ANDROS island is one of the central Cyclades group of Greek islands. It is large island and a popular choice for weekending mainlanders. Andros has a character all of its own - if a little one-dimensional. Variety is not the island's long suit.
Andros has a single tourist resort at Batsi and a fairly humdrum capital at Hora. The island has its good points. Natural springs give rise to lush green valleys between majestic mountain peaks, the beaches can be spectacular - if remote.
Then there is an extensive network of paths crossing the interior, making Andros an ideal destination for hikers.
Andros is also easy to reach. Ferries heading for Myconos and Naxos leave Rafina every day and Andros is the first port of call. But don't expect lots of traditional Greek friendliness here. The natives are a dour, monosyllabic lot and villages can be about as chummy as a Welsh village on a wet Wednesday.
Andros is the most northerly of the Cyclades and just a short ferry ride from the mainland so it's popular with Greeks and many have holiday homes here.
Beaches are few, given the size, and mediocre. Neither are the locals as friendly nor is the food as good as you can find in the rest of the Cyclades.
The main resort of Batsi is fast becoming overcrowded, with holiday apartments now spilling down the hillsides, though it is still a very pleasant and unhurried resort.
A network of well maintained donkey trails on Andros make this a walkers' paradise. There are cross-country routes across the mountains and along the shoreline.
Andros is a long, thin island running north-west to south-east just off the eastern coast of mainland Greece. A popular Greek island with the Greeks themselves, Andros can be divided into three bands, north, south and central. The central Andros island band has the major tourist resorts of Batsi, with its long beach of golden sand on the south-west coast, and the island capital of Hora on the opposite north-east Andros coast which has plenty of shops and museums. Regular buses and taxi services connect the two resorts.
Buses
Boat hire
Car hire
Cash point
Batsi beach
Batsi harbour
Batsi pathway
The island's main, some would say only, resort at BATSI is built on two hills overlooking a fine natural harbour with a splendid beach of soft, golden sand.
The Batsi sands are backed by shady tamarisks and a new wooden path has been built behind, lining the road. Along the road are a clutch of hotels and one of two tavernas. The water at Batsi is shallow and safe for children and there is plenty of shade at the northern end.
At the southern end, Batsi beach meets the harbour wall and a string of tavernas have grown up around the taxi rank in the small main square. On upper floors are more tavernas with fine views of the bay from their balconies. As a quiet family resort Batsi is almost perfect, although it can get crowded at weekends when Athenians swell the visitor numbers.
There are shops, bakeries, fruiterers, banks, a splendid outdoor cinema plus free information and booklets on the island from the Sun Travel office next to the Delefinia restaurant or from Andros Travel behind the main beach. As Batsi is so popular with weekending Greeks prices are jacked up accordingly so Batsi is not a cheap place to stay.
But hospitality is much in evidence in the Batsi tavernas all of which serve good food, though visiting Greeks head for the tavernas located away from the tourist beach.
The hillside alleyways of Batsi provide a maze of steep walks in pleasant shade with spring water streams pouring down gullies on either side of some paths. The resort is dominated by the church sporting a huge neon-lit cross and an automaton bell ringer.
To escape the crowds you can head around the bay to the small beach opposite Batsi at FANORMOS - within easy walking distance - or follow tracks over the headland
Agia Marina beach
Just south of Batsi, and within easy walking distance, is a trio of small beaches at AGIA MARINA. The nearest is a narrow nondescript strip of gravel and stone beneath vertical cliffs.
Over the headland, and surrounded by a large hotel complex, is the best of the beaches, a small narrow strip of sand and stone with a summer cantina parked beneath the cliff at one end.
Access is down very steep steps from the hotel but Agia Marina beach barely has room for half a dozen umbrellas and is quickly filled in the summer.
The sea is strewn with rock slabs with deep water beyond so Agia Marina is not ideal for children. A small stream runs down to the sea at one end of Agia Marina beach.
