Winter town. Tavernas open in the evening; breakfast is hard. That asymmetry is the single most useful thing to know about out-of-season Skiathos.
Resort infrastructure is shut. Beach bars, sunbed operations, watersports and boat trips are all closed until the season restarts, and the island bus season does not open again until 1 May. International charter flights finished in mid-October, so December is domestic flights and the year-round ferries.
The island runs on its winter population of roughly 5,000 people, mostly around the old harbour. Supermarkets keep reduced hours, some tavernas open every day, and the seafront kafenia carry on.
Christmas and New Year are a town experience rather than a coastal one. The harbour front is where it happens.
Early December is when flights are at their cheapest of the year, which is the practical reason people pick this month over January or February.
Crowds: Empty. Prices: Cheapest flights, early December.
