Holidays by the Aegean Sea
The Aegean is a landscape of island harbours, dry hills, whitewashed villages and traces of ancient cities. Between Greece and western Turkey, it offers both lively seaside towns and quieter bays. The Cyclades' open horizons feel different from a stay on the Turkish coast, where beach days can lead into an evening at a harbour restaurant.
Islands, wind and swimming
Lindos on Rhodes pairs bays with an acropolis above the village. Bodrum gives you a town base for exploring the surrounding peninsula. Decide how much time you want to spend on boats before building an island-hopping itinerary.
Summer brings the seasonal meltemi wind, so the side of an island matters as well as the month. Aegean sea temperature describes only part of the experience: wind and waves can make two nearby beaches feel quite different. For a trip with more walking through villages and archaeological sites, consider spring or early autumn alongside the main summer beach season.
Geography at a glance
Aegean Sea
- Location
- Europe, Asia
- Part of
- Mediterranean Sea
- Coastal countries
- Greece, Türkiye
- Area
- ≈ 214,000 km²
- Max. depth
- ≈ 2,640 m
Locator map. Measurements are approximate and depend on the area’s definition. Fact source · Map: Natural Earth
Sea temperature by month (°C)
In October, the warmest sea is at Lindos (24.6 °C) and the coolest at Mykonos (21.5 °C).
| Beach | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens | 16.1 | 15.2 | 15.2 | 16.2 | 18.6 | 23.0 | 25.9 | 26.6 | 25.6 | 23.2 | 20.9 | 18.0 |
| Balos Lagoon | 17.2 | 16.1 | 16.0 | 16.7 | 18.8 | 22.7 | 25.3 | 26.5 | 25.3 | 23.0 | 21.1 | 18.7 |
| Bodrum | 18.2 | 17.1 | 16.7 | 17.3 | 19.5 | 22.9 | 25.1 | 26.2 | 25.1 | 22.7 | 21.3 | 19.6 |
| Lindos | 18.4 | 17.4 | 17.2 | 18.0 | 20.3 | 24.2 | 27.5 | 28.5 | 27.2 | 24.6 | 22.6 | 20.0 |
| Mykonos | 17.2 | 16.3 | 16.0 | 16.5 | 18.2 | 21.7 | 23.9 | 24.8 | 24.0 | 21.5 | 19.5 | 17.9 |
| Santorini | 17.7 | 16.9 | 16.6 | 17.2 | 19.2 | 22.8 | 24.5 | 25.7 | 24.9 | 22.5 | 20.7 | 18.7 |
Average sea temperature in each month, 2021–2025 (Copernicus ERA5), at each beach. Not a forecast.
Aegean Sea – Sea temperature today
Current estimates for the selected beaches, not an average for the whole sea. Sea: NASA MUR with an hourly adjustment; air: Apple Weather. The update time refers to this page, not a measurement taken in the water.
Last updated:
| All beaches | Sea (°C) | Air (°C) |
|---|---|---|
| Athens, Greece · Attica | 21.0 °C | 12 °C |
| Balos Lagoon, Greece · Crete | 21.4 °C | 18 °C |
| Bodrum, Turkey | 22.3 °C | 15 °C |
| Lindos, Greece · Rhodes | 23.2 °C | 14 °C |
| Mykonos, Greece | 20.1 °C | 17 °C |
| Santorini, Greece | 21.0 °C | 17 °C |