South Aegean
The region has 279 official bathing-water sites; of the 278 with a classification in the 2024 season, 275 were Excellent (EEA). At most of these beaches the average sea temperature is 22 °C or higher from June to September (NOAA, 1991–2020). In the seat of the region the weather is most comfortable for walking and sightseeing in May, June and September.
- Regional units
- 13OpenStreetMap, 6 Oct 2026
- Municipalities
- 34OpenStreetMap, 6 Oct 2026
- Official bathing-water sites
- 279YPEN register, EEA
- Excellent in 2024
- 275 of 27899% of classified sites (EEA)
- Sea at 22 °C or more
- Jun–Sepat most beaches, NOAA average 1991–2020
- Airports
- 14list of commercial airports
- Ferry ports
- 76ports with ferry terminals (OpenStreetMap)
- Natura 2000
- 63 sitesoverlap the area (YPEN)
- Wildfires 2016–2026
- 195 firesabout 31,910 hectares burnt (EFFIS)
- Zone prices 2021, per m²
- 400–5,850 €548 zones, a tax value and not a market price
When to go
This section is about Ermoupoli, the seat of the region not the whole region.
- Jan13°15°
- Feb13°16°
- Mar14°16°
- Apr16°19°
- May19°22°comfortable weather
- Jun23°24°comfortable weather, warm sea
- Jul25°24°warm sea
- Aug26°24°warm sea
- Sep24°22°comfortable weather
- Oct20°19°
- Nov17°17°
- Dec14°16°
- Top figure: air, bottom: sea
- Comfortable weather for walking
- Sea 22 °C or warmer
The weather is most comfortable for walking and sightseeing in May, June and September (average temperature around 21.9 °C, little rain).
The sea is 22 °C or warmer from June to August (up to 24.3 °C).
Monthly rain reaches 80 mm or more in December and January.
Day length is 9 h 35 min at the winter solstice (07:30 to 17:05) and 14 h 45 min at the summer solstice (05:59 to 20:44), Greek time.
- Mean temperature °C
- Rain (mm, right axis)
- Sea °C
- Sea 22 °C or warmer
| Month | Mean temp. °C | Rain mm | Sea °C | Daylight h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12.6 | 99 | 15.4 | 9.8 |
| Feb | 12.8 | 78 | 15.6 | 10.8 |
| Mar | 14.0 | 51 | 16.4 | 11.9 |
| Apr | 15.7 | 27 | 18.5 | 13.1 |
| May | 19.1 | 20 | 21.8 | 14.2 |
| Jun (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 23.0 | 9 | 23.6 | 14.7 |
| Jul (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 25.2 | 5 | 24.3 | 14.5 |
| Aug (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 25.6 | 4 | 23.6 | 13.7 |
| Sep | 23.5 | 24 | 21.6 | 12.5 |
| Oct | 20.3 | 53 | 19.0 | 11.3 |
| Nov | 17.1 | 73 | 16.8 | 10.2 |
| Dec | 14.0 | 91 | 15.7 | 9.6 |
Temperature and rain: NASA POWER (MERRA-2), period 2001–2020, model cell about 8 km away. The temperatures are monthly averages from a regional model. Sea: NOAA OISST v2.1, period 1991–2020, nearest cell about 11 km away (0.25 degree grid). Daylight: calculated for the 15th of each month. These are regional model values and typical conditions, not a forecast.
Regional units
South Aegean is divided into 13 regional units. Each has a page with its municipalities, beaches and sights.
- Andros1 municipality, 8 beaches
- Thira5 municipalities, 23 beaches
- Kalymnos6 municipalities, 34 beaches
- Karpathos-Kasos2 municipalities, 7 beaches
- Kea-Kythnos2 municipalities, 12 beaches
- Kos2 municipalities, 22 beaches
- Milos4 municipalities, 31 beaches
- Mykonos1 municipality, 12 beaches
- Naxos2 municipalities, 26 beaches
- Paros2 municipalities, 17 beaches
- Rhodes5 municipalities, 61 beaches
- Syros1 municipality, 13 beaches
- Tinos1 municipality, 13 beaches
Best beaches
The 10 official sites with the most seasons of Excellent water since 2011; ties are settled by the latest classification (2024 season). It is the EU's classification by season, not a reading on the day.
| Beach | Latest class | History |
|---|---|---|
| Avesalos | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agia Agathi | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agía Ánna Beach | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agia Theodoti | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agia Kyriaki | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agia Marina | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agios Georgios | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agios Georgios | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agios Georgios | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agios Giannis | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
Towns to know
Cities and towns of the region that have a page of their own (24 of 31), larger ones first. Population only sets the order and is never shown.
