The villages of Andros are the heart of the greenest island in the Cyclades, strung through terraced valleys and along a long, indented coast. Spring water runs from marble lion heads. Grand captains’ mansions climb wooded slopes. Old stone footpaths link one settlement to the next through a landscape of plane trees and running streams that feels a world away from the barren islands to the south.
This guide takes the villages in turn: the spring village of Menites, Apoikia of the Sariza water, the shipowners’ Stenies. Byzantine Messaria, the highland hamlets of the interior. The three coastal centres of Chora, Gavrio and Korthi. It sits beside the wider Andros travel guide and the things to do in Andros, so you can build the villages into a longer trip.
What are the best villages to visit in Andros?
The best villages are Menites for its springs, Apoikia for its Sariza water, Stenies for its captains’ mansions, Messaria for its Byzantine church, and the highland hamlets of the interior, alongside the three coastal centres of Chora, Gavrio and Korthi.
Andros divides between a green, mountainous interior and a long coast, and its villages belong to both. Inland, a cluster of settlements sits among the springs and plane trees of the valleys near the capital, linked by old stone paths and reached by winding mountain roads. These are the villages that give the island its distinctive green character, unlike anywhere else in the Cyclades.
On the coast, three larger centres anchor the island: the elegant capital Chora on the east. The port town of Gavrio on the north-west. The bay of Korthi in the south-east. Between the mountain villages and the coastal towns, a tour of Andros can fill days, mixing springs and mansions with churches, tavernas and sea views.
The sections below take the most rewarding villages one by one, with what to see in each and how they fit together. Touring them by car or on foot, stopping for spring water and a meal in a mountain taverna. Is one of the defining pleasures of the island and the best way to feel its traditional life away from the beaches.
What makes the villages of Andros special?
The villages of Andros stand out for their running water, their greenery and their grand captains’ mansions. Springs, plane trees and terraced fields surround them, and old stone footpaths, the kalderimia, link the settlements across an unusually green Cycladic landscape.
Water is the first thing that sets the Andros villages apart. Springs rise across the green interior, feeding streams, watermills and the plane trees that shade the village squares, a rarity in the dry Cyclades. Menites and Apoikia are the most famous for their water, but running springs and lush greenery mark the interior villages as a group and keep them cool through the summer.
The second distinction is architecture. Andros grew wealthy from shipping, and returning captains and shipowners built grand neoclassical mansions in villages like Stenies and along the marble streets of Chora. Giving the island a refinement beyond its size. Elsewhere the older stone houses, blue-domed chapels and arched bridges of the mountain hamlets keep a simpler, traditional character.
Tying it all together is the network of old stone footpaths, the kalderimia, that once linked every village and now form the celebrated Andros Route. These paths make the villages a walking destination in their own right, and the guide to hiking in Andros follows several of the routes that thread between them.
Why you visit Menites?
Menites is the most famous spring village of Andros, where water flows year-round from a row of carved marble lion heads beneath a canopy of plane trees.
Menites sits in a green valley a short drive inland from Chora, and its spring is the reason to come. Water pours year-round from a line of carved marble lion-head spouts set into a wall beneath tall plane trees. A scene of greenery and running water that has made the village one of the best-loved sights on the island. The shaded square stays cool even at the height of summer.
Above the springs stands the church of the Panagia Koumoulou, and the lanes of the village wind through gardens and old stone houses among the trees. Tradition links the Menites springs to the ancient worship of Dionysos, and the sound of running water throughout the settlement gives it an atmosphere unlike any other village on Andros.
Menites makes an easy and rewarding stop on any tour of the interior, close to Chora and to the neighbouring villages of the valley. A pause for spring water in the cool of the plane trees, with a meal in a village taverna. Is one of the small pleasures that define a visit to the green heart of the island.
What is Apoikia known for?
Apoikia is known for the Sariza spring, whose mineral water is bottled and sold across Greece.
Apoikia lies on a wooded slope above Chora, and its name is tied to the Sariza spring. The mineral water that rises here is bottled under the Sariza label and drunk throughout Greece, long valued for its clarity and taste and, by tradition, for healing properties. A public fountain in the village lets visitors drink the water at its source.
