Best Beaches on Andros, Greece: My Top 12 + Car-Free Tips

Andros has some seriously beautiful beaches, from organised stretches of golden sand to remote bays with turquoise water that felt like I’d landed on a desert island.

I spent two weeks exploring Andros and visited more than 10 beaches on both sides of the island, all without a car. I reached them by bus, on foot and by e-bike.  I discovered first-hand how much the Meltemi winds can change swimming conditions from one side of the island to the other.

Achla was the best beach on Andros for me, but there are plenty more worth seeking out. In this guide, I share my first-hand experience and practical tips to help you choose the best Andros beaches for your trip, including which are easiest to reach without a car.

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Best beaches on Andros at a glance

My favourite beaches on Andros

If I could only return to three beaches on Andros, I’d choose Achla for its incredible setting and sense of adventure, Lydi for escaping the crowds and Golden Beach when I wanted an easy, relaxed beach day. For swimming without travelling far from Batsi, I’d choose Colona.

Top 12 beaches on Andros, Greece

Beaches near Chora

Achla Beach

Best for: natural beauty, hiking and a sense of adventure

Achla was the most beautiful beach I visited on Andros. The curve of the bay, incredibly blue sea and pale sand make a stunning combination, and despite the beach being huge, there was hardly anyone there when I visited. After hiking there, it really did feel like I’d discovered a secret.

The calm water was beautiful for swimming and very easy to get into. There are no beach bars or sunbeds, so this isn’t the beach to choose if you want facilities.

Getting to Achla without a car takes some effort. I combined an e-bike ride from Chora with a hike from Agios Nikolaos Monastery, but I’d absolutely do it again. The journey is part of the adventure and the beach at the end is well worth the effort. If you don’t fancy the hike, you can also visit Achla on a boat trip.

I’ve written a separate guide to visiting Achla Beach without a car with the full route and practical details.

Lydi Beach

Best for: seclusion and undeveloped scenery

Lydi Beach is my best-kept secret near Chora. I visited several times and sometimes had this beautifully sandy beach completely to myself, with only one or two other people there on other visits.

It’s a 30-minute walk from central Chora, via Paraporti Beach, but finding the path isn’t straightforward. You’ll need to follow the coast, find your way through scrub and scramble over some rocks to reach the beach. There are no facilities and almost no shade, so bring your own food and water.

Swimming here was idyllic when the sea was calm, but on another visit the Meltemi made the water too choppy to swim. Lydi is also used by naturists, so bear that in mind.

I’d include a visit to this beach on any Andros itinerary.  It’s so close to Chora but feels a world away.

Piso Gialia Beach

Best for: a relaxed beach-bar atmosphere

Piso Gialia was one of the prettier beaches I visited near Chora. It’s much more natural than neighbouring Gialia, with soft sand, large rocks around the beach and clear water that was lovely to swim in.

When I visited in late June, people were playing beach games on the sand, and the beach bar was playing chilled music. It felt lively without being intrusive.

The beach bar has sunbeds and straw umbrellas and seemed particularly popular with a younger crowd. I’d happily come back here for a few hours of swimming and relaxing.

The downside is the access. You need to go down some very steep steps to get to Piso Gialia beach. I reached Piso Gialia after hiking Andros Route 8 and then walked back to Chora, which took around 50 minutes.

It’s possible to visit without a car, but you’ll need to be reasonably fit and comfortable with the steep climb.

Paraporti Beach

Best for: an easy beach trip from Chora

Paraporti isn’t the prettiest beach I visited on Andros, but it’s incredibly convenient if you’re staying in Chora. Just walk down the steps from the main street, full of Chora’s restaurants, and you’re on a large sandy beach with plenty of room to spread out. There’s also a good beach bar at the far end serving cocktails.

I went several times, particularly at the end of a day exploring Andros when it was still warm enough for the beach.

One thing to be aware of is the Meltemi wind. On one particularly windy day, the waves were so big that I didn’t consider it safe to swim.  If you get one of those days, head to the western side of Andros, where you’ll often find calmer conditions.

Neimporio Beach

Best for: a lively beach close to Chora

Neimporio is another very convenient option if you’re staying in Chora. It’s busier than Paraporti and seemed particularly popular with local families when I visited.

There are restaurants nearby and a nautical club at the far end, so it’s a good choice if you want more going on around you.

Personally, I preferred Paraporti. I thought it was the prettier of the two and the sea was more appealing for swimming. Neimporio can also be affected by the Meltemi winds.

Beaches near Batsi

Batsi Beach

Best for: water sports

I found Batsi Beach much calmer for swimming than the beaches I visited on the eastern side of Andros, which can be more affected by the Meltemi winds.

