My partner and I are headed to the EU next June (but I can actually fly anywhere in the world) and looking for experience on where to go. We live in Hood River, OR USA, but have vouchers we need to use, figure we will take 2+ weeks. Super active 60 year olds, looking suggestions, probably not looking for wave spots, would consider a supported downwinder.
Crowds -no
Great food -Yes
Wing size 2.5-5.5
Need rental boards -yes
Night life/Apre? -yes or no
Any thoughts are welcome!
coup
If you go in August, all the beaches in europe will be slammed... do whatever you can to avoid their summer holidays! May/June or Sept/Oct would be good for less crowds. I havent wingdinged in EU yet but want to in the next 1-2 years. Check out the Mackiteboarding "Destinations" youtube videos. There's some cool spots in Portugal by Porto and Lisbon that look really good. If you have more time for travel e.g. 4 weeks, Corsica and Sardinia had some windy spots (but i cant remember where) and those 2 islands are amazing (although the food wasn't as good as on the mainland). I've also been thinking the alpine lakes in France and Italy could be fun (e.g. by Annecy and Garda/Como) but you'll probably need a wider range of wings.
I am following this :-)
Places I have been to that could work well for you:
Corsica - Bonifacio area (South).
Greece - Paros, Lefkada, Naxos, maybe Corfu (tons of options in the islands)
Im also interested in Portugal, but don't have the intel. Probably lots more options for waves there.
We did a trip to Tahiti this summer. The one thing I learned is to bring a bigger wing! Being spoiled from a windy place, means all our gear is not appropriate for other places. Look into getting a North Lightwind or one of the F1 three strut wings.
Trust me it's no fun to lug all the gear there only to be skunked by light winds.
Lake Como is spectacular and there is a centre there where you can organise a complete set of gear and walk/cycle there each day. No parking hassles or risk of having your gear stolen, stunning environment and very consistent wind.
Some interesting reading here about Lake Garda and Lake Como
kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2400035
The ferries and flights to Corsica were crazy expensive this year. In June you might be OK. But it's something to look into before hand. Corsica is beautiful and great sight seeing in the mountains etc on light days.
There are ferries between Corsica and Sardinia.
I would think Portugal or Greece would be a lot cheaper package.
We have been last year 3weeks to Viana and it is a great place, but also cold water. you really need a 3/2 suit there. The wind is thermal and pretty reliable, but there can also be a 2 weeks days without wind and/or with waves.
Based on what you describe I would think Lake Como and lake Garda, but that might be similar to what you have back home.Corsica is great, awesome island but expensive.
Canaries: warm weather, blue water and pretty consistent wind, but most of the islands are overcrowded, 99% driven on tourism and IMO ugly as it can get. I go there in jan/feb to escape the cold water and catch some waves, but never ever for the culture of beautiful landscapes because you simply won,t find it there or it will be be really really crowded.
Completely different thought: At home you have plenty of TOW at a great spot. most places will be less good as you are used to so why don,t leave the gear at home, skip wingfoil and just enjoy seeing a completely different country.
I live in the netherlands, pretty okay for wingfoil but the waves are crap. I like to prone, sup, windsurf, wingfoil so we did the 20y+ trips based on the where the best waves are. In 2019 my wife wanted to do a 3 week trip to Canada, camping, visiting the parks etc etc and it was a blast! I didnt didnt miss surfing at all and it was actually quite refreshing not to "worry" about searching the right spot, the conditions etc.
Fuerteventura fits the bill ,
Rental , yes
good food , yes
nightlife, yes
strong thermal winds in the summer .
flat water off shore winds and rental in Sotovento ,
waves and cross off shore winds at flag beach , rescue cover at both , but like others have said everywhere in the EU is crowded during summer months
Select to expand quoteFoilalot said..
Lake Como is spectacular and there is a centre there where you can organise a complete set of gear and walk/cycle there each day. No parking hassles or risk of having your gear stolen, stunning environment and very consistent wind.
Some interesting reading here about Lake Garda and Lake Como
kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2400035
Always wanted to go to Lake Como this looks fantastic, great info & link you posted in the kite forum. Thanks
Jeronsurf:-
I hear you saying when it's very good where you live ,leave your gear at home and just enjoy the trip .
I'm also planning a short trip to Como next June attached to a work trip.
