The towns and villages of Andros are of
considerable interest. Gavrio is the island`s
principal harbour, on the west side of Andros ,
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. Andros has numerous interesting things to see:; these include the Church of the Archangel (12th Century) at Messaria, the Monasteries of Zoodochos Pigi at Batsi, of Agios Nikolaos at Apikia (which is also the site of the mineral springs at Sariza) and Panachrandou at Phallika, and the Upper Kastro or the Old Woman's Castle to the north of the village of Kohylos.
Special mention should be made of the ruins of an ancient city which has survived at Palaiopoli. At Zagora, to the south of Palaiopoli, one of the most important Geometric temples to have been discovered anywhere in Greece has come to light.
There are excellent beaches for swimming at Niborio,
Paraporti, Yialia, Korthi Bay near Batsi, Gavrio,
Vitali and elsewhere.
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, charming villages,
historic monuments, lovely beaches
and mineral springs. There is a naval
club (rowing and sailing) at Nimborio.
Among the local specialties are cheese pies (``kaltsounia''), a
fresh white cheese, wine, almond confectionery (``amygdalota'')
and ``froutalia", a special omelette with sausage. Fish are
plentiful.
The capital Andros or Hora
which is the island's second largest port, lies on the
southeastern coast.
It is a most attractive town, with neo-classical mansions side-by-side with Cycladic houses, steep and narrow alleys lined with arcades, fine churches and two pretty squares in the centre of a town which will make a lasting impression. Among the most important monuments of Hora are the Venetian Castle, now ruined, and the church of ``Palatiani'' within its wall.
On the cultural side, there is a Museum
containing finds from the Geometric, Classical,
Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods,
and a Maritime
Museum with a rich collection of ship
models, photographs and nautical instruments.
In Chora you will find one of the best Archaeological
Museums in Greece. It contains findings from
Zagora in Palaiopolis, the famous statue of Hermes
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.
