1 May is the date the season turns on. The island bus starts running, every 30 minutes at first, tightening through the month. That single change makes Skiathos workable without a car.
Most hotels and tavernas are open by mid-month, and some charter routes start, so getting here stops being domestic flights and ferries only. Mid-May is the start of the season proper, which runs to mid-October.
Beach bars and sunbed operations come back through the month rather than all at once, so the remoter north-coast beaches are the last to open. On the south coast the organised beaches are running.
The sea is 18°C. That is swimmable, and it is cooler than October's 21°C, because water lags air by about two months.
The meltemi, the dry northerly wind, does not start until June, so May is calmer for boat trips than midsummer.
Crowds: Quiet to moderate. Prices: Moderate — good value.
