From school, we know that Greece isthe cradle of European civilization. And the capital of this country, the city of Athens, has over three thousand years of eventful history. But only if we come to Greece in the tourist season, we don’t have enough spirit to see the sights - it’s too hot. In the subtropics, you want to be on the seashore, swim in the warm waves, sunbathe on the beach. So it turns out that Athens remains the "city of transit". Many tourists do not even go outside the airport, and take a plane and rush to the islands or mainland seaside resorts of Greece. But what about the historical and cultural attractions? In this article we will discuss whether to go to Athens in January. How does the birthplace of the Olympic Games, the city of the gods and the open-air museum meet tourists in the middle of winter?
Where are Athens
The capital of Greece is now turned into a metropolis.Athens metropolitan area has more than 3 100 000 people. That is, every third citizen of Greece can consider himself a metropolitan. But in the 1830s, after the Ottoman yoke, Athens was a small provincial village! The modern metropolis stretches to the coast of the Aegean Sea, including the ancient port of Piraeus in the city limits. But you can swim on the municipal beaches of Athens except from despair. The coast is carefully cleaned by special services, but people litter twice as fast. But arriving in Athens in January, you will find clean and, most importantly, deserted beaches. True, you can swim in the sea only if you are seasoned nature. Athens lies in the extreme south of mainland Greece. From the north, the capital is safely sheltered from the cold winds of the mountain. No wonder that people founded a settlement on the hill three thousand years BC. They counted on a favorable climate.
Greece, Athens: January weather
Winter in this city can be compared with September inMoscow After all, the climate in Athens according to the Köppen classification is subtropical semi-desert. Summer is hot here, and even too much. This circumstance causes the beach tourist to go home without visiting the Acropolis, the temple of Zeus and the Likavit hill. The heat turns any outdoor excursion into a true torment. But if you arrive in Athens in January, you will find a very different picture. No queues at the entrance to the museums, no crowds at famous attractions! And the weather is conducive to long walks in the fresh air. As in September Moscow, it may occasionally rain, sometimes there are cloudy days. But dank winds, dampness and frost in Athens does not happen. Snow is rarely seen here, not every year. Sometimes nature can throw such an incident, bringing the cloud far to the south. But the morning sun quickly melt the snow.
Precipitation
Subtropics are characterized by hot aridsummer and mild rainy winter. But long-term observations of the weather in Athens in January show that there is not so much rainfall in this month. Most rains are recorded in November and December (67 and 69 millimeters, respectively). And in the middle of winter they fall only 48 mm. True, compared with six millimeters in the summer months, this may seem like a lot. Let's characterize the weather in Athens in January a little differently. After all, these figures about precipitation millimeters say little to the tourist. It is important for him to know whether the rain will spoil the tour. So: meteorologists say that there are thirteen clear days in January in Athens. The same number of days with variable cloudiness, when at some time or another there is a short rain. And finally, there are three days when rain comes from morning to evening, in January. Thus, you can safely go on sightseeing holiday in Athens in the middle of winter. But do not forget to put an umbrella in your suitcase.
Temperature readings
RepeatWinter in seaside Greece is more like early autumn in middle latitudes. The average daily temperature in Athens in January is 10.3 degrees. What does it mean? The fact that during the day the thermometer rises to the level of 14 degrees in the shade, and at night it drops to the indicator of + 7 C. And this is an average of a month. There are days when it can be said that it is almost summer outside. The highest temperature for all time observations of the weather in Athens reached +21 degrees in the shade. But there are also opposite excesses. Sometimes, fortunately, very rarely, Arctic air masses invade Greece. Then in Athens, freezing temperatures are recorded. The lowest of all the years of weather observations was 2 C! What follows from this? On an excursion in the open air, Russians will not freeze for sure. But grabbing an autumn jacket with you and a warm sweater will not hurt in addition. But mittens, earflaps and winter boots will be irrelevant.
Other climatic factors
What else can spoil a tour in the openair or, on the contrary, to make it pleasant and comfortable? Of course, the wind. Despite the fact that Athens is a seaside city, there are few storms in the middle of winter. Meteorologists characterize the average wind speed in the first month of the year as low - 7.6 kilometers per hour. Most often the weather is quiet, clear or cloudy in Athens in January. Reviews claim that walking in the open air is pleasant and comfortable. On some days, you can even strip down to a T-shirt. But in beach clothes (in shorts and with bare shoulders) you no longer resemble. Relative air humidity is another climatic factor that directly affects the well-being of walking tourists. This indicator is 68.7 percent in January. Since Athens is a seaside city, fog is possible in the morning. Then the relative humidity increases to 75 percent. Tourists, it is important to know how much time passes from sunrise to sunset. Athens lies at 38 degrees north latitude. Therefore, the light day in winter there is longer than in high latitudes. It lasts ten hours and twenty minutes.
Events
From November to the end of March in Athens lasts lowseason. This does not affect the cost of hotels. After all, the capital of Greece is a self-sufficient city, and there are always many visitors there. But this means that the tourist in the "low season" will not be bored. After all, the Greeks love different festivals and use any red calendar day to have fun for the glory. Christmas, which the Greeks with the rest of the world celebrate on December 25, smoothly turns into a New Year's Eve. If you are invited to a Greek house during this period, take a smaller weight with you. Crossing the threshold, throw it on the floor. According to tradition, the guest should say the magic words: “May your wealth be as heavy as this stone!” New Year's festivities smoothly turn into Epiphany. On Fota's Day (Epiphany), the priest throws a cross into the river, and the believing men throw themselves into the water to get it. If you are a walrus and know how to hold your breath for a long time, take part in this religious competition. After all, the one who raises the cross from the bottom will have good luck all year long. And after the feast of the Baptism of Christ, the carnival “Raguzarya” takes place. People put on masquerade costumes of all kinds of animals and walk, singing carols.
Pluses holiday in winter Greece
Tourists who ventured to come to Athens in JanuaryThere are several advantages over summer vacationers. First, the weather itself has to unhurried walks in the fresh air. The sun does not bake, but gently caresses the skin. And even if the sky is closed by clouds, the thought that in native lands now is 20 C, and you walk in a light sweater, it warms the soul. Winter tourist should not stand in a queue for several hours in museums. He can explore the sights of the Greek capital slowly, and if he takes a photo, it will be pictures of the Parthenon and the Temple of Zeus, and not crowds of strangers in the foreground. A tourist, who visited Athens in early January, can witness the merry New Year's celebrations. And finally, he can go to some ski resort in Greece!
Cons of a winter holiday in Athens
The beach season in these latitudes lasts a long time, but allnot all year round. Only a hardened person, for whom + 17 C will be an acceptable temperature for swimming, can afford to plunge into the sea. Sunbathing on clear and windless days can happen: when in the shade + 17-20 degrees, in the sun - all + 25. But if you look at the perennial weather reports, then this possibility may not be presented. It rains in Athens too often in January. Reviews notice that the storm is aggravating the situation on some days. Night walks can lead to colds, because the thermometer in the dark drops to + 7 degrees. In addition, the low season does not affect the prices in hotels in Athens. The capital lives its own life, and there are always many visitors in it.
Athens in January: reviews of tourists
This is both an ancient and young city gladguests always. Tourists say that Athens in winter is good for independent excursions. In order for them to give you maximum pleasure, you must be properly equipped: take warm clothes and be sure to have an umbrella. Rainy days can be spent in museums, which abound in Athens, and in good weather, wander through the ancient ruins.
