12 Amazing Places to Visit in Greece This Winter (in 2026-2027)

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Greece in winter is a completely different country from the one you see in summer, and I think it’s the better version. The beaches empty out, the mountains fill up with snow, and the ancient sites that draw millions of visitors in July become peaceful enough to explore at your own pace. I’ve spent enough winters here to know that the colder months reveal a side of Greece that the peak-season crowds never get to experience.

Below, I’ve mapped out the best places to visit in Greece in the winter. There’s everything from ski resorts in the Pindus Mountains to centuries-old carnivals and lakeside towns in the north. These are all destinations I’ve visited and would happily recommend, with updated details on opening times, festivals, and seasonal highlights for the 2026-2027 winter season.

Top Destinations in Greece this Winter at a Glance

I’ve visited a lot of places in Greece during the winter over the years. The five destinations below are the ones I find myself recommending again and again. Each one offers something different, from underground wine cellars to ancient ruins under snow to some of the best street food in the country.

1. Metsovo: A Pindus Mountains village with great skiing, stone tavernas, and guided cellar tours at Katogi Averoff Winery.
2. Delphi: The ancient sanctuary of Apollo under snow, with the crowds gone and the mountain views wide open.
3. Thessaloniki: The best eating city in Greece, a strong film festival in November, and winter views to Mount Olympus from the waterfront.
4. Arachova: Greece’s answer to a chic ski town, with 23 runs on Parnassus and lively bars and restaurants in the village below.
5. Kastoria: A northern Greece lakeside town with Byzantine churches, the Ragoutsaria winter carnival, and the Dragon’s Cave.

I’ve added a map (in the introductory section above) with pins for every destination in this guide so you can visualize the layout and plan a route. Delphi and Arachova are 10 minutes apart, and several of the northern picks (Metsovo, Zagori, Kastoria) work well as a combined road trip through Epirus and Macedonia.

1. Metsovo

Perched in the Pindus Mountains, Metsovo is the Greek winter trip people don’t know they’re missing. I’d recommend it to skiers, food lovers, and anyone who wants snow without leaving the Mediterranean. The Anilio Ski Center sits just a 15-to-20-minute drive from town at 1,650 to 1,850 meters. There’s nine slopes across all ability levels, a ski school, equipment rentals, sledding areas, and the stone-and-wood Chalet Chamois looking out over the runs. It generally opens mid-December and stays running through late March or early April depending on snowfall.

Once you’ve had enough of the slopes, drive back into the village and head straight to Katogi Averoff Winery for a guided tour of the underground cellars. Open daily all winter, they’re a pioneer of high-altitude Greek viticulture. The tastings pair their wines with local metsovone cheese. Between the skiing, the cellar tours, and the fireside taverna evenings in the village, Metsovo has become one of my favorite winter recommendations in Greece.

2. Zagori

Zagori is a cluster of 46 traditional villages scattered across the Epirus region. In winter, it becomes one of the most dramatic landscapes in Greece. The star attraction is Vikos Gorge, recognized as one of the deepest gorges relative to its width in the world.

You don’t need to tackle the full summer trekking routes to appreciate it either. Panoramic viewpoints like Oxya and Beloi are accessible in winter and give you jaw-dropping views of snow-covered cliff faces dropping away beneath you. Access depends on weather conditions, but on a clear day, there’s nothing else like it in the country.

I’d base yourself in Papigo or Monodendri, where stone-built guesthouses with fireplaces and slow-cooked local food make the evenings as good as the days. Don’t miss the Kokkorou Bridge, a single-arch stone bridge built in 1750 that spans the Voidomatis River between Koukouli, Dilofo, and Kipi. It’s one of the most photographed bridges in Epirus, and in fresh snow it looks like something from another century. If you want winter hiking, dramatic gorge views, and villages where time moves at a different pace, Zagori is where I’d go.

3. Patras

Patras earns its spot on this list for one reason above all others: the Patras Carnival. Running from January 17 through March 14 in 2027, it’s the biggest carnival celebration in Greece and one of the oldest in Europe. There’s street parades, elaborate float processions, live music, the famous “Hidden Treasure” game, and a grand finale where the Carnival King is burned at the harbor. If you’re in Greece anytime during that window, it’s a detour you won’t regret. The energy in the streets is infectious!