The village sits amid the greenest scenery of the interior, close to the Pythara valley. A shaded gorge of plane trees, pools and small waterfalls that comes alive after the spring rains. A walk from Apoikia to Pythara is one of the classic short outings on the island, combining a spring village with running water and cool greenery.
With its water, its trees and its position near both Chora and the waterfalls, Apoikia is a natural stop on a tour of the interior. It pairs well with neighbouring Menites and Stenies. The three villages sitting close together in the valleys behind the capital and easily seen in a single half-day loop by car or on foot.
Why is Stenies famous?
Stenies is famous as the village of the sea captains, its slopes lined with the grand neoclassical mansions built by wealthy shipowners.
Stenies climbs a green hillside above the coast a short way north of Chora, and its character comes from its houses. This was the village of the ship captains and shipowners, and their wealth raised a run of grand neoclassical mansions, set among gardens and terraces with views over the sea. In its heyday it counted as the wealthiest village on the island.
Walking the stepped lanes of Stenies, past the mansions, old fountains and stone houses shaded by trees, gives a sense of the prosperity that shipping brought to Andros. Below the village lies the small bay and beach of Gialia, once the landing for the settlement. Adding a swim to a visit and linking the captains’ houses to the sea that made them.
Stenies completes the trio of villages behind Chora, alongside Menites and Apoikia, and together they show the green, watered, refined side of the island. A slow wander through the mansions and gardens, with the sea glinting below. Is a fine contrast to the beaches and one of the cultural pleasures of a stay on Andros.
What can you see in Messaria?
Messaria, in a green valley near Chora, is known for the Byzantine church of the Taxiarchis, one of the finest medieval churches on Andros.
Messaria lies in a fertile valley a little inland from Chora, surrounded by terraced fields, orchards and streams. Its great treasure is the church of the Taxiarchis, the Archangel Michael, a twelfth-century Byzantine church counted among the most important medieval monuments on the island. Its old stonework and frescoes a record of the island’s deep Christian past.
The village itself is a quiet, traditional settlement of stone houses and gardens, watered like its neighbours by the springs of the interior. It sits on the old paths that link the villages behind the capital. It makes a natural addition to a loop that takes in Menites. Apoikia and Stenies, adding a note of Byzantine history to the springs and mansions.
For visitors interested in the island’s churches and its medieval heritage, Messaria and its Taxiarchis church reward the short detour from Chora. The combination of the fine old church and the green, watered valley around it captures the character of the Andros interior, where history, faith and running water sit close together.
What are the highland villages of Andros?
The highland villages of Andros, including Vourkoti, Arnas and Katakoilos, sit high on the green slopes of the interior.
Above the valleys behind Chora, a scatter of villages climbs into the highest, greenest country on the island. Vourkoti sits high on the slopes amid springs and terraces, close to some of the finest stretches of the Andros Route, while Arnas shelters in a wooded ravine famous for its running water and old walnut and plane trees, one of the shadiest spots on the island.
Katakoilos and the neighbouring hamlets of the western slopes keep a quiet, farming character, their stone houses and chapels set among terraced fields with long views down to the sea. These upland villages see fewer visitors than the springs of Menites or the mansions of Stenies, and they reward those who venture up with a glimpse of traditional mountain life.
The highland villages are best combined with a walk, since the great trails of the island pass through and between them, linking springs, chapels and old watermills. For walkers especially they are a highlight. Even by car the drive up into the green heights. With its air and its views, is one of the pleasures of exploring the interior of Andros.
Is Chora worth exploring as a village?
Chora, the capital, is the grandest settlement on Andros, an elegant town on a narrow peninsula with a marble main street of shipowners’ mansions, fine museums, a ruined Venetian castle and the Tourlitis lighthouse offshore.
Chora is the essential settlement of Andros and belongs on any tour. A pedestrian marble street runs the spine of its peninsula, lined with grand neoclassical mansions, churches and squares. Ending at the open terrace of the Riva with its bronze statue of the Unknown Sailor gazing out to sea.
Beyond the Riva, an old arched bridge crosses to the islet crowned by the ruined Venetian castle, with the emblematic Tourlitis lighthouse rising from the sea just beyond. The town is also the island’s cultural hub, home to the Museum of Modern Art of the Goulandris Foundation, the Archaeological and Maritime museums. A lively summer season of exhibitions.
