Beaches in Andros

Andros has beaches for most moods, and the useful way to sort them is by how organised and how reachable they are rather than by a ranking. Then there is the trade-off that decides which of them you should actually use on any given day, and on this island it decides more than the beach names do.

The organised, easy ones on the west. Near Gavrio and Batsi there are family-friendly bays with sunbeds and tavernas behind the sand. If you want a beach day you do not have to plan, that is where it is.

Nimborio, within walking reach of Chora on the east. The one you can use from the capital without organising transport, which matters if you are basing in town for the museums and the evening.

Chrissi Ammos, one of the long open stretches, and the golden sand the name promises.

The ones you work for. Achla is reached down a track and partly on foot. Tis Grias to Pidima on the east coast has a lone rock pillar standing offshore. A handful of names is enough here; the island has plenty more.

Now the rule that matters more than any of them. Andros faces the meltemi, the strong, dry north wind that sets in over the Aegean through high summer, and because the island sits high in the north of the Cyclades its north- and west-facing beaches take that wind full on. On a blowing day they turn choppy, sand-blasted and cold in the water, while a south- or east-facing cove around the headland can stay calm.

So plan by orientation, not by a single best beach. When the meltemi is up, most likely in July and August, move to a sheltered south- or east-facing bay and leave the exposed western sand for a still day. Locals do exactly this, reading the wind each morning and choosing the coast to match it. Copying that habit is the single most useful thing on this page.

Which is also an argument for having transport. The whole method depends on being able to cross to the other side of the island when the wind is up. Without it you are committed to whichever coast you booked, which on Andros is the difference between a good week and a frustrating one.

And an argument about the month. If swimming is the point of the trip, the meltemi is at its most likely in July and August, which is exactly when most people come. The shoulder seasons are gentler on the water as well as on the walking. The shoulder season covers the case.

What the Greek sea is actually like day to day is worth understanding before you commit to a beach base. Our Andros guide has the practicalities, things to do covers Chora and the walking network, and where to stay covers the coasts.