Heraklion in Summer
In summer (June, July and August), Heraklion sees average daytime highs around 29°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 24 mm of rain over about 3 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 27°C in early June to 29°C by late August. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 94% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels humid.
Summer is Heraklion's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Heraklion's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 29°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 21°C
- Rainfall
- 24 mm
- 3 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.4
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Heraklion in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 27°C in early June to 29°C by late August.
A typical summer day in Heraklion reaches about 29°C and drops to 21°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is July, the coolest June.
Heraklion weather by month
How the three summer months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14° / 8° | 68 | 12 | 9.9 | 3.9 |
| Feb | 14° / 8° | 64 | 10.5 | 10.7 | 4.2 |
| Mar | 17° / 9° | 54 | 8.3 | 11.7 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 20° / 11° | 36 | 5.6 | 12.9 | 7.3 |
| May | 25° / 15° | 31 | 4.3 | 13.8 | 8.3 |
| Jun | 28° / 19° | 13 | 1.9 | 14.3 | 7.9 |
| Jul | 30° / 21° | 5 | 0.7 | 14.1 | 7.2 |
| Aug | 29° / 22° | 6 | 0.7 | 13.3 | 7.2 |
| Sep | 27° / 19° | 19 | 2.9 | 12.2 | 8.1 |
| Oct | 24° / 16° | 38 | 5.9 | 11.1 | 7.8 |
| Nov | 19° / 12° | 45 | 7.1 | 10.1 | 6.6 |
| Dec | 15° / 9° | 64 | 11.3 | 9.7 | 4.5 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 94% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Heraklion gets around 24 mm of rain over 3 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 10 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min in early June to 12 h 48 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 7.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Heraklion
None of Heraklion's seasonal hazards peak in summer. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Heraklion sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.
Is summer a good time to visit Heraklion?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is one of the better times to visit Heraklion for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Heraklion in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Heraklion sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
Sea temperature near Heraklion in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 24°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 16°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 25 to Nov 19 — about 5.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 18 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Cool |
| Feb | 16 | Cool |
| Mar | 16 | Cool |
| Apr | 17 | Cool |
| May | 19 | Cool |
| Jun | 23 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 25 | Warm |
| Sep | 25 | Warm |
| Oct | 23 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 20 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Heraklion in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Heraklion peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Where is Heraklion?
Heraklion sits at 35.3°N, 25.1°E, 60 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Rethymno, 60 km away.
Topography around Heraklion
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Heraklion.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Heraklion has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 49 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 822 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,433 m.
The land around Heraklion is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) within 3 km, water (39%), trees (27%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and water (69%) within 80 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
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 Heraklion (35.3279°, 25.1434°, elevation 60 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.