The furthest beach of the three is an exposed and narrow strip of gravel and stone, with no facilities.
Buses
Terraces at Aprovati
Paleopoli hillside
The first village south of Batsi is APROVATI which offers astonishing views of the terraced hills and the sea beyond.
An archaeological site nearby at IPSILLI unfortunately appears to be permanently fenced off with warnings against trespass.
There are beaches here too at PRASINI AMMOS and at KOUTSI but they are only accessible by boat or by foot if you fancy a steep scramble through the wild undergrowth.
Further south is the beautiful village of PALEOPOLI or PALEOPOLIS, built on a steep hill and with vegetation so lush you can hardly make out the houses.
As the name implies Paleopoli was a major settlement in ancient times and the remains of the former town can be seen submerged beneath the sea.
Many artifacts unearthed at Paleopoli can be seen in the museum at Hora but there is a small archaeological museum in the village that opens on Wednesdays only.
There are steps leading down from the main road to the long exposed Paleopoli beach but get fit before you tackle them - there are 1,039.
Buses
Chalkolimniona beach
As the road continues south the vegetation becomes more sparse. Eventually you reach STAVOPEDRA, an ugly crossroads in the middle of nowhere notable only for the large amount of rubbish that seems to collect there.
Here the road forks, with Hora to the east, Korthi to the south and a small road leading down to the sea at the isolated and bare beach of stone and pebble at CHALKOLIMNIONA.
The beach is little more than a narrow strip of stone and shingle. It is very exposed with no facilities and no shade.
Remata waterfall
Inland from Batsi is the monastery of Zoodoochos Pigi, a gaunt, geometric edifice that does little to enhance the surrounding countryside.
Once the most important monastery on Andros no-one is sure when it was first built but some say in 1325. Inside are good wall paintings from the 14th and 16th centuries but don't turn up without an appointment as you will be turned away.
Also inland from Batsi are the villages of KATAKILOS and PANO KATAKILOS on either side of a long ravine. The area has several springs which give rise to plenty of pretty waterfalls, especially at REMATA where it's accompanied by lush greenery in the steep valley.
Ateni chapel
The road twists and turns like a corkscrew out of Remata until it reaches the top of the hills where a newly constructed highway has been built that takes you all the way to Hora.
Stay on the mountain road instead of dropping down into KALATAKILOS and you end up, after a long and tortuous drive along a seemingly endless stone and gravel road, at the small white sand bay of ATENI.
Here there is tiny white chapel perkily perched above two sandy beaches. The smaller Ateni beach is the shallower and better for swimming. A cantina opens here in the summer.
Buses Boat hire Car hire Cash point
Laundry
Tourist office
Hora
Hora bridge
Hora chapel
The island capital of ANDROS TOWN, known locally as HORA, completely covers a long, narrow headland of around 400m in length, ending at a small rocky islet.
The islet houses the ruins of a Venetian fortress and is connected to Hora by a picturesque, if precipitous, bridge that was rebuilt in 1956 after the original was destroyed in a storm. Further out to sea is the Tourlitis lighthouse, impressively built on a large rock.
The Hora headland is bisected by the a long traffic-free street of Georgiou Empirikou which is dotted with shops and cafes and small artists' studios. Three quarters of the way along is the main square with a fountain and cafes, chairs and table set out beneath the dappled shade of a huge plane tree.
Hora boasts many large neoclassical buildings, a quirky result of the wealth of its citizens. The Archaeological Museum was founded in 1981 and included some impressive exhibits including the statue of Hermes of Andros - a first century copy of the original discovered on the coast at Paleopoli.
Most bizarre is the funding of the Gouldandris family for a Museum of Modern Art with works by Greek artists as well as more eminent painters such as Picasso, Braque and Matisse. It hosts a regular summer exhibition of international art.
Near the museum is the much photographed chapel of Agia Thakassini built on a rock and frequently lashed by waves.
