Prasonisi is a sandbar at the very southern tip of Rhodes where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean, and it is one of the most reliable wind sports spots in Europe. You come over a hill, the whole bay opens up below you, and suddenly there are kites everywhere.
We drove down from Lindos in August 2026 and took kitesurfing lessons. This guide covers which side of the sandbar to ride, what lessons cost, when the wind blows, and — importantly — how not to make the same mistake we did getting there.
What Prasonisi Actually Is
Prasonisi means “green island” and that is literally what it is: a small island off the southern tip of Rhodes, joined to the mainland by a narrow strip of sand. The technical term is a tombolo.
The strip is what makes the place special. Two different bodies of water press against it from either side, so within a few hundred metres you have flat water on one side and wind-driven waves on the other. Stand in the middle and you can see both at once.
In summer, the water level drops and the full sandy strip is exposed, so you can walk out to the island. In winter the water rises, the strip submerges and Prasonisi becomes a true island. If you are visiting outside the main season, check access before committing to the drive.
Why the Wind Is So Good Here
The Meltemi — the strong northerly that blows across the Aegean — runs reliably from around April to October and peaks in July and August. At Prasonisi the local topography accelerates it, so wind speeds here are consistently higher than anywhere else on Rhodes.
Through July and August you are typically looking at 15 to 30 knots on an average day, with only two or three genuinely windless days a month. Shoulder season is weaker and less consistent — May, June, September and October can all give you around a week of light days across the month, though rarely in a run.
That reliability is the whole reason riders come from across Europe rather than to the closer spots on the northwest coast.
Which Side to Ride
The two sides of the sandbar are completely different spots:
The flat-water side
Offshore wind, smooth water, and the shallow lagoon where most schools teach. This is where you learn, where freeriders play, and where you will spend your first sessions. It also gets busy — in peak season the teaching area is full of windsurfing students in the afternoons.
The wave side
Onshore wind and chop building into waves, typically around half a metre to two metres depending on the day. This is where experienced riders go for wave riding, and kite surfing beginners learn in the shallows.
Lessons and Prices
We booked with Kite Prasonisi — worth knowing that they abbreviate it to “Kite Praso” on their own signage, but it is listed under the full name on Google Maps.
We did an hour and a half lesson as a pair to start, which is mostly learning to get the kite up and steer it through the window, then Luke did a solo session in the afternoon with an instructor called Greg and got standing on the board a couple of times — briefly.
- Solo lesson: €120 for 1.5 hours
- Two-person lesson: €120 each for 2 hours
- Group lesson (up to eight): Closer to €75 per person
The trade-off with a group lesson is time on the kite. Setting up, getting harnessed in and understanding the basics eats a large chunk of any session, so across two hours split eight ways you would get very few actual minutes flying. A group lesson is a good way to find out whether you enjoy kitesurfing.
Realistically, it takes around 12 hours of tuition to get going independently, which is worth factoring into the budget if you are serious rather than curious. We have broken down what everything in Rhodes cost us, kitesurfing included.
We filmed most of our day in our Lindos highlight on Instagram if you want to see what a first lesson looks like.
Getting to Prasonisi
Prasonisi is about 90km from Rhodes Town and roughly 50km from Lindos. Public transport is poor to non-existent, so this is a car or nothing.
We rented an 80cc scooter in Lindos for €28 a day and rode it down. Google Maps says it’s a 50-minute drive but it took us an hour and a half as our scooter capped out at 45km/h.
Two lessons from that. First, rent a car for this trip — the extra cost is worth not spending three hours of a hot day on a small engine. Second, if you are on a scooter anywhere on Rhodes, double whatever Google Maps tells you and plan accordingly.
Allow time for collection if you’re renting a car or scooter. It took 20+ minutes to pick up our scooter because the rental office was busy.
If you’re driving from Lindos, this is a day-trip only. If you’re serious about learning, stay down in Prasonisi. If you are only doing a day of it, our where to stay in Lindos guide covers the better bases up the coast.
Food, Facilities and Staying at Prasonisi
Prasonisi is not a town — it is a cluster of buildings that exists to serve the surf schools. There are three wind sports centres, two or three places to stay, a couple of restaurants, two supermarkets and some surf shops. Nobody lives there.
Of the few restaurants there, one is very casual at the front of the supermarket, one is a takeaway and the others are sit-down. You can get a Greek salad, chips, gyros and coffee. We ate at Oasis and it was decent.
If you plan to stay here, Prasonisi Lighthouse Boutique Hotel is the best option.
Everything is seasonal here and shuts outside roughly April to October, and there is no cash machine at Prasonisi. The nearest is around 28km away at Gennadi, and cards are not universally accepted, so bring euros.
Is Prasonisi Worth Visiting If You Do Not Ride?
The setting is dramatic and awesome to see. The walk out along the sandbar between two seas is an experience, and watching a full bay of kites is entertaining for a little while.
The Mediterranean side is calm and shallow enough for children to swim. The Aegean side throws sand and chop and is not a lounging beach. There is very little else to do, so treat it as a half day built around lunch rather than a full beach day.
If you are not going in the water at all, it is a long drive for a look. Combine it with the quieter southern villages on the way down and it makes a better day.
Planning the rest of your trip? Check out our guide to Lindos our best things to do in Lindos and our guide to the Lindos Acropolis.