When you think of surfing, your head automatically jumps to hot summer days, the blazing sun, and bright blue water. With that in mind, it’s understandable that Greece offers some of the best surf spots in the whole world. Not only on mainland Greece, but in the many Greek islands as well.
So, no matter where you plan to stay on this beautiful island, there will be an excellent surf camp ready and waiting. Check out this guide to find the best surf camps in Greece, and how to prepare for your trip.
Kalo Surf School is located on the beautiful Greek island of Crete, in an area known as Chania. It is a passion project set up by one man with a deep love for surfing who wanted to share this love with others. This surf camp was designed to help individuals of all ages and experience levels improve their surfing skills, and have fun while doing it.
As Crete is an island, it is surrounded by beautiful coastlines, and seemingly endless waves. So, it really is one of the best places in the country to learn to surf.
If you have visited Greece before, you will know that excursions to the Greek islands are a big part of any trip. Surf Club Keros utilizes the uninhabited small Greek island of Keros to teach people how to surf away from all the tourists that flock the many beaches on the mainland.
As it is uninhabited, this island is completely unspoiled, so you not only get to experience incredible waves in a safe place, but you also get to see the true beauty that Greece has to offer. All while being taught by seasoned, trained professionals.
Another excellent surf camp that operates out of the Chania area of Crete is Chania Surf Club. This surf club has become one of the most popular in Europe due to the excellent management and training techniques they utilize.
No matter if you fancy a solo surfing trip, or want to catch the waves while on holiday with your family, Chania Surf Club will cater for you. They offer a variety of different surf classes, and even offer individual teaching sessions. So, if you fancy a trip to Crete, Chania surf club is a great place to learn.
Beach Roots Surf Center is a wonderful surf camp based on the Greek island of Lemnos. This is one of the lesser known Greek islands, so if you fancy a quieter trip, this could be a great place to visit. This surf camp was set up by two people with a deep love for surfing, who have completed this activity all over the world, but always found themselves coming back to Greece.
When it comes to learning to surf, the people who teach you play a big influence, which is why Beach Roots Surf Center is a great place to learn or gain more experience of this great water sport.
If you want to visit a surf camp based in the center of Greece, then Athens Water sports Surf Club is probably the best one for you. This surf is well seasoned, and one of the most popular in the whole of Greece, offering lessons, surf camps, and equipment to hire if you would rather surf alone.
You can find this surf school in the area of San Nicholas on the Northern edge of the Athens bay, where you are guaranteed to catch some excellent waves.
Another excellent surf camp based in Athens is the Kyma Surf School. This school primarily offers classes in the beautiful Varkiza area of Athens, but also operates in other areas when the weather and waves permit it. Just like many of the other surf camps that we have looked at, Kyma offers classes for people of all ages and experience levels.
Making it the perfect place no matter what type of surfing trip you are on. With equipment rentals, group lessons, and private classes, there really is something for everyone at Kyma Surf School.
As you can probably tell by this list, one of the most popular areas in Greece to surf is the island of Crete. This is because it offers excellent waves all year round, making it excellent for surfers of all ages and experience levels.
Surfing Crete is another school that operates out of the Chania area of Crete, but they also operate out of the Paleochora area too. With short lessons and 3 day courses on offer, and a well-experienced team ready to teach, it is clear that Surfing Crete is a great center to try if you are staying on the island.
If you want to explore a different Greek island, then you might want to check out Surfvival Surf Camp. This camp is based on the beautiful island of Karpathos, where beautiful views and great waves are promised.
This surf camp was set up to be an escape from the stresses of everyday life, making it the perfect place to visit when you are on a relaxing holiday. With surf camps, individual lessons, and private rental of equipment, Survival offers something for surfers of all ages and experience levels.
So, if you want to visit a quieter island, then the Surfvival Surf Camp could be the best surf camp for you.
If you didn’t already know by now, Greece has a huge amount of islands scattered around its coastline, and pretty much every island offers a surf camp. If you choose to visit the island of Ikaria, then the Ikaria Surf School is the ideal camp for you to visit.
This surf school is seasonal, only running between May and September, in line with the best surfing conditions. But, it is the best choice if you are making a trip to this island. With beautiful waves, and excellent instructors, you really couldn’t ask for better.
Finally, we come back to the island of Crete, where you will find the surfing camp, Gone Surfing. They are primarily a wind surfing camp, but they do offer lots of activities, regular surfing included. They are based on the family-friendly beach of Kouremenos, and are the perfect place to learn to surf if you are on a family vacation.