At the end of the Hora headland is the Maritime Museum which appears to enjoy opening hours that suit everyone but visitors and a large slabbed square dominated by a bronze statue to the Unknown Sailor donated by Russia - and it looks it.
Wealthy donors have also blessed Hora town with the Kairoa Library which has some 3,000 rare titles.
Strings of beaches line the coast between Batsi and the main port of Gavrio. To the north of Gavrio too are a clutch of pleasant sandy spots but beyond that there is nothing but inhospitable and inaccessible rocky cliffs.
Buses Boat hire Car hire Cash point
Ferry port Tourist office
Gavrio port
Gavrio dovecote
The main island port of GAVRIO is a scruffy, ramshackle sort of place that holds little of interest other than getting out of it.
Swathes of concrete have been laid for the docking ferries and a large car park adds to the delights. At peak time ferries pull in and out of Gavrio in droves, just like the buses that wait for them at the main gate.
A dozen or so utilitarian cafes and tavernas line the long main road behind the Gavrio quay, serving mainly as waiting rooms for ferry passengers. Menus are basic and you're obviously not expected to linger.
Roads in Gavrio can be busy with ferry traffic and there is little in the way of charm except a town centre dovecote that has been converted into a tourist centre.
There are plenty of rooms to rent in Gavrio so it's a useful, if dull, place to stay if you prefer to avoid the tourist honeypot of Batsi.
The surrounding hills at Gavrio are very pleasant and there are some good walks in the area and beaches can be found north and south, though you will need transport. There is a regular bus service from Gavrio heading south.
Buses>
Liopes
Over the headland south of Gavrio are a several small bays easily accessible from the main road that runs behind them.
Most are nothing more than small rocky inlets with a few scruffy patches of gritty sand. Nevertheless they make for attractive spots for those who prefer quiet getaway places.
One of the more interesting is the beach at LIOPESI which is blessed with a distinctive and much photographed rock formation.
There are nearby coves to explore and the picturesque setting features heavily on all the island tourist brochures.
Buses
Agios Petros beach
Agios Petros tower
Agios Petros fountain
Beyond Liopesi is a long stretch of scruffy sand bisected by a small stream at AGIOS PETROS. The long flat beach is littered with stones and various bits of rubbish.
The road runs close behind making it noisy on Agios Petros beach but its main advantage is that it is less crowded than the main Batsi beach to the south. Hotels on the headland offer facilities for eating and drinking.
The road inland from Gavrio leads up a narrow paved road to the village of Agios Petros and fine views across the valleys on the way. A kilometre or so before the village is an ancient tower.
A small layby on a sharp bend offers some parking. Paths to the Agios Petros tower peter out among the scrub and terraced walls and the ruin itself is difficult to reach.
The crumbling tower is about 20m high and very ancient, some say dating from the 4th century BC. It has five floors with a spiral staircase inside. There are entrances to old copper mining caves on the hillside and a small chapel next to the tower.
Agios Petros village has a large fountain but little else to impress. A moribund place there is little reward for the steep drive down an unmade track.
West of the Agios Petros village is the monastery of Sotiros. It was founded in 1596 by the monk with the impressive name of Maximos Magnentios. Unfortunately the ground was too soft to support its weight and it rapidly suffered serious damage.
There was a restoration attempt in the 18th century that was abandoned but work has restarted. It's a picturesque ruin on an impressive hillside spot.
Buses
Psili Ammos beach
The best of the beaches on this stretch is over the headland from Agios Petros beach and called PSILI AMMOS or CHRISI AMMOS depending which map you use.
A long stretch of pure white sand at Psili Ammos is backed by dunes that provide shelter from the noise of the main road. There is a small, ramshackle beach bar at one end with sun beds and umbrellas.
A sign at the beach bar calls for tourists to be careful with litter yet the bar itself was a spectacular pile of rubbish when I visited. It gets cleaned up for the summer when duckboards are laid out along the beach between the rows of sunbeds.
Better facilities are found at a couple of roadside tavernas - just a short walk to the headland.