- Rhodescity, Rhodes
- Koscity, Kos
- Antimachiatown, Kos
- Pothiatown, Kalymnos
- Ermoupolitown, Syros and Ermoupoli
- Archangelostown, Rhodes
- Afantoutown, Rhodes
- Kalythiestown, Rhodes
- Mykonostown, Mykonos
- Ziparitown, Kos
- Pylitown, Kos
- Kefalostown, Kos
- Skalatown, Patmos
- Adamantastown, Milos
- Ano Syrostown, Syros and Ermoupoli
- Lindostown, Rhodes
- Plakatown, Milos
- Agia Marinatown, Leros
- Choratown, Ios
- Choratown, Kalymnos
- Firatown, Thira
- Ialysostown, Rhodes
- Karpathostown, Karpathos
- Koskinoutown, Rhodes
Islands
The inhabited islands of the region that have a page of their own, largest first. Areas come from OpenStreetMap outlines.
- Rhodes1402 km²
- Naxos430 km²
- Andros380 km²
- Karpathos301 km²
- Kos287 km²
- Paros196 km²
- Tinos195 km²
- Milos158 km²
- Kea132 km²
- Amorgos120 km²
- Kalymnos111 km²
- Ios109 km²
- Kythnos99 km²
- Astypalea97 km²
- Mykonos87 km²
- Syros84 km²
- Sifnos76 km²
- Santorini76 km²
- Serifos73 km²
- Kasos66 km²
- Tilos62 km²
- Symi58 km²
- Leros54 km²
- Sikinos41 km²
- Nisyros41 km²
- Anafi38 km²
- Kimolos38 km²
- Antiparos35 km²
- Patmos34 km²
- Folegandros32 km²
- Chalki28 km²
- Iraklia18 km²
- Lipsi16 km²
- Pserimos15 km²
- Donousa13 km²
- Agathonisi13 km²
- Megisti9.2 km²
- Thirasia9.2 km²
- Schinousa8.1 km²
- Arki6.7 km²
- Pano Koufonisi5.7 km²
- Telendos4.7 km²
Sights
A short selection from Wikidata, not a ranking of importance: only entries that have a Wikidata item, those with a page of their own on this site first, then those with an English label, then the oldest item. Up to 3 per kind. Coverage is uneven.
Castles
- NeratziaKos
- Palaio PyliKos
- Castle of Chora of KalymnosKalymnos
Archaeological sites
- RhodesRhodes
- FolegandrosFolegandros
- IosIos
Museums
- Jewish Museum of RhodesRhodes
- Suleymaniye Mosque, RhodesRhodes
- Museum of Ancient Greek, Byzantine and Post-Byzantine InstrumentsThira
Monasteries
Caves
- Cave of the ApocalypsePatmos
- Blue CaveMeyisti
- Cave of AntiparosAntiparos
Waterfalls
- Pytharas waterfallsAndros
Lighthouses
- Tourlitis LighthouseAndros
- Armenistis LighthouseMykonos
- Fassa LighthouseAndros
Natura 2000 protected areas
60 Natura 2000 sites with a page of their own in the region, the 10 largest. Each page says what the site protects, from the European Environment Agency's Natura 2000 database.
- Nisos Irakleia, Nisoi Makares, Mikros Kai Megalos Avelas, Nisida Venetiko IrakleiasSPA, 56,021 ha
- Nisides Voreion Dodekanison kai Thalassia PeriochiSPA, 47,123 ha
- Nisos Chalki Kai Nisides: Kolofona, Pano Prasouda, Tragousa, Strongyli, Agios Theodoros, Maelonisi, Alimia, Krevvati, NisakiSPA, 35,320 ha
- Thalassia Zoni AndrouSCI, 30,037 ha
- Anatoliko Tmima Astypalaias Kai Nisides Kounoupoi, Fteno, Chondropoulo, Koutsomytis, Moni, Agia Kyriaki, Tigani, Chondri, Ligno, Fokionisia, Katsagreli, Pontikoussa, Ofidoussa, KteniaSPA, 28,316 ha
- Rodos: Akramytis, Armenistis, Attavyros, Remata Kai Thalassia Zoni (Karavola-Ormos Glyfada)SCI, 27,438 ha
- Nisos Gyaros Kai Thalassia ZoniSCI and SPA, 26,037 ha
- Nisides Parou Kai Notia AntiparosSPA, 25,699 ha
- Andros: Kentriko Kai Notio Tmima, Gyro Nisides Kai Paraktia Thalassia ZoniSPA, 21,924 ha
- Kasos Kai Kasonisia - Evryteri Thalassia PeriochiSCI, 21,487 ha
Getting there
The airports and ferry ports of the area as our sources record them. We do not copy timetables or fares, because they would go stale; where an official source exists it is linked below.