Outside of carnival season, Patras still holds up as a winter city break. The Patras Castle, built in the 6th century on the ancient acropolis, has pine-shaded walking trails and panoramic views across the Gulf to Central Greece that sharpen up beautifully on a clear winter day. It’s open Wednesday to Monday, 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. For a rainy afternoon, the Archaeological Museum of Patras is one of the best in the country. You’ll find exhibits spanning the Mycenaean period through late Roman times, including elaborate mosaics uncovered from ancient Patras villas. Open daily, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

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4. Mount Olympus

You can’t make a list of the best places to visit in Greece in the winter and leave out Mount Olympus. The mythical home of Zeus and the highest peak in the country is a completely different experience under snow. Litochoro, the town at its base, is the perfect place to settle in. There’s traditional Macedonian stone streets, a central square lined with cafes, and mountain tavernas serving goat stew, wild greens, and hot tea after a day outdoors.

The summit is off-limits in winter, but that doesn’t mean you’re short on things to do. The national park remains open and the Enipeas Gorge trails are beautiful in the cold months. For skiiers, the Elatochori Ski Center on the nearby Pierian Mountains has 10 slopes at 1,400 to 1,850 meters, rentals, lessons, and a warm mountain chalet overlooking the runs. It’s open daily from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM through the season, depending on snow cover. There’s something about standing at the base of Olympus watching clouds swirl around its peaks that hits differently in winter. The crowds are gone, the air is sharp, and the mythology feels a lot closer.

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5. Pelion Peninsula

Most winter destinations give you either mountains or coast. The Pelion Peninsula gives you both, and that’s exactly why it’s one of my top recommendations for places to visit in Greece in the winter. Makrinitsa, the “Balcony of Pelion,” is a vehicle-free stone village clinging to the mountainside with sweeping views over Volos and the gulf. Wander the cobblestone paths between grand old mansions, then settle into the central square under the plane trees for hot mountain tea. Portaria, right next door, brings boutique guesthouses, good restaurants, and the Centaurs’ Path trail along winter streams.

Up at nearly 1,500 meters near the village of Chania, the Agriolefkes Ski Center has something almost no other resort can offer: panoramic views of two seas from the slopes. You look one way and see the Aegean, turn around and there’s the Pagasetic Gulf. It has runs for every level, chairlifts, equipment rentals, and a mountain chalet. Open daily during the season, typically December through March. I recommend Pelion to anyone who wants their Greek winter trip to feel varied. You go from skiing to seaside views to fireside dinners in a stone village, all in the same day, all on the same peninsula.

6. Delphi

I’ve visited Delphi in summer and winter, and winter wins every time. The sanctuary of Apollo is built into the slopes of Mount Parnassus. When the peaks are covered in snow and mist drifts through the pine trees along the Sacred Way, the atmosphere is extraordinary. You climb past ancient treasuries, past the Temple of Apollo where six Doric columns still stand and the Pythia once delivered prophecies to pilgrims from across the ancient world, up to an amphitheater and a stadium at the top with views across the valley. In winter, you might have the whole path to yourself. The site is open daily, with winter hours sometimes shortened to 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

The Archaeological Museum of Delphi is right next to the site and well worth an hour or two, especially on a cold afternoon. Arachova, the chic mountain village just 10 minutes down the road, has excellent food and makes a great base for the night. I’d recommend Delphi to anyone who cares about history but hates feeling herded through a site on someone else’s schedule. Winter gives you the space to slow down, read the plaques, sit on the theater steps, and feel the weight of a place that shaped the ancient world.

7. Arachova

I’d describe Arachova as Greece’s answer to a chic European ski town. It sits on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, 10 minutes from Delphi. In winter, it transforms into a buzzing weekend destination full of well-dressed Athenians, excellent restaurants, and late-night bars. The village itself is beautiful: stone buildings stacked up the hillside, boutique hotels with fireplaces, and the smell of warm rakomelo drifting out of every other doorway. Formaela cheese and trahana soup are the local orders.

Up the mountain, the Parnassos Ski Centre is the biggest resort in the country, reaching 2,260 meters across the Kellaria and Fterolaka sectors. There’s twenty-three runs, 13 lifts, rentals, lessons, and chalets with panoramic views. It’s open daily from around December through April, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. And if you want a break from the slopes, the Corycian Cave high on Parnassus is an ancient sacred cavern dedicated to Pan and the Corycian Nymphs, full of stalactites and reachable by winter hike or 4×4 when snow levels allow. Arachova offers skiing, great nightlife, and mythological side trips all within a few kilometers of each other.

