Andros

Cyclades Islands

Andros is the largest and most northerly of the Cyclades group. Due to its ease of access from Rafina on the mainland, it is popular with wealthy Athenians as a spot for a second home, and with others as a holiday getaway. 

Andros in the Cyclades Islands of Greece: https://www.greece-travel-secrets.com/Andros.html

Andros is big enough to absorb plenty of visitors, though, being over 40km from one end to the other. It is quite a mountainous island, too, with Mt Petalo in the centre rising to 944m. This divides the island into two distinct halves, the north being more rugged and barren, while the south is much more fertile and green.

Andros has been inhabited ever since the Ionians arrived in about 1000 BC, and since then the Romans, Venetians and Turks have all left their stamp on the island.

Getting to Andros

Flights to Andros

To get to Andros you need to fly to Athens and then take the ferry from Rafina.

Ferries to Andros

There are several fast ferry connections per day between Rafina on the mainland and Andros, with a journey time of about two hours.

Ferries in Greece

Ferries in Greece has an excellent and very thorough website where, in addition to checking ferry schedules and times, you can also book tickets and get lots of useful information about travelling by ferry in Greece.

Andros Town

Andros Town (or Chora) shows the influence of the wealthy Athenians who have lived here over the last couple of centuries, with many elegant Neo-classical mansions. Many of these were built during the 1920s and 1930s, when Greek shipping dynasties amassed incredible wealth by dominating the world’s maritime trade. The town has a clean and prosperous air, its main street pedestrianised with marble slabs underfoot.

Andros in the Cyclades Islands of Greece: https://www.greece-travel-secrets.com/Andros.html

Andros Town Museums

The town has a good Archaeological Museum as the island has been quite rich in finds, and it also boasts an unusual and very good Museum of Contemporary Art, housed in two buildings and featuring work by artists including Rodin and Barbara Hepworth alongside modern Greek artists, and with a delightful sculpture garden too.

Beaches and Monastery

There are plenty of good beaches on the south and northeast coasts of Andros, both busy and peaceful, and no one should miss seeing the Monastery of Moni Panachrantou. This is in the mountains south of Andros Town and 230m high. It was founded in 961 and is kept immaculately, even though only a handful of monks now live here.

You might like these other Cyclades pages...

  • Tinos in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    The island of Tinos in the Cyclades has several daily ferry connections from Rafina on the Greek mainland and is most famous for the Feast of the Assumption.

  • Mykonos

    Mykonos in the Cyclades islands in Greece has cheap and luxury hotel accommodation, car rental, ferries from Athens, Santorini, Crete and other Greek islands.

  • Syros

    Syros is in the Cyclades islands, with Ermoupoli as its main town and some good beaches, described here on the Greece Travel Secrets website.

  • Sikinos

    Surrounded by bigger and better-known Cyclades islands such as Ios, Naxos and Santorini, Sikinos is a delightfully untouristy island.

  • Sifnos

    Sifnos is one of the smaller islands in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea.

  • Serifos

    Serifos is one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea, a rugged and mountainous island with a small population.

  • Schinoussa and Iraklia Travel Guide

    This is the first travel guide to Schinoussa and Iraklia, two tiny islands in the Cyclades, published by Real Greek Experiences.

  • Paros in the Cyclades Islands in Greece

    The island of Paros in the Cyclades is famous for its marble, and on this page you can also see information about flights and ferries to Paros.

  • Naxos in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    The island of Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades and on this page you can see information about flights and ferries to Naxos.

  • Milos in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    The island of Milos in the Cyclades in Greece is noted for its museums and beaches, and read about flights and ferries to Milos.

  • Kythnos

    Kythnos is a small island in the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea, with easy access from Athens and popular with Athenians on summer weekends.

  • Kimolos

    Kimolos is in the Cyclades islands of Greece, close to Milos.

  • Kea

    Kea is in the Cyclades group of Greek islands and this page from Greece Travel Secrets shows how to get there by ferry and what to do when you've arrived.

  • Ios in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    The island of Ios in the Cyclades group of islands in Greece is noted for its nightlife in summer, as well as its beaches, churches and the grave of Homer.

  • Antiparos

    Travel information about Antiparos near Paros in the Cyclades Islands of Greece from the Greece Travel Secrets website.

  • Anafi in the Cyclades islands of Greece

    Travel advice and information on Anafi in the Greek Cyclades islands with good beaches, walking, accommodation, tavernas.

  • Amorgos in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    Travel advice and information on Amorgos in the Cyclades, a dramatic and growing holiday destination with ferries from Athens and other Greek islands

  • Folegandros

    Travel information from Greece Travel Secrets about Folegandros in the southern Cyclades, close to Sikinos, with flight and ferry information.

  • Delos in the Cyclades Islands of Greece

    The island of Delos in the Cyclades islands is a unique archaeological site, taking up the whole island, and a popular day trip from nearby Mykonos.

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