Buses
Agios Kiprianos
The coast road south towards Batsi passes a couple of small, sandy coves, best visited on foot as there is no place to park along the busy and twisting coast road.
There is a sandy beach strip here caled KYPRI with a derelict, half-built restaurant complex at the northern end. Dunes bank up behind the beach and sunbeds are laid out in the summer months.
Just to the south, there is an attractive cove at KIPRIANOS where the small blue and white chapel of Kyprianos overlooks a tiny inlet of sand and stone.
The chapel manages to look pretty despite being nothing more than an ugly cement box, a sort of garage with a bell tower. There is room to park here and a scramble down the cliff leads to a small beach of stone and sand.
Felos beach
Pisolomiona beach
Beyond Gavrio, just to the north, are several decent beaches that are well worth a visit, especially for those staying in the port at Gavrio.
the road around the bay tot he north leads to the small, but pleasant, beach at CHARAKAS. Alternatively you can take the road over the headland to the gorgeous beach at FELOS where tamarisks back onto a beautiful arc of golden sand.
The map marks a taverna near the beach here but it is found a good 2km back from the beach and down a long and unsignposted dirt track. Best to take your own provisions.
There are more beaches to be found further south at KOURTALI and SELKI but they are small and also lack facilities and worth it only if you really do want to get far away from the crowds.
There are even more remote beaches along the barren northwest coast at PISOLOMIONA, LIMANAKI, KAMINAKI and VLICHADA but they are for the most part down unmade tracks and again without any facilities.
Zorkos beach
A turn inland from the road that runs north out of Gavrio takes you up into the mountains past the villages of PANO FELOS and FROUESI before it peters out into a rough track, suitable only for a 4x4.
The track descends gently to the coast along a river valley where there are several ancient Andros waterwheels. At the end of the track is a splendid white stone beach at ZORKOS.
The beach sits inside a small horseshoe bay and is quite exposed, with the only natural shade provided by the steep cliffs on either side.
There are other small beaches in bays along this part of the coast but they are more rocky and swept by the prevailing northern winds. Most are only accessible by boat.
Vitali beach
Gides beach
The mountain road inland from Gavrio and through Agios Petros runs across the top of the island between two mountain ranges to the rugged north coast of Andros.
The paved road peters out opposite the village of VITALI which is strung out along the opposite side of a very deep valley. The rough track should not be negotiated except in a 4x4.
It's relatively easy getting down to the Vitali bay but quite another getting back up. Vitali beach is most impressive with stony white sand surrounded by rock cliffs.
There are fresh water lagoons, a small taverna in high summer and a small white chapel is set on the headland that overlooks the beach.
There is a similar bay below GIDES, just over the headland, and now accessible from Vitali along a rough track
Apart from a few scrappy beaches dotted infrequently around the coast there is not much to attract the visitor to the south of the island. The main town of Ormos Korthi is a bit of a dull backwater. Inland village are pleasant enough and there are some good walks to be had.
Buses Boat hire
Ormos Korthi
ORMOS KORTHI or simply ORMOS is the main town in southern Andros. It lies along the edge of a huge bay with splendid hills rising all around.
The town itself though is a rather dull and lifeless place. The road follows the curve of the huge bay, lined with a paved esplanade edged by a concrete sea wall. Over the wall a line of rocks has been dumped in the sea to act as a breakwater.
A few desultory cafes and tavernas try to relieve a monotonous row of rundown house fronts but its an uphill struggle.
At the far end of the esplanade are a number of concrete wharfs providing shelter for boats. There is a good folk museum which holds exhibitions in the summer as well as performances of traditional music and dancing
Grias Pidima
North along the coast out of Ormos Korthi are a trio of small beaches. Signs in Ormos point to the best at GRIAS PIDIMA, but the route through the back streets of Ormos is tortuous with a one-way system that appears to follow a river bed.
