What to pack for the Greek islands in June
June is early summer in Greece and one of the best months to go. It is hot and dry, the sea has warmed up enough to swim, and the peak-season crowds have not yet arrived in full. Athens is the hottest stop, often near 90°F, while the islands are a few degrees cooler and often breezy.
So the list is built from linen, swimwear and sun protection, with shoes that grip. The islands are steep, the paths are stone and marble polished smooth, and many beaches are pebbles rather than sand. Dinners are relaxed but people dress up a little, and churches and monasteries ask for covered shoulders and knees.
Checked
The weather
- Daytime high
- 88°F
- 31°C in Athens. The islands run a few degrees cooler.
- Overnight low
- 70°F
- 21°C. Warm enough for dinner outside.
- Sea temperature
- 73°F
- 23°C, and warming through the month.
- Daylight
- 14.5 h
- Sunset after 8:45pm. It almost never rains.
The capsule
A week, one traveler, Vineyard palette. Island white and blue, with deep red for the dinners by the water. A capsule is a few clothes in one palette (a base color, a neutral and an accent) that all go together. The full list below adds what sits outside it.
Tops
Linen shirt
Light-blue cotton shirt
Linen tank
Bottoms
Wide-leg linen pants
Denim shorts
Dresses
Linen maxi dress
Slip dress, for dinner
Shoes
Flat sandals with grip
Espadrilles
Water shoes
Three days from this capsule
Shown for one traveler. Packlier packs a capsule like this for each person on the trip.
The full list
Clothes
- Two or three swimsuits
- Beach cover-up
- Four or five light tops
- Linen pants or a long skirt
- Shorts
- A dress or outfit for dinner
- Light sweater or wrap for windy evenings and ferries
- Lightweight scarf for churches and wind
Shoes
- Flat sandals with a grippy sole
- Sneakers for the Acropolis and island hikes
- Water shoes for pebble beaches
Beach and sun
- High-SPF sunscreen
- Wide-brimmed hat that ties on
- Sunglasses
- Beach towel or sarong
- Refillable water bottle
- Dry bag for boat trips
Documents and tech
- Passport
- Ferry and site tickets, booked ahead
- Driver’s license, if renting a car or scooter
- Travel insurance details
- Card for tap-to-pay, plus euros for tavernas and kiosks
- Type C/F plug adapter (230V)
- Power bank
Health and toiletries
- After-sun lotion
- Seasickness remedy for the ferries
- Any prescriptions, in your carry-on
Gear worth the space
Flat sandals with a rubber sole
Comfortable for miles, fine at dinner, and they grip polished stone. Leather soles slide on it.
A lightweight scarf
It covers your shoulders in church, shades your neck at the ruins and keeps you warm on a windy ferry deck.
A sarong or travel towel
Beach towels are bulky, and many beaches charge for loungers. A thin cotton sarong dries in minutes and doubles as a cover-up.
A reusable water bottle
It is hot, and you will drink a lot. Refill from filtered water at your hotel rather than buying bottle after bottle.
Polished marble paths, pebble beaches and Athens near 90°F. Packlier packs your June for the shoes as much as the sun.
Tell it where, when, why, which bag and which palette, and it packs the capsule, checks it against the bag and adds everything that is not clothing. Launching this year on Android, with iOS to follow.
One email at launch, nothing else.