Agios Andreas Kynourias & Astros

Agios Andreas KynouriasAstros

1. 

   Agios Andreas Kynourias

   sea

   Agios Andreas is a small stone-built village on the Kynouria coast of eastern Arcadia, about 6 km up the coast from Paralio Astros, where the Vrisiatis river meets the sea.

   intermediateadvancedok rigging room

   In seasonno month named for this spot

   The model here carries the month's average wind rather than a count of windy days: it reaches 9.5 kt in July, the strongest month it models for this spot.

   Agios Andreas Kynourias: the long version, the launch and the rules

   More on Agios Andreas Kynourias

   It is not one beach: Mylos is a pebbled shore named for the ruins of an old windmill that still stands in the water, and Cherronissi lies just north of the village. Both hold Blue Flag status. The defining condition is south-to-southeast wind and the coastline is listed for kitesurfing and windsurfing, but no wind speeds, no calendar of working months and no rider-level rating have been published for it. A group of Astros residents was reportedly forming a nautical club at the old customs building on the harbor, planning kite, windsurf, rafting and kayak lessons for the whole of Arcadia alongside diving and rowing; whether it is running now is unconfirmed. Six kilometers south, Kallisto, the main beach at Paralio Astros, is already organized, with kitesurf and windsurf running there alongside jet-ski and beach volleyball, which makes it the better first stop for local knowledge. Treat Agios Andreas as a river-mouth open-coast launch for a self-sufficient intermediate: the windmill remains sit in the water off Mylos, and swimmers use the beach right through the summer.

   Getting on the water

   Beach launch on the Agios Andreas/Mylos coastline, roughly 6 km along the coast north of Paralio Astros.

   Rules and access

   No kite ordinance specific to North Kynouria or Agios Andreas exists as of 2026. What applies is the national General Port Regulation No. 20 (Government Gazette B' 444 of 26 April 1999, the instrument still in force after later amendments). Under it: no riding before sunrise or after sunset; stay at least 200 m off the shoreline and 200 m from swimmers, anchored boats, buoys and other obstacles; do not go more than 1 nautical mile out; keep 1 nautical mile clear of port and marina entrances, a distance the local port authority can cut to 500 m; keep a clear 100 m radius when you launch. Helmet, harness with hook, line-cutting knife, quick-release and a personal flotation device are compulsory, and a wetsuit is compulsory from 15 October to 15 May. Under-16s may not ride; 14- and 15-year-olds may with parental consent, proven swimming ability and supervision. Riding in more than 6 Beaufort without lifeguard cover, or in onshore wind with no motorised rescue craft nearby, is also out.

   Everything on Agios Andreas Kynourias

2. 

   Astros

   sea · beginner ok

   Astros, which riders usually call Paralio Astros or just Portes, is a Peloponnese spot on the Argolic Gulf: tide independent, chop with small to medium waves.

   intermediateadvancedmedium rigging room

   In seasonMar to Oct

   1. JanJ21
   2. FebF4
   3. Mar, riders' monthM19
   4. Apr, riders' monthA15
   5. May, riders' monthM8
   6. Jun, riders' monthJ7
   7. Jul, riders' monthJ2
   8. Aug, riders' monthA5
   9. Sep, riders' monthS7
   10. Oct, riders' monthO2
   11. NovN18
   12. DecD11

   modelled: days with three hours in a row at 12 kt or more, between 06:00 and 19:00 local

   Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

   Astros: the long version, the launch and the rules

   More on Astros

   The summer engine is a thermal that fills in around 3 pm and runs about 13-15 knots, enough for a long freeride session; winter brings frontal days from the north and the southeast instead. The beach is long, and away from Paralio Astros there are wide empty sections, but July and August load the stretch near town with swimmers and holiday traffic. Portes, south of the village, is coarse sand and pebbles, with deep, cool, clear water. SE is the main direction with N a good second, and the spot also turns up under Arcadia with an N-NE reading, so ask somebody before you rig. West wind is the one to respect: extremely strong and offshore, advanced riders only. On an ordinary day there are very few locals out, maybe around 20 kites at the height of summer. March through October is the season.

   Getting on the water

   Launch from the long beach around Paralio Astros/Portes, selecting the section that matches the day's wind and avoids tourist/swimmer concentrations near town.

   If it goes wrong

   Rescue and lifeguard cover appear among the beach facilities, but nothing confirms they are staffed outside the July-August swimming season or that they extend to a kiter offshore. Treat it as a swimming-beach service, not as kite cover. The coast guard emergency number in Greece is 108, and 112 works for everything.

   Rules and access

   Greek national kitesurf rules also prohibit kitesurfing before sunrise/after sunset, in adverse weather, beyond 1 nautical mile from shore, within 200 m of swimmers, anchored boats, reefs/islets/buoys/other obstacles, and within 200 m of shore except where allowed beyond swim-zone buoys; launching requires a clear 100 m radius. No current North Kynouria municipal kite-zone map was found.

   Everything on Astros

Kite bag rules for your airline

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Known for Greece:Ryanair

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

1. Portes is the beach the kite footage keeps coming from, and it has been filmed there on and off for close to two decades, including recent drone coverage.

   consensus×4 riders

2. The wind here is a thermal, not a gradient breeze: it comes up around midday and runs to six or seven in the evening, so the question people ask each other in spring is whether the thermal has started yet, not what the forecast says.

   consensus×3 riders

3. High-resolution models do not read this thermal well, which is why the season opening gets settled by asking somebody who lives there rather than by looking at a forecast.

   majority×2 riders

4. Agios Andreas blows a little harder than Paralio Astros and is the quieter of the two, a harbour-and-village launch rather than a promenade one.

   majority×2 riders

5. The two villages are listed on opposite wind directions - Astros on north and northeast, Agios Andreas on south and southeast - so which of them is worth driving to changes with the day.

   majority×2 riders

6. Outside August this is a handful of people on the water - five or so locals on a normal day - and in high summer around twenty kites, with the tourist stretch of the beach to be kept clear of.

   majority×2 riders

• Agios Andreas's Tsakonic Carnival has run for over 40 years, with satirical performances the last Sunday before Lent.
• Dimitrios Ypsilantis landed at Astros harbor in 1821, an event marked by a monument on the promenade.
• The ancient harbor of Anthini, with its Cyclopean-walled remains, lies about 3 km from Agios Andreas.

What we could not settle. Ride here? These are the gaps worth filling.

• Is 'Agios Andreas Kynourias & Astros' the name riders actually use for this area?
• Which Athens drive-time estimate is accurate (1.5h vs 2.5h).
• Any year-dated accommodation or food prices.
• Whether the Repodina crags are still actively maintained/climbed.
• Solo-traveler friendliness of either village.