This helped my planning: windy.app/blog/outdoor-guide-to-lake-como-in-italy.html
I actually visited Lake Como in Feb 2016, bitterly cold but plenty of breeze
Watched old mate below, unfortunately he didn't speak English & me no Italian so we couldn't talk
Certainly back before I had seen any foiling in Aust
He had a dry suit, flippers (strapped to his back) for swimming back in if his kite hit the water.
If my memory serves me correct and peeps can confirm from the picture his kite was not inflatable hence the need for flippers if it hit the water
I'm sure things have progressed at the lake since then but I would avoid the winter FWIW
Mallorca island. Wind everyday but generally no waves a this moment of the year. you have a direct flight I think New York Mallorca (PMI)
Lake Garda seems to be the premiere spot on the mainland. I went to Leucate in SW France and the wind was over 30 knots. Big spot for wind sports. So is the peninsula south of Hy?res and if there is no wind, Provence is not a bad place to be for biking/e-biking and sipping some wine. Otherwise there are the islands in the Med.
I would hire a camper or rent a house and go to "Tiree" and other Hebridean Scottish islands - they are super cool, empty, beautiful - but not hot!
AND the ? GBP is tanking against the $ USD (now almost 1:1), and our new PMs strategy to bankrupt the UK announced she is going to remove 20% VAT for tourists i think - so will be the cheapest time to come to the UK ever. You could do London and Edinburgh site seeing as well ;-)
Edit - Ah - rental boards might be an issue.
But you could speak to Wild Diamond in Tiree, or Azure Watersports maybe on the mainland
Just booked a week with the family and some Swiss water sports friends at Hotel Lido Blue on Lake Garda next August. Can rent bikes there and there is a Duotone Centre a short cycle away for gear rental/storage. It's at Torbole, northern, windiest end of the Lake. My Swiss mate has been there many times and learnt to windsurf there, he loves it. m.hotellidoblu.it/en/
Tiree for sure, doesn't get any better. But you will need your own wing kit, no rentals on the island.
Just back after a week there foiling every day, blue water, white sand, waves and mostly a 3/2.
Fuerteventura. I like to go in the winter for the waves on the North Shore but the best winds are in the summer.
Both places are hard to get to and may not be everyone's idea of culture/fine dining but if what you want is wind and waves?
Hi Coupdevill
Like kiwiupover, Porto is a great option. No crowds! Amazing food, wine and scenary, a few options (flat, waves, no waves, or downwind), nightlife, and very easy to move around. And Portugal is a very small country with a big coast (and lots of wind in the Summer), so there's plenty to explore!
I opened my new shop just in front of a wing spot in Porto (flatwater location, but there's an good ocean spot just around the corner), and we rent gear from Axis Foils and SIC and have classes also.
If you want to avoid waves Portugal could get tricky, as far as you want to go to open sea spots like Viana (SUP Norte has an alternative).
Additionally this year weather and wind was quite incosistend all summer in Viana, a lot of bad, foggy weather and no wind days, so many people went away or fled from Viana. Oth the Atlantic was quite flat this year too, almost like the Med.
Tarifa could be an option for high wind and flat water, dining should be fine too there (try all the Tapas / Pinchos).
In EU the one and only spot has to be Tarifa Southern Spain, it's the mecca of all water sports, with several spots for entering the sea.Or France Leucate Mallorca as well, if you like Island life, always thermal winds. Costa Brava, North Spain, Gulfo de Roses. 
So many choices. And lots of good choices. At the end of the day the weather has been so weird in the Med this season I would choose somewhere you want to go and think of the winging as a bonus.
Have you been to Europe before? Hood River is a bit of a Mecca.
Select to expand quoteGWatto said..
I actually visited Lake Como in Feb 2016, bitterly cold but plenty of breeze
Watched old mate below, unfortunately he didn't speak English & me no Italian so we couldn't talk
Certainly back before I had seen any foiling in Aust
He had a dry suit, flippers (strapped to his back) for swimming back in if his kite hit the water.
If my memory serves me correct and peeps can confirm from the picture his kite was not inflatable hence the need for flippers if it hit the water
I'm sure things have progressed at the lake since then but I would avoid the winter FWIW
Totally the wrong time for lake como. February is for Snowkite!