The road turns into narrow dirt track that hugs the vertiginous cliff making passing and parking a car a feat of driving and nerve. The first beach is MILOS, a favourite with windsurfers and home to a surfing school then VIDSI which has a small, nondescript shingle beach.
Finally comes GRIAS PIDIMA or Old Lady's Leap where a singular stone column stands above the sands. Legend has it that a pregnant woman was persuaded by Turks laying siege to Faneromi Castle to get the defenders to open the gates.
The Turks swarmed in and slaughtered everyone. The grief stricken woman threw herself from the cliff and the spectacular pillar of stone is the result.
It is certainly an impressive feature on a most impressive beach of shingle and sand, though the climb down is exceptionally steep and there is parking above for only a couple of cars.
Another beach at BOURO is no more than a thin strip of unattractive shingle and over the headland is another stony strip at MELISSA, accessible only by boat.
Chapel near Korthi
The main road south of Ormos Korthi takes a meandering trip through several villages along a wide, green and picturesque valley.
This is a region where the well-heeled have set up home when Ormos was a thriving commercial port serving ships heading for Istanbul and Smyrna.
There are many fine houses to admire here as well as many dovecotes and chapels. AIDONIA has a beautiful fountain with a vaulted roof and marble decoration.
At MOSKIONAS there is a delightful church and at AGIA TRIADA a complex of ancient stone houses built in the traditional island style which, unfortunately, seemed to be abandoned when I visited.
Apatia fields
The road rises into the hills at APATIA where small villages like MEGALO CHORIO, MORAKES and TZEO sit amongst some breathtaking scenery.
This is one of the best places for views of the terraced fields that ripple down hillsides almost everywhere in Andros.
Along the valley floor are abandoned windmills and above TZEO one of the best examples of a dovecote on the island.
The more adventurous can take the pathway that leads right down the valley to join a dirt track below AGIA MARINA and back to Ormos Korthi.
Ancient Zagora
The main road continues to the east coast and to the ancient site at ZAGORA, which was the main settlement on Andros between 900 and 700BC.
The village was built on a naturally fortified promontory, overlooking the sea, and was excavated in the 1960s and 1970s.
Models of the site and various artifacts are on display at the museum in Hora but entrance to the actual site is forbidden and there are fences and warning signs to keep people out.
Faneromeni Castle
Sineti beach
The road north out of Ormos Korthi eventually leads to Andros Town, but first snakes up to the mountain village of PISKOPIO before turning off for the picturesque village of LARDIA.
Around here are with many fine houses, several dovecotes, a pretty church and some stunning views down the valley. The road winds up to KOCHLOU, surely one of the loveliest villages on the island.
Limestone outcrops above the village are topped by the ruins of FANEROMENI CASTLE which can be seen for miles around. A dirt track leads out of the village up to the former fortress, now little more than a heap of rubble.
Many of the structures are underground but now visible only because most of the roofs have collapsed.
Below Faneromeni is the long narrow valley of DIPOTAMATA with a nature trail that takes in 22 watermills, now mostly ruined heaps of rubble, a couple of stone bridges and some delightful scenery.
On the opposite slope is a road leading to the village of MESA VOUNI and a track to the monastery at PANACHRANTOU.
The trail along Dipotamata ends at beautiful beach of SINETI with sharp white sands in a small bay.
Andros dovecote
Although neighbouring Tinos has more and better dovecotes there are still enough intricately designed dovecotes on Andros to make them an island highlight.
Dovecotes are dotted all over the island and are a legacy of the Venetians who kept doves for both sport and for meat.
If the dovecote towers on Andros are nowhere near as impressive as those on neighbouring Tinos, they are still very fine nevertheless.
Most are two-storey affairs; the upper part housing the doves and the lower is usually used as a storeroom. Entrances for the doves were created by triangular arrangements of the slate-like schist stone that is found all over Andros.
The triangle motif is found everywhere on Andros island buildings as a decorative feature. On the quayside at Gavrio a dovecote has been turned into a tourist office.