Chora rewards an unhurried day among its mansions, museums and seafront, quite different in character from the green mountain villages inland. The dedicated guide to Chora covers the capital in full, from the marble street and the castle to the museums and the best spots to watch the sun set over the lighthouse.
What is the port village of Gavrio like?
Gavrio, on the north-west coast, is the port of Andros, where the ferries from Rafina dock.
Gavrio is the first sight of Andros for arriving visitors, a working port town wrapped around the harbour on the sheltered north-west coast. It is functional rather than picturesque, with ferry offices, shops and tavernas along the seafront. It has an easy. Everyday charm and is the practical hub for arrivals, departures and the north of the island.
The area around Gavrio holds some of the most accessible beaches on Andros. Including the long sands of Agios Petros and the sheltered bays to the north, making the port a base as well as a gateway. An old round tower, the Agios Petros tower, stands inland from the harbour. A well-preserved Hellenistic monument of dressed stone that is among the finest ancient towers in the Aegean and well worth the short trip up from the port.
Most visitors pass through Gavrio on the way to Batsi or Chora. It repays a pause for a meal by the harbour and gives easy access to the north-western beaches. The small islets of Gavrionisia lie just offshore. Boats run in summer to the beaches and coves of the north coast that no road reaches, so the port has more to offer than its workaday first impression suggests. For the ferries that dock here and the ways of getting around from the port, see the guide to how to get to Andros.
Why visit Korthi in the south of Andros?
Korthi, or Ormos Korthiou, is a relaxed bayside village on the south-east coast, set around a wide sandy bay.
Ormos Korthiou spreads around a broad bay in the south-east of the island, a calm, unhurried alternative to the busier resort of Batsi on the west coast. Its long sandy beach, its handful of tavernas and cafes along the front. Its slow pace make it a favourite for visitors seeking a quiet. Authentic base away from the main flow of tourism.
The open bay catches the summer meltemi wind, which has made Korthi the island’s centre for windsurfing, with schools and rental kit on the beach. Above the village, the iconic Tis Grias to Pidima beach frames a tall rock pinnacle in turquoise water. One of the most photographed beaches on Andros. The medieval Faneromeni castle crowns a nearby height.
Inland from Korthi, a string of traditional villages climbs the slopes, among them Kochylou and Aidonia, keeping old customs and offering wide views over the bay. A short walk or drive above the bay reaches the ruined Faneromeni castle and the little chapels scattered across the hills. Adding history and long sea views to a day in this corner of the island. Korthi and its hinterland form a distinct corner of Andros, well worth exploring for those who want the island at its quietest, as the where to stay in Andros guide describes.
How do you tour the villages of Andros?
The villages are best toured by hire car, which reaches the scattered inland settlements the buses rarely serve, or on foot along the old stone paths of the Andros Route.
Andros is a large, mountainous island. Its villages lie far apart across the interior and along the coast, so a hire car or scooter is the practical way to tour them. The buses run only times a day between the main towns and rarely reach the mountain hamlets. Independent transport opens up the springs. Mansions and highland villages that reward exploring.
The classic short circuit takes in the villages behind Chora, Menites, Apoikia, Stenies and Messaria, a loop of springs. Mansions and a Byzantine church that fits into a half-day, easily extended up into the highland villages of Vourkoti and Arnas for a full day. The coastal centres of Gavrio and Korthi sit further off and suit separate outings.
For walkers, the old kalderimia of the Andros Route link many of the villages on foot. Travelling between them along the stone paths. Past chapels, watermills and terraces, is the most rewarding way of all to see them. Even a single marked section gives a feel for the green landscape that ties the villages of the island together.
When is the best time to visit the Andros villages?
Spring and autumn are the best times to tour the villages, when the interior is green, the springs and waterfalls flow and the weather is cool for walking.
The villages of the interior are at their finest in spring, from March to May, when the island is at its greenest. The wildflowers are out and the springs and waterfalls run full after the winter rains. Autumn is a close second, as the heat fades and the light softens, making both seasons ideal for touring the villages and walking the paths between them.