| Airport | IATA | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| Astypalaia Island National Airport "Panaghia" | JTY | Astypalaia |
| Kalymnos Island National Airport "Pothaea" | JKL | Kalymnos |
| Karpathos Island National Airport "Ammopi" | AOK | Karpathos |
| Kasos Island Airport "Agia Marina" | KSJ | Kasos |
| Kastelorizo Island Airport "Megisti" | KZS | Meyisti |
| Kos International Airport "Hippocrates" | KGS | Kos |
| Leros Island Airport "Dodekanisos" | LRS | Leros |
| Milos Island National Airport "Aphrodite" | MLO | Milos |
| Mykonos Airport "Dilos" | JMK | Mykonos |
| Naxos Island National Airport "Apollon" | JNX | Naxos and the Lesser Cyclades |
| Paros National Airport | PAS | Paros |
| Rhodes International Airport "Diagoras" | RHO | Rhodes |
| Santorini (Thira) Airport "Zefiros" | JTR | Thira |
| Syros Island National Airport "Demetrius Vikelas" | JSY | Syros and Ermoupoli |
| Port, at the nearest settlement | Terminals in OSM | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| Tourlos | 11 | Mykonos |
| Mykonos | 5 | Mykonos |
| Rhodes | 5 | Rhodes |
| Psathi | 4 | Kimolos |
| Donousa | 4 | Naxos and the Lesser Cyclades |
| Gialos | 4 | Symi |
Official travel information
- KTEL Thiras: seasonal island bus timetable
- KTEL Thiras: ticket prices by route
- KTEL Naxos: bus routes and tickets
- Naxos: seasonal bus destinations and travel information
- KTEL Paros: seasonal bus timetable
- KTEL Paros: tickets and sales points
Routes and connections can change by season. Confirm times and service directly with the operator before travelling.
How the numbers were counted
Each municipality belongs to the region and regional unit that OpenStreetMap records for it, and the figures on this page add up its municipalities. Beaches, airports, ports and sights belong to the municipality that contains them (up to 3 km outside the boundary for those on the shore).
Ports: a port is a group of ferry terminals mapped in OpenStreetMap within 1 km of each other (a harbour is mapped as many berths). The name is the nearest settlement. The number of terminals shows how closely the harbour is mapped, not how large it is or how many ferries call.
Fires: the count covers EFFIS burnt areas (roughly 30 hectares and above) whose reference point lies in a municipality of the area, with dates from 23 Mar 2016 to 12 Sept 2026. Natura 2000: each site is counted once, even when it overlaps several municipalities.
Zone prices: the lowest and highest value among the 2021 objective-system zones whose reference point lies in the area. They are tax values, not market prices.
See also
- Archaeological sites in the South Aegean62
- Castles in the South Aegean9
- Monasteries in the South Aegean14
- Museums in the South Aegean27
- Caves in the South Aegean5
- Beaches with excellent water quality in the South Aegean267
- All regions of Greecelist
- Greece month by monthlist
- Eastern Macedonia and Thraceregion
- Atticaregion
- North Aegeanregion
- Western Greeceregion
- Western Macedoniaregion
- Epirusregion
- Thessalyregion
- Ionian Islandsregion
- Central Macedoniaregion
- Creteregion
- Peloponneseregion
- Central Greeceregion
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the sources below, with the date each was updated.
- Designated bathing waters (locations)Ministry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current bathing season register · Date:
- Bathing water quality classificationEuropean Environment Agency: WISE Bathing Water Directive database · Latest assessed season in the EEA database; every season from 2011 is kept as a per-beach history · Date:
- Monthly climate normalsNASA POWER, MERRA-2 meteorological model · 2001–2020 climatology period returned by NASA POWER · Date:
- Sea temperature (NOAA OISST)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / Physical Sciences Laboratory · OISST v2.1 monthly long-term mean climatology, 1991-2020 period · Date:
- Burnt areasEFFIS: European Forest Fire Information System (Copernicus EMS) · Rolling archive of mapped burnt areas · Date:
- Natura 2000 protected sitesMinistry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current national Natura 2000 network · Date:
- Objective property value zonesMinistry of National Economy and Finance, via data.gov.gr · 2021 revision of the objective value system · Date:
- AirportsFraport Greece; the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (ΥΠΑ/HCAA); Wikipedia (cross-checked for IATA/ICAO codes and coordinates) · Checked 24 September 2026 · Date:
- Everyday places, tourism, transport and natureOpenStreetMap contributors, via the Overpass API · Live database at the time of the query · Date:
- Wikidata landmarks: castles, monasteries, museums, archaeological sites and natural landmarksWikidata contributors · Live SPARQL query snapshot, taken 25 September 2026 · Date:
- Region, unit and municipal boundaries, settlements, seats and ferry terminalsOpenStreetMap (Geofabrik Greece extract, 24 Sep 2026), ODbL · Date:
Page updated .