SurfinGR, Attica, Helliniko, Agios Kosmas (Dive Centre)

Activities: Kitesurf, SUP
Popularity: Not Much
Style: Freeride, Freestyle
Level: Good, Specialist

Agios Kosmas Dive Center beach in Helliniko is located very close to the city center of Athens (approximately 10km). It is a “secret” one; rarely will you found another kitesurfer here. It's not recommended for beginners and it's not suitable at all for windsurfing (you can always pick on out of the many other surfing spots in the area).

In general it is not a very good spot, but sometimes it has better conditions than Paleo Faliro Spot.

Best Months: March, April
Medium Months: January, February, November, December
Wind Type: Frontal Winds
Best Direction: W, SW
Main Direction:
Worst Direction:
Wind Factor:
Main Wind Direction: Side Shore, Side Onshore
Blowing at: Midday, Afternoon
Wave Tack:

Best conditions with western winds. A little bit windier than Paleo Faliro, so if it’s not strong enough there, this spot is a better choice.

Type: Flat, Chop, Small Wave (< 1m)
Quality: Unsuitable
Depth:
Seabed: Sand, Rocks
Attention: Swimmers, Wavebreakers

The water quality is not as good as the quality of the beaches farther away from the capital, but as the coast is always full of bathers, the municipality tries to keep it free of trash.

Type: Sand
Size: Small
Bathers Period: May, June, July, August, September, October
Bathers: Much
Shade: No
Kid Friendly: Yes
Attention:

A very small bay with two sandy beaches and two wavebreakers at both ends. Not ideal for beginner kitesurfers.

GPS Google Maps: 37.885681, 23.724528

Helliniko / Agios Kosmas is situated at a distance of some 14 kilometers southwestern to the center of Athens; it is one of the closest beaches to the city center.

Arrival by Airplane: The new airport of Athens “Eleftherios Venizelos”, one of the best airports in Europe, (IATA: ATH, ICAO: LGAV) is located in Spata Town and serves flights to Greece daily from several international airlines from all over the world. You can take a charter flight, so you can carry your windsurf equipment with you as well.

The metro and the Proastiakos-Suburban railway, as well as taxis and buses to and from Athens are to be found opposite the main exit of the airport. The distance is 44 km. The bus journey takes between 35 and 45 minutes to the city centre at Syntagma (Parliament) Square (of course depending on the time and traffic), therefore the best way is to take the “Athens metro” that connects the airport with Athens and Piraeus. There are car hire agencies at the airport, in case you want to rent a vehicle.

Arrival by Ferry / Boat: If you are coming from the European continent and you prefer to take the ferry from an Italian Port, you need to head towards Italy and the Italian ports of Ancona, Venice Bari or Brindisi. Those ports have daily connections to Corfu, Igoumenitsa and Patras. If you are coming from Aegean Sea (from a Greek Island, Turkey or Cyprus) you will reach one of the Attica’s Ports in Piraeus, Rafina or Lavrio Town.

Arrival by Car, Moto, Camper Van: If you’re coming by Ferry from an Italian port, Patra is about 211 km away from the center of Athens and Igoumenitsa is about 445 km. There are some good highways a like the Corinth-Athens and the Athens-Larissa, Corinth-Tripoli and the Egnatia highway. Agios Kosmas is about 14 km away from Athens and 13 km away from Piraeus, 38 km from Rafina and 54 km from Lavrio. If you come from Thessaloniki -Greece's second largest city- the distance is about 521 km till Athens center.

Arrival by Bus/Tram: Access to the beach is easy by public buses, running frequently. The best way to arrive to the beach is the tramway; it is easy, comfortable and above all environment-friendly. The nearest stop is the “Agios Alexandros”.

Arrival by Train: Train travel is not so much in fashion anymore due to the complexity of the journey through the Balkans. Rail services link Thessaloniki with, Athens, Thrace and Patra. The line through what was once Yugoslavia provides connections with Central and Western Europe. The line through Bulgaria connects to Eastern Europe and the line through Istanbul, Turkey with the countries of the Near East.

If you to come to Attica by train, you can get the metro Line 2 from “Stathmos Larissis” station.