When to come to Sougia: a season by season guide

Sougia wakes up in early April and stays open until the end of October, sometimes into the first days of November. In winter most of the village rests. Within those months, the place changes more than you might expect.

Month by month, with air and sea temperatures: the best time to visit Sougia →

April and May

The best time for walking. The hills are green, the gorges still cool, and April is the peak month for Crete’s wild orchids, of which the island has around sixty-seven species. Samaria usually opens in May.

June to August

Long beach days, warm water, boats along the coast to Lissos and the hidden beaches. July and August are the liveliest months; even then the beach, more than a kilometre long, has room. Walk early in the day: by noon the heat in the gorges is serious.

September and October

The sea has had all summer to warm up, the light softens and the village quietens. Many walkers would say this is the best of the year, and so would we. Samaria usually closes at the end of October.

After the first rain

Sometime in October the first autumn rain comes. The riverbed that has been dry since spring runs again, rainbows stand over the valley, and when the clouds break up in the evening, the sky over the mountains turns orange and pink. Then the sun comes back, and so do the swimmers.

The gorges depend on the weather. Samaria and Agia Irini can close after heavy rain or storms, so plan a spare day.

When the weather changes the plan: a plan B for Sougia →