My work is paying for me to head to Europe in early June and I intend to tack on a few days (up to a week) holidays once the work bit is over so I am looking for tips on good places to go kitesurfing in Europe. I am going to be in Bulgaria (just north of Greece and Turkey) for work so I was thinking maybe heading to Greece or Turkey to kitesurf would be best. I have to go home via London so I could alternatively take a stop-over there and go to Spain or Portugal instead? I am an intermediate kiter who tends to favour being in the waves rather than flat water tricks - but I am open to any good kitesurfing experience. Basically I would be keen on improving my skills while I am there so some lessons would be good too. So, my desires are: A decent place with good chance of good winds in early June plus a kitesurfing school and a good vibe (and not too crowded). Any suggestions?

Thanks for the link re Dahab. Looks good. Have you been there yourself?

Thanks for the tip re Paros and Naxos. Confirms what I had seen on the net but it is always better to trust first hand experience. I remember going to Paros (before Kitesurfing was invented!) way back at the end of the eighties and it was a beaut little spot back then.

Best thing to do is hire a quad bike when you get there. You can load your gear on the rack and go searching for spots.

Paros was pretty flat when I was there but it was tail end of the season. Naxos is not flat but the beaches are nicer and you are a bit further away from the crowds.

I have the Wind and Kitesurf guide to Europe. If I remember to dig it out I'll scan the pages on Paros and Naxos for you.

Chris, regarding Dahab. I have been there but didn't actually kite. I didn't have my gear with me at the time as I was backpacking through Egypt. I can tell you though that you couldn't hire gear without taking lessons. Not sure if things have changed since then (2006). My advice would be to take your own.

Wind is on there pretty much all the time but it depends what you're chasing for conditions. The lagoon they talk of is ridiculously shallow (just over ankle deep for the main part) and not very big. The ocean is split up and the windsurfers have the pick of the area. There is a windsurfing centre there and they pretty much run the show. In short the kiters get the choppy stuff in the bay. There are no waves as such and the flat water is hogged by the poleys. But if you are after plenty of wind and don't mind choppy conditions then it would be alright.

Plenty of cheap accomodation and some pretty sweet places right on the red sea to chill and have a couple of Stellas. Penguin Village is chill.

Diving is huge there and if you're after other things you can arrange a trip to climb Mt. Sinai.

lostinlondon said...

Paros was pretty flat when I was there but it was tail end of the season. Naxos is not flat but the beaches are nicer and you are a bit further away from the crowds.

Yeah, by the end of the season when the winds speeds starts do drop below 20knots it flattens out a bit and gets really nice, mid-season we usually had winds of 25 knots plus. There are a couple of 30x30meter spots of flat water even in those winds but that is usually full of us instructors teaching and you are not allowed to kite there. I agree, Naxos has much nicer beaches and I like that island more overall. wicked place.

In my opinion Spain and Portugal could be a good option.
The most popular spot in Spain, where every year a lot of people are going to do kite and windsurf is TARIFA. Tarifa is a small city in the South of Spain and everybody in Spain and maybe Europe know this place for the wind. In June Tarifa can have a lot of days which people can do kite, but in some days the wind can be so strong (40 or 50 knots). In this case you can go 30km from Tarifa and maybe there is a little bit less (30 or 35 knots). Or maybe you have good luck and in the week that you want to go is PONIENTE (wind blowing from the WEST) and it is perfect for sail (15-25 knots). The nightlife, food and people maybe is another good reason to go to Tarifa.
Another good place is Canary Island, also Spain. From Jun to Sep is a good season to do kite or windsurf. Around 70% days the wind is > 14 knots. My favorite island is FUERTEVENTURA.
If you have any question about Spain you can ask me whatever you want.

Hey guys, just to let you know that I went to Naxos and it was great. I stayed at a specialist kite-surfing hotel (Orkos Beach Hotel) right on Orkos Beach in Mikri Vigla on Naxos. It was a good spot to kite, plenty of room, good strong winds all day (side to on-shore) and 100 metre walk back to the 'kite cafe' at the Hotel to 'refuel' (and sample the Mojitos at the end of the day). Best part was the people - really friendly and all there to kite. I can highly recommend it. Now for some fun in the waves back in Perth...

Chris O (old & crusty) said...

Hey guys, just to let you know that I went to Naxos and it was great. I stayed at a specialist kite-surfing hotel (Orkos Beach Hotel) right on Orkos Beach in Mikri Vigla on Naxos. It was a good spot to kite, plenty of room, good strong winds all day (side to on-shore) and 100 metre walk back to the 'kite cafe' at the Hotel to 'refuel' (and sample the Mojitos at the end of the day). Best part was the people - really friendly and all there to kite. I can highly recommend it. Now for some fun in the waves back in Perth...

Sweet. Naxos is awesome! I'm glad you had a good time and didn't go off to somewhere like Tarifa and surround yourself with fat English Chavs.