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Visiting Ikaria in March

BySunMed Guide

Visiting Ikaria in March

Weather in March: Average high 15.4°C, 45mm rainfall.

# Ikaria in March: Honestly, It’s a Bit Rough

Look, I love Ikaria. But March is when that love gets tested.

The island in early spring sits somewhere between dormant and waking up, and it hasn’t quite decided which. Temperatures average around 15°C, which sounds reasonable until you factor in the wind coming off the Aegean. That wind is relentless and damp, and with 45mm of rain spread across the month, you’ll get proper grey, squally days where the clouds sit so low they eat the hillsides entirely. It’s atmospheric if you’re in the right mood. Miserable if you’re not.

The crowds are essentially nonexistent. This is simultaneously the best and worst thing about visiting now. You’ll have the thermal pools at Therma almost entirely to yourself, which is genuinely wonderful – sitting in those sulphur springs while rain speckles the surface around you is a strange, memorable experience. But most tavernas are shuttered, the ferry schedules are reduced and unreliable, and entire villages feel genuinely abandoned. Some of the better-known places for food simply won’t open until late April or May. You’re not getting a quiet version of the summer experience – you’re getting a different island entirely.

What is open tends to be local and unpretentious. Small kafeneions serving the village elders, a bakery, maybe one family taverna. If you speak any Greek or have patience and goodwill, this can be charming. The hiking trails are green and dramatic right now, and the wildflowers are starting. The famous Raches villages have a certain eerie beauty when empty.

**Is it worth it?** For most people wanting a Greek island holiday, genuinely no. Wait for May.

But if you’re a hiker, a person who actively enjoys off-season melancholy, someone writing something, or someone specifically coming for the thermal waters without wanting to share them – March has a rough, honest appeal that summer Ikaria can’t offer.

**Practical tip:** Book accommodation directly by phone and confirm the day before. Several places listed online simply won’t answer, or will have quietly pushed their opening date back a week.

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