Andros walls
The most northern of the Cyclades and just couple of hours from Athens by ferry, the island has become festooned with holiday homes and weekend cottages.
But many older buildings have used the island bedrock of crystallised schist in their construction, giving rise to some unique building methods.
This is nowhere more in evidence than in the walls that were built to contain the extensive terracing on many of the hills across the island, a legacy of when the land was tilled by hundreds of small farming families.
Some liken the walling to works of art while others think it a complicated mess. Large vertical slabs are often infilled with smaller, horizontally laid stones, giving the walls a stuttered, concertina look.
The technique in both interesting and effective as many of the walls, built on incredibly steep slopes, have lasted for centuries.
Andros is the most northerly and the second largest island of the Cyclades island group. It is about 374km2, about 40km long an 17km wide. The coastline is about 110km. Four hill ridges cross the island east - west four mountainous masses. The island is also crossed east to west by four rivers which run all year round.
The coastline of Andros is very indented with many small bays. Cultivated areas are small and mostly found in the valleys where there is good soil and abundant water. Andros is known for its mineral springs, the most noted at Apikia and springs contain salts of sodium, calcium and magnesium and chloride salts of potassium, sodium, magnesium, aluminium and silicon oxide. The spring water is bottled and is sold all over Andros.
The main cross-island route is west out of Hora then north along the coast to Gavrio. Old donkey trails have been preserved and restored and now make for fine walking routes.
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Andros has no airport so most visitors fly to Athens then catch a bus to Rafina in order to hop on one of the regular daily ferries to Andros.
The problem is that connections rarely seem to coincide and many incoming flights will miss the last ferry. This can often mean an overnight stop in Athens or Rafina. One UK holiday firm regularly left customers to bed down on the airport floor for the night before boarding the early morning ferry.
Buses to Rafina can be found just outside the airport terminal and services run between 6am and 11pm. The journey time to Rafina is about 50min so allowances have to be made for catching the ferry if you want to avoid a night in the airport or in the ferry port.
You can also take a taxi but this is the expensive option.
Andros is on a major ferry route from Rafina to the Cyclades islands and the journey by boat takes about 2hrs, docking at Gavrio on the north coast. There are usually at least four ferries each day throughout the day. The main boats are the Super Ferry, The Penelope and the Athena Express. The catamaran Haroula Supercat also makes a daily sailing. Other options include the Flying Dolphin and the Sea Jet catamaran. The faster ships do the journey in about one hour. There are regular connections to Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Syros, and Tinos.
There are also sailing from Mykonos with a journey time of just over 2hrs, quicker by Flying Dolphin and the Sea Jet. These faster boats don't sail during the low season.
There is a regular bus service between Gavrio and Hora, passing through Batsi. Buses usually meet the ferries and the service is quite reliable. Cars, bikes and bicycles are available for hire. Taxis are also available. Some of the beaches can be reached by water taxi.
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 17 | 15 | Avg day °C |
| 7 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 9 | Avg night °C |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 | Sun (hrs) |
| 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | UV Index |
| 91 | 66 | 58 | 29 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 50 | 66 | 95 | Rain(mm) |
| 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | Rainy days |
UV: >3 Low; 3-5 Moderate; 5-8 High; <8 Very high | Rainy days 1mm+ | 1 inch=25.4 mm
Northeastern shores of Andros tend to be very windy but overall the climate is mild and dry. June to September the daily temperatures can top of 26°C. May and October are a little cooler. It has a little more rain than most of the Cyclades and that, along with plentiful natural springs, make the island very green in the valleys.
The beautiful Greek Islands are renowned for their spectacular scenery, magnificent mountainous backdrops, stunning sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. Holidays to the Greek Islands are often most cherished for this combination of sunshine, warm waters and beaches set against truly wonderful scenery. Whether it is a traditional beach holiday you would like or something with a little more history, you'll find that a break away to the Greek Islands is just the answer!
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