Heraklion vs Paphos: which is sunnier?
🇬🇷 Greece vs 🇨🇾 Cyprus · 669 km apart · long-term climate normals (NASA POWER, 2001–2020)
Paphos is the sunnier overall: about 3,248 hours of sunshine a year to Heraklion's 2,929. Paphos has the higher Sunshine Score in 8 of 12 months; the other 4 are within 2 points.
Scores are the 0–100 Sunshine Score — sunshine, daytime warmth and dryness in one number, per month.
At a glance
| Heraklion | Paphos | |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine hours / year | 2,929 | 3,248 |
| Sunniest month | July (96/100) | July (98/100) |
| Nov–Feb average score | 60/100 | 67/100 |
| Jun–Aug average score | 96/100 | 97/100 |
| Rain / year | 463 mm | 423 mm |
| Warmest sea | 28°C / 82°F | 29°C / 84°F |
| Peak midday UV | 9 (very high) | 10 (very high) |
Heraklion vs Paphos month by month
| Month | Sunshine Score | Day high °C | Rain mm | Sea °C | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heraklion | Paphos | Heraklion | Paphos | Heraklion | Paphos | Heraklion | Paphos | |
| January | 47 | 54 | 15° | 16° | 88 | 94 | 17° | 20° |
| February | 48 | 58 | 15° | 16° | 75 | 65 | 17° | 19° |
| March | 66 | 69 | 17° | 17° | 42 | 38 | 17° | 18° |
| April | 84 | 87 | 19° | 19° | 23 | 21 | 18° | 20° |
| May | 94 | 96 | 23° | 22° | 15 | 15 | 20° | 21° |
| June | 95 | 97 | 26° | 25° | 5 | 5 | 24° | 26° |
| July | 96 | 98 | 28° | 28° | 2 | 3 | 27° | 27° |
| August | 96 | 97 | 29° | 28° | 4 | 5 | 28° | 29° |
| September | 93 | 97 | 27° | 27° | 18 | 9 | 26° | 28° |
| October | 88 | 93 | 23° | 25° | 46 | 27 | 24° | 26° |
| November | 86 | 90 | 20° | 22° | 59 | 46 | 21° | 23° |
| December | 60 | 67 | 17° | 18° | 86 | 95 | 19° | 21° |
The sunnier month by month: Jan Paphos · Feb Paphos · Mar Paphos · Apr Paphos · May even · Jun even · Jul even · Aug even · Sep Paphos · Oct Paphos · Nov Paphos · Dec Paphos.
When to pick which
- November–February: Paphos (average score 67/100 vs 60). Daytime highs are similar (17°C vs 18°C). See the winter sun ranking.
- March–May: Paphos (average score 84/100 vs 81). Daytime highs are similar (20°C vs 19°C).
- June–August: too close to call — Heraklion averages 96/100, Paphos 97/100. Daytime highs are similar (28°C vs 27°C).
- September–October: Paphos (average score 95/100 vs 91). Daytime highs are similar (25°C vs 26°C).
Sea temperature
Paphos's sea gets warmer: 29°C / 84°F at its peak vs 28°C. Swimmable water (21°C+): Heraklion about 6 months a year, Paphos about 8 months a year. Month-by-month sea temperatures are in the table above.
Full month-by-month guides: Heraklion weather by month · Paphos weather by month · Best time to visit Greece · Best time to visit Cyprus.
More comparisons: Heraklion vs Palma de Mallorca · Heraklion vs Chaniá · Heraklion vs Karpathos · Paphos vs Alexandria · Paphos vs Alanya (Gazipaşa) · Paphos vs Tenerife · all head-to-heads