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Creta · Rethymno · Rethymno Regional Unit

Rethymno

also known as Rethymnon municipal beach, Rethymno Beach, Rethymnon Beach, Παραλία Ρεθύμνου

advanced onlyhigh crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Nearby Kalami Beach (Kalyves) 35 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJun to Septhe months riders and schools name How windy15-22mixed Launchlargeaccess rules on record, below Watersea26°C in summer · 13 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section

Schoolsnone named here

From the airportin words under Getting thereInternational Airport (HER)

When it fills in

The thermal reinforces in the afternoon. No exact daily start time is confirmed.

The kite beach at Rethymno, on the north coast of Crete, is the long municipal strip east of the old town and the ferry port: wide sand, open water, no tide to plan around, chop with small to medium waves.

The wind is Meltemi from N to NE, June-September, typically 15-22 knots, and it comes in onshore or side-onshore, which means rollers and undertow instead of flat-water cruising. Getting back out through the shorebreak on a big day is the part people underestimate.

The beach is urban and fully developed, so summer swimmers, parasols, sunbeds and the port and marina traffic decide where you can rig. It is packed in summer and empty in winter, and it is long enough that you can walk to your own stretch of it.

This one suits intermediate and advanced riders who like a bit of wave; a first-timer will have a bad day.

The wind

locals call it Meltemi

Direction

onshoreN

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: The thermal reinforces in the afternoon. No exact daily start time is confirmed.

Typical strength

15-22

Usually reliable and consistent in peak summer, with possible late-day decrease.

The spot works June to September with classic north-Cretan Meltemi, best consistency in July-August. The wind is classified as thermal from N/NNE/NE.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal

The quiver, in words

Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, worked from the 15-22 knot summer range rather than from a local list: 12 m at the bottom end, 10 m through the middle, 9 m once it is over 20 knots. Onshore days chew through low-end power in the shorebreak, so size up rather than down if you are between kites. Nothing local is published on sizes.

Direction to shore

onshore to side-onshore; onshore NNE is specifically noted

Dominant direction

N, NNE, NE

Forecast

Month by month

Jan57
Feb61
Mar57
Apr39
May28
Jun, riders' month19
Jul, riders' month37
Aug, riders' month25
Sep, riders' month19
Oct29
Nov51
Dec48

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

13Jan18°
13Feb17°
12Mar17°
11Apr18°
9May20°
9Jun25°
10Jul28°
9Aug28°
9Sep26°
9Oct24°
12Nov21°
11Dec19°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	57%	12.5 kt	S	12.2°C	17.5°C
Feb	61%	12.6 kt	S	12.2°C	16.9°C
Mar	57%	11.9 kt	S	13.1°C	16.8°C
Apr	39%	11.2 kt	S	16.9°C	18°C
May	28%	9 kt	N	19.7°C	19.7°C
Jun	19%	8.8 kt	NNW	24.8°C	24.6°C
Jul	37%	10 kt	N	27°C	27.6°C
Aug	25%	9.1 kt	NNW	26.8°C	27.7°C
Sep	19%	9 kt	N	24°C	26.1°C
Oct	29%	9.2 kt	N	20.6°C	24.2°C
Nov	51%	11.6 kt	S	17.5°C	21.3°C
Dec	48%	10.9 kt	S	14.7°C	19°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

sea

Standing depth

Deeper than wading depth fairly quickly, then progressive beyond that, over fine sand. There is no tide to change it and no shallow bank to stand on while you sort a tangle; the undertow from the shorebreak makes walking out under control the hard part.

Tides

The spot is listed as tide independent.

Temperature

26°C summer · 16°C winter

Wetsuit

Summer is shorts, fall shorty/normal, and spring/winter normal wetsuit; Rethymno sea temperatures run around 26 C in August and 15-16 C in February.

Currents

Currents run along this beach and the port police advise caution; it is described as a moderate coastal current.

