The meat is sourced from the owner’s farm and the menu also has vegetable specialities and froutalia (an omelette with potatoes and sausage). By contrast Blu Enigma Hotel (apartment for two from €60) in the village of Apikia has its own skateboarding bowl and hosts artists, BMXers and skaters, with regular art installations and exhibitions.īalkoni tou Aigaiou (Aegean Balcony) offers lunch or dinner with 180-degree sea views. The owner is the embodiment of Greek hospitality, and the organic food is a particular highlight, made using ingredients from the farm such as olive oil, lemons, oranges, apricots, figs and peaches, as well as vegetables. On the outskirts of Chora, Small Paradis e (doubles from €110 B&B, two-night minimum) offers three suites with kitchen facilities on an organic farm. Inland there are spectacular waterfalls at Pithara, and a famous gushing spring at nearby Sariza. Paleopoli, Andros’s ancient capital, has the remains of the fifth-century fortified city, with its marketplace, theatre, altars and temples.

According to legend, in ancient times wine flowed from the mouths of the lion statues in the square, which was the setting for wine festivals called “Dionysus parties”.

Six kilometres from Chora, the village of Menites, at the foot of Petalo mountain, is famous for its spring waters. Those with facilities and watersports include Agios Petros, Xrisi Akti and Kypri. The seaside town of Batsi is where most tourists stay, but it’s still relatively quiet, with a selection of tavernas and coffee shops.Īndros has a glut of stunning wild beaches, including Zorkos, Vitali, Achla (the most difficult to reach), and Pidima tis Grias (old woman’s leap). The main town, Chora, is a cluster of neoclassical mansions that juts out to sea, with a marbled square and impressive museums dedicated to contemporary art, archaeology and folklore. Rent a car that can go off-road, as some of the best places are reached down dirt tracks. More fertile and greener than the rest of the Cyclades, the island has a well-maintained network of trails,making it a hiker’s paradise. Two hours from the port of Rafina, near Athens, this mountainous island is the northernmost of the Cyclades archipelago and a favourite with holidaying Greeks for its food, beaches and pretty villages.

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