Batsi’s large sandy beach is one of the reasons the town makes such a convenient place to stay on Andros

There’s plenty of room to spread out, with a bit of natural shade provided by trees along the back of the beach.

I preferred nearby Colona Beach for a quieter, prettier beach, but Batsi is the better choice if you want water sports, restaurants and more of an atmosphere. It was livelier than Colona when I visited, but still didn’t feel overly crowded.

It’s also easy to reach Batsi Beach without a car. Buses from Gavrio port stop right beside the beach.

One useful thing to know is that buses travelling back towards Gavrio from Chora stop above Batsi, beside the AB supermarket, rather than down by the beach.

Colona Beach

Best for: a quieter beach within easy walking distance of Batsi

Colona was one of my favourite beaches around Batsi. I stayed opposite it at Cozy Nest apartment, so I swam here several times. In the morning I sometimes had its lovely curve of golden sand almost to myself. It got busier later in the day, but never felt overly crowded.

The sea is easy to enter from the sand. The water initially felt a little chilly, but I quickly got used to it. There’s also a relaxed beach bar serving great cocktails, with sunbeds and umbrellas and music that wasn’t intrusive. Natural shade is limited, though.

You don’t need a car to get here. Colona is only around a 10-minute walk from central Batsi along a lovely waterside route. I preferred it to Batsi’s main beach for a quieter, prettier place to swim and relax, although Batsi is better if you want water sports and lots of restaurants close by.

Golden Beach

Best for: an easy, relaxed beach day

Golden Beach was one of my favourite organised beaches on Andros. It has beautiful soft sand and shallow, calm water that’s easy to get into, making it a good choice for families. I spent a very relaxing day here.

Although there are lots of sunbeds and a beach bar with music, it still felt surprisingly relaxed when I visited in late June and there’s a good area of sand where you can just put down a towel.

Two sunbeds and an umbrella cost €40, with QR codes on the umbrellas so you can view the menu and order food and drinks without going to the bar.

Golden Beach is one of the easiest Andros beaches to visit without a car. The bus stop’s right next to the beach, with Batsi and Gavrio only 10 minutes away. I’d recommend it for an easy, chilled-out beach day, particularly after a few days of hiking or sightseeing, but not if you’re looking for somewhere secluded or undeveloped.

Beaches near Korthi and southern Andros

Tis Grias To Pidima Beach

Best for: sightseeing

I’d wanted to see the famous rock formation at Tis Grias To Pidima after seeing photographs online, and it didn’t disappoint. The tall stone stack rises dramatically from the sea but is actually surprisingly close to shore. You can walk out to it, and you’ll also get some great views looking down on it from the path above the beach.

The sandy beach itself is pleasant, with calm water when I visited, although there wasn’t much shade and it was busier than I’d expected.

You can get here without a car, but it’s quite a journey. The bus from Chora to Ormos Korthiou takes around 1.5 hours, followed by a 30-minute walk. The final section down to the beach is a bit rocky and has wooden barriers.

I wouldn’t make the long journey to Tis Grias To Pidima purely for a beach day, as there are prettier beaches much closer to Chora and Batsi. But if you want to see one of Andros’s most unusual sights and combine it with a swim, it’s worth the trip.

Fellos Beach

Beaches near Gavrio and northern Andros

Best for: beach days near Gavrio

I didn’t visit Fellos myself, but it’s a large sandy beach around 5 km north of Gavrio, with trees providing some natural shade. There’s a taverna nearby, but otherwise it’s relatively undeveloped. There’s no bus to Fellos, so if you’re travelling without a car, you’d need to walk for about an hour and a half or take a taxi from Gavrio (which you can get at the taxi rank at the ferry port).

Vitali Beach

Best for: a beautiful, remote beach

I didn’t make it to Vitali on my trip, but it regularly gets suggested as one of the best beaches on Andros. It’s a large beach with sand and pebbles, clear blue water, some natural shade and facilities including sunbeds and a beach taverna.

Vitali is 15 km from Gavrio and requires driving part of the way on a dirt road. Without a car, you’ll need to arrange a taxi to reach Vitali.

Zorkos Beach

Best for: clear water and a remote setting

I didn’t visit Zorkos either, but it’s also frequently recommended as one of Andros’s most beautiful beaches. The large beach has a mixture of sand and fine pebbles, clear water and plenty of space, with sunbeds and a taverna. It’s around 17 km from Gavrio and the final part of the road is unpaved. Like Vitali, there’s no bus, so you’ll need a taxi or a car to get here.