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AMMOUDARA (ALMYROS), HERAKLION, CRETE

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Activities: Windsurf, Kitesurf, SUP
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Style: Freeride, Freestyle, Wave, Slalom, Race/Formula
Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Good, Specialist

Ammoudara is a very long, sandy, idyllic beach with an urban background, on the island’s north coast, just outside Crete’s capital -Heraklion, extending 7 Km to the west of the city. This is where golden sands meet bright blue sea, ideal for swimming and sunbathing, and is one of the most popular holiday spots near the city.

If you want some action in your vacation this spot is mainly a windsurfing spot, but sometimes there are some kite flights there also. There's quite large space to launch between windsurfers and swimmers.



Best Months: June, July, August
Medium Months:
Wind Type: Thermal Winds, Frontal Winds, Trade Winds
Best Direction: N, NE, E, NW
Main Direction: N, NW
Worst Direction:
Wind Factor: 11-16 knots (4 bft), 17-21 knots (5 bft)
Main Wind Direction: Onshore, Side Onshore
Blowing at: Morning, Midday, Afternoon
Wave Tack:

The best months to go to Ammoudara for wind is from June till August Meltemi winds blow from the North with average wind from 15-35 knots depends of the forecast. The wind starts blowing in the morning and begins to pound the island by afternoon. Keep in mind it could be gusty. The water conditions are suitable for riders of all levels, from novice who is just now picking up the basics up to the expert who wants to have a bit of fun. Temperature in summer 26-36°C. A wetsuit is not necessary. Just shorts and a lycra are necessary.


WindGuru Poseidon Windfinder Windyty Meteo NOA UOA Greece Live Station 1 Live Station 2 Live Station 3
Type: Flat, Chop, Small Wave (< 1m)
Quality: Clean
Depth: Average (deepens gently and incrementally)
Seabed: Sand
Attention: Reef, Swimmers

The waters are shallow but sometimes there might be small waves because the beach is exposed to summer winds. At some points there is a reef 20 meters along the beach, which with strong north winds creates flat water. Rarely a little bit choppy near the shore. No waves deeper in the water. Very good spot also for kiteboarding. Lot of swimmers during summer period.

Type: Sand
Size: Big
Bathers Period: May, June, July, August, September
Bathers: Average
Shade: Sparse
Kid Friendly: Yes
Attention:

The 7 km long beach is sandy and wide. There is a nice large space for your equipment. There are some zones for swimmers in front of the hotels, so it would not be recommended to launch and relaunch there. A therefore, although the beach is popular, because of the nevertheless you can easily find a place to relax and enjoy the sun.

Close to the spot there is Almyros River that offers the greatest amount of water in Crete and forms the largest habitat in the area.

GPS Google Maps: 35.339369, 25.063144

Arrival on Ammoudara (Stomio):

Arrival by Car or Moto: From the airport: The distance from the airport is 13 km till Stomio. When you left the airport exit to the highway to Chania. In highway exit in fourth output; on your right after about 500 meters you will meet the first traffic light. You turn left and met under the bridge, after 400 meters, the second traffic light. After Dolphin Bay Hotel (on your right), turn to the third street on your right. The spot is at the end of that road.

From the port: Once you exit the port will turn right and continue driving until you reach Pancretio Football Stadium. After the Stadium turn right and follow the first right at the traffic lights (to Spirou Moustaki Road). At the end of this road turn right again. After Dolphin Bay Hotel (on your right), turn to the third street on your right. The spot is at the end of that road.

Arrival by Bus: A regular bus service connects the Village to Heraklion (9 Km), serving locals and tourists through the city’s port and international airport.


Access to Crete:

Arrival by Airplane: Millions of visitors come to Crete every year from all over the world directly by plane, especially by charter. The three international airports on the island, in Heraklion, Chania and Sitia are linked to hundreds of other international airports. The largest low cost companies have regular flights to Crete and the most important international airlines organize charter flights. If you take your own equipment, it’s best to reserve this in advance.

Airport at Heraklion: It is the primary airport on the island of Crete and the country’s second busiest airport after Athens International Airport. It is located about 5 km east of the main city center of Heraklion, near the municipality of Nea Halicarnassus. It is a shared civil/military facility. The airport is named after Heraklion native Nikos Kazantzakis, a Greek writer and philosopher. Nikos Kazantzakis Airport is Crete’s main and busiest airport, serving Heraklion, Agios Nikolaos, Malia, Hersonissos, Stalida, Elounda and other resorts.

Airport at Chania: Located on the Northwestern part of the island, the airport is also known as the “K. Daskalogiannis” Airport. This international airport is situated near Souda Bay, on the peninsula of Akrotiri, serving the city of Chania (14 km away). Moreover, it is a gateway to western Crete for an increasing amount of tourists. It is a joint civil–military airport. It is much smaller and far less busy than Heraklion airport. The airport is connected with many countries (about 30) from Europe and Asia especially in summer season and with flights connections in Greece and Cyprus whole year.

A new public airport in Sitia: it is a small community airport in the region Bonda of Sitia Municipality, on the eastern part of Crete, located 1 km north/northwest of the city center. The facility is serving the city of Sitia, currently only with a small number of domestic flights, mainly to/from Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos with an internal flight. The flight time from Athens to Sitia is 55 minutes. Also from Rhodes Island, with stops Karpathos and Kassos flight time and 120 minutes. Fly from Alexandroupolis during 105 minutes, from Preveza to over 100 minutes and from Heraklion during 25 minutes.