17–28°C water

Open north-coast water, chop and small to medium waves over a sandy bottom. Onshore wind builds rollers, and the undertow makes walking out hard in a sustained Meltemi.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Intermediate is the level this beach asks for. Onshore waves, current, summer swimmers and port and marina traffic rule out unsupervised beginners.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavesfreeridebump and jumpfoiling on moderate days

Urban tourist beach, packed all summer and empty in winter. It is busy, but it runs far enough east that you can find sailing space.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch: large

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Kalami Beach (Kalyves), 35 km

Kalami Beach (Kalyves)

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

No kite-specific rescue. Seasonal lifeguards cover the organised municipal beach, but that is bathing cover, not a rescue boat for kiters, and the national rules put the burden on you: with wind blowing offshore, or over 6 Beaufort, riding is prohibited unless a lifeguard with a powered craft is on hand. Coast guard 108, general emergency 112.

Launch

Wide sandy municipal beach east of the old town and the ferry-port area, unobstructed once you are clear of the parasols and sunbeds. Rig away from the busiest swimming zone.

Space

large

Rules & access

2026: no Rethymno-specific spot rule has been published; the working guidance is to respect the marked bathing areas and launch away from the busiest swimming zone. The national rules (Ministerial Decision, Government Gazette 4415/B, 7 October 2020) apply: no riding at beaches classed as heavily frequented, none before sunrise or after sunset, none within 200 m of swimmers or of anchored boats, rocks, islets, reefs, buoys and other obstacles, none within 200 m of the shoreline except beyond the swimmer-limit buoys, nothing beyond 1 nautical mile offshore, and no riding in offshore wind or above 6 Beaufort without a lifeguard and a powered support vessel. Ports, marinas and fish farms carry a 1 nautical mile exclusion, reducible to 500 m only by decision of the local port committee - which is the clause that matters on a beach that starts a few hundred metres from the ferry port and the marina. Required kit is helmet, harness with hook, line knife, quick-release and safety leash, board and kite leashes and a buoyancy vest, plus a wetsuit between 15 October and 15 May.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Rig east of the parasol and sunbed lines, clear of the densest swimming zone.
Expect onshore rollers and undertow; getting out is harder than getting back in.
Keep off the port, the marina traffic and the mole.
In July and August, go early or walk farther east along the strip toward Scaleta.
Check the buoyed swimming areas and the 200 m national distance rules before you launch.
The beach runs 12 km from the old town east to Scaleta, so walking twenty minutes east buys you more space than arguing over a launch slot.
The port and marina sit under a 1 nautical mile national exclusion unless the local port committee has cut it to 500 m. Nobody at the beach will tell you which applies; ask the port authority.

Getting there

Airport

Heraklion International Airport (HER) or Chania International Airport (CHQ)

Route

Fly into Chania and take the bus to Rethymno, or come through Athens and arrive by boat. The kiteable sand starts a few hundred yards east of the ferry port on the marked municipal beach, which runs from the historical city center east to Scaleta.

Transfer

About 60-80 minutes by private transfer from Heraklion Airport, or about 1 hour 57 minutes by bus including transfers.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Rethymno town and the east-coast beach strip have extensive hotels, rooms, restaurants, beach bars and tourist services.

No-wind days

Rethymno old town and Venetian harbour, Fortezza, beach promenade, Arkadi, south-coast beaches, snorkeling/diving and regional food/culture trips.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Rethymno?

The spot works June to September with classic north-Cretan Meltemi, with the most consistent wind in July and August.

Is Rethymno suitable for beginners?

No, the spot is listed as intermediate and advanced only, since onshore waves, currents, summer swimmers and port traffic make it unsuitable for unsupervised beginners.

What is the wind like at Rethymno?

The Meltemi blows onshore to side-onshore from the north to northeast, typically 15-22 knots.

Are there rules for kiting at Rethymno?

Greece-wide Safe Water Sports rules apply, prohibiting kitesurfing at crowded beaches, within 200 m of swimmers, and in offshore or strong wind without rescue support.

Last updated: August 2026