Andros
Andros has a distinctive feel and much to offer the island walker. It's accessible, green and prosperous, with a maintained network of waymarked paths based on the old stone roads, kalderimia, and enough accommodation, transport, archaeology, culture and folklore to keep you enthralled for many a visit.
Andros has
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Water everywhere: streams, falls, culverts built into the network of cobbled streets in the hill towns, traditional fountain houses and carved spring heads
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Four mountain ranges split by deep river valleys opening to the sea
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Mountain-top castles and monasteries, hill towns, villages and with accommodation and transport links
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Windmills and watermills, unique dry stone walls, hidden bays and beaches
Staying on Andros
Apart from the ferry port of Gavrio and nearby Batsi, Andros is not over endowed with easy to find accommodation and Chora, the capital is geared much more to residents and regulars, but there are enough rooms if you dig and delve.
There are seaside options and unusual hill town possibilities and the official campsite, with pool, restaurant and pool table, just behind the port.
Getting to Andros
Andros is one of the most accessible of all the islands to international visitors, not counting resort islands with international airports and it's possible to get there in three hours from Athens airport.
From Rafina, ferries leave a few times a day and take a couple of hours, Greek Travel Pages and Greek Island Hopping provide timetables.
Andros is linked via Tinos (90 mins) to Mykonos (2hours 20mins) (airport) and via Tinos and Syros to the rest of the Cyclades and beyond.
Getting around Andros
Andros has a good road network, a number of buses, taxis and vehicle hire from the two main centres, Gavrio and Chora, and the subsidiary settlements and hill towns where you can walk along cobbled streets and stone steps. There's a well-established walking culture and the paths are generally well signed and maintained.
There are valley walks which allow you to explore the ruins, including the industrial archaeology of mills, presses, arched stone bridges and towers. Up on the hills are open moorland ridges offering views across the archipelago.
Our ten or so walks include some challenging longer routes, but road access points enable you to tackle these in sections if you so wish.
Maps and other information
There are two maps suitable for walking:
Anavasi Topo 10.21 at 1:50,000 ISBN 978 960 8195745
Skai Terrian Map 307, also at 1:50,000 ISBN 978 960 684583-3
...and don't forget Google Earth.
Websites which include general tourist information for Andros include:
www.greeka.com, www.hellas-guide.com, some of which include online booking options and www.greekisland.co.uk, the island hopper's website