Agios Ioannis Beach (Milos Beach), Lefkada: The Blue Flag Kite Shore 3km from Town Where the Only Shade Is Inside the Old Windmill Café

Greece | Agios Ioannis | Lefkada, Ionian Islands

The island’s kite spot can be found by bearing right after crossing the swing bridge from the mainland, then keep going until the windmills.

The three old windmills on the northern section of Agios Ioannis Beach are the navigation instruction, the historical landmark, and the photograph. In the north side of the beach old windmills were built, which are abandoned for now. In last decades these windmills are unused and empty, now belong to the local sights of Lefkada Island. One of these windmills is well maintained and known as Orlof Mill Café, offering bar services.

The windmills built along the shore record the wind that still blows. The beach is also called Milos Beach after the windmills. The best wind direction is when coming from north, northwest and it reaches a speed of up to 27 knots/50 kph, especially in the afternoon.

The total length of Agios Ioannis is about 3 km. Known for its very clear shoreline and deep waters of an unusual turquoise shade, which are impressively clean, this beach has been awarded the Blue Flag. Its only disadvantage is the lack of natural shade, making it necessary to rent umbrellas. Second only to Vasiliki in terms of wind conditions, Agios Ioannis is the island’s premier destination for kitesurfers and windsurfers.

Getting There: Turn Right After the Floating Bridge, 3km from Lefkada Town, Road Runs the Full Length

Agios Ioannis Beach is located just approximately 2.5 kilometres away from the central areas of Lefkada Town, in west direction.

From Lefkada Town, cross the floating bridge connecting the island to the mainland and turn right immediately — the road runs north along the lagoon and reaches the beach within 3 kilometres. Alternatively, from the town centre, the beach is a 30 to 40-minute walk or a short bicycle ride.

The main road runs the full length of the beach — no descent required, no hairpins, no dirt track. Free parking along the road and in small designated areas near the windmills and the southern end.

By KTEL Lefkada bus, the service from the main station passes Agios Ioannis on routes toward the northwest. The bus stop is on the road directly above the beach.

The Kitesurfing: Only Legal Kite Spot on Lefkada, 13–27 Knots Afternoon Thermals, Current North

Kiting is prohibited in Vassiliki all year long, making Agios Ioannis (Milos Beach) Lefkada’s only option for kitesurfing.

This is the specific regulatory fact that explains the beach’s prominence in the European kite community: Agios Ioannis is not just the best kite spot on Lefkada, it is the only legal one. Every kitersurfer on the island is here.

Thermal winds during summer. When it is sunny, 99% chance of wind. Good winds: West, Northwest, North. Can ride from May until October almost every day. Thermals every day. Only 10–15 days in August the wind drops a bit. Best time to get here is in June and July. Best wind, fewer people on the beach. General wind directions: onshore and side-shore.

Due to big and dangerous rocks on most places in front of the beach — too dangerous for kite beginners. There is a current along the beach going north. Keep in mind when you come in trouble. The stronger the wind, the higher the waves. Interval is short. At shore, underwater smooth rounded very slippery rocks, easy to get unbalanced.

The beginner warning is important: the rocks at the waterline are slippery and the north-running current is powerful. Starting from the last windmill on the right, there are some rocks at 50m on the left and 200m on the right. It is not a good idea to learn how to water start near those rocks.

The Three Windmills and the Orlof Mill Café

Agios Ioannis stretches for a few kilometres, its widest part being in the north and most exposed side. There you will see three old windmills which are not functioning anymore. That part of the beach north of the windmills is also known as Mili (Miloi).

The Orlof Mill Café — the operational bar inside one of the old mills — is the specific experience of the beach that neither the wide-open kite shore nor the Blue Flag swimming zone can replicate: sitting inside a restored 19th-century stone windmill, looking out at kiters crossing the Ionian, with the persistent wind that the mill was built to capture still blowing outside. The most atmospheric café-bar is nestled inside one of the old mills near the beach.

The Beach Character: No Shade, Wind in the Afternoon, Calm in the Morning and Evening

Sunbathing can also be hard while the strong wind flaps your ears and you cannot hear the person next to you. In some hours of the day and in the evenings the wind abates and then a walk at this blue beach may be pleasant.

The programme that the wind schedule produces: morning swim in the calm conditions before the afternoon thermal arrives, lunch at the Orlof Mill Café while the kiters take over the water, evening walk when the wind drops again and the light turns orange. The beach that the kiters rule in the afternoon is the sunset walk destination in the evening.

The infrastructure of the picturesque Lefkada beach is well-developed. Vacationers can rent umbrellas and sun loungers, and lifeguards are on duty at the southern edge of the coast. Along the coast, several cafes and bars cater to beachgoers. Some establishments are specifically designed for kiters.

The Gira Sandbank at the Southern End

There is a sandbank on the southern edge of the beach. This site is often referred to as Gira. There is a tavern and a beach bar with sun loungers for visitors.

The Gira sandbank — the southern section of Agios Ioannis where the beach narrows and meets the high hills below Tsoukalades village — is the most sheltered part of the beach, with the most accommodation and services. The narrowest section of the beach is in the south, just below the high hills on the top of which you see the village of Tsoukalades. This place is a bit less exposed to the wind and most accommodation options are there, as well as a few cafes and tavernas.

The White Church of Agios Ioannis

On the left edge of the coast rises a miniature snow-white church in honour of St. John, inside which you can see interesting ancient icons. It is from this that the beach got its name.

The tiny whitewashed church of Saint John at the beach’s edge is the specific cultural landmark — the naming source for both the village and the beach, and the specific Ionian Islands tradition of tiny coastal chapels accessible from the beach.

Agios Ioannis Beach (Milos Beach) on Lefkada is the 3-kilometre Blue Flag kite shore 3 kilometres west of Lefkada Town — the only legal kitesurfing location on the island, the three old windmills in the northern section (one now the Orlof Mill Café), no natural shade anywhere (rent umbrellas), slippery rocks at the waterline and a north-running current requiring caution, morning calm before the afternoon thermal, evening walk when the wind drops, and the Gira sandbank at the sheltered southern end.

Turn right after the floating bridge. Drive until the windmills.

The café is inside the mill. The kites are on the water.