⚠️ The 2027 alert: five holidays in a row (30 April – 4 May)
Five public holidays in a row. With 1 May falling on a Saturday (and Holy Saturday), Labour Day is moved to Tuesday the 4th — which welds the whole block together. For anyone arriving in late April 2027 imagining a quiet pre-season, it's the opposite: banks and public services closed, most shops closed, and all Greece on the move to the villages for Easter — flights, ferries, car rentals and hotels saturated. It is also, conversely, the most spectacular week of the year to experience on the ground: the Epitaphios procession, the midnight Resurrection, spit-roast lamb. If you're aiming for these dates, book months ahead; if you want calm, shift them.
Movable feasts (tied to Orthodox Easter)
Carnival Sunday (not a public holiday but widely celebrated) precedes Clean Monday: 22 February 2026, 14 March 2027.
Fixed holidays (every year)
What closes (and what stays open)
Closed
- Banks and public services
- Government offices
- Most shops and supermarkets
- Many museums and sites (check)
- Reduced public transport
Open (often)
- On-duty pharmacies
- Many tavernas and cafés
- Kiosks (periptera)
- Shops in tourist zones in season
Around Easter, expect several days of widespread closures. The major sites (Knossos) and museums keep special hours on public holidays — check before you set off.
Frequently asked questions
When is Orthodox Easter in Greece in 2026 and 2027?
12 April 2026 and, exceptionally late, 2 May 2027. It's a movable feast: all the other spring dates (Clean Monday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday) key off it.
Why are there five holidays in a row in early May 2027?
Because Easter (2 May) chains Good Friday (30 April), Holy Saturday (1 May, coinciding with Labour Day) and Easter Monday (3 May). With 1 May on a weekend, Labour Day is moved to Tuesday the 4th — hence a five-day block from 30 April to 4 May. That shift is expected but formalised each year by ministerial decision.
What closes on public holidays in Greece?
Banks, public services and most shops and supermarkets close. Many museums and sites keep special hours. Staying open: on-duty pharmacies, many tavernas and cafés, kiosks, and shops in tourist zones in season.
Should you avoid Crete during Orthodox Holy Week?
No if you want to experience it: it's the most intense and beautiful moment of the year, provided you book months ahead and accept the closures. Yes if you want a calm, cheap pre-season: shift by one to two weeks.
Are the 2027 dates final?
The fixed holidays are; the movable dates follow the Orthodox Easter calculation. The shift of a holiday falling on a weekend (like 1 May 2027) is set each year by ministerial decision: expected, but to be confirmed. Official calendars note that dates may be adjusted.
Checked 16 August 2026. Fixed feasts are stable; movable dates follow the Orthodox Easter calendar. The shift of a holiday falling on a weekend (e.g. 1 May 2027) is set each year by ministerial decision — expected but to be confirmed. Sources: official Greek calendars.