8. Kalavryta

Kalavryta is a small Peloponnese mountain town that punches well above its weight in winter. The Kalavryta Ski Center on Mount Chelmos sits at 1,700 to 2,340 meters with 13 slopes, snow parks, snowmobiling, gear rentals, and lessons. It’s open daily through the season, typically December to April.

Off the slopes, two things make Kalavryta one of my favorite winter destinations in Greece. The Odontotos Rack Railway has been running since 1896 and winds through the Vouraikos Gorge from coastal Diakopto up to Kalavryta, passing winter waterfalls, snow-dusted cliffs, and thick pine forest. Multiple daily departures run year-round. Then there’s the Mega Spilaion Monastery, founded in 362 AD, built eight stories high into a vertical cliff face inside a cave. It’s open daily, 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Few places anywhere in Greece give you this much range in a single weekend!

9. Nafplio

Winter in Nafplio feels like having one of Greece’s best towns to yourself. The Venetian old town, the harbor, the seaside promenade, the cafes: all still open, all still beautiful, but without the summer tourist traffic. The weather stays mild enough to eat outdoors on a good day, and the atmosphere tips from busy resort town to something calmer and more local.

Climb the 999 steps up to Palamidi Fortress on a crisp morning. This 18th-century Venetian fortress perches 216 meters above the Argolic Gulf, and in winter, the views from the top are sharp and unobstructed. You can also drive to the upper entrance if the steps aren’t your thing. It’s open daily, with winter hours sometimes shortened to 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Nafplio doubles as a base for day trips to Epidaurus, Mycenae, and the Nemea wine region. I’d recommend it to couples or anyone who wants a slower, warmer alternative to the mountain destinations elsewhere on this list.

10. Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is where I’d recommend for a Greek winter city break, and the food is the main reason. Start your morning at Bougatsa Bantis, a family-run spot open since 1969 that serves bougatsa: crisp phyllo filled with semolina custard, dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon. It’s the definitive cold-morning breakfast here. For dinner, head to Oinopoleion in the Ladadika district. It’s a traditional tsipouradiko, where you order rounds of tsipouro or wine and the kitchen sends out whatever they’re cooking that day. Expect seasonal seafood, small plates, and fried dishes that build from light to rich as the evening rolls on.

On the waterfront, the White Tower is the city’s 15th-century Ottoman landmark, with a city history museum inside and winter views from the top balcony across the Thermaic Gulf to snow-covered Mount Olympus. If you’re here in November, the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival runs November 5 to 15, 2026. You’ll enjoy premieres and screenings in historic theaters and converted port warehouses across the city. Thessaloniki eats well, stays lively through winter, and costs less than Athens, which makes it one of my favorite Greek city recommendations any time of year!

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11. Athens

If you only visit one Greek city in winter, make it Athens. The Acropolis in the cooler months, without the crushing summer heat and tour-group congestion, is how the site should be experienced. You can walk the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaea, and Temple of Athena Nike at a pace that lets you appreciate what you’re looking at. It’s open daily, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, in winter.

Aside from the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and the National Archaeological Museum are both excellent for a cold or rainy afternoon. I’d spend time in Plaka for the old-town atmosphere, Psiri for good eating and drinking, and Exarchia for something grittier and more local. Athens has more going on culturally and historically than Thessaloniki, though Thessaloniki edges it for food and nightlife.

If you’re a runner or want to be in the city during a big event, the Athens Marathon takes place November 7 to 8, 2026. It folows the historic route from the town of Marathon to the ancient marble Panathenaic Stadium in the city center. Even if you’re not running, the atmosphere around the finish line is fantastic. I’d recommend Athens and Thessaloniki as a combined trip if you have a week. Fly into one, take the train to the other, and you’ll see two very different sides of Greece in winter.

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12. Kastoria

I keep recommending Kastoria because it gives you a side of Greece that very few visitors ever see. The town wraps around a peninsula in Lake Orestiada, with Byzantine churches, grand Ottoman mansions, and misty lakeside paths that feel a world away from the islands and the big cities. It’s ideal for history lovers, photographers, and anyone who enjoys traveling somewhere they’ll have largely to themselves.

The big winter event is the Ragoutsaria Festival, running January 6 to 8, 2027. It’s a raucous centuries-old Epiphany carnival where masked locals dance through the streets to brass bands and the Doltso quarter turns into an open-air celebration. It’s raw and fun and completely unlike the more commercialized festivals further south. Make time for the Dragon’s Cave on the lakeshore as well: seven underground lakes, ten chambers, thousands of stalactites, and floating footbridges through the whole network. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

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