Summer brings warm, settled weather and long days, well suited to combining a village tour with time on the beaches. The greenery and running water of the interior keep the mountain villages cooler than the coast. The shaded squares of Menites and Arnas are welcome refuges from the midday heat of July and August.
Whatever the season, the late afternoon is the best time of day to explore, when the light warms the stone, the tavernas open and the villages come to life. For the island-wide picture of seasons, weather and crowds, see the guide to the best time to visit Andros.
What villages lie near Batsi on the west coast?
Behind the resort of Batsi on the west coast rise the traditional villages of Katakalaioi, Arni and Ano Aprovato, set among terraces and olive groves.
The green slopes behind Batsi hold a group of old farming villages that most beach visitors never see. Katakalaioi, just inland from the resort, is a traditional settlement of stone houses and gardens on the hillside, while Arni shelters in a wooded ravine higher up. Famous for its running water and shade beneath old walnut and plane trees, one of the coolest spots on the island in summer.
Ano Aprovato and the neighbouring hamlets sit amid terraces and olive groves with wide views over the west coast and the sea, keeping the slow rhythm of rural Andros. Near Aprovato lies the archaeological site of Ypsili, an ancient fortified settlement on a hilltop, adding a note of deep history to a tour of the western villages.
These villages make an easy half-day loop from a base in the resort, climbing from the coast into the green interior and back, as the guide to Batsi describes. A short drive up from the beach reaches a different, older Andros of springs, terraces and quiet squares, well worth the detour from the sands.
What traditions and festivals do the Andros villages keep?
The Andros villages keep their religious festivals, the panigyria, held on saints’ days through the summer with food, wine and music. Old customs, village churches and the island’s distinctive food and crafts survive strongly in the mountain settlements.
Village life on Andros still turns on the calendar of the church. The panigyria. The festivals held on the feast days of local saints, are the high points of the year. On a summer evening a village square fills for its saint’s day with long tables, grilled meat. Local wine and live music. The celebration runs late into the night, open to visitors and islanders alike.
Each village guards its own churches and chapels, its own spring and often its own local dish or produce. From the honey and cheese of the highlands to the almond sweets of the valleys. The old crafts and the farming year, the olive harvest, the making of wine and cheese, still shape the rhythm of the mountain villages away from the coast.
For a visitor, stumbling on a village festival or simply sharing a meal in a mountain taverna is a way into the living tradition of the island. Quite apart from its monuments and beaches. This surviving village culture, rooted in the green interior, is a large part of what gives Andros its character among the Cyclades.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most beautiful village in Andros?
Menites is often called the most beautiful village on Andros. Famous for the spring water that flows year-round from carved marble lion heads beneath a canopy of plane trees, keeping its square green and cool in midsummer. Others give the title to Stenies for its captains’ mansions above the sea, or to the elegant capital Chora with its marble street and offshore lighthouse. Between them they capture the island’s mix of water, greenery and refinement.
How days do you see the villages of Andros?
A day is enough to tour the main villages behind Chora, Menites, Apoikia, Stenies and Messaria. In a loop of springs, mansions and a Byzantine church. To see the capital itself. To add the highland villages of Vourkoti and Arnas, the port town of Gavrio and the bay of Korthi in the south. Allow two to three days, ideally with a hire car, which lets you combine the villages with the beaches and trails.
Do you need a car to visit the Andros villages?
For most of the villages, yes. Andros is large and mountainous, its settlements spread far apart across the interior and coast. The buses run only times a day between the main towns, rarely reaching the mountain hamlets. A hire car or scooter, collected at the port of Gavrio, is the practical way to tour the springs, mansions and highland villages, though keen walkers can also reach many of them on foot along the old stone paths of the Andros Route.
What food will you find in the Andros villages?
The mountain tavernas of the Andros villages serve the island’s traditional food, above all fourtalia, a hearty omelette of potatoes. Local sausage and mint, along with the soft, tangy kopanisti cheese, wild greens, honey and olive oil from the island’s groves. For something sweet, the almond amygdalota are the local speciality, and the Sariza spring water of Apoikia is drunk across Greece. Eating in a village taverna is one of the authentic pleasures of the island’s interior.