The beautiful beaches in Andros like the old woman's jump etc.

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With names such as Chalkolimnionas, Fellos, Piso Gialia and “old woman’s fucking“, the beaches of Andros stand out for their not so common names.

This of course applies to those who have not visited them since when you do, you will surely remember them for the reasons that you should, which are none other than their crystal clear turquoise waters, the variety and colours of the sand and the beautiful Cycladic landscape that surrounds them.

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Ferry routes to Andros

Most ferries to Andros are operated from the port of Rafina.

Apart from Rafina, there are also routes to Andros from the port of Lavrio. If the times are convenient for you or if you are closer to the port, it is advantageous since the route is shorter and probably the ticket is shorter.

Anerousa beach Andros-Kyklades — The beach of Anerousa

Starting this short journey to the beaches of Andros, we must mention some information you should know before visiting the island. We start from the fact that Andros has a lot of beaches, more than you have heard of or even more than you would expect to see. These are spread almost evenly along the coastline of the island, although most of the organised ones are in, we could say, the south-eastern part of the island, the side that is the port of Andros, Gavrio and perhaps its most touristic village, Batsi.

In the northern part of the island, where the capital Chora of Andros is located, there are the most remote and difficult to access beaches such as Vori, the famous Achla, Vitali and Megali Peza. Unfortunately or fortunately for many, there is no paved road to these beaches .

The beach of Agios Petros Andros Cyclades — The beach of Agios Petros

Moreover, because Andros is located in a geographical point where strong northerly winds blow several days of the summer, it is difficult if not impossible to swim in these beaches on some days due to the big waves and strong winds. However, if you have a jeep and the winds are below at least 5 Beaufort, it is worth swimming in the more deserted and quiet northern coasts of the island.

If you want to try to go with a conventional car it would be good to ask the locals about the condition of the dirt road to the beach that you have “set your eyes on” as depending on the weather during the winter some roads may have been damaged and may not be open for a conventional car. On the days we went to Andros the strong north winds did not allow us at all to try our luck at some of them with the exception of the beach “ Grias to jump” which we managed to visit while the winds were still blowing 4-5 Beaufort. It was choppy but you could easily swim in the lovely waters of the beach.

The beach "The old woman's jump", Andros Cyclades — The beach “the old woman’s fuck”

Although this particular beach is one of the most famous in Andros , the signage on the roads is not quite as discreet. In fact, the roads leading to them are quite narrow at some stage and inside the village of Korthi, while after a short while you will find a dirt road. In fact it is very likely that you will reach the beach but not notice it as you cannot see it from the road, especially if you go early and there are no other cars parked above.

Be careful to see the small dirt and narrow downhill path that will lead you to the jump of the old woman with the characteristic vertical rock and its amazingly cool waters. From the north side of Andros the next beach we went to was Gialia and back Gialia. For Hinter Gyalia you have to descend about 120 steps so especially for the climb take water and several long breaths with you.

In Piso Gialia there is a beach bar, which fortunately when we went there there was no loud music playing. So against the northerly winds and the absence of a vehicle for dirt roads we dedicated ourselves to the beaches of the southern part without regret. In fact, if you stay in Batsi you will be able to swim in the beautiful beach of the village without even having to move your car.

In addition, just above the sandy beach you will find tavernas, restaurants and cafes if you want to take a pleasant break to fill your stomachs or have a coffee with a view of the blue Aegean Sea. The rest of the beaches of southeastern Andros are divided by putting the port of Gavrio in the center of the island.

Golden Beach, the most touristic beach of Andros

As you can see, when you arrive by boat at the port of Gavrio, on the left side, towards the north, you will find beaches such as the beautiful Fellos and Kourtali, while on the right, going towards Batsi, you will find the long beach of Agios Petros, the most touristic beach of the island, Golden Sand and Kypris. From Batsi and while you have just left the harbour of the uphill and taking the road that will take you to the main road, you can turn right and visit the small beach of Anerousa (it has a beach bar) with its wonderful sea or continue a little further down to the narrow beach of Agia Marina with its picturesque seaside taverna.

Continuing after Batsi, there is the beach with the ancient sunken breakwater of Paleopolis, while at the big intersection (towards a. the villages of Pitrofos, Manites and Chora Andros b. the bay of Korthi) that you will meet a few km later you can turn right, there is a sign for the beaches of Chalkolimnionas and Apothikes.

The road is paved for Chalkolimnionas beach while for Apothikes beach you will turn left on a dirt road for a few kilometres to reach the beautiful small beach.

At Chalkolimniona beach you will see the beautiful white characteristic chapel and it would be good to have a mask and a snorkel with you in order to enjoy the seabed with the rocks on the right side that will lead you to a much smaller and hidden sandy beach.

Accommodation in Andros

We preferred the seaside Batsi which is close enough to all the easily accessible beaches on the south side. It is also very close to the port of Gavrio and at the time we went (early July) it was quite quiet (because we had heard that Batsi is quite busy and can be noisy in the evenings and so on) and on the weekend when it was full of tourists there were several places in the small harbour to have one or more drinks depending on your mood.

We stayed at Dora II Studios in a clean and large room which had all the kitchen utensils in case you wanted to cook and eat some days in the room in order to save some money from the taverns. It was one of the cheapest places to stay with very good reviews as you can see.

The Dora II Studios is located just 100 meters from the beach of Batsi in one of the quietest places of the village. (no cars pass by as it is located in a dead end road).

View hotels and rooms to let in: Batsi, Gavrio , Chora Andros.

text/photos: Yannis Tsouratzis