Chania in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Chania sees average daytime highs around 16°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 149 mm of rain over about 20 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 13°C in early March to 20°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Chania's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Chania's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
16°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
14°C
Rainfall
149 mm
20 wet days
Avg wind
17 km/h
Travel score
5.8
3rd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Chania in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 13°C in early March to 20°C by late May.

A typical spring day in Chania reaches about 16°C and drops to 14°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

10°15°20°25°MarAprMay

Chania weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / 10°15714.79.93.1
Feb12° / 10°13313.210.73.1
Mar14° / 11°8610.211.74.0
Apr16° / 14°38612.95.7
May19° / 17°254.113.87.6
Jun23° / 21°51.614.49.1
Jul25° / 23°30.714.29.5
Aug25° / 24°51.113.39.3
Sep23° / 22°263.512.28.8
Oct20° / 19°798.311.17.1
Nov17° / 15°1101110.15.5
Dec14° / 12°16615.19.63.7

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitation

Chania gets around 149 mm of rain over 20 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%MarAprMay

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Spring

Winds average 17 km/h across spring.

0510152025MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early March to 14 h 12 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.0 kWh/m².

02468MarAprMay
Planning a trip in spring

Hazard calendar for Chania

In seasonPeak

In spring, Chania overlaps its rainy season and dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Chania's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Chania sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in April.

Rainy season
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is spring a good time to visit Chania?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

5.8
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a reasonable time to visit Chania for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chania in Spring

From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In spring, Chania sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 20 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Chania in Spring

The nearest coast averages about 17°C across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 26 to Nov 19 — about 5.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Chania in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chania peaks around July 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 15UV 10Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Chania in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Chania is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (September, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1015 µg/m³Sep 208 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May11Good
Jun9Good
Jul8Good
Aug10Good
Sep7Good
Oct8Good
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chania?

Chania sits at 35.5°N, 24.0°E, 24 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Rethymno, 44 km away.

RethymnoHeraklionOiaFiraParosNaxosSpartaKalamata

Topography around Chania

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Chania.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chania has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 215 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,795 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,432 m.

The land around Chania is covered by water (31%), artificial surfaces (30%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, water (41%) and trees (33%) within 16 km, and water (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
215 m
16 km
1,795 m
80 km
2,432 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Spring weather nearby: Rethymno 44 km · Heraklion 103 km · Oia 161 km · Fira 162 km · Paros 202 km · Naxos 214 km · Sparta 225 km · Kalamata 242 km

Greece travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$26,948
2025
Happiness
5.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
8.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 592
Religion
other 3%Muslim 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Chania (35.5112°, 24.0292°, elevation 24 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.