wakeupstokedI first saw Drepano in the beautiful instagram pics of pro kiters – and saved the locations for later. It is definitely the spot with the most constant, non-gusty wind and the most perfect flatwater I have experienced ever! Plus on the mainland around the Peleponnes it is the one which is most likely to have wind due to the venturi effect and since it works with almost every wind direction. But just see for yourself: By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
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Pros & Cons of Kitesurfing in Drepano, Greece
+ butterflat playground which is perfect for freestyling
+ clear water, nice scenery with the sand strip
+ stable wind, 300 days of wind a year (if you’re right at the spot and catch it)
– it gets crowded here on the weekends in summer
– there are sea urchins so if you are a beginner bring neoprene boots or rent some
– the factory isn’t the nicest sight but the water is super clear anyway
General infos for kitesurfing in Drepano, Greece (Wind, Water Temperature and Water Condition)
Best Wind/When to go:
Drepano has around 300 windy days a year – but windy can sometimes also mean that you have a 1 or 2-hour-window in which you can kite so you have the best chances in late spring – summer (April, May, June, July) or early autumn (September, October).
Water Temperature:
Shorty from June – September. Long Wetsuit in the other months.
Water Condition:
butterflat, the more you go downwind (since it’s offshore) the choppier it gets.
Beginner friendly?
If you learn with a school and have the rescue boat included, then yes. If you can’t stay upwind or are not really feeling safe, definitely get in touch with one of the kite schools there before hitting the water.
How to get to Drepano, Greece, and get around
The easiest solution to get there is fly to Athens and then get a rental car. Around a 2-hour ride later you’ll be at the spot. You’ll definitely need a car since there is no accommodation right at the spot – unless you organize it with one of the kite schools and get a transfer from them every day.
If you’re coming from the South of Germany, check out the Ryan Air flights from Memmingen to Athens, it’s usually much cheaper than everything else! I always book my rental car via Rental Cars or billiger mietwagen (German Site, you can cancel up to 24 hrs before).
If you’re traveling by ferry, Patras is just a 30 minute car ride from Drepano.
If you’re staying in Athens and want to see/kite the spot just for a day, check out Kitesurf in Athens or Kite in Athens who offer day trips to Drepano.
Spot details for Drepano, Greece
With West or East wind you have the perfect butterflat playground since the “sand” bank (at low tide) and the offshore wind make a perfect combination. Since the butterflat part is a bit limited, you’ll circle around meaning that you’ll kite „in“ towards the beach, do your jump, then ride back out downwind. This way even with limited space everyone has fun.
Kite Rescue and Rental
The kite schools both have a rescue boat during “normal” hours in the season and non-rainy days. If there is no good forecast or it is early in the morning (where I scored my best sessions) you don’t have a rescue boat 😉
There is no possibility to rent equipment right at the spot so arrange it with one of the kite schools beforehand.
The atmosphere at the spot
Depending on the time of the year you’ll be visiting, you might be one of the few tourists among the Greek riders or be lucky enough to share the water with some of the international pro riders who come to visit like Youri Zoon, Hannah Whiteley or Paula Novotna.
How to read the wind forecast for Drepano
The wind forecasts can’t really read the local wind effects so basically when you have West wind, no rain and 8 – 10 kts forecasted you have a good chance of getting wind! I’ve even had days with 20 – 30 knots when only 3 – 4 kts where forecasted! East wind also works good (the flat is on the other side) but is a bit more unreliable
Live wind forecast for Drepano
You can also check the live wind station at the Rio bridge and approximately convert the wind, which is shown in km/h to knots.
Kite schools close to Drepano, Greece
Kitesurf Greece is teaching on and renting Slingshot equipment in Drepano “town”. They also have a small shop if you need something.
Where to stay in Drepano, Greece
There are some airbnb apartments around the area (get a 35 Euro voucher for airbnb using this link if you’re not registered there yet) or check booking for apartment options close to Rio.
Where to eat around Drepano, Greece
At the spot there is nothing but The Spot in Drepano town now offers free delivery and they have drinks and hot/cold food – my favorite are the Acai Bowls (they import it directly from Brazil) as well as the yoghurt with nuts and dried fruits.
There are a lot of small villages around, we’ve been to and enjoyed Agkistri (fish restaurant) and To Kentro (meat restaurant) in Psathopyrgos, which is simple but good, or Naut-oiko in Rio which had really nice food.
Patra also has a lot of restaurants if you want to explore the city a bit.
No-Wind-Activities
Sports activities
You can rent a bike or SUP and explore the area a bit. If you need some proper movement check out Evathlon fitness, they have some nice group classes as well, I got a ticket for visiting 5 times for 30 Euro.
Towns/cities close by
Visiting Nafpaktos (30 min ride) is definitely worth the ride over the Rio Bridge (tolls are 13 Euro, they give you a card and if you return within 4 hours you only pay the toll one time), walking around the castle and enjoying some good food in town.
Patras (30 min ride from Drepano) was nicer than expected and is worth visiting for a non-windy afternoon.
Digital Nomad factor in Drepano, Greece
Let’s put it this way: unless you coincidentally bump into another kitesurf-addicted digital nomad, the chances of meeting another remote worker are… zero (unless you met me, haha). Still, if you don’t mind having perfect kitesurfing conditions and not being in the digital nomad bubble but rather the Greek kitesurf community, you’ll enjoy the easy lifestyle here.
Mobile Internet
I freakin’ love the mobile internet in Greece! It’s pretty cheap and until now worked at all the spots I tried it, including Drepano. Prices with Cosmote are pretty cheap (they currently have an offer where you top up something and get double credit) so I only worked with mobile internet the whole time I was there – and it was a very intense one with uploading bigger data packages but it still worked fine. If you know someone who is speaking Greek, you can also download their App “What’s Up” and top up your internet (and credit) via App easily.
> Ready to travel to Drepano?
Check out these posts on how to travel best with kite equipment or this one on how to pack.
> Do you need more spot inspiration?
Check out my personal favorite spots I’ve seen so far or the kite bucket list for adventurers.
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