The Parthenon and the walls of the Acropolis in golden evening light, with the Odeon of Herodes Atticus below and Lycabettus behind

Getting married in Athens & on the Riviera

The Acropolis above the city’s rooftops, then a coast road south past beaches, coves and marinas to the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion.

Photographers When to marry here

Athens fills a wide basin between mountains, with the Acropolis — a UNESCO World Heritage site — rising in the middle and the old lanes of Plaka and Anafiotika on its slopes. To the south the city meets the sea: the Athens Riviera runs down the Saronic Gulf past Glyfada, Vouliagmeni and Varkiza, a string of beaches, rocky coves and seaside hotels, to Cape Sounion and its marble temple at the tip of Attica.

Greek couples usually marry in church, in the Orthodox rite, with two crowns joined by a ribbon. Couples from abroad more often choose a civil or symbolic ceremony — on a terrace with the Acropolis behind them, or in a garden over the sea on the Riviera — then dinner outside on a warm night.

The columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion against a low sun, with the sea beyond

A couple sitting on the cliffs at Sounion, looking out to sea

A whitewashed lane with potted plants and a tree in Anafiotika, under the Acropolis rock

Through the year

When to marry in Athens & on the Riviera

May, June and September are warm, bright and almost dry, with the sea warm enough to swim from June. July and August are hot — the city more than the coast — and in August many Athenians leave for the islands. In October the sea is still warm but the rain comes back in short spells; winter is mild and wetter. In summer the meltemi, the dry north wind of the Aegean, can blow for days at a time.

January: Quieter
February: Quieter
March: Quieter
April: Good with planning
May: Best
June: Best
July: Good with planning
August: Good with planning
September: Best
October: Good with planning
November: Quieter
December: Quieter

SpringIn March and April the bitter-orange trees along the streets are in flower and the hills around are green; the days are mild, the evenings cool and the sea still cold.
SummerLong, hot, dry days and warm nights, with dinner outside until late. The coast is cooler than the city, and the ceremony is best left to the end of the day.
AutumnSeptember keeps the summer’s warmth and a warm sea, with fewer visitors; October is softer, with the first rain and a lower, golden light.

In numbers

Hottest month, average high: August · 33.4°C; HNMS
Average high in the best months: May 25.2°C · Jun 30.3°C · Sep 29.0°C; HNMS
Days with 1 mm of rain or more, best months: May 2.3 · Jun 1.2 · Sep 1.1; WMO (NOAA)
Sunset on 21 June: 20:51 (Athens); NOAA
UNESCO World Heritage: Acropolis, Athens (1987)

Temperatures: Ellinikon, normals 1991–2020 · Rain: Ellinikon, normals 1961–1990 · Checked 15 October 2026

Places

Where couples marry here

The kinds of places — ask your photographer which ones they know well.

Terraces facing the Acropolis
Rooftop terraces in the old centre, with the Parthenon above you — floodlit after dark — for a small ceremony, drinks or dinner.
Villas and hotels on the Riviera
Gardens and terraces over the Saronic Gulf, from Vouliagmeni down towards Sounion: the ceremony, dinner and dancing by the sea.
Cape Sounion
The Temple of Poseidon on its cliff above the sea, a classic for portraits as the sun goes down. Professional photography at Greek archaeological sites needs a permit — ask your photographer.
Plaka and Anafiotika
Old lanes, whitewashed steps and small churches under the Acropolis rock — for portraits early in the morning, before the city fills.

Light

How the light falls

Athens is known for its light: clear and sharp, bright on marble and white walls. The Riviera faces south-west across the Saronic Gulf, so the sun sets over the water and its islands; at midsummer it goes down just before nine. From the hills of Filopappou and Lycabettus the Acropolis turns gold in the last hour of the day, and after dark it is lit up.

Travel

Getting there

Fly into Athens, which has direct flights from across Europe; the centre and the Riviera are each under an hour from the airport. A tram runs from the centre along the coast as far as Voula, but for Sounion and the seaside venues, plan cars or a coach for the guests. Athens is also where the ferries and short flights to the islands leave from.

Photographers