Furthermore, they offer classes to anybody over the age of 6, and will teach anyone, even if you haven’t touched a surfing board before. Additionally, this surf camp offers excursions to some of the most beautiful conservation areas in Greece, allowing you to see the beauty this country has to offer, while also learning how to surf.
Budget Planning
Before you go on any trip, you have to plan a budget. To help you out, we’ve gathered some essential financial information you need to know about Greece.
Meal Price Range
Due to the huge debt that Greece incurred after the 2008 financial crisis, this country is one of the most expensive countries to visit in Europe. This is reflected in the costs of pretty much everything in this country.
If you are dining out in Greece, you should expect to spend approximately €11 per person per meal. This will be slightly cheaper for breakfast dishes, but will become more expensive when you add on the cost of drinks.
If you want to prepare your own meals while on your trip, you should expect to spend roughly €30 a day on food. Depending on the size of the group that you are travelling with, this could become more expensive.
Equipment Rental
As you can see, most of the surf camps in Greece offer equipment rental, so there is no need to visit a surf store to get your equipment.
A lot of these camps offer the cost of rental within the cost of classes. But, if you want to rent equipment independently, you should expect to spend about €15-20 for an hour. However, the average cost of renting equipment for a day is €30, so it is best to see if this will work out cheaper before you pay.
Prepaid SIM Cards
The cheapest and most effective way to keep in touch with your family back home while you are visiting Greece is by buying a prepaid SIM card.
This way you avoid the mammoth costs of using your cell phone internationally, and also avoid having to deal with dodgy hotel WI-FI. Prepaid SIM Cards usually cost approximately €5 to buy in Greece, which you can then top up as and when you want.
Public Transport
The cost of public transport in Greece will differ depending on where you want to travel, but the average cost for a ticket is €1.40.
Greece has a wide range of buses, trams, railways, and metro trains that make up their public transport system, and prices will differ depending on what you use. But, they do offer 3 day tourist tickets for €22, so this is an option you should investigate.
Gas Prices
Greece is no different to the rest of the world, so gas prices are constantly fluctuating. However, you should expect gas prices in Greece to be much cheaper than in the USA. Generally, you should expect to spend €1.26 which is the equivalent of almost $2 for gas.
Types of Risk
Unlike some countries, Greece isn’t really a massive risk for any particular reason. So, if you visit Greece, you should just follow the usual rules for safety when travelling.
Remain vigilant, research areas before you visit, and always keep an eye on your belongings and surroundings. Just like any country, there are areas of Greece that are more dangerous than others, but as long as you keep yourself focused and watchful, you shouldn’t run into any problems.
Additionally, if you decide to surf away from a surf camp, always keep an eye out for safety flags along the beach to ensure that you are always remaining in a safe and monitored area.
How to Prepare
We’ve spoken about budgeting, but let’s take a look at some of the other things you need to prepare before you jump on your flight to Greece.
Visas
As Greece is part of the Schengen agreement, you do not need a Visa if you are visiting the country (or any of its islands) from the USA. This is as long as you are visiting for tourism purposes, and your trip does not exceed 90 days. But, you will need at least 6 months validity on your US passport to be granted entry into Greece.
Vaccines
To visit Greece from the USA, all of your routine vaccines should be current (polio, MMR, chickenpox, etc.). Additionally, you should consider a Hepatitis A vaccine if you plan on visiting more rural areas, and if you plan on taking a child under 12 months, they should have their measles vaccine prior to traveling.
Language and Currency
The primary language spoken in Greece is Greek. However, depending on the area that you are visiting, you might hear Albanian, Macedonian, and Turkish spoken there too.
Additionally, Greek children are all taught English in school, so most people under the age of 40 in the country will be able to understand and speak English.
Just like the majority of European countries, Greece is another area which has adopted the Euro as its currency.
Checking Surf Forecast
The best way to check the surf forecast in Greece is by visiting one of the many websites that do the job for you. These websites check the surf forecast for lots of different countries, but you can check out the surf potential for Greece by clicking here.
Travel/Surf Insurance
Before you go on any trip, taking out travel insurance is absolutely vital. Especially if you plan on completing water sports and other potentially dangerous activities while you are out there.
Lots of different companies offer travel insurance, but ensure you take out a policy that covers surfing before you hop on your flight to Greece.
