everywhere in Greece, such as the famous Mountainous Nafpaktos Chestnut Festival.

5 Hearty food

If you are a foodie and you enjoy food tasting as much as me and the kids do, Greece is your place to be in autumn! As soon as the temperature drops, it’s nice to cozy up to some warm, Greek cuisine in the autumn, especially after doing everything possible to avoid hot dishes in the sweltering summer.

Autumn is a second Spring when every leaf is a flower
Albert Camus

6 Fewer tourists

After being overwhelmed by the record number of tourists flooding Greece this year, it is a relief to see less busy pavements, open tables at cafés, and shorter lines waiting to see famous ancient sites. Greece generally sees a drop in the number of foreign visitors in autumn after peaking in the summer, so now is probably a good time to travel a bit more around the country or visit world-famous monuments in Athens with your kids without too many tourists.

7. The weather

For those of you who struggle to make it through Greece’s sweltering summer, autumn comes as a welcome relief: a sunny, breezy time when people are still enjoying the outside terraces, but in a much more pleasant temperature. The fall in temperatures makes it a great time for a city break. Athens is very hot during the summer, but perfectly lovely in autumn.

Are you ready to travel to Greece in Autumn? What is your most important reason to choose fall as the perfect travel season?

Need more ideas for autumn vacation in Greece? Have a look at my latest post about Day Trips from Athens. In this post, I describe our family experience to the island of Aegina near Athens. I also visited Marathon for a day. This coastal town near Athens is famous for its Battle of Marathon. It is also known as the starting point of the Athens Marathon!
Are you spending autumn in Athens? Scroll over to the Best parks in Athens for Autumn and What to do with kids on a rainy day in Athens. A secret tip: check out Varnavas forest in Athens with kids!