Best time to visit Chaniá

June is the best month in Chaniá, scoring 96 out of 100, with January the weakest at 53. The 43-point spread means timing is worth planning around without being decisive. 4 of the twelve months sit within ten points of the best, so there is more than one right answer.

August is the warmest month at 30.5 °C and January the coolest at 14.6 °C — a 15.9 °C spread across the year. Around 48 days a year top 30 °C, concentrated in August and the months either side.

There is a real wet season here. January, February, November and December carry the rain — up to 16 wet days in a month — while May to August drop as low as 1. That 15-day gap is the biggest single difference between a good month and a bad one in Chaniá, and it moves further than the temperature does.

The sea is comfortable for swimming in June to November — 25.9 °C at its warmest against 15.7 °C at its coldest. The water peaks a month or two after the air does, so the best swimming falls later in the year than the best weather. Daylight runs from 9.8 hours in winter to 14.5 in summer, enough to notice on a sightseeing itinerary.

The three strongest months are June, May, April. The one to think twice about is January. Each month below has its own page with rainfall reliability, extremes, daylight, sea temperature and crowd levels.

Chaniá month by month