Inland airport at Kasteli: There are long term plans to replace Heraklion airport, which is too close to the city, by a new inland airport at Kasteli, southeast of Heraklion. It is a small airport located at the edge of Heraklion. It has basic facilities and a small parking lot.

Almost all scheduled international flights transit through Athens (which take about 45min) where you must take a scheduled domestic flight to Chania or Heraklion. These are quite frequent (around 6 to 8 times a day to Chania and more to Heraklion). During the months of July and August there are flights from Thessaloniki to Heraklion and Chania (they take about 90 minutes). The airport at Heraklion also has daily flights to Rhodes which takes 1 hour. From April till early November charter airlines fly directly to Heraklion and Chania from many European airports.

Arrival by Ferry/Boat: If you are already in Greece and specifically in Athens, you can continue your journey to Crete not only by plane but even by ferryboat from Piraeus. Athens airport offers good public transport connections to the city center as well as to the port of Piraeus. The three biggest ports of Crete, Heraklion, Rethymno and Chania have dozens of luxury ferry boats linking them with Greece’s largest port, Piraeus, on a daily basis. You can also go from Piraeus to Crete to Agios Nikolaos or Sitia Ports and from Thessaloniki to Heraklion.

The regular ferryboat service from the port of Piraeus to Heraklion and Chania is that ships depart every evening around 8.00 or 8.30 (times vary a little depending on the season) and arrive very early morning (generally between 5.00 or 6.00 am). Avoid weekends and especially the beginning and end of holidays. If you want a cabin it is often safer to book in advance.

Ferryboat from Peloponnese: South Peloponnese (Gythion, Neapolis or Kalamata) and Kythira Island is connecting to Kastelli/Kissamos (45 km west of Chania). Timetables are rather erratic (and very difficult to find) but it is an option if you want to spend time on the Peloponnese or simply avoid Athens.

Ferryboat from Cyclades and Dodecanese: From April to October you can also get boats from Cycladic Islands to Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos. There are daily catamarans (hydrofoils) to Santorini and the trip takes about 2,5 hours. Also Rhodes, Karpathos, Kasos and Milos from the ports of Sitia, Agios Nikolaos and Kissamos.

Since there are no roads along the southwest coast there is a ferry line with connections between Paleochora, Sougia, Agia Roumeli, Loutro and Hora Sfakion (Sfakia). There is also a connection with the islet of Gavdos, Europe's southernmost point (Cape Trypiti).

Ferryboat from Italy: Several shipping companies connect Italy (Trieste, Ancona, Bari, and Brindisi) with the mainland of Greece (Patras and Igoumenitsa). It is preferable to book your passage in advance in the summer season.

Arrival by Car, Moto, Camper Van: Be careful when driving in Crete; despite the fact that most roads (including the new National Highway) are full of twists and turns through mountains, Cretans usually drive aggressively, fast, and on the edge of safety. In rural and mountainous areas (which is almost everywhere), there can be goats, sheep, donkeys, and stray dogs on the roads.

Overland to Greece: Traveling to Greece overland has virtually stopped since the disintegration of former Yugoslavia. The alternative through Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria takes so long that it is not worth thinking about unless you want to visit these countries. The only option if you want to come by car or bike is by ferry from Italy.

For those who don’t have their own means of transport, there is of course always the possibility to rent a car or a camper which will allow you to explore the island on its modern network of roads. Taxi services are another way to get around Crete, but can be quite expensive.

Arrival by Bus: Most of the bus services are run by KTEL (around 200 intercity modern buses of all sizes) conducts hundreds of routes daily, thus linking the major cities of the island with all the settlements, but also with the rest of Greece within a framework of combined transportations. Public transportation is fairly frequent and timetables quite trustworthy. Bus drivers usually divert from their marked routes to enter little villages if asked to do so. Bus services along the north coast and towards the south coast are excellent, reliable, frequent and cheap.

Cretan bus stations are very simple for the most part, except for in Heraklion which has two major bus stations (one for buses going in town and one for KTEL run buses).

On foot: Although Crete is the largest of all Greek islands; you can get around on foot. Especially the countryside in the western part of Crete offers some rough country walking and there are good paths between Chania and Chora Sfakion. These go via forests with cypress, evergreen oak and cypress, various gorges and of course olive and orange groves. This part of Crete is good for walking holidays.



  • Windsurf Lessons Windsurf Lessons
    A windsurf school at the west end of the beach

  • Windsurf Rental Windsurf Rental

  • Kitesurf Lessons Kitesurf Lessons

  • Kitesurf Rental Kitesurf Rental

  • Surf Lessons Surf Lessons

  • Surf Rental Surf Rental

  • SUP Rental SUP Rental

  • Repair Repair

  • Events Events
    Slalom windsurf races

  • Parking Parking

  • Toilet Toilet

  • Shower Shower

  • Beach facilities Beach facilities
    Umbrellas & Sunbeds

  • Food Food
    A lot of restaurants

  • Market Market
    Supermarkets, Bakeries, Fruit market, Fish & Meat Market & Grocery stores in the area

  • Acommodations Acommodations
    Numerous hotels

  • Nightlife Nightlife
    The party starts late - around 1:00 at night. There are some 3 or 4 dancing clubs, cocktail and chill-out bars

  • Medical Center Medical Center
    Regional Clinics in Rodia (9 km away) & in Tylissos (10 km away), University Hospital of Heraklion (7 km away) & General Hospital in Heraklion (14 km away)




2012

OPEN REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OF CRETE
Date: 07/07/2012

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