Chora Andros

Chora is the capital of Andros and is located in the eastern part of the island thirty-five kilometers from the Gavrio port where ships from Mainland Greece arrive. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful villages on the island, right on the tip of a peninsula in the picturesque crescent-shaped bay between two long sandy beaches Neiborio beach and Paraporti beach.

A graceful town of unique beauty with a mix of Venetian, Ottoman and Byzantine style buildings with colorful houses with red tiled roofs that do not reflect the classic Cycladic style made with low houses and strictly in white lime. Its neoclassical and stately buildings, labyrinthine and narrow alleys, stone walkways and museums make the Chora even more fascinating. Although new buildings have been built in the Chora, fortunately they did not spoil the medieval atmosphere and all the mystery of the citadel. The magical walk to the Chora starts from Embirikou Street and from here you can only continue on foot because the city can only be visited in this way.

It has two squares, the first Kairis Square made of stone with delightful cafes, small restaurants and taverns serving traditional food and inviting pastry shops, yes because Andros is very renowned in the Cyclades Islands and not only for its desserts which are still prepared with ancient recipes handed down from mother to daughter. To enter the heart of the old village built in 1207 at the behest of Marino Dandolo, governor of the island during the occupation of the Serenissima, an access gate still well preserved today that like a time machine as soon as you cross the threshold will catapult you into a other dimension. A succession of neoclassical villas up to the second agora, Piazza Goulandris completely in marble where there is the statue of the Unknown Sailor in Greek Afanis Naftis dedicated to the most important sons taken from the sea and which offers a spectacular view of Paraporti beach on the right while on the left the Nimporio beach and the ruins of the castle of the Venetian period erected to protect the inhabitants and reachable through an ancient stone bridge that connects the town with the islet in the middle of the sea that hosts it. We recommend if you want to visit the castle from the bridge to do so on non-windy days because it is a bit dangerous.

From Piazza Kairis with the arch behind you, descending the welcome ones on the left you reach the Paraporti beach where you can admire and listen to the sea breaking on the coast, or by taking the right and always going down the stairs you can go to visit the Church of Panagia Thalassini also known as Virgin of the Sea a small chapel in the old port. Considered the protector of sailors together with St. Nicholas, inside it houses a beautiful icon of the Madonna dressed in Blue in honor of the sea (according to the iconographic tradition the Virgin always wears a red robe on the outside that represents her humanity). On August 15th in the chapel there is a beautiful and picturesque religious celebration to which many faithful from all over Greece flock.

Still taking the right after the stairs, another symbol of Andros can be admired, the Tourlitis lighthouse in front of the Venetian castle, the only one in Europe on an islet in the middle of the sea that has marked the route for 120 years. Built in 1887 and put into operation only ten years later, it is seven meters high and lights up to eleven nautical miles away. It was the first automatic lighthouse in all of Greece, in 1943 it was destroyed by a bombing but in 1950 it was restored. In 1994 thanks to the private donation of a Greek family, it was restored and brought back to its original form and still dominates the city and is the undisputed symbol of the island.

It is possible with your own vehicle, preferably a car since the distances on the Andros island are not so short, or through the local bus service that leaves from the Gavrio village and through all the main villages arrives at the Chora. Always consult the timetable because it can vary according to the period.

A little gem that is preserved over time and that must absolutely be included in the list of things to do in Andros, a dip in the past with that touch of the present that will make your visit unforgettable.