Imagine a climate where the summers are hot, dry and rain doesn’t even get a look in for about four months – and you’ll have the heat of a Samos summer in your head. That’s right, from June all the way through to the end of September one would be unlucky to get even one day’s worth of rain. If there is rainfall it probably would be in the form of a summer thunderstorm and wouldn’t expect to last longer than a few hours at most.

If you are coming to Samos during the summer, you should leave the coat at home and even forget about packing a cardigan or warm jumper, as the evenings during summer remain warm even into the small hours.

Samos often sees daytime highs reach around 30 °C (86 °F) during June and a degree or two hotter than that in July and August. September dips back to daytime highs of 29 °C (84 °F) and sunshine hours are here from six in the morning until 8 p.m. – that’s a staggering 14 hours a day of sunshine coupled with those very warm or even hot temperatures.

Summertime by night rarely sees the thermometer dip below 17 °C (63 °F) and throughout much of the evening you can expect it to sit at around 24 °C (75 °F). Samos makes up part of the Cyclades Islands just a few miles west of the Turkish coastline. It is the largest of these islands and a fantastic holiday destination because of the brilliant climate.

Many travellers find the autumn (fall) a more comfortable time to visit Samos. In October and November the daytime heat is tempered somewhat to make hiking, climbing and more active pastimes more bearable. October still sees daytime averages of around 22 °C (72 °F) but the sea, warmed by the baking hot summer, is still magically warm at 21 °C (70 °F). November is probably the best time for exploring the hillsides and treks around the Samos coastline. Daytime averages are at a bearable 18 °C (64 °F) and the nights cool to around 10 °C (50 °F).

It does get rather wet in Samos during the winter months of December, January and February. You will only receive around five hours of sunshine per day and daytime temperatures struggle to get up to 14 °C (57 °F) by day. It is worth noting that during the winter and spring times the sea may feel too cold to swim in. The Aegean Sea drops to around 12 °C (54 °F) in January but by the time we reach March Samos starts to rapidly warm up again.