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About Andros Island

The second largest (380 sq. km.) and the northernmost island of the Cyclades of the Cyclades is 89 nautical miles from Piraeus. Andros, the sailors's island, is a peaceful holiday resort whithin easy reach of Athens. 
Andros is an exception among the islands of the Cyclades. It is the only island that combines upland greenery with fine beaches, mountain villages with seaside resorts and natural springs. The touristic infrastructure and the roads on the island will help your visit and make your stay pleasant and comfortable.

The landscape is made up of adjoining mountain ranges with steep slopes and between them deep ravines, gullies and three verdant valleys whereolives, figs, oranges, lemons and vines grow amid a plentiful supply of running water. Quite often the scenery here is anything but typical of theCyclades. 
The mountains frequently come to an abrupt end with a sheer cliff or rocky promontory, while the valleys open out into expanses of sandy beach.

History Of Andros

According to mythology, Andros was named after the grandchild of Apollo, Andros. Until then the island was called, Gavros or Lasia. 
The first inhabitants of Andros were the Carians, followed by the Phoenicians and later by the Minoans and Pelasgians. Around 1000 BC Ionian settlers arrived. The island flourished, and as early as 654 BC there are records of colonists in Macedonia, Thrace and Asia Minor.
In the times of Macedon and Rome Andros had the same fate as the other islands of the Cyclades. In 109 BC it was taken by Rome. The Romanscompelled the islanders to emigrate to Delio (today called Dilesi) on the coast of Boeotia with only the clothes they stood up in.
Under Byzantium Andros was an intellectual center of note. The neoplatonist Proclus taught there in the 5th century AD and in the 9th century AD a philosophical academy was founded. Michael Psellus the Elder was among the teachers there. Despite frequent Saracen attacks Andros continued to flourish, particularly in the 11th and 12th centuries, thanks largerly to the silk-making business. In 1207 it was taken by Marco Dandolo, nephew of the Doge of Venice, and it remained in Venetian hands until the mid-16th century. Barbarossa took Andros from Turks in 1537. Under Turkish rule Andros retained many of its privileges and considerable numbers of Turks settled there.
On May 5 1821 the flag of freedom was raised by the local philosopher Theofilos Kairis, and during the War of Independence many of the islanders fought the Turks on land and at sea. In the last century Andros has developed into one of the country's most important maritime island, and its ship registry contains more vessels than any other Greek port except Piraeus.

Beaches

In Andros you will find beautiful beaches. Chrisi Ammos, Gialia, Kato Agios Petros, the famous Batsi, Agia Marina, Niborio and Palaiopoli are some of the most beautiful beaches on the island.

Windsurfing and sailing are widely available, but you would first might to contact the Nautical Club of Andros tel. (0282) 22.460

Night Life

You can find Discos in Hora, Gavrio, Batsi (Mpatsi) and Korthi. Bouzoukia are usually open at weekends and can be found at Batsi, Chora, Gavrio and Palaiopoli.

Transportation

From Rafina to Andros, by ferry.1-3 times a day depending on the season.
If you would like more information you should contact the Coast guard of Rafina tel. (0294) 22.300. 
From Andros you can reach many islands of the Cyclades by ferry or speedboat. 
For more information contact the Coast guard of Gavrio tel. (0282) 71.213.

• Gavrion: Good shelter; Fuel & water in town; Taverns
• Batsi: Good shelter; Fuel in town; Water on quay; Night life
• Kastro: Poor shelter; Fuel & water in town; Taverns

Andros : Hora - Museums

The capital Andros or Hora which is the island's second largest port, lies on the southeastern coast.

It is a most attractive little town, its Neoclassical mansions cheek-by-jowl with the characteristic island-style houses; the steep, narrow arched alleyways, beautiful churches and the two picturesque main squares all lend it an air of nobility. There are a lot of imposing mansions of ship-owners and captains. The now ruined Venetian Castle (Kastro), with the church of the Panagia Palatiani located within its walls, is one of the most important monuments in the Hora and links at the harbour entrance.

The Museum containing finds from the Geometric, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, and the Nautical Museum which houses a superb collection of model ships, photographs and nautical instruments are all well worth a visit.
In Chora you will find one of the best archaeological museums in Greece. It contains findings from Zagora in Palaiopolis, the famous statue ofHermes of Praxitelis, as well as some Byzantine items.

Also in Chora is the Goulandris Museum of Modern Art and the Kydoneas Foundation.

Both of these offer summer exhibitions of mostly modern, but also Byzantine art which run from June to late September. Many internationally acclaimed modern artists' exhibitions have been held here recently, like Paul Klee's, Paul Cezanne's, works by the sculptor Michalis Tombros and many more.

In addition, the maritime museum is one of the best in the Cyclades owing to the island's maritime tradition.

Andros : Excursions - Churches

The towns and villages of Andros are of considerable interest. The main port, Gavrio, lies on the west coast of the island, and is particularly interesting for the impressive tower of Agios Petros. It is a fine setting with a lot of marvellous beaches nearby.

Stenies has narrow alleyways and is one of the villages from which the shipowners and captains originate. There are many sights to see on Andros; these include the Church of the Taxiarch (12th Century) at Messaria, the Monasteries of Zoodochos Pigi at Batsi, Agios Nikolaos at Apikia(which is also famous for its mineral springs at Sariza) and Panachrandou at Phallika, and the Upper Kastro or the Old Woman's Castle atKohylos, in the north of the island.

Special mention should be made of the remains of the ancient city at Palaiopoli and of Zagora to the south of Palaiopoli, where one of the most important settlements of the Geometric period in Greece were discovered.

There are excellent beaches for swimming at Niborio, Paraporti, Yialia, Korthios Bay, Batsi, Gavrio, and Vitali to name but a few.
The villages of Menites, Mesathouri and Strapourgies make interesting walks.

Andros offers excellent tourist facilities and is well able to handle the increased volume of traffic visiting the island for its natural beauty, charmingvillages, historic monuments, lovely beaches and mineral springs. There is a naval club (rowing and sailing) at Nimborio.
Among the local specialties are a kind of salt cheese, a fresh white cheese, wine, sausages and "froutalia", a special omelette with sausage. Fish are plentiful. There are a lot of restaurants, tavernas and snack bars.

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